Decanting entire barrels of alcoholic drink into bottles for storage was an expensive and often wasteful exercise. It was more practical to use a barrel tap or spigot like this one to pour out the drink as and when it was needed, either into a decanter for the table or directly into glasses. This barrel tap, which is carved from pearwood to resemble a dolphin, fits into the bung hole of a barrel. The flow of liquid can be controlled by means of a pin with a scallop-shell terminal which blocks the pipe.