246 Short Communications : — 



ture of the two. — A, Clifford. Near Stamford. [See III. 1 45. 

 447., IV. 420.] 



Saurian? Reptiles. — Recent Appearance of the Great 

 American Sea Serpent. — In the last edition of my Introduction 

 to Geology^ chap. xvi. p. 312., I stated an opinion that the 

 great sea serpent, which had been frequently seen near the 

 coast in the United States of America, might probably belong 

 to some species of saurian animal of a genus analogous to the 

 fossil ichthyosaurus ; and that the description of it as having 

 paddles like those of a turtle, and immense jaws like those of 

 the crocodile, agreed rather with that of a saurian animal than 

 a serpent. The body was said, by some who had seen it, to 

 be of great length, and equal in bulk to a large water cask. 

 In a note to the American reprint, just published, of that 

 edition of my Introduction to Geology, Professor Silliman states 

 that " Dr. Jacob Baglew of Boston has published a collec- 

 tion of documents on the subject of the sea serpent, which 

 presents a mass of evidence sufficient to establish any fact that 

 can be established by human testimony. See his account in 

 the American Journal of Science, vol. ii. p. 147 — 164. Almost 

 every year since has added to the amount of evidence; and 

 the present year, 1 SoS, has been particidarly fruitful in such 

 testimony^ He adds, " Attempts to capture or kill these 

 extraordinary animals have proved hitherto abortive ; but, in 

 some more fortunate conjuncture, our eastern seamen, pro- 

 verbial for their intrepidity and dexterity in hunting the 

 whale, "mill yet bring in the sea serpent or animal, whatever it 

 may be, that has borne that name. Mr. Bakewell's ingenious 

 conjecture, that it may be a saurian, agrees, however, much 

 better with the supposition that it is a plesiosaurus than an 

 ichthyosaurus, as the short neck of the latter does not cor- 

 respond with the ordinary appearance of the sea serpent. — 

 B. Silliman." Believing that this farther confirmation of the 

 present existence of the sea serpent may be interesting, I 

 communicate it. — B. Bake'aoell. Hampstead, April, 1834. 



Insects. — Extreme Cold does not destroy the Life in Lisects* 

 Eggs; and some Facts on the early Appearance in Switzer- 

 land, during the cold Weather of early Springs, of Gonepteryx 

 rhamni, Vanessa urticce and V. To, and Amphidasis pilosdria. 

 — Kirby and Spence, in their Intr., vol. ii. p. 446., and Pro- 

 fessor Rennie, in Insect Transformations, p. 95., speaks of 

 the little effect produced on the eggs of insects by intense 

 cold; and the winter of 1829 afforded full evidence of the 

 fact. During the night of the 2d of February, 1830, the 

 index of my self-registering thermometer fell to 1 8° Reaumur, 

 pr 8 J° below zero of Fahr. ; at eight o'clock in the morning 



