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INTRODUCTORY.
The work of preparing the following pages has been a peculiarly pleasant one, prompted as it was by a passionate love for the wonderful in nature, and the valuable study it permitted in the most fruitful fields of literature and observation. Before commencing to harvest in the field of nature's wonders, or to glean behind the reapers who have preceded me in the unfolding of the curiosities of sea and land, I had utterly failed to appreciate how prodigal nature is; how illimitable her resources, how marvelous the diversity of her creative power.
As I proceeded, gathering interesting facts, each new wonder became the parent of a host of rarer marvels, until I became fairly bewildered by a sabbaoth of natural phenomena, and a multiplicity of animate organisms of which I had before formed no conception.
It has been my purpose, and, indeed, the chief idea that prompted this compilation, to bring to the attention of my readers only those things which are best calculated to inspire the loftiest conceptions of Deity, and a profound admiration for the wondrous works by which we are surrounded and associated; to incite a desire in both young and old to become better acquainted with the evolutions in nature, and the curious species of life with which we are least familiar; to exalt the study of Natural History, Geography, Mankind, and those branches of science which bring us into a closer relation with, and a better understanding and appreciation of, the mysterious and infinite wisdom of nature's God.
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Though I have been somewhat of a traveler, my own observations find place in comparatively few of the following pages, having confined myself principally to discoveries made by more noted investigators. In so doing, I have spared nothing to become familiar with the works of the greatest travelers and scientists, and to glean from them their most valuable and interesting revelations, by which we are brought into familiar acquaintanceship with every portion of the globe, and the wonderfully diversified vegetable and animal life thereon. To attain this end more perfectly, I have consulted more than a thousand standard books of Natural History, and have carefully endeavored to transfer the best thought of each to this work; to these several good authors I therefore desire to extend my acknowledgments, and to give them the larger credit, reserving to myself only whatever merit I may deserve for gathering their ideas and discoveries from out so large a library and condensing them into a single book, to which I have given the comprehensive title, "SEA AND LAND."
J. W. B.
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Illustrating the Solar Lunar Tides......18
Tidal Inundations on the Danish Coast... 21
Vessel in a Storm at Sea (after Dove)....23
The Terrible Water-Spout............ The Luminous Sea. . .....30
Fishes of the Silurian Age............32
Early Man Contending with the Plesiosaurus.......... 34
The Flying Pterodactyl.......36
The Teleosaurus...38
The Great Turtle.....42
Combat Between the Ichthyosaurus and
Plesiosaurus....44
Monsters of the Kansas Plains in Their
Last Struggles....... ........ 46
Neptune's Cup.... Sponge Gathering in the Mediterranean...51
Architectural Wonders of the Coral-Worm
...53
Birth of the Coral-Worm ... 54
Island Built by Coral-Worms......57
The Taredo, or Ship-Worm....59
Cocoanut-Eating Crabs ...63
The Japanese Spider-Crab.....65
Crab Lifting a Goat..... 67
The Nautilus, in three positions....... 68
A Giant Rock-Squid...71
Frightful Adventure with an Octopus ..... 74
The Kraken Sinking a Ship.............76
The Giant Cuttle-Fish, as seen from the Ship Alecton.......Attack on the Great Cuttle-Fish.....81
Battle with an Octopus..... 83
Mangin's Sea-Serpent (from an old print).
..86
The Sea-Serpent of Ancient Legend...... 89
Sea-Serpent of Hans Egidius......91
Gigantic Sea-Weed Resembling a Serpent ... 96
Lieutenant Lamont's Adventure with a
Devil-Fish...........100
The Angler, or Frog-Fish....102
Stomias Boa, or Serpent-Fish....103
The Angel, or Monk-Fish......105
The Pegasus Dragon........106
The Sea-Horse.......107
The Beautiful and Curious.....109
Romans Watching the Expiring Throes of a Mullet.......111
Fishing for Electrical Eels by the Aid of Horses.........114
The Sting-Ray........116
The Portuguese Man-of-War....118
The Stinging Sea-Nettle...120
Stickleback in its Nest.....121
The Archer-Fish.......123
Queer Fishes of the Mediterranean...... 125
The Jumping-Fish of Borneo.........127
The Walking-Fish......129
The Land-Traveling Perch............131
The Climbing-Perch.............. 133
Sea Gryphon (an old print).............140
Cooking a Dinner on Leviathan's Back...
