Chapter VI: Conclusions (1)

The Libraries from which I borrowed the greater part of the works treating of the subject were:

The Royal Library at the Hague,

The Library of the Leiden University,

The Library of the Utrecht University,

The Library of the Groningen University,

The Library of the Amsterdam University,

The Library of the Royal University at Göttingen,

The Library of the Royal Zoological Society “Natura Artis Magistra” at Amsterdam,

The Library of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Amsterdam,

The Library of the Museum of Natural History at Leiden,

The Library of the Dutch Zoological Society at den Helder, and

The Library of the Dutch Entomological Society at Leiden.

In the part headed _Literature on the Subject_ I have given an idea of the mass of works and articles written about it. I here present to my readers a list of the different appearances found by me in the works which I have consulted. Of each appearance I have noted down as far as possible, the date, the locality and the names of the observers. The numbers correspond with those in the 4th. Chapter.

* * * * *

1.--1522.--Near the Isle of Moos, Norway.

2.--1640.--Most probably in the Sound between Sweden and Denmark.--Burgomaster of Malmö.

3.--1687.--Damsfjord in Norway.--Several persons, and at one time eleven persons together.

4.--1720.--A little inlet near Kobbervueg, in Norway.--THORLACK THORLACKSEN.

5.--1734, July 6.--Before the harbour of Gothaab in Davis’ Straits, west of Greenland, at 64° N.--Rev. HANS EGEDE, Rev. BING.

6.--1743?--Cliffs near Amund in Nordfjord, in Norway.

7.--1744?--Isle of Karmen, in Norway.

8.--1745?--Near Sundsland, two miles from Bergen, in Norway.--A fisherman.

9.--1746, August.--Jule-Naess, six miles from Molde, in Norway.--The Hon. LORENZ VON FERRY, NIELS PETERSEN KOPPER, and NIELS NIELSEN ANGLEWIGEN.

10.--1747?--Coast of Norway.--Commander BENSTRUP.

11.--1748?--Coast of Norway.--Mr. REUTZ.

12.--1749?--Coast of Norway.--Mr. TUCHSEN.

13.--1750?--Coast of Norway.--A north-sailor.

14.--1751?--Near Sundsmöer.--Some fishermen.

15.--1751.--Near Muscongus-Island and Round Pond in Broad Bay, Maine, U. S. A.--Mr. JOSEPH KENT.

16.--1770?--East coast of U. S. A.--Captain PAUL REED.

17.--1777 or 1778.--Penobscot Bay, Maine, U. S. A.--Captain ELEAZAR CRABTREE.

18.--1779?--Penobscot Bay, Maine, U. S. A.--Mr. STEPHAN TUCKEY.

19.--1780, May.--Near Muscongus Island and Round Pond, in Broad Bay, U. S. A.--Captain GEORGE LITTLE, of the _Boston_ frigate.

20.--1781?--Off Meduncook, east coast of U. S. A.

21.--1782?--East coast of U. S. A.?--The British on their expedition to Bagadusa.

22.--1783?--Near the Isle of Mount Desert, east of Penobscot Bay, Maine, U. S. A.--Inhabitants of this isle.

23.--1784?--Near Ash Point on Fox and Long Island, Maine, U. S. A.--Mr. CROCKET.

24.--1785?--Penobscot Bay, Maine, U. S. A.--Mr. MILLER.

25.--1786, August 1.--Lat. 42° 44′ N., long. 23° 10′ W., north-east of the Azores.--On board the _General Coole_.

26.--1787?--East coast of U. S. A.--Captain LILLIS.

27.--1794?--Near Fox and Long Islands, Maine, U. S. A.--Two inhabitants of these islands.

28.--1799?--Near Fox and Long Islands, Maine, U. S. A.--Two inhabitants of these islands.

29.--1802, July.--Between Cape Rosoi and Long Island, Maine, U. S. A.--The Rev. ABRAHAM CUMMINGS, Mrs. CUMMINGS, Miss CUMMINGS, Miss MARTHA SPRING.

30.--1805?--Near Cape Breton and Newfoundland.--Mr. W. LEE.

31.--1808, June.--Coast of Coll, west of Scotland.--Rev. DONALD MACLEAN.

32.--1808, June.--Coast of Canna and Rum, west of Scotland.--The crew of thirteen fishing boats.

33.--1810?--?--A mariner.

34.--1815, June 20.--Warren’s Cove, near Plymouth, in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain ELKANAH FINNEY, his son, and some house carpenters.

35.--1815, June 21.--Warren’s Cove, near Plymouth, in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain ELKANAH FINNEY.

36.--1816?--Near Behring’s Island.--Mr. KRIUKOF.

37.--1817, August 6.--Harbour of Cape Ann.--Two women.

38.--1817, August 10.--Near Ten Pound Island in the Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. AMOS STORY.

39.--1817, August 12.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. SALOMON ALLEN, 3d.

40.--1817, August 13.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. SALOMON ALLEN, 3d.

41.--1817, August 14.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. SALOMON ALLEN 3d., Mr. EPES ELLERY, Mr. WILLIAM H. FOSTER, Mr. MATTHEW GAFFNEY, Mr. DANIEL GAFFNEY, Mr. AUGUSTIN M. WEBBER, and the Hon. LONSON NASH.

42.--1817, August 15.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. JAMES MANSFIELD.

43.--1817, August 17.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. WILLIAM H. FOSTER, Mr. JOHN JOHNSTON, jun., Captain JOHN CORLISS, Mr. GEORGE MARBLE.

44.--1817, August 18.--Off Cape Ann Harbour, Mass., U. S. A.--The Captain and crew of a vessel.--Webber’s Cove in the Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. WILLIAM B. PEARSON, Mr. JAMES P. COLLINS, Colonel T. H. PERKINS, Mr. LEE.

45.--1817, August 22?--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--A woman, Mr. MANSFIELD and Mrs. MANSFIELD.

46.--1817, August 23.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. AMOS STORY.

47.--1817, August 24?--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Several of the crews of coasting vessels.

48.--1817, August 28.--Two miles east of the eastern point of Cape Ann, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain SEWELL TOPPAN, of the schooner _Laura_, WILLIAM SOMERBY, ROBERT BRAGG, mariners on board the same schooner.

49.--1817, August 30?--In the neighbourhood of Cape Ann, Mass., U. S. A.--One of the revenue cutters.

50.--1817, October 3.--In the sound between Long Island and the State New York, U. S. A.--Mr. JAMES GUION.

51.--1817, October 5.--Long Island Sound, N. York, U. S. A.--Mr. THOMAS HERTELL.

