Part 115

3. COLOURS, INDIVIDUAL VARIATIONS.

Just as in some species of the order of Pinnipeds, there seem to exist indeed some individual variations with regard to the colour of the sea-serpent.

Just as in the dark specimens of the Pinnipeds, the colour of the sea-serpent becomes lighter in drying; i. e. the real colour of the animal comes to light. Properly we should say: their colour is light, but, when wet, it becomes a dark one. It is evident that the real colour of the sea-serpent, being dried by the sunshine, is grey (9, 61, 64), a light ash-colour (25), grey and yellow (147), pale yellowish (146), or yellow (71).

Just as in Pinnipeds, the colour of a wet individual appears much lighter when it is very close to us, than when we see it at some distance. Three times the colour is called grey (65, 66, p. 138), though not a single fact is mentioned, from which it may be made out, whether the animal was very near or far off. The colour of an individual which was so close that it could be struck with a handspike was greyish (72), that of one a few yards distant, light fawn coloured (122), at about thirty feet distance the colour seemed to be a very dark grey (102), still farther a greyish brown (79).

Though some persons call the colour only dark, or brown, or black, it is noteworthy that those who describe it more minutely, agree that the backpart of the head, the neck, the trunk and the tail are dark, and that the under part of the head and the neck is light coloured. With regard to the colour, the animal is evidently longitudinally divided into a dark one above and a light one beneath.

The dark colour of the upper part seems to vary a little, as may be seen from the following appellations: dark (41, 48, 51, 63, 67, 80, 85, 103, 115, 131, 152 A, 154), very dark (42, 48), somewhat dark (95), dark dull (130), evidently a chocolate brown, or mahogany brown, or chestnut brown, for it was compared with a red snake (36), chocolate colour (44), dark chocolate colour (48), colour of a pilot fish (151), old mahogany brown (92), dirty brown (121), brown (43, 81, 92, 144), deep brown (34), dark brown (p. 131, 39, 44, 46, 56, 69, 97, 115, 117, 118, 135), blackish brown (91), approaching to black (63), nearly black (41, 95, 97) almost black (48), blackish (65, 94, 117), black (34, 42, 60, 85, 114, 120, 126, 138, 149, 150, 152, 155), as black as coal-tar (152). The tints of the figures also evidently represent a dark colour (figg. 28, 29, 30, 41, 45, 46). By some witnesses the colour of the head is observed to be darker than that of the body; we may safely read for “body” the “neck”. Once the colour of the shoulders is reported to be much darker than the rest of the body (122).

On this dark upperpart spots, stripes, streaks etc. of a lighter hue are observed more than once: the colour was that of a conger eel, consequently brown with lighter streaks (144), spotted, and with light flames, or maculated, with distinctly visible light spots like a turtle or a lackered table (p. 131), apparently shaded with light colours (41), streaked with white in irregular streaks (97), on an under ground of fawn colour there were large brown spots behind the shoulders (122), maculated with large white spots (130), covered with several white spots (131), brown with black spots (162). See also figg. 37 and 38.

In some individuals there is a black ring round the eye (p. 131, 29), and the region of the mouth is also black, so that they resemble those horses which we call moorish heads or blackfaces (p. 131, 9).

The sides of the underjaw seem to be very light coloured: white (34, 41, 126, figg. 28, 29, 30), as is also the throat: whitish (p. 138, 117, figg. 28, 29, 30), yellow (25), muddy white (56), yellowish white (118), brownish white (118), light coloured (126), white (69, 144), “the underpart of its head appeared nearly white” (41), “several feet of its belly” (read throat) “which were visible appeared nearly white” (41); very remarkable is the supposition of Mr. MATTHEW GAFFNEY: “I suppose and do believe that the whole of his belly was nearly white” (41), this really seems to be the case, for we read in 106 A that the tail is longitudinally divided into two sections, white and black, and in n^o. 144 that the whole animal was longitudinally divided into two sections, white and black. Of course in both cases the black side was the back-side, as was very well supposed by Captain Drevar in n^o. 144.

I am of course unable to decide in how far the problematic dark stripe, curved downwards, on each side behind the underjaw, and as long as the head, delineated in figg. 28 and 29, will ever be found to come up to reality.

The representation of the colours in fig. 31 is very bad, as the animal’s back is drawn lighter than the underpart, and I believe that such alternating broad bands of a light and dark colour don’t exist in reality, but are here the result of drawing with a pencil.

4. SEXUAL DIFFERENCES, MANE.

It is unquestionable that some individuals have a mane, and that others have not.

The mane seems to begin near the occiput, and to extend over the whole length of neck and trunk, being thickest near the head, and diminishing gradually to the tail where it evidently passes imperceptibly into the common hair-coating. The mane is said to have been visible on its head (135); at the back of the head (figg. 17, 24, n^o. 102), which no doubt means just behind the occiput. Further: on the neck (p. 105, p. 132, p. 138, p. 225, 9, 11, 12, 101, 103, fig. 31), from the back of the head a mane commenced (91), just behind the head the mane was thickest and got thinner further backwards (91), close behind the head a mane commences along the neck (92), the mane stretched rather far hindwards (92), the head was provided with a mane hanging down (152 A); evidently the mane extends from the head over the whole length of the neck and the trunk (18? fig. 28, fig. 29). The mane near the head is long (9, 152 A), tolerably long (92), two feet long (p. 105), and all along the neck and back: not very long (91), that it is of some length, we must suppose, for it is said to wash about to and fro in the water (91, 118, 120), and to spread to left and to right floating on the water (92), when the animal swims. The colour of the mane seems to be white (9) when dried up by the sunshine, but else it has the same colour as the rest of the body (102), brown (92, 152 A). The mane resembles that of a horse (p. 138, p. 225, 91, 92, 103, 118) or rather seaweed (p. 132, 118, 135).

Probably a mane was present in n^o. 51, and 74; the back from afar, was irregular, uneven, and deeply indented; irregular and had a rugged appearance; see also fig. 36.

Twice it is stated that there was no mane (26, 115, see also fig. 19 and 27), but we have so many reports which don’t mention the mane, and which surely would have mentioned it, if it had been present, that we are obliged to believe that those individuals had no mane. In other instances the distance was too great to observe a mane, even if the animal had been provided with one.

I am sure that here we have one of the differences between males and females. But, as I also firmly believe that there is a difference in size between males and females, I should not be surprised that, if these animals were better known to zoologists, the males would, in general, prove to surpass the females twice in size and four or six times in weight. In my opinion large individuals are, therefore, males, and must have a mane, or at one time have had one. The probability exists that they lose the greater part of their mane at a certain age, or that they were moulting when they were seen; which would account for the fact that in some large individuals no mane was observed.

I have ventured to draw the outlines of the animal from the descriptions. Fig. 72 represents it as seen from aside, with the divisions of the colours, and fig. 73 as seen on the back with the whiskers and the extension of the mane in the males.

5. PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERS.

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.