a. Not taking notice of objects.
There are instances that the animal is reported as taking no notice at
all of men, vessels or other objects (29, 34, 48, 82, 83).
b. Taking notice of objects.
At other instances, however, the animal was thought to notice objects
(43), or is said to have turned its head two or three times slowly
round towards and from the vessel, as if taking a view of some object
on board (60), or that it slowly turned its head towards the observers
(93), and numerous are the reports that it lifted itself high above
the surface apparently to take a survey towards the vessel, or to take
a view of objects (31, 36, 60, 63, 74, p. 225, 80, 93, 121, 128, 131,
145, 149, 152 A).
c. Curiosity, probably mixed with suspicion.
The many instances that sea-serpents are said to have followed a
boat (p. 133, 31, 36, 103, 110, 117, 158) or to have taken a survey
towards vessels, sufficiently prove that they are curious beings, and
that their curiosity as in so many animals, is generally mixed with
some suspicion, which of course is again a proof that the animal is
constantly prepared for selfpreservation. One of the most striking
proofs of this is to be read in n^o. 92: the individual swam towards
a boat, passed within a few feet or some fathoms, and swam away, to
repeat the same movement two times.
d. Suspicion.
That some of the eye-witnesses got the impression that it is sometimes
really suspicious may be seen from the following lines: “he appeared to
avoid the boat wherein I was” (39), “he seemed suspicious of the boat”
(69), “they chased the animal fruitless for seven hours” (59), “Captain
George Little made many attempts of pursuing and killing it, but
without any result, as the serpent ever kept a distance of a quarter
of a mile” (19), “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).
e. Harmlessness.
The animal is evidently a quite harmless creature (p. 107). Though very
close to several boats, it offered them no molestation (32). “After the
shot” of MATTHEW GAFFNEY “it turned towards him immediately, sank down,
went directly under his boat, and made its appearance one hundred yards
from where it sank and continued playing as before” (41), “he appeared
to us to be a harmless animal” (63), “it was harmless” (69). A proof of
perfect harmlessness may be found in n^o. 92: it approached a fisherman
in his boat to within six feet and offered him no molestation. See also
n^o. 94 and 112.
f. Timidity.
PONTOPPIDAN already concluded that these animals are really timid
ones, “for when it follows a boat, the fishermen throw any object, for
instance a scoop, at it, and then the animal generally plunges into the
deep” (p. 134), and Mr. PRINCE also says: “he appeared to us to be a
timid animal” (63).
g. Fearlessness.
It were perhaps better if I used here the expression: “Involuntary
consciousness of the harmlessness of vessels, boats, and men”, in
which, however, it was often mistaken! “It did not appear to avoid
anything” (41), “it appeared to be amusing itself, though there were
several boats not far from it” (41); after the shot of MATTHEW GAFFNEY
“it did not appear more shy” (41); once it lay extended on the surface,
the night was falling, and a boat rowed by four men, passed just before
its snout at an oar’s length, and yet it remained lying quite still
(43), “it did not appear to be at all disturbed by the vessel” (48, 80,
93, 112, 118); it may swim or come to the surface very close to boats,
and swim parallel with them (72, 109, 112, 121, 157).
h. Fear.
A stronger expression of suspicion is evidently to be seen in the
animal’s sinking and being seen no more at the approach of a vessel
(49).
i. Fright.
I think that in the following we see true expressions of fright. When
LORENZ VON FERRY fired at it, the animal plunged down under water
and was seen no more (9); some strangers fired at it and it suddenly
disappeared (90); it gracefully rose once from the deep, but seeing a
ship, it immediately disappeared (124); it once raised its head out of
the water within twenty yards of a ship, when it suddenly disappeared,
but here its curiosity got hold of its fright, and after half a minute
it made its appearance again in the same manner (131).
j. Fury.
The animal does not always plunge down after a shot, and is then seen
no more: MATTHEW GAFFNEY fired at it, when it was thirty feet from
him. The animal turned towards him immediately after the shot, sank
down, went directly under his boat and made its appearance at about one
hundred yards from where it sunk. It continued playing as before, and
did not appear more shy (41); once when it was fired at, it turned and
pursued the boat to the shore and then disappeared (110); a boatmen
struck it with a boathook, upon which it immediately gave him chase
(112); when LUND fired at it, it stretched its long neck quite erect in
the air, like a snake preparing to dart on its prey, and darted towards
LUND, who reached the shore in time (115). I am convinced that the
animal, when fired at and hit, in most instances grows suddenly furious
and darts on the enemy, but it seems that its fury is soon dispelled
by the emotion of fear, suspicion, timidity, etc. Hitherto I have not
found one single proof that it ever attacked a man, with the result of
having hurt him, though it had more than once a favourable opportunity
of doing so.
k. Toughness.
It is evident that the animal is a tough one; it is not easy to kill
it. A single rifle-ball seems to be insufficient, and I think the only
manner to kill it is by explosive balls or by harpoons loaden with
nitro-glycerine, which will at once destroy a considerable part of its
brain and skull, or body.
l. Playsomeness.
Like the seals and sea-lions in our Zoological Gardens, sea-serpents
have often been seen amusing themselves for hours when in a harbour,
gracefully gliding in circles, as has been stated above. Twice an
individual just as in seals, showed its head and tail quite above
the surface, the body slightly under (135, 162), stretching itself
comfortably; at other times crooking up its back to sun itself (114,
137).
m. Sensibility of fine weather.
Evidently the animals feel comfortable _in fine weather_ and when
there is _no wind_. Repeatedly we have found the statement that
they disappear as soon as the wind begins to blow. But as they are
air-breathing animals, they are obliged to come every now and again to
the surface, and it is, therefore, not wonderful that there are reports
which, though in a slight degree, contradict the other statements.
But upon the whole it is clear that in such circumstances the animal
will only raise their nostrils for a moment above the surface of the
water in order to breathe, and this is clearly the reason why in many
instances they are never high enough and long enough above the surface
to be observed by men.
When the animal appeared, the _weather_ is reported to have been calm
(2, 3, 5, 25, 29, 61, 64, 79, 103, 128, 130, 137, 144, 157), quite calm
(35), good (60), clear (34, 60, 63, 83, 114, 128, 132, 152, 154, 162),
very clear (60), fine (44, 79, 128, 129, 144, 146, 152), brisk (114),
sunshiny (137, 149, 157), warm and sunshiny (138), hot (150, 157), very
hot (64), excessively sultry (61), cloudy (131), dark and cloudy (118).
The _surface of the sea_ is described as smooth (34, 41, 126, 146),
quite smooth (80), very smooth (29), perfectly smooth (44, 137, 148),
extremely smooth (63), smooth as a mirror (92, 95), as smooth as a
glass (150), as smooth as the surface of a pond (114), calm (2, 60),
quite calm (p. 129, 115), almost calm (60), perfectly calm (83, 119),
exceptionally calm (148), moderate (144). But there may be also some
sea on (120), or a sharp sea on (122), or the surface may be only
little moved by waves (154), or occasionally disturbed by slight flaws
of wind, “catpaws” (128), or there may be a long ocean swell (118), or
a strong ebb tribe (51).
In the reports we read that there was no _wind_ (48), not a breath of
wind (150), not a breath of air (114, 137), a very little wind (29), a
light wind (34, 126, 132), a light air of wind (60), a fresh wind (118,
129), a variable wind (132), a moderate wind (144), a gale of wind
(124), a light breeze (80, 130), a brisk breeze (51), a fresh breeze
(104, 120), or there were strong breezes (122, 131).