The naturalist''''s library V25

NATVRA&IOT'S Walrus or Sea Korse LONDON CHATTO &WDJDUS IPJEIEBS VkturalistsLibrary THE NATURALIST'S LIBRARY EDITED BY SIR WILLIAM JARDINE, BART., P.B.S.E., F.L.S., ETC., ETC VOL XXV MAMMALIA AMPHIBIOUS CARNIVORA BY ROBERT HAMILTON, ESQ M.D,, F.B.8.E., M.W.S., ETC W H LIZARS, 3, ST JAMES' SQUARE LONDON YORK BOHN, ST., COVENT GARDEN : HENRY G BIOLOGY LIBRARY G CONTENTS PAGE MEMOIR OF 3V1 INTRODUCTION, GROUP I FRANCOIS PERONT , THE AMPHIBIOUS CARNIVORA, Comparative Anatomy, Habits and Disposition, Capture, 4,3 49 71 Seal- Trade, 81 88 96 98 Products, Classification observed, 17 37 THE WALRUS, OR SEA- HORSE Trichechus 103 Plate THE SEAL GROUP, OR PHOCID^E The Proper Seals, or Phocae, GKNUS CALOCEPHALUS OF M F CUVIER, The Common Seal of the Scottish Coast, Ph Vitulina Plate II The Common Seal of the French Phoca vitulina Plate III 125 127 128 139 Coast, CONTENTS The Marbled Seal, according to Phoca discolor Plate IV The Bearded, or Great Seal, Phoca barbata Plate V The Pied Seal, Phoca bicolor Plate VI The Harp, or Greenland Seal, Ph Grcenlandica The Ocean Cuvier, Plate VII Seal, Plate VII.* Ph Oceanica The Rough, or Bristled Seal, Ph Hispida The Hare- Like Plate VI 1 Seal, Plate IX Ph Leporina GENUS HALICHOERUS The Grey Seal, Plate Halichcerus Griseus X GENUS STENORHYNCUS The Small- Nailed Seal, Ph Leptonyx The Leopard Plate XI Seal, Ph Leopardina Plate XII GENUS PELAGIUS The Monk Seal, Ph Monachus THE STEMMATOPUS, The Plate XIII Crested Seal, Ph Christata Plate XIV The Mitred, or Hooded Seal, Phoca Mitrata Plate XV GENUS MACRORHINUS The Proboscis Seal, or Elephant Seal, PA Proboscidea Plate XVI The Female Plate XVII THE OTARIES, CONTENTS SEA- LIONS TPACE GENUS PLATYRHINCCS, Sea-Lion of 230 Steller, Phoca Jubata, The Sea- Lion of Forster Plate XVIII The Sea-Lion of Pernetty Plate XIX GENUS ARTOCEPHALUS The Pusilla, or Cape Otary, Otaria Pusilla The Ursine O Ursina The Ursine Plate XXI Plate Seal, or 250 Steller, 253 Sea-Bear of Forster 261 From Specimen XXI 232 237 244 XXII Sea-Bear Plate XX Plate The Sea- Bear of Seal in the British Museum 266 Lesson's Otary, O Molossina Plate XXIII THE ASH-COLOURED AND WHITE-NECKED OTARIES, The Common Fur-Seal of Commerce, O Falklandina Plate XXV 266 269 271 279 280 284 Doubtful Seals and Otaries, Phoca Fasciata, &c Alleged Sea-Ape, GROUP 1 THE HERBIVOROUS CETACEA, GENUS MANATUS (The Mermaid.) The Manatee of the West Indies, Manatus Americanus Plate XXVI Manatus Senegalensis, GENUS DUGUNGUS The Dugong, Dugungus Indicus GENUS STELLERUS Plate Stellerus Borealis, GBOUP III SEA MONSTERS THE GREAT SEA-SERPENT, Scoliophis Atlanticus f XXVII 300 307 , 294 298 313 CONTENTS Sea- Serpent, as seen off the British Isles, , off the Coast of America, Hans Egede's Account Pontoppidon's Plate THE KRAKEN PORTRAIT OF PERON, Vignette Title-page In Plate Plate XXVIII XXIX XXX 317 322 33 327 Walrus Hunt, all Thirty-three Plates in this PARE 313 Volume MEMOIR OF PEANCOIS PEEON GREAT SEA.-SERPENT 325 Drontheim; he was not far from them, and considered the largest to be about 100 feet Again, in 1822, one of these creatures, reported to be as bulky as a large ox, and about a fourth of an Engmile in length, made its appearance off the island of Soroe, near Tinmask, and was seen by many lish of the islanders The most recent account of this monster we have noticed, appeared in the public newspapers of Drontheim, in the autumn of 1837> and we confess we " The Adis cannot regard it as a sheer fabrication : of this city contains an account from Tozen of the end of August, which it says was communicated to a by very enlightened and principled the editor man, so that it merits attention, as tending to remove the doubt respecting the existence of the SeaSerpent The account says, that since the begin- ning of the dog-days, the Serpent has been seen at various parts of the coast of that district One of them seems to have remained constantly during this Storfosen, at the Kergvang Islands summer near Several fishermen have been so dreadfully alarmed at the sudden appearance of the Serpent so near their boats, that they did not know in what direc- tion to escape The Serpent did not attack, but followed the boat for some distance, and the men in their haste so over-exerted themselves, that two their beds Very credible persons were confined to affirm that the length of the Sea- Serpent may be taken at 600 or 800 ells, or perhaps more, for when these people were near its head, they could not GREAT SEA-SERPENT 326 discern its tail Its greatest thickness is close to These observations were made very clearly within these few days, amongst others, by a credible, sensible man, who, with his two sons, was on our island where they landed, and where the the head Serpent, after following