143
The Sperm Whale...146
Smashing of the Ship Essex by a Whale..
148
A Whale-boat Knocked Skyward........
153
The Right, or Greenland Whale.........156
Pursuing a Whale........ 160
An Exciting Pursuit..............165
Sounding..........................169
Cutting up a Whale....................172
The White, or Basking Shark........179
Shark Fishing...182
Boy Bitten in Twain by a Shark.....192
Courageous Attack on a Shark.....194
Excitement of Shark Fishing.........107
The Hammer-Head Shark..............199
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
MYSTERIES OF THE DEEP SEA.
CHAPTER I.
Beginning of the World-How the Ocean was Evolved-Wonders of the Primitive Sea Preponderance of Life in the Sea Over that on Land-Vitalizing Effects of Rain-The World Once an Universal Ocean-How Water Grew Out of Flames-Life that Preceded Man-The Tides and How They Are Caused-Effects of Winds-Dreadful Devastation of the Tides Storms, Whirlpools and Water-Spouts-Description of a Storm at Sea-The Author's Experi ence-Destruction of Ships by Ocean Cyclones............................... .15-26
CHAPTER II.
CURIOSITIES OF THE OCEAN.
Why is the Ocean Salt?-Mangin's Theory-Useful Purpose Served by the Salt of the Sea-Why Rain is Invariably Fresh Instead of Salt-The Ocean Essential to Life on the Earth-Gleaming Lights of the Sea-What Makes the Ocean Sometimes Luminous-Wonder ful Displays of Phosphorescence...... ......26-31
CHAPTER III.
MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
PREHISTORIC Buried Continents-How Creation Prepared the Way for Giant Saurians-Beginning of Life in the Sea-The First Fish Created-Saurian Monsters-The Terrible Ichthyosaurus and Ghoulish Plesiosaurus-Mangin's Description-The Conflict for Existence-Services to Nature Rendered by Sea Monsters-A Horrible Creature-The Megalosaurus-The Flying Pterodactyl-The Invulnerable Teleosaurus-A Creature that was Lizard, Tortoise and Croc odile all in One. . ............ 3139
CHAPTER IV.
THE PRE-HISTORIC AMERICAN OCEAN. Death of Oceans-Causes which Produced Displacements-The Ancient Ocean Bed of Kansas-Discoveries of Gigantic Remains of Extinct Animals-A Tremendous Turtle-Fly ing Reptiles of Astounding Size-Combats Between Great Ocean Creatures-The Largest Animal Capable of Motion on Land-Fish-Birds-A Creature Two Hundred Feet Long-An Animal Eighty Feet Tall-Two Titanic Birds-The Last Struggles of Monsters in the Kansa Pool......... ......39-48
CHAPTER V.
APPEARANCE OF LAND ANIMALS.
The Epoch of Great Change-Monster Saurians Feeding Off Each Other-Whales of the Primitive Seas-Evolution of Life in the Sea-How Land Creatures Were Evolved from the Ocean-Birth of Sponges-Marvelous Artisans of the Sea-Flower Gardens of the Sea-Coral Wonders-Exquisite Beauties of the Coral-Wonderful Works Performed-Curiosities of the Coral-Worm-Islands Built by Coral-Worms-Other Architects of the Sea-Stone Borers The Taredo, or Ship-Worm........... ....48-59
CHAPTER VI.
ARMOR - CLAD SEA WARRIORS.