52.--1818, June.--Off Cape Henry, Virg., U. S. A.--The Captain and crew of the brig _Wilson_.

53.--1818, June 19.--In Sag Harbour, Long Island, N. Y., U. S. A.

54.--1818, June 21.--East coast of U. S. A.--S. WEST, master of the Packet _Delia_.

55.--1818, July 2.--Between Cranch Island Point and Marsh Island, about seven miles from Portland, Maine, U. S. A.--Mssrs. J. WEBBER and R. HAMILTON.

56.--1818, July.--60° N. latitude and 8° W. longitude, between Far Öer and Hebrides.--Captain BROWN.

57.--1818 July.--Folden fjord, Norway.--Some fishermen of Folden fjord.

58.--1818 August?--Near Fieldvigen, Norway.--Fishermen of Fieldvigen.

59.--1818, August 19.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain RICHARD RICH.

60.--1819, June 6.--About 15 miles north-west of Race Point, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain HAWKINS WHEELER, of the sloop _Concord_, and GERSHAM BENNETT.

61.--1819, July.--Sound between the Island of Ottersum and the continent, Norway.--Captain SCHILDERUP and about thirty other persons.

62.--1819, August 12?--At Nahant Beach, Mass., U. S. A.

63.--1819, August 13?--Near Nahant, Mass., U. S. A.--Mr. JAMES PRINCE, Mr. SMITH, Mrs. PRINCE, Mr. JAMES MAGEE, Mr. SAMUEL CABOT, Mrs. CABOT, Mr. JAMES BOOTT, Colonel T. H. PERKINS, Mrs. PERKINS, and family.

64.--1819, August.--Vieg or Veg fjord, Norway.--JOHN GREGAR.

65.--1819, August?--At the North Cape.--Some fishermen.

66.--1819, August?--Bay of Shuresund or Sorsund in the Drontheim fjord, Norway.--The Right Rev. Bishop of the Nordlands and Finmark.

67.--1819? August?--In the Mageröe-Sund near North Cape, Norway.--The sexton of Maasöe.

68.--1819, August.--Near Vadsöe, Norway.--Several persons.

69.--1819, August 26.--Harbour of Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--The Rev. CHEEVER FELCH, Captain WILLIAM T. MALBONE, of the schooner _Science_, Midshipman BLAKE, four boatsmen.

70.--1819, September?--Near Boston, Mass., U. S. A.--An Officer of the American Navy.

71.--1819, September 13?--Bay of Massachusetts, U. S. A.

72.--1820, July?--Near Hundsholm, Norway.--A young man, master of a small fishing yacht.

73.--1820, August.--Near Nahant, Mass., U. S. A.--Several members of the family of Colonel T. H. PERKINS.

74.--1820?--About latitude 46°, longitude 3°, Bay of Biscay.--Lieutenant GEORGE SANDFORD, Captain of the _Lady of Combermere_.

75.--1821, Summer.--Several members of the family of Colonel T. H. PERKINS.

76.--1821.--Near the east coast of U. S. A.--Captain BENNETT.

77.--1821, September 25?--Near Nantucket Isle.--Many persons, Mr. FRANCIS JOY JUN.

78.--1821.--Off the Isles of Stenness, Vaily and Dunrossness (Shetland Islands).

79.--1822, Summer.--Off Soröe, Norway.--Many inhabitants of Soröe.

80.--1824, January.--Lat. 34° 31′ South, long. 48° West, about sixty miles east of Uruguay.

81.--1824, Summer.--Off Plum Island and in Shad Cove (Rhode Island?), U. S. A.--Mr. RUGGLES.

82.--1825?--West coast of Scotland?--Mr. ANDREW STRANG.

83.--1826, June 16.--George’s Bank, South of Newfoundland.--Captain HOLDREGE of the ship _Silas Richards_, Mr. WARBURTON, Miss. MAGEE.

84.--1826, June 18.--Off Cape Cod, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain and crew of a vessel.

85.--1827, August 24.--Christiania fjord, Norway.--Five persons.

86.--1827, August 26.--Christiania fjord, Norway.--Several persons.

87.--1827, September 3.--Off Nusodden, Norway (Christiania fjord?).

88.--1827, September 5.--Off Lepager (Christiania fjord?), Norway.

89.--1827, September 9.--Off Dröbak, Christiania fjord, Norway.--Several persons.

90.--1828?--Christiansund fjord, Norway.--NILS ROE.

91.--1828?--Christiansund fjord, Norway.--NILS ROE.

92.--1829? July.--Christiansund fjord, Norway.--LARS JOHNÖEN.

93.--1829, the end of July.--A considerable distance south-west of the Cape of Good Hope.--Captain PETRIE, of the _Royal Saxon_, and Mr. R. DAVIDSON.

94.--1830?--Christiansund fjord, Norway.--JOHN JOHNSON.

95.--1831?--In a narrow fjord near Christiansund, Norway.--Mr. WILLIAM KNUDTZON, Mr. BOOKLUNE.

96.--1832, Summer.--Rödö and Södelöw fjords, Norway.--Many persons.

97.--1833, May, 15.--Some miles from Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia.--Captain W. SULLIVAN, Lieutenants A. MACLACHLAN, G. P. MALCOLM, B. O’NEAL LYSTER, Mr. HENRY INCE.

98.--1833, July, on a Saturday.--Off Nahant, Mass., U. S. A.--Several persons.

99.--1833, July, the next Sunday.--Lynn Harbour, Mass., U. S. A.--Forty or fifty ladies and gentlemen.

100.--1834, Summer.--Bay of Gloucester Mass., U. S. A.--One of the crew of the Brig _Mangehan_.

101.--1835, March or April.--A few miles from Race Point Light, near Gloucester, Mass., U. S. A.--Captain SHIBBLES, and the crew, of the brig _Mangehan_.

102.--1836?--In Christiansund fjord, at Torvig, Norway.--Mr. GAESCHKE.

103.--1837, end of July.--Near Storfosen and the Krovaag Isles (Drontheim) Norway.--A trustworthy and intelligent gentleman, with his two sons, and numerous people.

104.--1838?--The South Atlantic.--Captain BEECHY, of the _Blossom_.

105.--1839, August?--Near Boston.--Captain BUBIER.

106.--1839, September?--Coast of Maine, U. S. A.--Captain SMITH.

106 A.--1840, April 21.--24° 13′ N. latitude, 89° 52′ W. longitude, in the Gulf of Mexico.--Captain D’ABNOUR.

106 B.--1840, June?--Near Boston?

107.--1840, July?--Molde fjord, Norway.--Mr. HAMMER, Mr. KRAFT, and some other persons.

