a. Nutritory functions.
1. _Eating, Food._--Its eating cuttles, lobsters and all kind of
sea-crabs (p. 105), may be true. With the greatest certainty it may be
said to feed on fish. We have found the following notices which decide
this: “He often disappeared and was gone five or ten minutes under
water; evidently he was diving or fishing for his food. He remained in
nearly the same situation and thus employed for two hours. All kind of
fish abound in the cove where the animal was seen” (35). “It sometimes
darted under water with the greatest velocity, as if seizing prey”
(69), which in this instance surely was fish. “Large shoals of small
fish were rushing landwards in great commotion, leaping from the water,
crowding on each other, and showing all the symptoms of flight from
the pursuit of some wicked enemy” (133), and suddenly a sea-serpent
appeared. “There was an unusual abundance of fish close in shore”
(150), a sea-serpent soon made its appearance.
Not only does the animal prey on fish, but, by way of change, also
on sea-mammals. When on Behring’s Isle Mr. KRIUKOF tells us that
“the sea-lions were so terrified at the sight of the monster, that
some rushed into the water, and others hid themselves on the shore.
The sea often throws up pieces of the flesh, which, according to the
Aleutians is that of this serpent” (36). Evidently such pieces of flesh
are washed aland only when a sea-serpent had made its appearance,
otherwise there would be no reason to ascribe such pieces of flesh to
sea-serpents. Sea-reptiles don’t exist in those regions; it is highly
improbable that the pieces of flesh were of sea-birds; they are not
of fishes, as in that case they would not have been called _flesh_,
consequently they are of sea-mammals. Of what kind of sea-mammals
these pieces of flesh were, is not the question now, but I am sure
that the sea-lions would not be so terrified, if they did not know the
sea-serpent to be a terrible enemy.
There is moreover no doubt, that sea-serpents sometimes prey on the
smaller kind of whales, as dolphins, porpoises, grampuses, &c. It
sometimes appears suddenly amidst a shoal of these animals: “It was
surrounded by porpoises and grampuses” (56); “There was an immense
shoal of grampuses, which appeared in an unusual state of excitement”,
no doubt because they were pursued by a sea-serpent (97); “an
immense shoal of porpoises rushed by the ship as if pursued” (124),
and gracefully a long neck, moving like that of a swan rose from the
depths. Our suppositions in this respect are confirmed by the reports
of Captain S. WEST, who saw the sea-serpent “engaged with a whale”
(54), and of Captain DAVISON, stating that a sea-serpent seized a whale
on the belly (read pectoral fin) (151, fig. 49).
The manner of darting on its prey is well described in n^o. 149 and
152. I am convinced that the individuals in n^o. 154 and 106 a were
diving for food in a playful manner, with their body and part of their
tail floating on the surface.
2. _Breathing._ Nobody will doubt that sea-serpents respire by gills as
fish do; they move or swim, as is stated in numerous reports, with the
head constantly above water, or when holding it nearly on the surface,
it is evident that their nostrils are always just above the surface.
When diving or fishing for food the average time that they remain under
water is about eight minutes (63). It is probable that they may remain
under it for half an hour or still longer. When having remained so
long under water, and appearing on the surface, the animal suddenly
exhales with such a force that “we at first imagined it to be a whale
spouting” (83), and “every time he put his head out of water, he made a
noise similar to that of steam escaping from the boiler of a steamboat”
(101). The same noise is usually heard when a whale “spouts” (See H.
LEE, _Sea Fables Explained_, 1883, London), see also fig. 36. But also
when the animal is swimming or lying still on the surface with its head
on the level of the water, occasionally exhaling when its nostrils are
not quite above water, it “spouts water from it not unlike the blowing
of a whale” (74); “near one extremity we saw what looked like foam or
froth as though it was spouting water” (114). The breath of the animal
is occasionally also seen condensed by the cold, forming little curling
clouds, “it blew like a whale”, said EGEDE (5, fig. 19), “it squirted
from its mouth a stream of foamy stuff, resembling long shavings from a
pine plank” (158). In general, however, the animal swims with its head
some feet above the surface of the water, so that it is very natural
that “there was an entire absence of blowing or spouting” (148).
3. _Excretion._ In one report we read that the animal left a greasy
trail behind him (156). It is very probable that such a large
sea-animal, provided as it is with rather a thick layer of bacon under
its skin, secretes a quantity of liquid fat, large enough to leave a
greasy trail”; this will certainly happen when it is severely wounded.
