214 SEA FABLES EXPLAINED. 



laughable gestures to the hunter. It looks at him, placing one foot 

 above the head, as if to protect it from the sunlight, throws itself on 

 its back, and, turning to its enemy, as if in scorn, scratches itself on 

 the belly and legs. The female is very fond of her young. When 

 attacked she never leaves it in the lurch, and when danger is not near 

 she plays with it in a thousand ways, throws it up in the air, and 

 catches it in her fore-feet like a ball, swims about with it in her bosom, 

 throws it away now and then, to let it exercise itself in the art of 

 swimming, but takes it to herself with caresses when it is tired." 



Accounts somewhat similar to that of Steller have been 

 brought from the Southern Hemisphere, two, at least, of 

 which are worth transcribing. 



Captain Colnett, in his * Voyage to the South Atlantic/ 

 says : 



" A very singular circumstance happened off the coast of Chili, in 

 lat. 24 S., which spread some alarm amongst my people, and awakened 

 their superstitious apprehensions. About 8 o'clock in the evening an 

 animal rose alongside the ship, and uttered such shrieks and tones of 

 lamentation, so much like those produced by the female human voice 

 when expressing the deepest distress, as to occasion no small degree 

 of alarm among those who first heard it. These cries continued for 

 upwards of three hours, and seemed to increase as the ship sailed from 

 it. I never heard any noise whatever that approached so near those 

 sounds which proceed from the organs of utterance in the human 

 species." 



Captain Weddell, in his 'Voyage towards the South 

 Pole' (p. 143), writes that one of his men, having been left 

 ashore on Hall's Island to take care of some produce, heard 

 one night about ten o'clock, after he had lain down to rest, 

 a noise resembling human cries. As daylight does not 

 disappear in those latitudes at the season in which the 

 incident occurred, the sailor rose and searched along the 

 beach, thinking that, possibly, a boat might have been 

 upset, and that some of the crew might be clinging to the 

 detached rocks. 



