The Rev. ABRAHAM CUMMINGS, after having mentioned that the animal
swims with vertical undulations, wrote in August 1803: “this renders
it highly probable that he never moves on land to any considerable
distance, and that the water is his proper element” (29).
I wish to express here my firm conviction that these animals never come
ashore, nor even on the ice, but always remain in the water. It is true
that we have one observation that an individual rested upon a sandy
beach, which, however, at that time had about four feet water upon
it. But we have other observations that individuals which, following
a boat, come into shallow water, immediately and apparently with some
difficulty took a turn and went away (31, 115).
It seems that in Norway it has happened a few times that these animals,
which are in the habit of frequenting the fjords, swam even up the
mouths or the lower parts of rivers, consequently swam in fresh water,
which probably gave rise to the fable of these animals being born on
land, remain there till they are too large to hide themselves, and
then swim down to the sea, where they can move much more easily. Their
swimming in fresh water is once recorded, viz. in the Hudson-mouth, New
Jersey, U. S. A. (158).
Moreover they are sea-animals, and according to their air-breathing
condition, live on the surface, though they may sometimes seek great
depths (119).
I have already shown that these animals like _sunshiny_ and _hot_
weather. They don’t like wind, and consequently we may conclude that
they are averse of cold weather and of cold water. Therefore they are
seen near Norway especially in July and August, which led PONTOPPIDAN
to suggest that they “perpetually live in the depths of the sea, except
in July and August” (p. 129). The Bishop seems not to have hit upon the
idea that the sea-serpents could be migratory animals.
The sea-serpents, it is true, may remain for a long time in a place
where they enjoy all that they can possibly wish to have, i. e. room
enough, bright weather and plenty of food. They may stay a few days in
the same fjord (3, 4, 96) or in the same place or harbour (31 and 32,
34 and 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 and 49, 50
and 51, &c., &c.). But then, it may be that the fish is flown for the
enemy, or that the season proceeds, the sea-serpents look for an other
provender place, or swim to a warmer part of the ocean, i. e. _they
migrate_.
And so we come to their _horizontal geographical distribution_. We may
at once assert that they are cosmopolites though we have not a single
report of an appearance at a higher degree than 46° S. latitude, i. e.
they have not been met with in the Antarctic Ocean.
Up to this time the animals have appeared 1. In the _Arctic Ocean_, and
2. In the _Atlantic Ocean_.
_a._ All along the coasts of Norway from North Cape up to the boundary
of Norway and Sweden, east of Christiania fjord (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 57, 58, 61, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 72, 79, 85, 86, 87,
88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 102, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 111
A, 112, 113, 115, 117, 125, 157). Of the whole coast of Norway that
of the northern provinces (washed by the Arctic Ocean) seems to be
frequented more than that of the southern (p. 130). It seems that they
appear along these coasts almost every year.
_b._ Along the coasts of Sweden, from the boundary of Norway and
Sweden, east of Christiania fjord, to the southmost point of Sweden,
Falsterbo. I have but one report (2), and the locality of the
appearance of the animal I have _supposed_ to have been in the Sund
near Malmö.
_c._ In the Baltic or Swedish Sea. According to OLAUS MAGNUS it is also
recorded from this sea, but I think that this happens no more.
_d._ North of Scotland: between Iceland and the Faroe Isles (124),
between the Faroe Isles and the Hebrides (56, 153, 154), and near
Dunrossness, one of the Shetland Isles (78).
_e._ On the eastern coast of Scotland (141, 142, 143).
_f._ Along the western coasts of Scotland, Wales and England (31, 32,
82, 137, 138, 140, 155, 156).
_g._ A hundred miles west of Brest, France, (152).
_h._ In the Gulf of Biscay (74).
_i._ West of Portugal (120).
_j._ In the Mediterranean (148).
_k._ North-east of the Azores (25).
_l._ South of the Azores and west of the Canaries, 29° N., 34° W.,
(128).
_m._ From the Canaries to Cape Verde (135).
_n._ In a line from Cape Verde to the Cape of Good Hope and a little
further south (93, 114, 118, 129, 130, 131, 132, 152 A), not along the
coast, except three appearances in Table Bay (114, 130, 152 A).
_o._ In Davis Straits, 64° N., (5).
_p._ Along the east coast of North America from Newfoundland to Florida
(15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35,
37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54,
55, 59, 60, 62, 63, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 81, 83, 84, 97, 98,
99, 100, 101, 105, 106, 106 B, 107 A, 121, 133, 134, 158, 159, 160,
162). So these coasts seem to be frequented almost every year. In Mr.
TRAILL’s paper on the subject (_Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb._ 1854, Vol. 3,)
we read: “I shall not here discuss the notices we have, from time to
time, received of late years of a great sea-serpent seen by mariners in
crossing the Atlantic to America”. I am convinced that these meetings
took always place not far from the American coast. Our n^o. 161 is also
one of these “notices received of a sea-serpent seen by a mariner in
crossing the Atlantic _from_ America”.
_q._ In the Gulf of Mexico (106 A.)
_r._ East of Cape San Roque (144, 145).
_s._ East of La Plata river mouth (80).
_t._ In the South Atlantic (104).