their boat, swam slowly by." With these extracts, and without farther comment, we close our account of the Great Sea- Serpent, only remarking, that till favouring circumstances bring the animal under the examination of Naturalists, the satisfaction, which is desiderated respecting scarcely to be expected it, is THE KRAKEN PONTOPPIDON Kraken, Kraxen, Krabben, and Horvcn, Ancker-Trold, Wormius, Pontoppidon WE now proceed to make other sea monster to which Scandinavian Writers a few remarks upon the we alluded in the Intro- duction of this volume, viz the Kraken, which, of all other reputed animals, is perhaps the most involved in mystery and obscurity Though regarded by Olaus, Wormius, and other early writers, as a species of Whale, there seems to be no good ground for this opinion The statements of the Ancients concerning this animal are so exaggerated, that we will not try the patience of our readers by copying them, but as an example merely we quote that of " Jn Gaditano oceana arbor est, in tantum Pliny ; vastis dispensa ramis, ut ex ea causa fritum quam intrasse credatur."* The belief in this nun- mon- is, however, universal among the sailors and fishermen of the Norwegian coast, and it has been ster alluded to by all the Scandinavian writers from the * Lib ii cap THE XRAKEN 328 earliest period down to the present day We may best, perhaps, give a general idea of this animal, famous by abridging the account supplied by the learned Pontoppidon, who remarks it is incon test" Our ably the largest sea monster in the world : " fishermen usually affirm," says he, that when they row out several miles to sea, particularly in summer days, they are informed, by various hot cir- cumstances, that the Kraken is at the bottom of the sea Sometimes twenty boats get together over him ; and when, from well known indications, they perceive can they rising, they get away as fast as they they find themselves out of danger, upon their oars, and in a few minutes they it is When lie see the monster shows himself come to the surface He there though only a small part Its back, which appears to sufficiently, of his body appears be a mile and a half in circumference, looks at first like a number of small islands, surrounded with something which floats like sea- weeds; here and there a larger rising is observed like sandy banks ; at last several bright points or horns appear, which grow thicker the higher they rise, and sometimes they stand up as high, and as large, as the masts of It seems these are the creamiddle-sized vessels ture's arms, and it is said that if they were to laj hold of the largest man-of-war, they would pull it down to the bottom After the monster has been a short time on the surface of the water, he begins slowly to sink again ; and then the danger is as great as before, because the motion of the sinking THE KRAKEN 3^9 causes such a swell, and such an eddy and whirlevery thing down with it."* pool, that he carries It is a favourite notion of Pontoppidon, that from the appearance of the Kraken originate those traditions of floating islands being observed in the North Sea so frequently Thus Debes, in his Feroa Reserata, alludes to certain islands which suddenly appeared, and as suddenly vanished may be found in Harpelius and These islands are looked upon by the Similar accounts Torfaaus common people as the habitation of evil spirits, but more probably occasioned by the appearance of " We this great sea animal ought not," says Ponare " to toppidon, charge the evil spirit without a cause I think the making and unmaking of these floating islands is nothing else but the Kraken, which some i e sea mischief sea-faring people call Soe-trolden, What confirms me in this opinion is the following by the worthy Swedish physician, Urban Hierne, from Baron Grippenheim Among occurrence, quoted * the rocks about Stockholm there is sometimes seen a certain tract of land, which at other times disappears; and is again seen in another place Buraeus has placed this as an island in his map The pea- sants say it is not always seen, and that On the open sea, but I could not find it Sunday it lies in I saw something which like three points of land in the sea, Upon this I went to enquire surprised me of a peasant, but on our return * we could see nothing Pontoppidon's Nat Hist, of Norway, vot, ii p 211 THE KRAKEN 330 of it Now, says the Bishop, who is it that cannot discover that this visible and invisible island is nothing else than the Kraken improperly placed in the map by Buraeus ? Probably the creature keeps himself always about that spot, and often rises about the rocks and cliffs/" At first view this account can scarcely be re- garded in any other light than that of mere fable, and yet probably without much difficulty this