Besides the Dolomites included in the above region there are several other Dolomite groups (though less extensive) in the Alps. N.W. of Trent rises the Tosa group, while in Switzerland there are the Piz d'Aela group, S.W. of Bergün on the Albula Pass route, and the curious little group N. of the village of Splügen, besides other isolated peaks between the St Gotthard and Lukmanier Passes. In Dauphiné itself (the home of the geologist Dolomieu) the mountain districts of the Royannais, of the Vercors, and of the Dévoluy (all S.W. of Grenoble) are more or less Dolomitic in character.
See J. Gilbert and G. C. Churchill, _The Dolomite Mountains_ (London, 1864); Miss L. Tuckett, _Zigzagging among Dolomites_ (London, 1871); P. Grohmann, _Wanderungen in den Dolomiten_ (Vienna, 1877); L. Sinigaglia, _Climbing Reminiscences of the Dolomites_ (London, 1896); _The Climbs of Norman-Neruda_ (London, 1899); V. Wolf von Glanvell, _Dolomitenfuhrer_ (Vienna, 1898); J. Ball, _Western Alps_ (new ed., London, 1898, section 9, Rte. P. French Dolomites). (W. A. B. C.)
DOLPHIN, a name properly belonging to the common cetacean mammal known as _Delphinus delphis_, but also applied to a number of more or less nearly allied species. The dolphins, bottle-noses, or, as they are more commonly called, "porpoises," are found in abundance in all seas, while some species are inhabitants of large rivers, as the Amazon. They are among the smaller members of the cetacean order, none exceeding 10 ft. in length. Their food is chiefly fish, for the capture of which their long narrow beaks, armed with numerous sharp-pointed teeth, are well adapted, but some also devour crustaceans and molluscs. They are mostly gregarious, and the agility and grace of their movements in the water are themes of admiration to the spectators when a "school of porpoises" is playing round the bows of a vessel at sea.
[Illustration: The Common Dolphin (_Delphinus delphis_).]
The type of the group is the common dolphin (_D. delphis_) of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, which usually measures 6 to 8 ft. in length, and is thickest near the centre, where the back fin rises to a height of 9 or 10 in., and whence the body tapers towards both extremities. The forehead descends abruptly to the base of the slightly flattened beak, which is about 6 in. long, and is separated from the forehead by a transverse depression. The mouth is armed with sharp, slightly curved teeth, of uniform size, varying in number from forty to fifty on each side of both jaws. The aperture of the ear is exceedingly minute; the eyes are of moderate size and the blow-hole is crescent-shaped. The colour of the upper surface is black, becoming lighter on the flanks, and perfectly white below. Dolphins are gregarious, and large herds often follow ships. They exhibit remarkable agility, individuals having been known to leap to such a height out of the water as to fall upon the deck. Their gambols and apparent relish for human society have attracted the attention of mariners in all ages, and have probably given rise to the many fabulous stories told of dolphins. Their appearance at sea was regarded as a good omen, for although it presaged a tempest, yet it enabled the sailors to steer for a place of safety. The dolphin is exceedingly voracious, feeding on fish, cuttlefishes and crustaceans. On the south coast of England it lives chiefly on pilchard and mackerel, and when in pursuit of these is often taken in the nets. The female brings forth a single young one, which she nurses most carefully. Her milk is abundant and rich, and during the operation of suckling, the mother floats in a slightly sidelong position, so as to allow of the necessary respiration in herself and her young. The dolphin was formerly supposed to be a fish, and allowed to be eaten by Roman Catholics when the use of flesh was prohibited, and it seems to have been esteemed as a delicacy by the French. Among the seafaring population of Britain the name "dolphin" is most usually given to the beautifully coloured fish _Coryphaena hippuris_--the dorado of the Portuguese, and it is to the latter the poet is alluding when he speaks of "the dying dolphin's changing hues."