344 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP. 



horizon, nor any landmark or natural evidence 

 of position is left ; and the heaven is all spray, 

 and the ocean all cloud, and that you can see 

 no further in any direction than you see 

 through a cataract." 



SEA LIFE 



The Sea teems with life. The Great Sea 

 Serpent is, indeed, as much a myth as the 

 Kraken of Pontoppidan, but other monsters, 

 scarcely less marvellous, are actual realities. 

 The Giant Cuttle Fish of Newfoundland, 

 though the body is comparatively small, may 

 measure 60 feet from the tip of one arm to 

 that of another. The Whalebone Whale 

 reaches a length of over 70 feet, but is timid 

 and inoffensive. The Cachalot or Sperm 

 Whale, which almost alone among animals 

 roams over the whole ocean, is as large, and 

 much more formidable. It is armed with 

 powerful teeth, and is said to feed mainly on 

 Cuttle Fish, but sometimes on true fishes, or 

 even Seals. When wounded it often attacks 

 boats, and its companions do not hesitate to 