107 A.--1840, August?--“Along the whole line of the American coast”, i. e. of the east coast of the U. S.

108.--1841.--Christiansund fjord, Norway.--Several persons.

109.--1842?--Romsdal fjord, Norway.--A parish priest.

110.--1842?--Romsdal fjord, Norway.--A gentleman.

111.--1843, Summer.--Christiansund fjord, Norway.

111 A.--1843, October?--Near Ibbestad, not far from Christiansand, Norway.--Some fishermen.

112.--1845?--Near Bergen? Norway.--Some fishermen.

113.--1845.--Between Bergen and Sogn, Norway.--Mr. J. D. MORRIES STIRLING, and two other gentlemen.

114.--1845 or 1846, Summer.--Camp’s Bay, near Cape Town.--Mr. G. D. BRUNETTE, Mr. CHARLES A. FAIRBRIDGE.

115.--1845, July 28.--Romsdale fjord, Norway.--Mr. J. C. LUND, Mr. G. S. KROCH, CHRISTIAN FLANG and JOHN ELGENSES.

117.--1846, August 8.--Between the islands of Sartor Leer and Tös, and in Bjornfjord, near Bergen, Norway.--Several persons, DANIEL SALOMONSON, his wife INGEBORG, ABRAHAM ABRAHAMSEN HAGENOES.

118.--1848, August 6.--Lat. 24° 44′ S., long 9° 22′ E., between the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena.--Mr. SARTORIS, midshipman, Lieutenant EDGAR DRUMMOND, Captain PETER M’QUHAE, Mr. WILLIAM BARRETT, master, and most of the officers and crew of H. M. S. _Daedalus_.

119.--1848?--The Gulf of California.--Captain the Hon. GEORGE HOPE.

120.--1848, December 31.--Lat. 41° 13′ N., long. 12° 31′ W., west of Oporto.--An officer of H. M. S. _Plumper_.

121.--1849, February 18.--Off the south point of Cumberland Island, about twelve miles from the St. John’s bar, Florida.--Captain ADAMS, of the schooner _Lucy and Nancy_, and the crew and passengers of it.

122.--1849, May 30.--South of Australia, between 40° and 45° S. lat., and 110° and 145° W. long.--Captain EDWARDS, of the _Alpha_, Mr. THOMSON, Mr. GEORGE PARK.

123.--1849, September 15.--Indian Ocean, between lat. 10° and 20° S., and long. 50° and 70° E.--An officer of H. M. S. _Cleopatra_.

124.--1850?--Between Iceland and the Far Öer.--Captain CRISTMAS.

125.--1853?--Fjords of Norway.

126.--1854, September 4.--Lat. 38° S., long. 13° E.--The Brig _Albeona_.

127.--1855, August?--Off St. Helena.--A Captain.

128.--1856, March 30.--Lat 29° 11′ N., long. 34° 26′ W.--Mr. J. H. STATHAM, Captain JAMES GUY, of the _Imogen_, Mr. JULIAN B. HARRIES, Mr. D. J. WILLIAMSON.

129.--1856, July 8.--Lat. 34° 56′ S., long. 18° 41′ E.--Captain A. K. W. Tremearne of the ship _Princess_, Captain MORGAN, of the ship _Senator_.

130.--1857, February 16.--In Table Bay, Cape Town.--Dr. BICCARD, his wife, daughter and two sons, Mr. MURRAY and Mr. HALL.

131.--1857, December 12.--North east end of St. Helena distant 10 miles.--Captain GEORGE HENRY HARRINGTON, of the ship _Castilian_, WILLIAM DAVIES, chief officer, EDWARD WHEELER, second officer.

132.--1858, January 26.--Lat. 19° 10′ S., long. 10° 6′ W., between the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena.--Captain SUCKLING of the _Carnatic_, Captain SHUTTLEWORTH.

133.--1861? August, on a Sunday.--Nahant?--Dr. AMOS BINNEY, and above a hundred persons.

134.--1861? August, the following Monday.--Nahant? from the piazza of the hôtel.

135.--1863, May 16.--Between the Isles of Canary and the Cape Verde Isles.--Mr. JOHN CHAPPLE, Rev. Mr. SMITH, on board the Screw Steamer _Athenian_.

136.--1871.--Near the coast of Australia.--A second officer.

137.--1872, August 20.--The Sound of Sleat between the Isle of Skye and the west coast of Scotland, and between Eigg and the mainland.--Rev. JOHN MACRAY, Minister of Glenelg, Rev. DAVID TWOPENY, Vicar of Stockbury, two ladies, F. and K., a gentleman, G. B., and a Highland lad, on board the cutter _Leda_; also a Lady at Duisdale, in Skye.

138.--1872, August 21.--On the north side of the opening of Loch Hourn, west coast of Scotland, and in the same Strait of Kylerhea, dividing Skye from the mainland.--The same witnesses as of n^o. 137; the ferrymen on each side of Kylerhea, FINLAY MACRAE, and other people.

139.--1872, August 23.--In the entrance of Lochduich.--ALEXANDER MACMILLAN and his brother FARQUHAR.

140.--1872, August 24.--In the same locality.--The same witnesses.

141.--1873, Nov. 16?--Near Dunrobin castle, east coast of Sutherland, Scotland.--Lady FLORENCE LEVESON GOWER and the Hon. Mrs. COKE.

142.--1873, Nov. 17?--Near Golspie, east coast of Sutherland, Scotland.--Dr. SOUTAR.

143.--1873, Nov. 18?--The same locality.--Mr. JAMES.

144.--1875, July 8.--Lat. 5° 13′ S., long. 35° W., twenty miles from Cape San Roque.--Captain DREVAR, of the barque _Pauline_, HORATIO THOMPSON, JOHN HENDERSON LANDELLS, WILLIAM LEWARN, OWEN BAKER.

145.--1875, July 13.--Lat. 5° S., long 34° 10′ W., eighty miles from Cape San Roque.--The same witnesses.

146.--1876, September 11.--Fifteen miles north west of North Sand Lighthouse, in the Malacca Straits.--JOHN K. WEBSTER, Captain of the British s. s. _Nestor_, and Mr. JAMES ANDERSON.

147.--1877, May 21.--Lat. 2° N., long. 90° 53′ E., Indian Ocean.--The master of the barque GEORGINA.

148.--1877, June 2.--Off Cape Vito, Sicily.--Commander PEARSON of H. M. Yacht _Osborne_, Mr. DOUGLAS HAYNES, Mr. FORSYTH, and Mr. MOORE.

149.--1879, January 28.--Lat. 12° 28′ N., long 43° 52′ E., Gulf of Aden.--Major H. W. J. SENIOR, Dr. C. HALL, Miss. GREENFIELD, on board the s. s. _City of Baltimore_.

