APPENDIX 315 
APPENDIX IT 
THE GREAT SEA-SERPENT 
Mr. Henry Lex discusses the question of ‘The Great Sea-Serpent ” 
in an interesting little book, entitled Sea Monsters Unmasked, illustrated 
(1883), published as one of the Handbooks issued in connection with 
the International Fisheries Exhibition. He goes fully into the history 
of the subject, and shows how some of the appearances described may 
be accounted for; but yet is inclined to think that there may exist 
in the sea animals of great size unknown to science, and concludes as 
follows :— 
“This brings us face to face with the question, ‘Is it, then, so im- 
possible that there may exist some great sea creature, or creatures, 
with which zoologists are hitherto unacquainted, that it is necessary 
in every case to regard the authors of such narratives as wilfully 
untruthful or mistaken in their observations, if their descriptions are 
irreconcilable with something already known?’ J, for one, am of the 
opinion that there is no such impossibility. Calamaries or squids of 
the ordinary size have, from time immemorial, been amongst the 
commonest and best known of marine animals in many seas; but 
only a few years ago any one who expressed his belief in one formi- 
dable enough to capsize a boat or pull a man out of one was derided 
for his credulity, although voyagers had constantly reported that in 
the Indian seas they were so dreaded that the natives always carried 
hatchets with them in their canoes, with which to cut off the arms or 
tentacles of these creatures, if attacked by them. We now know that 
their existence is no fiction; for individuals have been captured 
measuring more than fifty feet, and some are reported to have 
measured eighty feet in total length. As marine snakes some feet 
in length, and having fin-like tails adapted for swimming, abound 
over an extensive range, and are frequently met with far at sea, I 
cannot regard it as impossible that some of these also may attain to 
an abnormal and colossal development. Dr. Andrew Wilson, who 
has given much attention to this subject, is of the opinion that ‘in 
this huge development of ordinary forms we discover the true and 
