396 SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. 



In 1809, Mr - Maclean, the minister of Eigg, in the Western 

 Isles of Scotland, informed Dr. Neill, the secretary of the 

 Wernerian Society, that he had seen, off the Isle of Canna, 

 a great animal which chased his boat as he hurried ashore 

 to escape from it ; and that it was also seen by the crews 

 of thirteen fishing-boats, who were so terrified by it that 

 they fled from it to the nearest creek for safety. His 

 description of it is exceedingly vague, but is strongly 

 indicative of a great calamary. 



In 1817 a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent, 

 was seen at Gloucester Harbour, near Cape Ann, Massa- 

 chusetts, about thirty miles from Boston. The Linnaean 

 Society of New England investigated the matter, and took 

 much trouble to obtain evidence thereon. The depositions 

 of eleven credible witnesses were certified on oath before 

 magistrates, one of whom had himself seen the creature, 

 and who confirmed the statements. All agreed that the 

 animal had the appearance of a serpent, but estimated its 

 length, variously, at from fifty to a hundred feet. Its head 

 was in shape like that of a turtle, or snake, but as large 

 as the head of a horse. There was no appearance of a 

 mane. Its mode of progressing was by vertical undula- 

 tions ; and five of the witnesses described it as having the 

 hunched protuberances mentioned by Captain de Ferry 

 and others. Of this, I can offer no zoological explanation. 

 The testimony given was apparently sincere, but it was 

 received with mistrust ; for, as Mr. Gosse says, " owing to a 

 habit prevalent in the United States of supposing that 

 there is somewhat of wit in gross exaggeration or hoaxing 

 invention, we do naturally look with a lurking suspicion 

 on American statements when they describe unusual or 

 disputed phenomena." 



On the 1 5th of May, 1833, a party of British officers, 



