Bigelow on the Sea Serpent. 155 
Smith informed us the Sea Serpent had been seen the eve- 
ning before at Nahant beach, and that a vast number of 
people from Lynn, had gone to the beach that morning, in 
hopes of being gratified with a sight of him: this was con- 
firmed at the hotel. I was glad to find I had brought my 
famous mast-head spy-glass with me, as it would enable 
me, from its form and size, to view him to advantage, if I 
might be so fortunate as to see him. On our arrival on 
beach, we associated with a considerable number of per- 
sons, on foot and in chaises—and very soon an animal of 
the fish kind made his appearance. His head appeared 
about three feet out of water; I counted thirteen bunches 
on his back: my family thought there were fifteen—he 
passed three times at.a moderate rate across the bay, but 
so fleet as to occasion a foam in the water—and my family 
_ and myself, who were in a carriage, judged he was fifty feet 
in length, and, at the extent, not more than sixty ; whether, 
nowever, the wake might not add to the appearance of his 
length; or whether the undulation of the water, or his pe- 
culiar manner of propelling himself, might not cause the 
appearance of protuberances, I leave for your better judg- 
ment. The first view of the animal occasioned some agita~ 
tion, and the novelty perhaps prevented that precise dis- 
rimination which afterwards took place—as he swam up 
the bay, we and the other spectators moved on, and kept 
abreast of him; he occasionally withdrew himself under 
water, and the idea occurred to me that his occasionally 
raising his head above the level of the water, was to take 
reath, as the time he kept under was on an average about 
eight minutes ; after being accustomed to view him, we 
me more composed ; and his general appearance was 
as above delineated. Mrs. Prince and the coachman hav- 
ing better eyes than myself, were of great assistance to me 
in marking the progress of the animal; they would say he 
‘8 Now turning, and by the aid of my glass I saw him dis- 
hnetly in this movement ; he did not turn without occupy- 
ing some space, and taking into view the time and space 
which he found necessary for his ease and accommodation, 
T adopted it as a criterion to form some judgment of his 
ngth—I had seven distinct views of him from the long 
beach so called, and at some of them the animal was not 
more than an hundred yards distance. After being on the 