extraordinary Kraken may be identified with certain species of Sepia, or Cuttle-fish, which have been described in the Annals of Science Mr Pennant, in his description of the Eight Armed Cuttle-fish, mentions " That in the Indian Seas this species has been found of such a size as to measure twelve feet in breadth across the central part, while each length, thus making about 120 He feet of the Indian it arm was fifty -four feet in extend from point to point further states that the natives when sailing in their canoes, take to be care always provided with hatchets, in order immediately to cutoff the arms of such of these Isles, animals as happen to fling them over the sides of the canoe, lest they should pull it under water and sink it." The opinion of Dr Shaw is equally decided regarding the occurrence of this animal " The existence of some enormously large species of the Cuttle-fish tribe in the Indian Northern Seas can hardly be doubted ; and though some accounts may have been much exaggerated, yet there is sufficient cause for believing that such species may all that are generally observed very far surpass THE KRAKEN 33l A about the coasts of European Seas modern Naturalist chooses to distinguish this tremendous species by the title of the Colossal Cuttle-fish, and seems amply disposed to believe all that has been A Northern navigator, of related of its ravages the name of Dens, lost three is said, men of his monster of this some years ago, in the to have African Seas by a kind, which unexpectedly made appearance while these men were employed, during a calm, in raking the sides of the vessel its The Colossal-fish seized three men in its arms, and drew them under water, in spite of every effort to the thickness of one of the arms, preserve them which was cut off in the contest, was that of a mizzen-mast, and the suckers of the size of pot: lids."* But the most zealous author who treats of this ani- mal is undoubtedly Denys Montfort In his work on the Natural History of the Mollusca there are many instances mentioned of its occurrence in various parts of the world, the particulars of which he was so fortunate as to procure from those who were He gives in deeye-witnesses of what he relates the circumstances above alluded to by Dr Shaw tail from the account as supplied by Dens himself; and, among other instances, he mentions that at St Malo, Thomas, there is an ex voto, or in the chapel of St by the crew of a vessel, in remembrance of their wonderful preservation during picture deposited there * Shaw's Lectures, vol ii p 137 THE KRAKEN 332 a similar attack off the coast of Angola (See Plate XXX.) An enormous Cuttle-fish suddenly threw its arms across the and was on the point of drag- vessel, ging it to the bottom, when the continued efforts of the crew succeeded in cutting off the tentacula with swords and hatchets During the period of their greatest danger, they invoked the aid of St Thomas, and being successful in freeing themselves from their dreadful opponent, on their return home they went in procession to the chapel, and offered up their thanksgivings They also procured a painter to represent, as accurately as possible, their encounter, and the danger which at the moment threatened the termination of their existence Nor have later times failed in supplying additional testimonies as to the existence of this animal, quite as decided, but unfortunately not more satisfactory we have seen bears date couched in the following terms :* Upon the 22d of June, in lat 46 57', long 58 39', Captain Neill, of the ship Robertson of Greenock, then upon a voyage from Monlrose to GreenThe last of these notices 834, and ock, is saw the head and snout of a great sea monster, It was of which a sketch was drawn at the time observed at about a quarter past nine A.M on the weather-bow, about four points, and it then appeared like a large vessel lying on her beam-ends first The Robertson was hauled up running so as to near * Mag of Zool and Bot vol it : and an hour, she at at the rate of eight knots i 414 THE KRAKEN twelve noon got abreast of to leeward On it, 333 distant about a mile observation at this time it was discovered to be the head and snout of a great fish swimming to windward ; and though an attempt was made to get closer, it could not be accomplished, much apparent exertion, Imkept swimming as fast as the vessel sailed mediately above the water its eye was seen like a because the fish, without That part of the head which wa^ measured about twelve feet, and its breadth or width twenty-five feet The snout or large deep hole above the water trunk was about fifty feet long, and the sea occasionally rippled over one part, leaving other parts The colour of the parts quite dry and uncovered seen was green, with a light and