Without any doubt it is true that it may “emit a very strong odour”
(61).
b. Functions of the senses.
1. _Feeling._--Of course but little can be noticed about the animal’s
feeling. PONTOPPIDAN tells us that it has whiskers “like other animals
which have a good nose.” How far the Bishop believed that those
whiskers had anything to do with the animal’s sense of smell, I cannot
tell. But certainly they have not. Well developed whiskers are rarely
found but in animals which catch their prey in a stealthy way, such as
cats, dogs, viverrides, mustelides, and numerous allied animals, and in
animals which live in holes, as mice, rats, &c. It is known that all
these animals can go through holes, crevices, fissures, slits or clefts
which are large enough to admit their whiskers. Whiskers are organs
of feeling. Consequently seals, sea-lions, sea-bears, &c., and also
sea-serpents will on numerous occasions find their whiskers of great
use for the purpose of feeling with them.
Further it must not astonish us that sea-serpents are usually observed
in fine weather when there is no wind. They seem to dislike wind, and
therefore, if having no special purpose in view, they disappear as soon
as the wind begins to blow (3, p. 129, p. 133, 92, 94); they even seem
to be very sensible of the least wind.
Warmth on the contrary seems to be very welcome to them, as they are
often seen on hot days, and even basking in the sun (114, 137).
2. _Taste._ The taste of the animal is, of course, only to be known by
the food it takes.
3. _Smell._ There is no doubt that, guided by their smell they prey on
fish, but it is clear that we shall never know any more particulars
about it. Only it is stated, and it seems to be true, that they cannot
bear the smell of castoreum and asa foetida, and that Norwegian seamen
and fishermen up to the days of RATHKE (1840) would never forget to
bring one of these drugs with them, to drive them away. (PONTOPPIDAN,
p. 130, p. 134, p. 259).
As far as I know, zoologists accept three reasons why some animals
emit some strong odour; viz. to drive away their enemies, or to
recognize one another, either in the neighbourhood or from afar, or to
flatter and to attract the other sex. With which purpose sea-serpents
emit a strong odour, this surely will be very difficult to decide, but
in all probability they smell it themselves.
4. _Hearing._ The observations about the animal’s hearing are, as may
be expected, but very few. That an animal hears, can only be asserted
when it gives unmistakable signs that it has heard, for instance a
sudden turning of its head towards the origin of sound, or the running
away from it. So we have the statements that the sea-serpent “was not
pleased with the noise of our oars” (69); “the fishermen advise to be
very quiet when a sea-serpent approaches and to avoid rowing, because
the least noise attracts it still more” (p. 259); “on both days it
seemed to keep about us, and as we were always rowing then, we were
inclined to think it might perhaps be attracted by the measured sound
of the oars” (137, 138); “on my coo-ee the fish started off seawards
out of sight and under water” (150).
5. _Sight._--The numerous statements that a sea-serpent swims with
its head some feet above the surface of the water prove that it looks
straight before it. Further we have found it several times mentioned
that it followed a boat, and finally the assertion that it raised its
head and neck several feet above the water, evidently to take a survey
towards the ship passing, or to take a view of objects, or to look
about for prey (31, 36, 60, 63, 74, p. 225, 80, 93, 121, 128, 131, 145,
149, 152 A).
c. Functions of the muscular system.
1. _Relative mobility of organs._ We have already mentioned that the
eyes, like the nostrils and the mouth, may be shut or opened wide. Yet
they do not seem to be very movable (103).
The head may be held at right angles with the neck (70, fig. 24). The
animal can bend its neck in several directions, moving it like that
of a swan (124, 151, fig. 49), consequently bent dorso-ventrally in
the form of a stretched S. When only the forepart of the neck, curved
in such a way, is visible above water, the observers naturally say
that it is curved (97), or bent in a semi-circle (115). It can also
turn its head a little sideways (60, 63, 93). The swimming in vertical
undulations is surely a proof of dorso-ventral flexibility. It has
the power to hold its body in a straight line, quite stiff, even
in swimming. Also it has the power to bend its neck, trunk and tail
dorso-ventrally into numerous “bunches”, unless it is not the whole
mass of its body, but only the layer of muscles, bacon and its skin,
which it is able to bend in such a manner, for it is observed lying
perfectly still, showing, however, numerous bunches (34, 42, 61, 64,
67, 69, 106 A, 154). In this condition it may even swim (60, 63). These
bunches according to its body-length, may be of the size of a barrel
(34), or from six to seven feet from each other, and from three to four
feet high (154, fig. 50). On some occasions it gave the impression of
a creature crooking up its back to sun itself (137), for there was no
appearance of undulation; when the lumps sunk, other lumps did not rise
in the intervals between them (137). Twice it is observed only with
its head and its tail above water, the body slightly under (135, 162),
and once casting itself backwards, and in doing so, its tail rose high
above the water (5) so that the animal was bent dorsally in the form of
an U or horse-shoe (fig. 19).