150.--1879, March 30.--In Geographe Bay, Australia, near Lockville and Busselton.--Rev. H. W. BROWN, Mr. C. M’GUIRE and his wife, Mr. M’MULLAN.

151.--1879, April 5.--Cape Satano, the most southern point of Japan, distant about nine miles.--Captain DAVISON, Mr. MC. KECHNIE, of the _Kiushiu Maru_.

152.--1879, August 5.--100 miles west of Brest, France.--Captain J. F. COX, of the _Privateer_.

152 A.--1881, Nov. 12?--Near Monillepoint, not far from Cape Town.--Mr. C. M. HANSEN, his wife and children, and several of his neighbours.

153.--1882, May 28.--About six miles W.N.W. of Butt of Lewis (the northern point of the Hebrides or Western Islands).--Some fishermen.

154.--1882, May 31.--The same locality.--Mr. WEISZ of the Lloydsteamer _Kätie_, Mr. ANDREW SCHULTZ.

155.--1882, September 3.--Near Orme’s Heads, northern coast of Wales, Irish Sea.--Mr. W. BARFOOT, Mr. F. J. MARLOW, Mrs. MARLOW, and several other ladies and gentlemen.

156.--1883, October 15.--Bristol Channel.

157.--1885, August 16.--Between Rödö and Melö Isles, Nordland, Norway, at lat. 66° 35′ N., long. 13° 21′ E.--Some lads.

158.--1886, August.--Near Kingston Point on the Hudson, New Jersey, U. S. A.--Two young men.

159.--1886, August.--Near the east coast of U. S. A.

160.--1886, August.--Near the east coast of U. S. A.--JONAH.

161.--1889, May.--In the common track from Liverpool to Philadelphia.--A captain.

162.--1890, June.--Near Long Island, not far from the coast of Connecticut.--Captain DAVID TUITS of the schooner _Anny Harper_.

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In these reports nearly all is very probable from a zoological point of view, and there is but little that must be looked upon as fabulous.

Some statements, which at first seem to us to be exaggerations, we unhesitatingly accept as truths, when we have taken a review of all the reports together; either because they are constantly repeated, or because they are confirmed by highly respectable testimonies of recent date.

What now follows is an abstract of the 166 reports, enumerated above. The numbers in brackets correspond with those placed in the list given above, consequently also with those in my 4th. Chapter. Let us first speak of the improbable things.

A. Fables, Fictions, Exaggerations and Errors.

At present nobody believes that the appearance of a strange animal on the coast is a bad sign! In the sixteenth and the seventeenth century, however, this was not uncommon. So we read that an appearance of a sea-serpent portended a change in Norway (1), and that the appearance of one in 1522 was followed by the banishment of King Christiernus and by a great persecution of the Bishops; it also foretold the destruction of the country (1). The snatching away of a man from a ship did not happen without a terrible event in the Kingdom, without a change being at hand, either that the princes would die or be banished, or that a war would soon break out (p. 105). The Norwegian fishermen looked upon its coming as a bad sign, for the fish would leave the coast (61). Curious are also the characters described to the animal. It lives in rocks and holes, and it comes out of its caverns only in summernights and fine weather, to devour calves, lambs and hogs (p. 105). The eating of cuttles, lobsters and all kinds of sea-crabs (p. 105) may also be a story, though this is not quite improbable. The fables, often told of Kraken and Spermwhales, that when sleeping on the surface of the water they are taken for an islet, are also related of sea-serpents: “and when it is slumbering on the Norway foam, the seamen deeming it some island, fixed their anchor in its scaly rind” (p. 111).

It is also said to enclose ships by laying itself round them in a circle; and to upset the ship (p. 109) if the seamen do not try to escape, which they can manage to do when they row over its body there where a coil is visible, for that when they reach the coil, it sinks, while on the contrary the invisible part rises (p. 134, p. 227). AREND BERNDSEN tells us that sea-serpents, as well as spermwhales, often run down whole ships with all aboard (p. 134), and some north sailors know that it had occasionally thrown itself across a yacht of several hundred tons and dragged it to the bottom (p. 134). Mr. Lee has sufficiently shown in his _Sea Monsters Unmasked_, that large calamaries really sometimes snatch a man from a rowing boat; for a long time this was considered to be a fable; now, however, zoologists unconditionally accept it as truth. Such incidents, if happened, are generally, but falsely, attributed by the Northern fishermen to sea-serpents (p. 105, p. 108, p. 134).

It is not astonishing that by such people the sea-serpent is called dangerous to seamen (p. 108, p. 134) and that they are very much afraid of it (7, 14, p. 134, 61, 64, 65, 67, 92, 103, p. 259, 139, 157), and will never forget to take with them asa foetida or castoreum, the smell of which the animal cannot bear (p. 130, p. 134, p. 259) Moreover the fishermen advise to be very quiet when a sea-serpent approaches, and to avoid rowing, because the least noise attracts the animal (p. 259). Some believe that it casts its skin, as common snakes do (p. 132), and that it is born on land, and lives in forests and mountains till it can no longer hide its enormous body in it; then it seeks some river and floats down to the sea (p. 133). When swimming, sea-serpents don’t show their tail above the surface. Fishermen, in their fear, would say: if one was near the head, the other end of the animal could not be seen (103). I am convinced that this is one of the reasons that the animal is sometimes said to be at least a cable in length. The animal leaves behind itself a considerable wake, which may be another reason that the witnesses exaggerated its length. So we find: it is three hundred feet long (p. 107, 21), about 320 feet (106 A), six hundred and seventy feet (p. 130, 61), about a fourth of an English mile (79), about 750 feet (85), from six hundred to 800 ells, i. e. from 1340 to 1780 feet (103), more than 500 feet (130) or half a mile long (156).

The thickness too is sometimes exaggerated (twenty feet, p. 105); the head is described in some instances to be as large as a foering boat, i. e. about twenty feet long (117, 146), or twelve feet long (126), or perhaps ten feet long (118), and the tail fully a hundred and fifty feet in length (146). The jaws are said to be of such an enormous size that, if extended, they seemed sufficiently capacious to admit of a tall man standing upright in them (118). It may be that the alleged serpentine shape of the animal caused some writers to give scales to the sea-serpent (p. 105), or that the distance was too large for a closer examination, so that the observers thought it might have a hard skin (5), or a rough coating (41, 51), or even a scaly one (39), or it was the fear which made them see scales (157) which in reality did not exist. Scales are also occasionally delineated (fig. 26) though the eye-witness does not mention them, and even believed it belonged to the eel-tribe (63). No wonder that such a terrible animal is often called Leviathan (p. 111), an animal which raises its coils so high above the water, that a ship can go through one of them (p. 109). Norwegian fishermen really believe that the animal sometimes comes on land as OLAUS MAGNUS (p. 105) and PONTOPPIDAN (p. 133) tell us, and as is stated afterwards, when even distinct traces of it were said to have been found in the fields (96).

