THE SEA-SERPENTS OF SCIENCE. 103 



were visible, but it appeared to possess " something like the 

 mane of ahorse, or rather (like?) a bunch of sea-weed, washed 

 about its back." Lieutenant Drummond, of the Dccdalus, who 

 was officer of the watch on the memorable occasion, states 

 in his report that the animal had a "back fin," which was 

 "perhaps twenty feet in the rear of the head." This fin 

 evidently corresponds to the structure described in the 

 captain's report as " something like the mane of a horse," 

 and which the introduction of the word "like" (as I have 

 inserted it in parentheses after the word "rather" in his 

 description) serves to correlate with the "bunch of sea-weed" 

 which " washed about its back." 



So far as an exact and circumstantial description, 

 attested by the narrative of other witnesses, can testify to 

 the actual nature of an object, viewed, it must be remarked, 

 by educated and observant men, the instance just given 

 would appear to admit of not the slightest doubt that a 

 truly living and actively moving animal was observed, and 

 also that its appearance was decidedly serpentine. It is 

 noteworthy that in the whole course of the discussion 

 which followed upon the publication of Captain M'Quhae's 

 observation, no one was found even to suggest that the 

 appearance was other than that of a living animal ; although, 

 as will afterwards be remarked, opinions varied greatly as 

 to the nature of the being which thus afforded so tantalising 

 and insufficient a glimpse of its structure and identity. 



Passing over many interesting reports of sea-serpents' 

 appearances now of some years' date, I find in the daily news- 

 papers, almost of the date at which these words are penned, 

 statements, both made on oath and before legal authorities, 

 regarding the " great unknown." The first of these statements 

 I shall give in the words of the newspaper reports, which 

 present a clear, unvarnished statement of the narrative, and 

 of the circumstances in which it was offered for public 

 investigation. 



" The story of the mate and crew of the barque Pauline, 

 of London, said to have arrived in port from a twenty months' 