Its lateral flexibility is also astonishing. In turning it bends its
body quite in the form of a horse-shoe, the head nearly touching its
tail end (39, 41, 44); in turning twice immediately after each other
or in playing, its body is bent in the form of the letter S (63, fig.
37, fig. 38). Also it may play in circles (39). Once, seized by a
spermwhale, evidently in its trunk, it wound itself laterally round the
head and upperjaw of its attacker (144). Its tail is said to lash the
water (151? 158), and to wind itself up, and to rest for a moment on a
part of the trunk (106 A). In short it is as limber and active as an
eel (44).
Provided, as sea-lions are, with rather a thick layer of bacon
under its skin, the animal, when it bends its body in the form of
a horse-shoe, either laterally or dorsally, naturally shows in the
concave side of the curve, wrinkles or folds (5) in its skin. When its
head is held nearly at right angles with the neck, the skin under the
chin is contracted into folds, which led to the description that the
animal had some “gills” (read “gill-splits”, 56). When its neck is a
little contracted, it may happen that three folds of the skin encircle
the neck, which when held so for some time, and exposed to the sun,
dry on their highest part, and when stretched again, will show “three
yellow collars” (71). It may also be that “at about six feet from the
jaws there is a protuberance on its back like a small watercask” (126),
or that “a kind of scroll, or tuft of loose skin, encircles the neck
about two feet from the head” (131).
The flappers may be lifted up so high that they are occasionally
visible above the surface (106 A, 118, 137, 154, fig. 50); when the
animal is swimming with extreme rapidity, they may be raised still
higher, so that they are almost entirely above the surface (129, 148,
fig. 36, fig. 45), but then they are not directed hindwards, but
forwards, “they were turned to the contrary way” (129, fig. 36, fig.
50). The flappers move alternately: “the movements of the flappers were
those of a turtle”, “the monster paddled itself along after the fashion
of a turtle” (148), and have “a semi-revolving motion” (148). When the
animal swims with vertical undulations, it may press the flappers close
against the body, so that seen from above, it is as if the flappers
were wanting (82).
2. _Motions._ Hitherto we have considered the animal by itself, let us
now see how it moves in the water.
The first sign of the presence of a sea-serpent may, of course, be
very different. Generally, when the animal was met with it was already
swimming on the surface; sometimes it lay still, and it appeared to be
a wreck or a small rock, but on approaching gradually changed into a
living animal; and sometimes, though rarely, it appeared on the surface
not far from the vessels. It is a proof that it may remain a tolerably
long time under water before it comes to the surface to breathe. This
may happen in two ways; viz. 1. After it has swum a long time just
below the surface, it will gradually raise its head above it, and 2.
When it has swum for some time very deep below the surface, it will
rise perpendicularly upwards. Instances of the _first_ manner of coming
to the surface will be found in the following passages: “the first sign
of the sea-serpent coming up was a rushing in the water ahead of the
ship; at first we imagined it to be a whale spouting” (83), “attention
was first directed to it by the broken action of the water” (126).
Apparently this happened also in the animal of Captain TREMEARNE (129).
In the _other_ manner of coming to the surface, going upwards with
great speed, a large portion of the animal is shown to the spectators:
“it raised its head high above the surface (1, 31, 36), even so high
that the foreflappers became visible” (5, 121); “arising out of the
depths of Ocean, stretches to the skies its enormous neck, masthead
high” (p. 225); “it raised itself slowly and gracefully from the deep”
(124), “it suddenly stood quite perpendicular out of the water to the
height of sixty feet” (145); “a head and neck rose out of the water to
a height of about twenty or thirty feet (149, 151, 152, see also fig.
19, fig. 46, fig. 48, fig. 49). Once it struck a vessel in coming to
the surface (122) so that it may be supposed that the animal had its
eyes shut.