In my opinion it is an error to believe that there are _two_ species of sea-serpents (p. 107) or that there are several species of them all belonging to the same genus (112). And also that the animal ever takes a boat for one of the other sex, which induces it to follow the boat (p. 133). This is a habit of the animal; but as it is a quite harmless one, it is an error to believe that it grows furious when the pursued are so fortunate as to escape (158), or that it may ever destroy them, even after being struck with a boat-hook (112). That the shores of Norway are the only in Europe, which are frequented by this monster (p. 135) is a positive error, since the animal is known to appear also on the coasts of Great Britain, France, and even in the Mediterranean.

From what we now know of the division of the colours of the animal’s body, I don’t hesitate to say that they are wrongly represented in one of the drawings (fig. 31). The cetacean tail delineated in fig. 49 is explained in n^o. 151, the fish tail of fig. 26 in n^o. 63. The definition that the eyes were of a greenish hue and looked devilish (158) is certainly the result of an observation made in great fright. I am sure that in cases wherein the colour of the head and neck are described as a bluish green (29), or of a blue colour (29), or as blue as possible (29), and that of the back of a dark green (30), these definitions are the result of optical illusion, or the observers may have been colour-blind.

The twelve fins (129, fig. 36) of which six are drawn on the left side and six on the right side of the body emerging from the water, are undoubtedly the result of an optical deception, as I have explained in n^o. 129.--In the same way I have explained why the animal has a head connected with the body without any indication of a neck, so that it resembled a gigantic salamander (146), and that it seemed to be of a gelatinous, that is flabby, substance (146), and that the motion of it was apparently cork-screw-like (155).

In no case the antenna, ending in a crescent (106 A) or the ridge of fins (148), or the discolouring of the water (131) observed, have anything to do with the animal or with its appearance.

But let us now pass to the _facts_ which may be inferred from what is reported of the animal.

B. Facts.

These are so numerous that I am obliged to bring them together under several heads.

1. EXTERNAL CHARACTERS.

a. Dimensions.

_The length of what was visible of the animal_ above the surface of the water was estimated to be: from sixteen to eighteen feet (25), several meters (136), about twenty feet (150), from twenty to thirty feet (35), thirty feet (113, 123), about thirty-six feet (92), about forty feet (26, 41, 42, 44, 80, 91, 128, 145), forty-five feet (137), between forty and fifty feet (115, 147), fifty feet at least (43, 46, 50, 51, 60), about fifty-five feet (94), from fifty to sixty feet (63), sixty feet (57, 83, 117, 118, 129, 138, 150), seventy-five feet (152 A), eighty feet at least (97), a hundred and fifty feet (154), and, though estimated by the eye-witnesses at about fifty feet, the visible part must, according to my reckoning, have been eighty feet at least in n^o. 148. These enormous differences in the statements cannot surprise us of an animal which may attain a length of more than two hundred feet. As a rule the animal swims with head and neck above the water-surface, commonly the back too is partly visible, but of the tail only a small portion. In n^o. 154 as we see, a length of 150 feet of the animal was visible; in this instance it lay nearly perfectly still; only the long neck and head were under water, and the back and a great length of tail were above the surface.

The _whole length of the animal_ is spoken of as: great (37, 152), large (119), very large (2), considerable (107), immense (36), astonishing (1), enormous (132), as a yacht of fifty tons (8), three or four times larger than the ship (5), eighteen feet (14), from fifty to fifty-five feet (19), from fifty to sixty feet (18), sixty feet (17, 28, 56), at least sixty feet (82), more than sixty feet (29), from sixty to seventy feet (24), from sixty to eighty feet (139, 142), about seventy feet (29), not above seventy feet (109), at least seventy feet (41), from seventy to eighty feet (31), from seventy to one hundred feet (74), seventy five feet (1, 158), about eighty feet (63), from eighty to ninety feet (39, 118), about ninety feet (121, 134), one hundred feet (17, 33, 41, 44, 45, 63, 66, 69, 135), at least a hundred feet (34), more than one hundred feet (95), greater than the animal of Captain M’QUHAE, consequently probably more than one hundred feet (93), one hundred and twenty feet (34), from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty feet (105), one hundred and thirty feet (69), about one hundred and fifty feet (65), from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet (114), from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy feet (34, 144), one hundred and eighty feet (126), one hundred and ninety feet (52), about 200 feet (p. 107, p. 138, 130, 155, 157), more than two hundred feet (p. 107, 30, 131), and though estimated by the eye witnesses (see n^o. 148) as to be at least one hundred and fifty feet, the individual seen by them must have been, according to my reckoning, more than two hundred feet long.--Such a length needs no explanation: it is _a fact_, established by the declarations of highly respectable men, and of men who are accustomed to estimate the length of objects floating in the water from afar and at any short distance. Moreover it is the enormous tail which apparently enlargens these dimensions. The elephant is of a great bulk and of an enormous weight, but the giraffe astonishes us by its enormous legs and its enormous neck, though its body and its head are smaller than that of a moderate sized horse. So the colossal spermwhales, fin whales and whalebone whales surprise us by their bulk and weight, but the sea-serpent deprived of its neck and immense tail is only a child to them. Moreover a zoologist has not one single reason to deny the possibility of the existence of sea-animals with a body of no more than sixty feet, a neck of sixty feet, and a tail of hundred and twenty feet.

The _length of the head_ is, according to the different declarations: nearly as that of a man (19, 43), about the size of the crown of a hat (42), larger than that of any dog (38), as large as a hat (94), about as that of a pail (29), full as large as a four gallon keg (42), equal to a small cask (109), nearly as large as the head of a horse (39, 60), rather larger than that of a horse (29), two feet long (56, 81), of the size of a ten gallon keg (48, 80, 92, 102), as large as a barrel (101), as large as a flour barrel (158), of the size of a 54 gallon hogshead (152 A), long (118), with regard to its thickness not very long (94), long in proportion to the throat (95), about six feet in length (97), about six or eight feet long (34, 120), as large as a little boat (32), colossal (115). The head of the individual seen by the officers of H. M. S. _Daedalus_ cannot have been longer than three feet, as the neck is estimated sixteen inches in diameter, though it is called long (118) or even ten feet long (118); evidently a portion of the neck was included in the calculation. The head of the individual seen by the officers of the royal yacht _Osborne_ must have been from eight to nine feet long, as its breadth is estimated at six feet (148).

