APPENDIX 315 



APPENDIX II 



THE GREAT SEA-SERPENT 



MR. HENRY LEE 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 ? ' I, 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 