Generally it swims with vertical undulations (1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, p.
130, p. 138, 18, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48, 51, 60,
63, 65, 66, 67, 70, 81, 82, 83, 85, 91, 92, 94, 95, 101, 102, 103,
113, 114, 115, 117, 119, 126, 128, 137, 138, 139, 150, 155, 157, see
also the following figures 24, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 47, 51).
The undulations may be large or small, so that their number differs,
but also the animal’s higher or lower position in the water is cause,
that their number may greatly vary. Of course it is not always easy
to account for a small number of coils. This number is mentioned to
be two or three (102), three (113), three to four (138), three to
five (117), four or more (139), seven (137, 157), not more than seven
(137), seven or eight (9), not more than eight (41), at least ten
(85), ten or twelve (44, 60), thirteen to fifteen (63), fifteen to
twenty three (63), fourteen (69), several (83), twenty five (2). In our
illustrations we find four (fig. 40, fig. 47, fig. 51), six (fig. 26),
seven (fig. 24, fig. 39), eight (fig. 35), eleven (fig. 27, fig. 34)
and twenty (fig. 33).
The motion of the animal is said to be _wrongly_ serpentine (29, 91,
103, 119, 157), like that of a snake (101, 115, 155), like that of an
eel (117), and _rightly_ vermicular (82), like that of a caterpillar
(41), like that of a leech (94).
The coils are said to resemble or to be as large as ten-gallon kegs
(41), half-barrels (60), flour barrels (60), large kegs (117), those of
a dromedary (83), about three feet long (117).
The space between the coils, for there is always a space visible
between them (p. 130), is sometimes large, at other times small; it was
a space of one fathom (9), of seven feet (69), or of three feet (60).
The whole animal swimming with vertical undulations, and seen from
afar, resembles a string of tuns or hogsheads (p. 130), a large shoal
of fish (read porpoises) with a seal at one end of it (29), a string of
empty barrels tied together (60), a string of casks tied together (60),
a string of large casks, gently bubbing up and down (114), a long chain
of rocks (106 A), a long chain of enormous rings (106 A), a number of
barrels linked together (106 A), eight seals in a row (137), a flock of
wild ducks swimming (157).
The height of the coils above water was, according to the animal’s
lower or higher position in the water, or according to its bulk, about
six inches (41), eight or ten inches (39), at least three feet (114),
only a few feet (106 A); we also find the notices: “apparently about
one third of the upperpart of its body was above water” (93), “it
partly raised itself above the surface of the water” (94).
As is to be expected, the bunches decrease in size towards the tail
(69, 102); of coarse this will always be the case.
It seems that sometimes the undulations are limited only to the trunk
of the animal: “I saw no bunches towards I thought the end of the tail,
and I believe there were none; from where I judged his navel might be,
to the end of his tail there were no bunches visible” (44); “the first
bunch appeared ten or twelve feet from his head” (69); “about thirty
feet behind the head appeared the first coil” (81).
The reader will remember (see _Relative mobility of organs_) that the
animal may crook up its back, or the layer of bacon of its back, when
lying perfectly still. It seems evident that it also is able to swim
with its flappers, whilst its back is in such a condition: “the bunches
appeared to be fixed” (60); “his bunches appeared to be not altogether
uniform in size, and as he moved along some appeared to be depressed
and others brought above the surface, though I could not perceive any
motion in them” (63); “the protuberances were not from his motion, as
they were the same whether in slow or in rapid movement” (69). See also
n^o. 137.
I am convinced that the animal, swimming with vertical undulations,
usually presses its flappers to its body. Once it was seen from above
(82) and it seemed to be eel-shaped, and the flappers must have been
invisible, at least they are not mentioned; it swam with vertical
undulations.
But there are reasons to believe that the animal, swimming with
vertical undulations, at a moderate rate, also uses its flappers.
Once it was seen from above, moving with vertical undulations, and
its flappers are tolerably well described (119). And when we read:
“the motion of his body was rising and falling, the head moderately
vibrating from side to side” (48), “the motion of his head was sideways
and quite moderate, and the motion of his body was up and down” (48),
“his motion was partly vertical, partly horizontal” (69), “serpentine
movements, some up and down, some to the side” (91), we must conclude
that the animal swimming with vertical undulations may indeed also
use its flappers. If only the foreflapper and the hind one of the
right side were used, the animal would turn to the left, if, on the
contrary, it used its two left flappers, it would turn to the right;
consequently when the right foreflapper (leaving for a moment the
hindflappers out of consideration) is moved backwards with a strong
action, the head must move a little to the left, and it will move to
the right, when the left foreflapper is propelled backwards.
