STRANGE SEA CREATURES. 227 



and an ordinary seaman. George Drevat A few moments 

 afterwards it was seen elevated some 60 feet perpendicularly 

 in the air by the chief officer and two seamen, whose sig- 

 natures are affixed. Horatio Thompson, Owen Baker, 

 William Lewarn." 



The usual length of the cachalot or sperm whale is about 

 70 feet, and its girth about 50 feet. If we assign to the 

 unfortunate whale which was captured on this occasion, a 

 length of only 50 feet, and a girth of only 35 feet, we should 

 still have for the entire length of the supposed serpent about 

 100 feet. This can hardly exceed the truth, since the three 

 whales are called large sperm whales. With a length of 100 

 feet and a girth of about 9 feet, however, a serpent would 

 have no chance in an attempt to capture a sperm whale 50 

 feet long and 35 feet in girth, for the simple reason that the 

 vvhale would be a good deal heavier than its opponent In 

 a contest in open sea, where one animal seeks to capture 

 another bodily, weight is all-important We can hardly 

 suppose the whale could be so compassed by the coils of 

 his enemy as to be rendered powerless ; in fact, the contest 

 lasted fifteen minutes, during the whole of which time the 

 so-called serpent was whirling its victim round, though more 

 massive than itself, through the water. On the whole, it 

 seems reasonable to conclude in fact, the opinion is almost 

 forced upon us that besides the serpentine portion of its 

 bulk, which was revealed to view, the creature, thus whirling 

 round a large sperm whale, had a massive concealed body, 

 provided with propelling paddles of enormous power. These 

 were at work all the time the struggle went on, enabling the 

 creature to whirl round its enemy easily, whereas a serpentine 

 form, with two-thirds of its length, at least, coiled close round 

 another body, would have had no propulsive power left, or 

 very little, in the remaining 30 feet of its length, including 

 both the head and tail ends beyond the coils. Such a 

 creature as an enaliosaurus could no doubt have done what 

 a serpent of twice the supposed length would have attempted 

 in vain viz., dagged down into the depths of the sea the 

 mighty bulk of a cachalot whale. 



