Bill Lamkin, age 1 2, of Jackson, Mss., or s question:

Can a porpoise really talk?

Men have made friends with the darling porpoise since the days of ancient Greece. But only lately have scientists got around to studying his great gifts. Though he is timid at first, he soon makes friends in captivity. The porpoises at Marineland have learned many amazing tricks and perform daily for the public.

The porpoise has a voice and keeps up a steady stream of squeaks grunts, giggles. Experts who study them say that these noises are words, each with its own meaning. The porpoise has a large vocabulary and he certainly carries on conversations with his porpoise friends. He is highly intelligent and someday, when we know more of his language, we may learn to talk with him.