The instances in which the animal swims with its body in a straight
line, propelling itself only with its flappers, are few in comparison
with its swimming with vertical undulations (3, 18, 34, 38, 56, 59, 83,
93, 104, 115, 118, 120, 129, 130, 132, 138, 143, 145, 146, 147, 150,
160, see also figg. 28, 29, 31, 36, 45). The animal in this position
resembled some drift of sea-weed (143), a mast of a vessel floating
(83), an enormous log of timber floating (83), a trunk of a large tree
floating (104), an unwrought spar (18), a long spar (150), a log of
wood (150), an immense tree floating (157).
A change in its mode of swimming is sometimes also witnessed, it may be
that it first swam with vertical undulations, and then with its body in
a straight line, or vice versa (3, 83, 115).
In swimming the end of the tail only (118, 122, 146), or nearly the
whole tail (31, 34, 38, 60, 63, 69, 74, 80, 81, 85, 93, 102, 114, 115,
121, 148, 150) is concealed under water and invisible. The flappers are
always below the surface of the water and invisible (31, 34, 80, 85,
122, 138, 146, 150), save the above-mentioned four times (118, 129,
137, 148). The head may be held just at the surface of the water (31,
39, 44, 66, 74, 91, 137, 146, 148, figg. 32, 33, 37, 38), so that it
sometimes is recorded as not having been visible (41, 113, 114), or may
be, and this is generally the case, held above water (31, 44, 51, 63,
83, 91, 97, 128, figg. 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 51). The height above water
is said to be but little (94), some feet (70), well above water (150),
several feet (155), high (32), considerable (102), quite erect in the
air (95), six inches (48, 63), eight inches (44), one foot (38, 41, 42,
92, 137, 138), two feet (9, 39, 63, 80, 138), three feet (63), four
feet (17, 19, 29, 60, 118), five feet (19, 29, 60), six feet (60, 74,
97), seven feet (60, 101, 142), eight feet (101), ten or twelve feet
(131).
The head may, of course, sometimes be gradually laid down (63), or
gradually raised higher (51), is generally held in an acute angle
(94), which is of course the case when it is only a few feet above
the surface, and the angle becomes the less acute the more the head
is elevated; but sometimes the neck is curved (97) in the form of a
semicircle (115). The head may be held constantly above water as long
as the animal was visible (29, 31, 92, 94, 118), or raised and lowered
at intervals (128, 129, 148).
Sometimes, evidently when darting on some prey, the animal raises its
whole neck quite stiff in the air: “head and neck stood upright like a
mast” (56), “the whole neck raised above water like a snake preparing
to dart on his prey” (115), “the animal protruded its head above water
to the length of about thirty feet at an angle of sixty degree to the
horizon” (126), “a large spar sticking out of the water one end, and
some thirty feet above the level of the sea” (132), “it resembled the
lower mast of some wrecked vessel, passing rapidly” (132), “darting
rapidly out of the water and splashing in again, head and neck to a
height of about twenty or thirty feet out of the water” (149, fig. 46),
“head and neck reared about thirty feet out of water” (151), “a neck
rose out of the water, about twenty feet, moving with great speed”
(152), “at first it was taken to be an immense tree floating, but this
illusion was soon dispelled as the neck was thrown twenty feet in the
air” (160).
When swimming the whole animal is not always above water, but may
occasionally dip under without any noise, or disappear with a
distinctly audible splash (31, 39, 41, 44, 60, 63, 69, 74, 114, 117,
126, 132, 137, 139, 149, 151, 152, 157).
The speed is said to be: faster than we could row (9), rapid (p. 132,
31, 97, 114, 117, 134, 137), an incredible velocity, like an arrow (p.