The _length of the neck_ is said to be: long (31, 56, 119, 124), enormous (p. 225), a length of ten feet was visible (48), about eighteen feet (124), about twenty feet (118), at least twenty feet (160), the neck together with the body fifty or forty-five feet, i. e. the neck alone must have been about twenty-five feet (146), about twenty five feet (149), at least twenty five feet (152), about thirty feet (151), about sixty feet (145); “from its crown or top to just below the shoulder where it became immersed, I should reckon about fifty feet”, but as the eye-witness saw the animal from behind, the length of the neck could not be estimated with accuracy; as to me, I am convinced that the neck of the individual measured about sixty feet (148). The long neck is delineated in fig. 46, 48 and 49.

_The length of the trunk_ has never been actually estimated, as nearly all the observers believed that the animal was serpent-shaped, and therefore estimated only its total length or the part exposed to their eyes. Yet we may put down the length of the trunk of the individual seen by the officers of H. M. S. _Daedalus_ to be about twenty feet, as one of the hindflappers was occasionally seen at about twenty feet distant from the point where one of the foreflappers was also occasionally seen. And as this fore-flapper was visible at about twenty feet in the rear of the head, we may conclude that the length of the trunk equals that of the neck (118). Consequently we may decide that the individual observed by the Captain and the surgeon of the _Nestor_, who saw the animal swimming evidently with its neck contracted, had a neck and a trunk each of about forty feet (146). In the same way we may conclude that the individual observed by the captain and crew of the _Pauline_ (145) and that seen by the officers of the royal yacht _Obsorne_ (148) had both a neck and a trunk of each about sixty feet.

The _tail_ delineated in fig. 19, has only three times been actually estimated. Once it is called thirty five feet long (8), then forty feet long (162), and once a hundred and fifty feet (146). In my opinion the animal’s tail in this last instance cannot have been longer than about eighty feet, i. e. as long as the animal’s head, neck and trunk together. The length of the individual observed by the officers of the _Daedalus_ was estimated by them to be at least eighty feet. As he have reckoned above about forty three feet for head, neck and trunk together, its tail consequently must have been about forty feet long. So the animal’s hind flappers are situated almost in the middle of the whole length. And therefore EGEDE and BING did not observe them, because the middle part of the whole length remained hidden from them (fig. 19). Captain HOPE states (119) that the animal seen from above on its back resembles an alligator with an enormous neck. If the animal had not an immense tail, he would never have made this comparison. When Captain TREMEARNE says “also a great length of tail” he seems to me to have included in his estimation a portion of the animal’s trunk (129). The individuals seen by the officers of the _Osborne_ (148), of the _Pauline_ (145), and of the _Kätie_ (154), undoubtedly had a tail of about one hundred or even of one hundred and twenty feet in length. Captain D’ABNOUR called the tail enormous (106 A).

Twice (14, 119) it has been stated that the _four flappers_ were seen together; the two _fore flappers_ were seen four times (5, 121, 129, 148, see also p. 250); and delineated in fig. 19, 36, and 45; it is possible that the two _hind flappers_ were twice seen (151, 158), and delineated in fig. 49. Four times one of the fore-flappers was visible above the surface (106 A, 118, 137, 154) and twice one of the hindflappers (118, 154). The foreflappers are called broad and large (5), frightful, several feet in length (121), larger than the posterior (119), about fifteen feet in length (148), and of immense dimensions (154); judging from the drawing illustrating this last instance (fig. 50), I should estimate its length also at fifteen feet. Captain D’ABNOUR saw one of the foreflappers rising to the height of about six feet from the water and inclining itself at a considerable angle upon the body (106 A). The hindflappers are said to be smaller than the anterior (119), and about ten feet long (154).

As to the _breadth of the head_, some observers mention its diameter, and some its circumference, or they compare its thickness either with that of the neck, with that of the trunk, or with some well-known object; this is the reason that we meet with the following statements: it is rather broad (31), where the head was connected with the body (read neck) it was a little larger than the body (read neck) (34), the head was rather larger than the body (read neck) (48), much smaller than the body (69), narrow in proportion to the throat: evidently the animal had contracted its neck, so that this latter grew much thicker (69), about two feet in diameter (150), about three feet in circumference (69), at least three feet in circumference (29), about as thick as a ten gallon keg (92), about six feet thick (148).

The _neck_ is somewhat smaller than the head (31), as is also stated in other accounts: smaller than the head (109), much thinner than the head (91), comparatively narrow (148), and may be two and a half feet in circumference (48), just behind the head sixteen inches thick (118), about the thickness of a man’s waist (124), about two feet in diameter (149), or about four feet thick (148).

The _thickness of the animal_ has commonly been compared with that of different objects, a circumstance which makes it difficult to fix the true diameter. Moreover it is in many instances difficult to make out whether the animal’s neck, just behind the head, is meant by the observer, or the animal’s chest or breast, which is the thickest part of the trunk. For the animal generally swims in such a way that a little part of its back rises above the surface of the water, completely hiding its thickest part and its flappers, so that it makes the impression to be a serpentine animal without any appendages, and of a uniform size. So the animal is said to be ten or twelve inches thick (147), about twelve inches (113), about fourteen inches (102), fifteen inches (19), as thick as a half-barrel (39, 41, 44, 48, 63), as thick as a common firkin (63), about twenty two inches (17), as thick as a barrel (34, 41, 80), as thick as a man’s body (46), as thick as a wine barrel (2, 85), as thick as a stout man (94), as thick as a barrel of two hogsheads (12), three feet (17), as thick as a sloop’s boom (24), three to four feet in circumference (25), as thick as a full-grown ox (79), about two feet in diameter (92), inconsiderable (95), as thick as a large horse (109), he is the thickest just behind the head (103), several ells (115), as thick as our main mast (135), thirty feet from its head-end the body seemed about as thick as the ship’s long-boat (126), it appeared about seven feet across the broadest part of the back (121), at the shoulder about fifteen to twenty feet (148), the shoulder was the thickest part of the body, about twenty feet (122).

The _tail-root_ had, on one occasion, a diameter of four feet (146), but as it is generally hidden under water, it is only in a few instances that it was actually observed.

The _tail ends_ in a point (fig. 19, fig. 20), and consequently is mostly said to resemble that of a serpent or snake. It is also said to be as pointed as a boat-hook (8), or very pointed (12).

