Chapter II: Preface

In all ages meteoric stones have fallen on the earth. Many of them were found by persons who were in search of them; they preserved them, and thus collections were made in private rarity cabinets and in natural history cabinets. Many learned persons believed in meteoric stones, but many others were sceptical, and their attacks were so violent, and their mockery about stones that fell from the atmosphere, or were thrown by the men in the Moon to the inhabitants of the Earth, so sharp as to shake the belief of many a collector, and the happy possessor, fearing the mockery of the so-called learned men, concealed his treasures, or threw them away on the dust-hill, or in a ditch.

But at last there appeared a firm believer in aerolites, named CHLADNI, who took the trouble to collect all accounts concerning observations of meteoric stones from the ancient times up to the nineteenth century. He showed 1. The immense number of facts. 2. The strikingly concurrent testimony in all the accounts independent of one another.

In the year 1829 he published his work “Ueber Feuermeteore” (i. e. on Meteoric Stones) in Vienna, and from that moment the eyes of unbelievers were opened. Meteoric stones were again found, and were proved to be quite different from terrestrial stones. From that moment the belief in the existence of meteoric stones was fixed for ever.

The author of the present Volume has been at the pains to collect all accounts concerning observations of Sea-Serpents. His work has the same purpose as CHLADNI’S had in 1829. It is his sincere hope that it may meet with the same success.

THE HAGUE,

A. C. O. JZN.

February 1^{st}, 1891.

CONTENTS.

Page

Preface IX

List of illustrations XIII

I. Literature on the subject 1

II. Attempts to discredit the Sea-Serpent, cheats and hoaxes 12

III. Would-be Sea-Serpents 60

IV. The various accounts and reports concerning observations of
Sea-Serpents, chronologically arranged and thoroughly
discussed; and criticisms on the papers written about the
subject 102

V. The various explanations hitherto given 380

VI. Conclusions 485
List of observations 485
A. Fables, fictions, exaggerations and errors 495
B. Facts 498
1. External characters 498
_a._ Dimensions 498
_b._ Form 505
_c._ Skin 511
2. Internal or anatomical characters 512
3. Colours, individual variations 513
4. Sexual differences, mane 515
5. Physiological characters 517
_a._ Nutritory functions 517
1. Eating, food 517
2. Breathing 518
3. Excretion 518
_b._ Functions of the senses 519
1. Feeling 519
2. Taste 519
3. Smell 519
4. Hearing 520
5. Sight 520
_c._ Functions of the muscular system 520
1. Relative mobility of organs 520
2. Motions 522
3. Voice 530
_d._ Generation, growth 530
6. Psychical characters 531
_a._ Not taking notice of objects 531
_b._ Taking notice of objects 531
_c._ Curiosity, probably mixed with suspicion 531
_d._ Suspicion 531
_e._ Harmlessness 532
_f._ Timidity 532
_g._ Fearlessness 532
_h._ Fear 532
_i._ Fright 533
_j._ Fury 533
_k._ Toughness 533
_l._ Playsomeness 533
_m._ Sensibility of fine weather 534
7. Enemies 535
8. Repose, sleep, death 535
9. Geographical distribution 537
10. Nomenclature 545
C. Conclusions 546
1. Comparison with allied animals 546
2. Its rank in the System of Nature 560

