THE GREAT SEA SERPENT. 427 



at Portsmouth a week later we were much astonished and amused by 

 seeing in the Times a sensational description of the sea serpent as seen 

 by the officers of the Royal yacht Osborne at the same place only a few 

 hours before we passed it. The conclusion is obvious." 



We have only to place somewhat further apart the eleven 

 tips of the fins shown in a row in Fig. 23, to transform the 

 picture into a fairly correct representation of the dorsal 

 fins of so many whales swimming in line, as seen from the 

 Monarch. Allowing for similar inaccuracy of drawing in 

 Fig. 24, the probability of this is borne out by the appear- 

 ance therein depicted, as well as by the known habits of 

 some of the smaller whales. (See p. 388.) 



I know, from my own experience, how easily one may 

 be deceived by the movements of some of these smaller 

 whales, and by the appearance of a " ridge of dorsal fins," 

 as seen from the Royal yacht Osborne. No one has been 

 more positive, more sincere, or more mistaken than myself 

 in his belief that he has seen a sea serpent. The circum- 

 stances attending the occurrence referred to were described 

 by me in a letter which I addressed to the Editor of the 

 Brighton Gazette, whilst the spectacle of the supposed sea 

 monster was fresh in my mind. It was dated February 16, 

 1857, and was signed " A Brighton Visitor." I here append 

 a copy of it with all its faults : 



" I have to tell you that which many, perhaps most, of your readers 

 may be disposed to treat with ridicule ; but I pledge my word that the 

 following statement is strictly true. A sea serpent passed Brighton 

 this morning at about twenty minutes past eight. I was walking along 

 the beach below the terrace at Kemp Town, and as I approached the 

 bathing machines which stand there (the last towards Rottingdean) 

 some boys who were playing about called out ' A sea-snake ! A sea- 

 snake ! ' Supposing that they had probably found an eel upon the 

 beach, I walked on, and took no notice, but as their continued exclama- 

 tions evinced considerable excitement, I was induced to look in the 

 direction to which they pointed. Coming from the westward, and 



