I believe that repose and sleep are the same for the animal, and that
like a seal, it is always on the look out, shutting the eyes for
only a few seconds. I say, I believe so, for I cannot deduce it from
one of the reports. Once it is said that it lay motionless, without
bunches, holding its head above water, and that the eyes were visible
(80); another time it lay perfectly still, spouting like a whale;
consequently the nostrils were just below the surface, or just at water
level, so that the water was sprayed by every exhalation; it had a
rugged appearance, consequently it was most probably a male with a mane
(74). The other instances in which the animal was evidently resting
are the following: it lay almost motionless in the sea; probably in
a straight line, for undulations or bunches are not mentioned (17).
It was in the evening between eight and nine o’clock; it lay extended
on the surface of the water, it appeared straight, exhibiting no
protuberances, “we were within two oars’ length of him, when we first
discovered him and were rowing directly for him. We immediately rowed
from him, and at first concluded to pass by his tail, but fearing we
might strike him with the boat, concluded to pass around his head,
which we did, by altering our course. He remained in the same position,
till we lost sight of him. We approached so near to him, that I believe
I could have reached him with my oar” (43). It lay perfectly still
extended on the water, probably with its body in a straight line, for
no protuberances are mentioned; neither its head nor its tail were
visible; yet I believe that its nostrils were above water level, and so
it remained for half an hour (46). Very seldom it seems to avail itself
of an opportunity to support itself on a sand bank. I have found but
one case in which it is, however, stated that the bank had about four
feet water upon it. “It lay dormant on the rocks, partly on the rocks,
partly in the water,” resembling from afar a large log of wood. “It lay
stretched out, partly over the white sandy beach, which had four or
five feet water upon it, and lay partly over the channel” (45).
Till now it seems that no individual has ever been killed by the rifle
balls of men. It is probable that the individual attacked by the
sperm-whale (144) was finally killed by it, but it is also probable
that it escaped. Yet I believe that sperm-whales may occasionally wound
sea-serpents to death.
Generally, however, I believe that these animals die a natural death.
Dead sea-serpents are more likely to sink than to float, as the
enormous neck and tail are most probably not provided with a
comparatively thick layer of bacon, and are, therefore, too heavy for
the comparatively small quantity of air in the animal’s lungs, and
for the layer of bacon of the animal’s trunk. Yet it may occasionally
occur that sea-serpents dying near some shore, may be stranded by
the waves. PONTOPPIDAN reports that a dead sea-serpent stranded on
the cliffs near Amond in Nordfjord and that its carrion caused a
dreadful smell (6), and that another stranded near the isle of Karmen
(7), and that the stranding of dead sea-serpents took place in more
localities (7). Such carrions must be a dainty to all kinds of mews,
which sometimes even follow living individuals (69). The fear of the
Norwegians of sea-serpents, even of such carrions, is great enough to
keep them at a considerable distance. It may be true “that some time
ago a part of a skeleton of a sea-serpent was present in the Museum
of Natural History at Bergen” (p. 374). It is possible that the fate
of this part of a skeleton was the same as that of so many meteoric
stones (see my Preface), or as that of the two eggs of _Platypus_ or
_Ornithorhynchus_, which reached the Manchester Museum in the year
1829, and remained there for some years, till they were condemned to
the rubbish hill (_Nature_, 11 Dec. 1884, p. 133), and it was not
before September 1884 that zoologists knew that _Ornithorhynchus_ and
_Echidna_ are really oviparous, and that the Manchester Museum was once
in the possession of two eggs!!