Appendix 572

Last word 592

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page.
Fig. 1.--_Thynnus thynnus_ (Linn.) 19
Fig. 2.--_Hydrarchos Sillimanni_ Koch 31
Fig. 3 and 4.--Would-be Sea-Serpent seen near Galveston 55
Fig. 5.--The Sea-Monster, as Mr. C. RENARD supposed to have seen
it 58
Fig. 6.--The largest calamary, ever found, with a scale of 80
feet 61
Fig. 7.--The Animal of Stronsa 63
Fig. 8.--_Squalus maximus_, Linn. 72
Fig. 9.--_Chimaera monstrosa_, Linn. 76
Fig. 10.--_Lamna cornubica_ (Linn.) 78
Fig. 11.--A large calamary, swimming on the surface of the sea 88
Fig. 12.--_Lineus longissimus_, Sow 91
Fig. 13.--_Gymnetrus gladius_, Cuv. Val. 93
Fig. 14.--The Sea-Serpent, as represented by OLAUS MAGNUS 106
Fig. 15.--The Sea-Serpent, illustrating the text of GESNER 107
Fig. 16.--The second Sea-Serpent, illustrating the same work 108
Fig. 17.--The Sea-Serpent, as represented in the Basle edition of
OLAUS MAGNUS’ work 109
Fig. 18.--The Sea-Serpent, illustrating the Map of Scandinavia in
the Basle edition of OLAUS MAGNUS’ work 109
Fig. 19.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by HANS EGEDE, drawn by Mr.
BING 114
Fig. 20.--The same individual, plunging back into the water 115
Fig. 21.--The drawing of Mr. BING, as reprinted and altered in
the _Illustrated London News_ of 1848 116
Fig. 22.--Mr. BING’S drawing, as copied by PONTOPPIDAN 119
Fig. 23.--Mr. BING’S drawing, as altered in Dr. HAMILTON’S work 120
Fig. 24.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by Governor BENSTRUP 126
Fig. 25.--Mr. BENSTRUP’S drawing, as altered in Dr. HAMILTON’S
work 127
Fig. 26.--The Sea-Serpent, as delineated by Mr. PRINCE 207
Fig. 27.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by Mr. WARBURTON 234
Fig. 28.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by the Officers of the
_Daedalus_ 273
Fig. 29.--Another sketch of the same individual 274
Fig. 30.--A sketch of the head of the same individual 276
Fig. 31.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by an officer of H. M. S.
_Plumper_ 296
Fig. 32, 33, 34 and 35.--The Sea-Serpent as seen by Capt. GUY, of
the _Imogen_ 304
Fig. 36.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by Captains TREMEARNE and
MORGAN 306
Fig. 37 and 38.--Two positions of the Sea-Serpent, as seen by Dr.
BICCARD 308
Fig. 39 and 40.--Two positions of the Sea-Serpent, as seen by the
Rev. JOHN MACRAE and the Rev. DAVID TWOPENY 323
Fig. 41.--The so-called “Fight between a sea-serpent and a
sperm-whale” 330
Fig. 42.--Another representation of the so-called “Fight between
a sea-serpent and a sperm-whale” 334
Fig. 43.--The sperm-whale going down head foremost to the bottom 335
Fig. 44.--The ridge of fins, mentioned in the report of the
_Osborne_ 348
Fig. 45.--The Sea-Serpent as seen by Commander PEARSON and
Lieutenant HAYNES of the _Osborne_ 349
Fig. 46.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen by Major SENIOR of the _City
of Baltimore_ 357
Fig. 47.--Outline of the back of the Sea-Serpent, as seen by the
Rev. H. W. BROWN 361
Fig. 48 and 49.--Two positions of the sea-serpent, as seen by
Captain DAVISON of the _Kiushiu Maru_ 363
Fig. 50.--The Sea-Serpent, as seen from the Stettin Lloyd Steamer
_Kätie_ near the Hebrides. Drawn under the supervision
of the Captain, Mr. WEISZ, by the American
animal-painter Mr. ANDREW SCHULTZ 367
Fig. 51.--Outline of the Sea-Serpent seen near Little Orme’s
Head, drawn by Mr. F. T. MOTT, after three different
sketches 369
Fig. 52.--_Phocaena phocoena_ (Linn.). 381
Fig. 53.--A row of porpoises 385
Fig. 54.--_Scoliophis atlanticus_, one sixth of full size 386
Fig. 55.--Its head, full size 386
Fig. 56.--_Hydrophis pelamidoides_ 390
Fig. 57.--_Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linn.). 398
Fig. 58.--_Ichthyosaurus communis_, skeleton 400
Fig. 59.--_Ichthyosaurus communis_, restored 400
Fig. 60.--_Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus_, skeleton 401
Fig. 61.--_Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus_, restored 402
Fig. 62.--_Chlamydosaurus_ 432
Fig. 63.--_Iguana tuberculata_ 433
Fig. 64.--_Catodon macrocephalus_ 435
Fig. 65.--_Basilosaurus_, skeleton 436
Fig. 66.--_Basilosaurus_, restored 436
Fig. 67.--_Basilosaurus_ as imagined by Mr. SEARLES V. WOOD, JUN. 442
Fig. 68.--_Eurypharynx pelecanoides_, Vaillant 445
Fig. 69.--_Macrorhinus leoninus_ (Linn.) 449
Fig. 70.--Position of a gigantic calamary, by which Mr. HENRY LEE
explains Mr. BING’S drawing 475
Fig. 71.--_Thrichechus manatus_ Linné 482
Fig. 72.--Sea-Serpent, side view, outlines, drawn from the
descriptions 516
Fig. 73.--Sea-Serpent, back view, outlines, drawn from the
descriptions 516
Fig. 74.--_Zalophus californianus_ (Lesson) Allen?--Drawn by
W. P. from a living specimen in the Brighton
Aquarium.--From the _Illustrated London News_ of Jan.
6, 1877 547
Fig. 75.--_Zalophus californianus_ (Lesson) Allen?--Drawn by
W. P. from a living specimen in the Brighton
Aquarium.--From the _Illustrated London News_, of Jan.
6, 1877 548
Fig. 76.--_Eumetopias Stelleri_ (Lesson) Peters.--Drawn by the
animal-painter G. MÜTZEL from a living specimen in the
Zoological Gardens of Berlin.--From the _Illustrirte
Zeitung_ of Jan. 27, 1877 549
Fig. 77.--_Eumetopias Stelleri_ (Lesson) Peters.--Sketched by the
animal-painter G. MÜTZEL from a living specimen in the
Zoological Gardens of Berlin. From the _Illustrirte
Zeitung_ of Jan. 27, 1877 550
Fig. 78.--_Eumetopias Stelleri_ (Lesson) Peters.--Sketched from a
living specimen by the animal-painter G. MÜTZEL in the
Zoological Gardens of Berlin. From the _Illustrirte
Zeitung_ of Jan. 27, 1877 550
Fig. 79.--_Eumetopias Stelleri_ (Lesson) Peters.--Sketched by the
animal-painter G. MÜTZEL from a living specimen in the
Zoological Gardens of Berlin. From the _Illustrirte
Zeitung_ of Jan. 27, 1877 551
Fig. 80.--_Eumetopias Stelleri_ (Lesson) Peters.--Sketched by the
animal-painter G. MÜTZEL from a living specimen in the
Zoological Gardens of Berlin. From the _Illustrirte
Zeitung_ of Jan. 27, 1877 551
Fig. 81.--_Otaria jubata_ (Forster) Desmarest.--From the List of
the Vertebrated Animals now or lately Living in the
Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, 1877 552
Fig. 82.--_Callorhinus ursinus_ (Linné). Gray.--From BREHM’S,
“Thierleben” 553