134), moderate (29), the greatest rapidity (29), a great rapidity (34,
138), slow (39, 115, 120, 131, 137), much more rapid than whales or
any other fish (48), very rapid (63, 69, 132), nearly still (69), very
slow (83), very swiftly (94), a great swiftness (101), that of a light
boat rowed by four active men (117), very quick (123), at a great rate
(137), at a rapid pace (149), a great speed (152), a great velocity
(157)--or it was estimated at--two miles an hour (83, 120), three miles
an hour (39), four miles (60), ten miles (146), ten to twelve miles
(42, 138), twelve to fourteen miles (48), fifteen miles (41, 118, 149),
fifteen or twenty miles (35), twenty miles (44, 156), twenty four miles
(38), twenty to thirty miles (41), thirty miles (122, 155), thirty-six
to forty-two miles (51), sixty miles (43, 50).
The animal may swim for a considerable time with the same speed,
steadily and uniformly (48, 118, 134, 138, 146), or decreasing, or
increasing it (29, 51, 60, 69).
Of course the animal swimming rapidly propels the water before it, so
that the water curls up before its throat (51, 93, 118), or even foams
(44, 63, 85, 95, 115, fig. 26), and when it swiftly darts forwards for
prey and elevates its flappers above water, the motion of its flappers
causes distinctly visible splashes (137, 149, 152, fig. 46, of course
in n^o. 129 and 148 the movements of the flappers must also have caused
a severe splashing, though this is neither mentioned nor delineated,
figg. 36, 45). Also when it drops its neck like a log of wood into the
water, an enormous splash or spray on both sides was visible (149, 152).
In the open sea the animal generally swims “as straight forward as you
could draw a line” (39, 41, 114, 134), “not deviating in the slightest
degree from its course, which it held on apparently on some determined
purpose” (118), seldom it is recorded as “taking a turn” (114, 122,
128), but when in a harbour it may move “in several directions” (41),
as if “playing” (39, 63, 69, 130), “in circles” (39), or “bringing
the body into a letter S” (63, 130). The mode of turning is so
characteristic and unique that I feel obliged to repeat all that I
have found about it:--“he turned short and quick and the first part of
the curve that he made in turning resembled the link of a chain, but
when his head came parallel with his tail, his head and tail appeared
near together” (39),--“his motion when he turned was quick; the first
part of the curve that he made in turning was of the form of a staple,
and as he approached towards his tail he came near his body with his
head, and then ran parallel with his tail, and his head and tail then
appeared near together” (41),--“in changing his course he brought his
head to where his tail was, or in fact to the extreme hinder-part
visible; raising himself as he turned six or eight inches out of water”
(41),--“he turned quick and short and the first part of the curve that
he makes in turning is in the form of a staple, but his head seems to
approach rapidly towards his body, his head and tail moving in opposite
directions, and when his head and tail came parallel they appear almost
to touch each other” (41),--“when he changed his course he diminished
his velocity but little; the two extremes that were visible appeared
rapidly moving in opposite directions, and when they came parallel,
they appeared not more than a yard apart” (41),--“he turned very short;
the form of the curve when he turned resembled a staple; his head
seemed to approach towards his body for some feet, then his head and
tail appeared moving rapidly, in opposite directions, and when his
head and tail were on parallel lines they appeared not more than two or
three yards apart” (44),--“he turned slowly, and took up considerable
room in doing it” (69),--“it turned with considerable noise” (117).
When the animal swims, either with vertical undulations, or with
its body in a straight line, holding, however, its head just at
water-level, so that the nostrils are only above the surface to
breathe, it generally shows nearly its whole length, only the very end
of its tail being under water. In such a condition it must swim very
easily, for the water carries its total weight, so that it is actually
null, and the animal in swimming has only to surmount the friction and
the resistance of the water made against an object in motion. But as
soon as the head is lifted above the surface, the weight of it must
immediately be carried by the body. It is therefore not astonishing if
an observer states: “its progressive motion under water was rapid; when
the head was above water, its motion was not near so quick” (31), “when
immersed in the water his speed was greater” (41). It is very natural
too, that when the head is held above water, and when consequently
the body must carry the weight of the head, the body sinks a little
deeper into the water: “his head was now more elevated above the water,
and his body more depressed below” (51), and that when the animal has
raised its whole neck quite erect in the air, the body has sunk so deep
that it is: “not visible at all” (149), and that “the disturbance on
the surface was too slight to attract notice” (149). Therefore figg.
33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 46, 48 and 49, are tolerably well delineated. Fig.
33 shows us the animal swimming with vertical undulations, holding its
head on the level of the water, and having nearly its whole length
visible on the surface. In fig. 34 the head is held a little above the
surface, and the end of the tail is already below it. Fig. 35 shows the
head still more elevated while of the tail nothing more is visible.