The Horrid Scavengers of the Sea-Lobsters Large as a Dog-Armor-Covered Crustacæ A Funny Experience with Sand-Fiddlers-The Formidable Cancer-Crab-A Shipwrecked Crew Devoured by Crabs-Marvelous Exhibition of Cannibalism-Monster Sea-Spiders Crabs that Break Cocoanuts-The Pirate-Crab-The Purple and Mask-Crab-Curious Crabs A Crab that Lifted a Goat-The Japanese Spider-Crab-Thrilling Incident........... 59-68
CHAPTER VII.
HORRIBLE MONSTERS OF THE DEEP.
Natural Advance of the Beautiful Towards the Horrid-From the Gorgeous Argonauta the Horror-Inspiring Octopus-The Frightful Polypus-Stories of the Giant Octopus-Exaggerations of Pliny and Aristotle-The Greatest Monster of Antediluvian Times-Attacked by a Terrible Squid-Fearful Adventure with an Octopus-A Squid Larger Than a Cathedral Ship Attacked by a Monster Squid-Facts About Gigantic Calmars-Monsters in the Great Depths of the Sea-Capture of a Gigantic Cuttle fish-Desperate Fight Made by the Awful Animal-The Ship-Destroying Kraken-Montfort's Yarns-A Bishop's Testimony-A Sea Monstrosity-Battle with an Octopus........................
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SEA SERPENT.
Evidences Upon Which Rest a Belief in the Existence of a Great Sea-Serpent-Leviathan, the Crooked Serpent-Great Egyptian Sea-Serpent-Capture of a Serpent Fifty Feet Long Adventures of Hans Egidius-Descriptions of Sea-Serpents Seen and Captured-Favorite Haunts of Sea-Serpents-Sea-Serpents Increasing in Number-A Serpent Eighty Feet Long Viewed by Hundreds of People-Proofs of the Serpent Multiplied-Naturalists Confounded A Serpent Six Hundred Feet Long-A Frightful Object-A Sea-Serpent that Resembled a Chain of Hogsheads-Captain Harrington's Sea-Serpent-Captain Robert's Sea-Serpent-A Sea Product that Resembles a Serpent-The Great Algæ-Reasons for Doubting the Exist ence of the Sea-Serpent-No One Can Positively Deny There is Such a Creature...... 84-98
CHAPTER IX.
THE DEVIL-FISH AND ITS INFERNAL KIN.
A Creature More Horribly Grotesque than the Octopus-A Suitable Appellation-Adven tures with the Devil-Fish-Thrilling Experience of a Fisherman- Lieut. Lamont's Exciting Adventure-His Second Experience-A Big Fish Story-A Lot of Surprised Sailors-Ex traordinary Power of the Devil-Fish-Offshoots of Satan-The Ugly Sea-Frog- It Catches Big Prey-The Stomias Boa-A Genuine Sea-Serpent-The Muræna Eels -How They Were Formerly Fatted on Human Flesh-Result of a Broken Goblet -The Lamprey-A Strange Old Law-A Fallen Angel-Flying Dragons-The Pegasus Dragon-A Curious Sea-Horse........................... ........... 98-108
CHAPTER X.
BEAUTIFUL AND CURIOUS FISHES.
Fish of Paradise-The Mackerel Family-The John Dory-Cruelties Practised on the Red Mullet by the Ancients-Four Hundred Dollars For a Single Fish-Wonderful Death Throes of the Mullet-The Marvelous Riband-Fish-Rainbow and Parrot-Fish-Warriors the Deep-The Torpedo Fish-The Electrical Eel-Singular Way in Which it is Caught Horses as Fishers-Stinging-Fish-The Dangerous Sting Ray-Floating Nettles-Unpleasant Experiments of a French Naturalist-Nest-Building Fish-Shooting-Fish-Musical Fish Humboldt's Investigations-The Jumping Fish of Borneo-Walking Fish-The Wonderful Climbing Perch-How it Sustains Life While Traversing Long Distances Over Land-A Summary of Curious Fishes...........108-135
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