* THE GREAT SEA SERPENT: 253 



be that there are more persons to see them, and because 

 marine traffic is far greater in the north than in similar 

 southern latitudes ; and another reason may be, that the 

 rocky coasts of both continents in those latitudes may afford 

 congenial retreats for mammoth marine reptiles. We have 

 seen that reptiles exist for a very long period without 

 breathing, and even without air ; as, for instance, those en- 

 cased in baked mud in the tropics, and those frozen up or 

 bottled up tight and hermetically sealed, as the examples 

 given in preceding chapters. 



From long observation of ophidian habits, I venture to 

 offer certain suggestions in addition to published opinions ; 

 and I may remind my readers that as all reptiles undergo 

 a species of hibernation, we may reasonably conclude 

 that these huge marine ones form no exception to the rule. 

 They may lie for months dormant in the deep recesses 

 of the ocean, and reappear during the long days and hot 

 weather like their land relatives. It seems strange that 

 so far from this having been taken into consideration, it has 

 become the fashion to ridicule the ' reappearance of the 

 great sea serpent ' at the very time when all other reptiles 

 reappear as a matter of course. Long days are more favour- 

 able for observations, and probably log-books record many 

 other creatures, whether mammal, bird, or fish, seen during 

 the summer and not in other seasons, as well as ' sea ser- 

 pents.' Not because this is the slack time of journalists, 

 therefore, who are supposed to be at their wits' end for 

 subjects, but simply because ships coming home at this time 

 bring reports of their summer observations. 



It is much to be regretted that these reports have come 