_Comparison of the dimensions._ Supposing that the dimensions of the several portions of the animal are relatively nearly the same in individuals of different ages, we are able to draw up a table of comparative and relative dimensions. We learn from the officers of the _Daedalus_ that the vertical diameter of the neck was about 1¹⁄₃ feet. From the officers of the _Osborne_ we have the following estimations of dimensions: horizontal diameter of the head about 6 feet, horizontal diameter of the neck about 4 feet. We know from several eye-witnesses that the neck is round, so that we may suppose that its vertical diameter is the same as its horizontal or transversal one. Consequently the transversal diameter of the neck of the _Daedalus_ animal was 1¹⁄₃ or ⁴⁄₃ feet; and that of its head ⁶⁄₃ = 2 feet. For a moment I will suppose that in these animals a head of about 2 feet broad has a length of about 3 feet, and this I may do, as the heads of the animals which I consider as allied to sea-serpents, have nearly these relative dimensions. In the same way I may put the length of the head of the _Osborne_ individual at about 9 feet. The distance from the head to the foreflapper in the _Daedalus_ animal was about twenty feet. We may consequently suppose that the same portion measured sixty feet in the individual seen by the officers of the _Osborne_. As to the question whether this portion is to be called the neck as I have done hitherto? I answer without hesitation _no_, this length also includes a portion of the animal’s trunk, viz. the part from its shoulder to the point where the fore limb is free. In the animals which, in my opinion, are allied to the sea-serpent, the upper arm is, so to say, “imbedded” in the trunk’s integument, is not free, as in man, and nearly immovable, and this portion is about one third of the whole length of the limb. Consequently we may conclude that, if the free part of the foreflapper is about fifteen feet, the portion of the trunk from the place where the fore limb in seated on the body to the shoulder is about seven feet and a half. Consequently the individual of the _Osborne_ had a neck of about 53 feet. As the size of the individual of the _Daedalus_ was about one third of that of the _Osborne_, its neck was about 17¹⁄₂ feet long. For the same reason the foreflappers of the _Daedalus_ individual were five feet in length. The distance from the foreflapper to the hind flapper in the _Daedalus_ animal measured about 20 feet, consequently the _trunk_ measured 22¹⁄₂ feet, so that the distance from the foreflapper to the hindflapper of the _Osborne_ animal must have been about 60 feet, and the length of its _trunk_ about 67 feet. Summing up the lengths of the head, the neck, and the trunk, we have for the _Daedalus_ animal 43 feet. This individual swam with its body in a straight line; “sixty feet at least were visible _à fleur d’eau_” are the words of Captain M’QUHAE, substantiated by the reports of two of his officers. Yet it was obvious that this was not the whole length of the animal, and that a great length of tail was hidden under water. The animal was estimated to be from eighty to ninety feet in length. I have not a single reason to doubt this statement, and therefore conclude that the tail of the animal was about as long as the distance from the animal’s nose to its hindflappers. But I will not be too bold and only give it a length of about forty feet. If this is within the bounds of truth, of which I don’t doubt in the least, the length of the tail of the individual, seen by the officers of the _Osborne_ measured about 120 feet. Captain HOPE who had the opportunity to observe the four flappers together in a very favourable position, states that the foreflappers are larger than the hindflappers (119). I venture to estimate the length of the last at about ²⁄₃ of that of the foreflappers. So we may estimate the length of the hindflappers of the two individuals at 3¹⁄₃ and 10 feet respectively. As to the breadth of the animal’s trunk the officers of the _Osborne_ state that it was from fifteen to twenty feet in their individual. We may safely suppose that the animal did not expose its greatest breadth, which must have been a little below the surface of the water, so that I don’t hesitate to fix the greatest diameter at 20 or 21 feet. The body gradually diminishes towards the tail, and this in its turn towards its end, which, as we have observed, is pointed.

The reason why I have deduced my different relative proportions only from the reports of the officers of the _Daedalus_ and of the _Osborne_, is that they had a very favourable opportunity to estimate them. The former saw the animal swimming with its body in a straight line, and with its neck quite stretched, not contracted, showing the greater part of its length, and swimming in such a way that it was seen just from aside, so that the different _lengths_ of the portions of the body could easily be estimated. And the latter saw the animal just from behind, so that the different _breadths_ of the animal could be seen; moreover the dimensions of the foreflappers were visible.

I have ventured to draw up the following table of the animal’s proportions for ten individuals, differing in age or sex.

+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of head. | ³⁄₄ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of neck. | 4 | 6 |11²⁄₃|17¹⁄₂| 23¹⁄₂|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of trunk. | 4⁷⁄₁₂| 7¹⁄₂|15 |22¹⁄₂| 29²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of tail. | 8²⁄₃ |13¹⁄₃|26²⁄₃|40 | 53¹⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Total length. |18 |27²⁄₃|55¹⁄₃|83 |110²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|From occiput to foreflappers.| 4¹⁄₃ | 6²⁄₃|13¹⁄₃|20 | 26²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Breadth of head. | ⁵⁄₁₂| ²⁄₃| 1¹⁄₃| 2 | 2²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Breadth of neck. | ³⁄₁₂| ⁴⁄₉| ⁸⁄₉| 1¹⁄₂| 1²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Breadth of trunk. | 1¹⁄₂ | 2¹⁄₃| 4²⁄₃| 7 | 9¹⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of foreflapper. | 1 | 1²⁄₃| 3¹⁄₃| 5 | 6²⁄₃|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+
|Length of hindflapper. | ⁷⁄₉ | 1¹⁄₆| 2¹⁄₃| 3¹⁄₂| 4¹⁄₂|
+-----------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+

+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of head. | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of neck. | 29¹⁄₂| 35¹⁄₃| 41¹⁄₆| 47 | 53|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of trunk. | 37¹⁄₆| 44²⁄₃| 52¹⁄₉| 59¹⁄₂| 67|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of tail. | 66²⁄₃| 80 | 93¹⁄₃|106²⁄₃|120|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Total length. |138¹⁄₃|166 |193²⁄₃|221¹⁄₃|249|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|From occiput to foreflappers.| 33¹⁄₃| 40 | 46²⁄₃| 53¹⁄₃| 60|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Breadth of head. | 3¹⁄₃| 4 | 4²⁄₃| 5¹⁄₃| 6|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Breadth of neck. | 2¹⁄₆| 2²⁄₃| 3¹⁄₉| 3¹⁄₂| 4|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Breadth of trunk. | 11²⁄₃| 14 | 16¹⁄₃| 18²⁄₃| 21|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of foreflapper. | 8¹⁄₃| 10 | 11²⁄₃| 13¹⁄₃| 15|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+
|Length of hindflapper. | 5¹⁄₂| 6²⁄₃| 7⁵⁄₆| 9 | 10|
+-----------------------------+------+------+------+------+---+

I am far from asserting that these dimensions will prove to be correct, if ever an individual falls into the hands of men, but I am sure that they are approximately correct.