dark shade ; and the skin was ribbed, as ^presented in the sketch at the close of this article Somewhat more than fifty years ago, much wonder was excited throughout Scotland, and more especially on its Eastern coasts, by the alleged appearance of the Kraken at no great distance from Connected with this, a notice will be found in the second volume of the Transactions of the shore the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in form of a letter read to that learned body from the late John R L'Amy, Esq., one of the justices of the peace for the county of Forfar, and Mr John Guild, one of the magistrates of Dundee, including an affidavit made before them by the master and mate of a Nor- According to these respectable individuals, the supposed Kraken was seen on Sunday, wegian ship THE KRAKEN, 334 August 5, 1786, off the coast of Scotland, about 56 16' In fifteen leagues to the eastward, in lat appearance it resembled three low islands, or sandbanks, of a greyish colour, within less than a mile's distance from the ship; and it appeared to- extend about three miles from one extremity to the other* It remained in sight about fifty minutes, and upon the springing up of a breeze it gradually sunk under the water The illusion or exaggeration in this instance must here be very great, and would almost lead us to agree with the remark made in the Society's Transactions, that Ifce account is perfectly consistent with the idea of this being nothing more than a fog^bank, of which the appearance is familiar to mariners.* A similar incident is as having occurred in " since," he states, an mentioned by " Shetland affidavit Dr A Hibbert few years was taken by a justice of the peace in Shetland relative to this monster, which was seen at a distance from the shore off the Island of Burra It appeared, according to the de- claration of these witnesses, like the hull of a large ship, but, on approaching it nearer, they saw it was and resembled the back of a infinitely larger, monster/' It is also said that part of the remains of a dead Kraken were found about seventy years ago, driven to the mouth of a large cave in the Island of Meikle Roe Pontoppidon, that * Mr We learn, likewise, Friis, minister of Edin Phil Traiu vol ii 16 from Bodeon in THE KRAKEN 336 Nordland, records that one of these creatures was stranded among the rocks in the year 1680: the was a long time in decaying it filled up a great part of the Narrow Channel, and made it almost impassible on account of its intolerable stench We must now terminate our account of this extraordinary animal, and shall so in the words of carcass ; a distinguished Naturalist, who, with great ability, ,has illustrated the subject, and whose able paper we recommend to the attention of our readers.* " The different authorities we have quoted are, we trust, sufficient to establish the existence of an enor- mous inhabitant of the deep, (the Cuttle-fish,) possessed of characters which, in a remarkable degree, distinguish it from every other creature with which we are familiar ; and the agreement which may be observed in its descriptions, when corn- pared with those of the celebrated Kraken, is sufficiently obvious to warrant the inference which we now That the great prepared to draw is to be considered thus named animal Norwegian not as a wild and groundless chimera, but as either are identical with, or nearly allied to, this colossal cuttle It must be confessed that many of the ac- fish counts to which we have referred, if considered much too vague and indefinite to form the foundation of any opinion ; but it is the general singly, are import and tendency of the whole combined which should be considered In this view, it would be * Black wood's Mag vol ii and iii 336 THE KRAKEN contrary to an enlightened philosophy to reject, spurious, the history of an animal, the existence which is rendered so probable, by evidence deduc from the prevailing belief of different tribes of mi kind, whose opinions, it is evident, could not been influenced or affected by the tradition of ea other, but must have resulted from the occasioi appearances of the monster * ters of the globe THE itself in different qu ... after they were taken from the water The two friends laboured in concert ; the one painted, the other described ; in their work they had but one soul, and neither wished to exalt himself at the. .. of the other After a voyage of five months they reached the Isle of France Here they completed their stores and some of the Naturalists, for the Antarctic Seas ; not receiving the necessaries they... army of the Rhine, and found himself at the Siege of Landeau, where the garrison maintained the a most obstinate defence After the siege was he rejoined the army in the field, fought in the battle