Figg. 37 and 38 represent the animal floating on the surface, showing
the ridge of its whole back. In figg. 46, 48 and 49 the animal’s neck
is elevated as high as possible, but its body is of course too deep to
be seen.
A few lines above we have spoken of the increased speed of the animal
swimming under water. The question arises how was this to be seen; and
the answer is given by the eye-witnesses themselves: “I saw it coming
rapidly under water” (31), “when moving under water you could often
trace him by the motion of the water on the surface, and from this
circumstance I conclude he did not swim deep” (41), “we could trace his
course under water” (69), “swimming below the surface so that merely
a stripe indicated the rapid course” (117), “in swimming under the
surface the animal swims not deeply, for on the surface one can trace
its course” (126), “and moved away just under the surface of the water,
for we could trace its course by the waves it raised on the still sea”
(137).
This, however, is not always the case. The animal can swim so deep that
its course is not betrayed on the surface. Once “it swum directly under
a boat” in which two men were (41), and once “it passed below the boat
at the depth of eight or ten feet, swimming slowly with a vermicular
motion” (82), which shows us at the same time that it swims under water
with vertical undulations. There is, of course, reason to believe that
it may also occasionally swim with its body in a straight line; and
Captain HOPE saw it at still greater depths swimming evidently with its
flappers and with vertical undulations (119).
So we have gradually approached to the way in which the animal
disappears from the surface of the vaste ocean. In some instances it is
only said that “it disappeared” (36), “it all at once vanished” (74),
“it all at once disappeared” (74), “it suddenly disappeared” (132, 143,
155), evidently withdrawing itself beneath the surface of the water
deep enough to avoid a rippling of it. In other instances the _way
how_ it disappeared is more circumstantially described: “it sank” (49,
60, 69, 117, 137), “it sunk gradually into the water” (63), “it sank
quietly beneath the surface” (134), “it sank rather abruptly” (137),
“it sunk apparently down” (39), “he did not turn down like a fish, but
appeared to settle down like a rock” (41), “he apparently sunk directly
down like a rock” (41); this “sinking like a rock” is of course
effectuated by a sudden upward movement of all the flappers together.
But the animal may also plunge violently under water (31), or go down
with a tremendous splash (157), or when it is swimming with its neck
high elevated above the surface, it dives like a duck head foremost
(124, 151), and finally, when it has apparently remained a long time
under water in great depths, and suddenly comes to the surface with so
much force that its head, long neck, and a part of its trunk with its
formidable foreflappers become visible, it throws itself backwards, and
in doing so, raises its enormous tail high above the surface of the
water (5), and disappearing under the waves, the last part which is
visible of it, is the end of the tail (fig. 20). Generally, however, it
happens that the swimming animal grows gradually smaller and smaller to
the eyes of the observers, and at last disappears in the distance to be
seen no more.
3. _Voice._--In none of the reports gathered in this volume there is
a single notice about the animal’s voice. It is probable that the
individual gripped by the spermwhale (144) uttered a sound which,
however, was not heard amidst the tremendous noise, made by the two
animals fighting.
d. Generation, Growth.
I am sure that nobody will believe any longer, as was the case in 1817,
that sea-serpents are oviparous. Animals with a hairy skin, save the
_Monotrymata_, are viviparous, consequently sea-serpents are viviparous.
Though PONTOPPIDAN believes that sea-serpents “seek the other sex most
probably in July and August” (p. 133), and that “July and August are
its pairing time” (p. 129), I am satisfied that March and April must
be taken as their months of amours, and that July and August are the
months of whelping.
A new born pup most probably has a length of about twenty feet (14).
It seems that the months during which two sea-serpents were seen
together are July and August, probably also September (23, 27, 66, 72).
It would seem, therefore, that a male remains in the neighbourhood of
his companion during her pregnancy and probably also during the first
month or during the first two months of the new-born young.
It seems also that the females are much smaller than the males, as the
pups are comparatively very small, and as twice one of the two which
were seen together is described smaller than the other (23, 66).
We have already met with two instances in which the head of the
individual is delineated or described as having a hollow at its top
(60, fig. 30). I am satisfied that these were two males not yet
full-grown, showing the two cushions of their enormously developed
masticatory muscles, which were not yet closed in the centre of the top
of the head, and whose skulls therefore, could not show the occipital
and medial crests.