Perhaps you will in no case admit the possibility of the existence of an animal of 250 feet! Well, I leave it to you to fix yourself the utmost possible length of our Sea-Serpent!

b. Form.

The name we give to an unknown object will naturally depend on the impression it makes on us at first sight. To some the animal was like a log of wood or a floating tree; comparisons which will be spoken of below. It is called an animal of the fish kind (60), or a most remarkable fish (118), or a very large fish (29), and to be eel-shaped (33), or to resemble a large eel (118, 152). Some persons say it appeared to be of a uniform size (34), and others that it gradually tapers towards the two extremes (41), and appeared round (43). One of the eye-witnesses says: I do not undertake to say he was of the snake or eel kind, though this was the general impression on my family, the spectators and myself (63). Generally it is compared with a snake (5, 17, 18, 25, 26, 37, 41, 44, 60, 80, 118, 135, 152) or serpent (26, 36, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 48, 60, 80, 103, 118, 121, 147, 157). Curious is the statement of one that it was an enormous sea-serpent, without, however, having ever heard of such an animal (132)! Remarkable is the opinion of an officer of the _Daedalus_: it was, he says, rather of a lizard than of a serpentine character, as its movement was steady and uniform, as if propelled by fins, not by any undulatory power (118). Remarkable too is PONTOPPIDAN’S comparison of an animal which he himself, believing that sea-serpents have no fins, or paws, or flappers, did not mention in his paragraph about the subject, viz. with a crocodile (14). Captain HOPE who had an opportunity to observe the animal from above, described it as a large marine animal with the head and general figure of the alligator, except that the neck was much longer, and that instead of legs the creature had four flappers somewhat like those of turtles, the anterior pair being larger than the posterior (119). In my opinion the comparison of Lieutenant HAYNES, of the _Osborne_, who saw the fore part of the animal from behind, deserves all our attention; he says: the animal resembled a huge seal, the resemblance being strongest about the back of the head (148, fig. 45).

The _shape of the head_ has also been described in different ways. There is the statement that it is of a form somewhat oval (31); here it evidently was seen in rather an oblique direction; also that it was as round as a flour-barrel (158, evidently seen in front), and bullet-shaped (148, seen from behind, fig. 45). The head is also said to appear like a triangular rock (74), or like a nun buoy (131), or like a boat keel uppermost, and the reader has only to look at our fig. 31, to conceive how these comparisons arose. In another instance the observer declared it to have nearly the shape of a ten-gallon cask (102), which is nearly the same as “of a form somewhat oval”. Major SENIOR asserts that the shape of the head was not unlike pictures of the dragon he has often seen (149); the explanation of this curious comparison I have given in treating of his report. The head, says somebody, resembled the end of a log (150), and: the thick bluff head had but little resemblance to a snake’s (150); but he saw the animal in late evening twilight. But most eye-witnesses declare it to resemble that of a snake (p. 137, 29, 60, 97, 101, 118, 121), or serpent (29, 48, 61, 63, 74), or something that of a rattle snake (39); and evidently seen in a somewhat oblique direction, it is said to be shaped much like that of a sea-turtle (38). I can only explain these different comparisons by supposing that to some extent the head really resembles these various head shapes, being flattened above and somewhat blunt at its end. Though the officers of the _Daedalus_, too, compared it with that of a snake, their drawing (fig. 30) shows the head of a mammal. The proportions of the length and height, the outlines of the jaws, the extension of the mouth-split, the situation of the nostril and the eye, the flattened appearance of the forehead and nose, the bluntness of the snout and the presence of the two cushions on the crown of the head (the external visible masticatory muscles) are true mammalian characters. It therefore is not wonderful also to find such a head compared with that of a bull-dog (152 A), that of a walrus (129), that of a seal (8, 29, 148), and that of a sea-lion (36). When the animal held its head at nearly right angles with its neck, which has often been the case, and opened its nostrils as wide as possible (and the nostrils are exceedingly large), such a head, with its flattened nose and forehead, and with its somewhat protruding eyes, resembled that of a horse (9, 63, 124). We observe that the head is compared with _seven_ different head-shapes, _five_ of which are mammalian. It is obvious that the observers compared it with the heads of those animals which involuntarily and at once occurred to them. To which of these types are we to direct our attention? Which of these types will the sea-serpent’s head resemble most? I say, that of the sea-lion. And why? Because the animal, with the head of which that of the sea-serpent was compared, was not present at the time, except in Mr. KRIUKOF’S case. He was daily surrounded by sea-lions; the image of the sea-lion’s head was as firmly impressed on his memory as that of a dog on his master’s; and I greatly doubt whether the other observers were acquainted with sea-lions. These animals, especially the species of the Northern Pacific, are only of late years to be seen in the zoological gardens, and it remains to be found out whether the most recent eye-witnesses of the sea-serpent ever saw a sea-lion, and if so, whether the features of the animal had been impressed on their memory so as to recognize the same shape in the head of another animal. Moreover the head of a sea-lion, especially that of _Zalophus californianus_ has some resemblance to a snake’s.

The _neck_ being round is said to resemble “something of a serpent’s (74), or of a common snake’s (97, 101), and tapering small from the head to the body (121). It is obvious that this observer used the expression “tapering” in a sense contrary to the usual one, for he had a fair opportunity to see the animal’s head, long neck and upper part of the trunk with the two foreflappers, and he goes on with the words: and it appeared to measure about seven feet across the broadest part of the back.

The _trunk_ must be broadest before and smallest behind, as may be inferred from the following statements: its shoulders are considerably broader than the head (31), from the shoulders it tapered towards the tail (31, 39, 91, 150), the breadth diminished remarkably towards the tail (92), from the shoulder (estimated to be about twenty feet) diminishing towards the tail to about twenty four inches (122), evidently the end of the latter was hidden under water. Moreover, the body is said to be round (102, 115, 117), even as a snake’s (92), and on one occasion, when seen from behind, is said to be developed in form like that of a gigantic turtle (148, fig. 45), which we need not say, was the result of the upper part of the back being only visible. Remarkable is the use of the term “shoulders”, for even if the flappers of the animal were never actually observed, we are now obliged to conclude that the animal was possessed of fore-limbs. Equally remarkable is the statement: “there is a distinct difference in thickness between the body and the tail; the trunk is not gradually growing smaller, where the tail begins, but at once and very distinctly” (8, 12, 146); for such an animal has rumps, and consequently also thighs and hind-limbs.