seas.

Another visitor, the Rorqual, is not welcomed by the fishermen. This big
fellow follows the shoals of Mackerel and Herring. He lives on them,
swallowing as many at each gulp as would fill several big baskets. The
fishermen can spare him the fish. But it is another matter when he swims
through valuable nets, tearing through them as if they were so much
cobweb.

The commonest Whale of our seas is that small one, the Common Dolphin,
who is a midget some five or six feet long. You may have seen Dolphins,
for they swim near the surface, and may often be noticed not far from
the shore. Like the Rorquals, they follow the Herring and Mackerel
shoals. Now and again they dash into the nets, and are shown in the
fish-market.


EXERCISES

1. Describe how the Whale breathes. 2. What food do the Sperm and
Greenland Whales eat? 3. How does the Greenland Whale eat its food? 4,
Give the names of five kinds of Whale.



LESSON VII

TIGERS OF THE SEA

[Illustration: A CORAL REEF.]