The Sea Serpent 27 



United States, so at least Dr. G. Brown Goode wrote me, at 

 the time it was reported. In 1899 another oar-fish was 

 brought to me, evidently having been washed in after a 

 storm, and found within a few yards of the former at Ava- 

 lon. The discoverer of this specimen also refused to allow 

 it to be properly preserved, or to donate, or sell it to any one, 

 who would have sent it to some museum, but believing it 

 valuable as a ' curio,' also impaled it, the delicate creature 

 evaporating under the strong heat of the semi-tropic sun." 



Up to the present time about forty specimens of the 

 Atlantic oar-fish have been taken: fourteen in Norway, 

 nineteen in Great Britain, three in France, one in Bermuda, 

 and three at the Cape of Good Hope. Of the Pacific form 

 one was taken in India, five in New Zealand, two in Japan, 

 one from Mito, and one from Aomori (both of the latter I 

 have seen), and finally, five from Southern California. 



Sea serpents there are, and of two general kinds, subjec- 

 tive and objective. The objective kinds are those of which 

 you can get fragments to hold as specimens. The subjec- 

 tive kinds are more elusive, and can never be caught. They 

 are exceedingly varied in form, size and color. Some have 

 legs, and some flash forth fire from their eyes or breathe it 

 from their nostrils. This is natural, for they are products 

 of fire, that is, of fire water taken in connection with the salt 

 water when men go down to the sea in ships, to spin yarns, 

 or dally with the bottles that have large flat sides. 



In simpler language, the subjective sea serpent is either 

 a lie, pure and simple, or else a figment of alcoholic decep- 

 tion. 



But there are sea serpents which are real, honestly seen 

 by honest men, honestly caught by them and faithfully sent 

 by them to the great museums. 



And these, again, are of several kinds. Sometimes they 

 are actually serpents, but when this is the case, they are 

 small, and very snaky, and very venomous. The sea snakes 

 of the tropical Pacific reach a length of two or three feet, 



