THE SEA-SERPENTS OF SCIENCE. 109 



groups of animals, from the ranks of which various forms 

 may be selected to aid us in solving the sea-serpent mystery. 

 These three groups are the fishes, reptiles, and mammalia, 

 and it may be shown that from each of these classes, but 

 more notably from among the fishes and reptiles, various 

 animals, corresponding more or less closely with the de- 

 scriptions given of strange marine monsters, may be 

 obtained. An important consideration, however, must not 

 be overlooked at this stage, namely, that too frequently 

 the attempt to reconcile the sea-serpent with some known 

 animal of serpentine form and nature, has limited the 

 perceptions and foiled the labours of naturalists. Starting 

 with the fixed idea that the unknown form must be a serpent, 

 and not widening their thoughts to admit of the term 

 " serpentine " being extended to groups of animals other 

 than the reptilia, naturalists soon exhausted the scientific 

 aspect of the subject, and the zoological solution of the 

 problem was almost at once given up. Then, also, as far 

 as I have been able to ascertain, zoologists and other writers 

 on this subject have never made allowance for the abnormal 

 and huge development of ordinary marine animals. My own 

 convictions on this matter find in these two considerations,, 

 but especially in the last idea, the most reasonable and 

 likely explanation of the personality of the sea-serpent, and 

 also the reconciliation of such discrepancies as the various 

 narrations may be shown to evince. If we thus fail to find 

 in the ranks of ordinary animal life, or amongst the reptiles 

 themselves, the representatives of the " sea-serpents," I think 

 we may nevertheless build up a most reasonable case both 

 for their existence and for the explanation of their true 

 nature, by taking into account the facts, that the term "sea- 

 serpent" as ordinarily employed, must be extended to include 

 other forms of Vertebrate animals which possess elongated 

 bodies ; and that cases of the abnormally large development of 

 ordinary serpents and of serpent-like animals will reasonably 

 account for the occurrence of the animals collectively named 

 sea-serpents. 



