180 PICTURESQUE SKETCHES 



instead of concealing itself in mud or among rushes, 

 it would swim at once boldly and directly to the 

 attack. Its enormous neck stretched out to its full 

 length, and its tail acting as a rudder, the powerful 

 and frequent strokes of its four large paddles would 

 at once give it an impulse, sending it through the 

 water at a very rapid rate. When within reach of 

 its prey, we may almost fancy that we see it drawing 

 back its long neck as it depressed its body in the 

 water, until the strength of the muscular apparatus 

 with which this neck was provided, and the great ad- 

 ditional impetus given by the rapid advance of the 

 animal, would combine to produce a stroke from the 

 pointed head which few living animals could resist. 

 The fishes, including perhaps even the sharks, the 

 larger cuttle-fish, and innumerable inhabitants of the 

 sea, would fall an easy prey to this monster. 



But now let us see what goes on in the deeper 

 abysses of the ocean, where a free space is given for 

 the operations of that fiercely carnivorous marine 

 reptile, the Ichthyosaurus. Prowling about at a great 

 depth, where the reptilian structure of its lungs and 

 the bony apparatus of the ribs would allow it to 

 remain for a long time without coming to the air to 

 breathe, we may fancy we see this strange animal, 

 with its enormous eyes directed upwards, and glaring 

 like globes of fire ; its length is some thirty or forty 

 feet, its head being six or eight feet long ; and it has 

 paddles and a tail like a shark ; its whole energies 

 are fixed on what is going on above, where the Plesio- 

 saurus or some giant shark is seen devouring its 

 prey. Suddenly, striking with its short but compact 

 paddles, and obtaining a powerful impetus by flapping 



