THE MERMAID. 19 



was no hair. The shoulders and back down to the middle 

 were square, white, and smooth as the back of a man, and 

 from the middle to the end it tapered like a broad-hooked 

 arrow." The animal put both its paws on the side of the 

 boat wherein its observer sat, and strove much to get in, 

 but was repelled by a blow. 



In 1676, a description was given by an English surgeon 

 named Glover, of an animal of this kind. The author did 

 not designate it by any name, but the incident has the 

 honour of being recorded in the Philosophical Transactions* 

 About three leagues from the mouth of the river Rappahan- 

 nock, in America, while alone in a vessel, he observed, at 

 the distance of about half a stone-throw, he says, " a most 

 prodigious creature, much resembling a man, only somewhat 

 larger, standing right up in the water, with his head, neck, 

 shoulders, breast and waist, to the cubits of his arms, above 

 water, and his skin was tawny, much like that of an Indian ; 

 the figure of his head was pyramidal and sleek, without 

 hair ; his eyes large and black, and so were his eyebrows ; 

 his mouth very wide, with a broad black streak on the 

 upper lip, which turned upwards at each end like 

 mustachios. His countenance was grim and terrible. His 

 neck, shoulders, arms, breast and waist, were like unto the 

 neck, arms, shoulders, breast and waist of a man. His 

 hands, if he had any, were under water. He seemed to 

 stand with his eyes fixed on me for some time, and after- 

 wards dived down, and, a little after, rose at somewhat 

 a greater distance, and turned his head towards me again, 

 and then immediately fell a little under water, that I could 

 discern him throw out his arms and gather them in as a 

 man does when he swims. At last, he shot with his head 

 downwards, by which means he cast his tail above the 



* Glover's ' Account of Virginia,' ap. Phil. Trans, vol. xi. p. 625, 



C 2 



