Porpoise Oil.-A fishery for the porpoise (Delphinus phocana) is carried on off the coasts of Trebizond; it is

taken in nets, and also shot. This fishery yields upwards of 700,000 lbs. of oil per annum, a portion of which is consumed by the lower classes for lighting, and the rest finds a market in Constantinople. Porpoises are also caught in large numbers in the Little Belt, Denmark, where 1500 to 2000 are frequently obtained.

The extraction of the oil of the white whale (Beluga

catodon) and of the black porpoise constitutes an important industry in the district of Quebec, on the St. Lawrence.

river. This oil is inodorous, and gives a brilliant light. It is said to be superior to any other for lighthouses, because it does not coagulate even in the most intense cold, and its durability renders it invaluable for greasing leather and oiling machinery, which it preserves from injury by friction. In 1874 fish oil to the value of £86,600 was exported from Canada.

Dugong Oil.-An animal oil, having medicinal properties, was a few years ago added to the list of commercial products. It is obtained from the blubber of the dugong of Australia (Halicore Australis), a native of the shores of Queensland and the north-west coast of Australia. It was recommended as a new therapeutic agent, and as a substitute for cod-liver oil. The distinction between them is that the dugong oil contains no iodine; it is said, however, to possess all the advantages of the cod-liver oil without its unpleasant smell. No large supply of this oil could, however, be obtained, and from having arrived frequently much adulterated it lost any reputation it may have merited.

The best known of this family is the Manatus Americanus, Cuv., which frequents the mouths of rivers, and quiet, secluded bays and inlets, in the islands of the West Indies and the coasts of Guinea and Brazil. It is said to attain nearly 20 feet in length, and differs from the dugong in having no canines or incisors. An old author, Dr. R. Brookes, in his "Natural History," speaking of it says, "The fat which lies between the cuticle and the skin, when exposed to the sun, has a fine smell and taste, and far exceeds the fat of any sea animal. It has this peculiar property, that the heat of the sun will not spoil it, nor make it grow rancid. The taste is like the oil of sweet almonds, and it will serve very well in all cases instead of butter. Any quantity may be taken inwardly with safety,

P

for it has no other effect than keeping the body open. The fat of the tail is of a harder consistence, and when boiled is more delicate than the other." The flesh of the manatus is highly esteemed as food in all countries the shores of which it frequents. It is particularly abundant in the

1. Halicore Australis; 2. Manatus Americanus.

lakes of the Amazon. Wallace, in his Travels up that river, describes it. "Beneath the skin," he says, " is a layer of fat of a greater or less thickness, generally about an inch, which is boiled down to make an oil used for lighting and cooking. Each animal yields from 5 to 25 gallons of oil."

Edwards, in his "Voyage up the River Amazon," speaks of them, and says, not unfrequently they are taken eight feet in length. This is said to be a distinct species from the Manatus of the Gulf of Mexico.

CHAPTER VI.

FISH OILS AND THE FISHERIES CONNECTED THEREWITH.

Definition of fish oil-Cod oil-Cod-liver oil-Exports from NewfoundlandMode of preparation-Exports from Norway-From Iceland-Fish oils in Russia-Indian fish oils-Fishes from which obtained-Tunny oilHerring oil-Oolachan oil-Menhaden oil-Mode of preparation and statistics.

THE term fish oil is a very vague one, from its being generally applied to oil of all kinds, obtained both from marine mammals and fishes. Train oil from the whale is frequently so termed. Shark oil, and the oil expressed or obtained by heat from various kinds of fish, large and small, is very much mixed as sent into commerce, and it is scarcely possible, unless from a few special districts and large factories, to know what is the true source of the fish oil purchased. There are some few large fisheries, such as the cod, herring, pilchard, sardine, menhaden, etc., where attention is given to the preparation of the oil.

Cod Oil.-The oil obtained from the cod forms a considerable item in the fishing business. About one hogshead of oil is produced from every five tons of fish. The quantity of oil extracted from cod livers in Newfoundland. is about 1,250,000 gallons, valued at £200,000. Nearly all