CURIOSITIES OF ANGLING LITERA TURE. 255 



" speaks this upon the credit of several persons that 

 had seen her." 



From her frequently attempting to " run towards 

 the water," it is evident that this young lady belonged 

 to a very high class of mermaid indeed, and rose supe- 

 rior to the disabilities under which her sex have been 

 usually supposed to labour, as regards the organs of 

 locomotion. 



We soon come, however, to one with the orthodox 

 termination : 



"In the seas of Newfoundland is the mermaid 

 which was seen by Captain Waithburn. At St. 

 John's Harbour, A.D. 1610, he spied a creature com- 

 ing towards him, which in all the upper parts was 

 like a w T oman, the hair excepted, but instead of that 

 there were blue streaks very like hah- round about 

 the head, and as it were hung down to the neck 

 She seemed to wish to make acquaintance, but the 

 captain retired from her. She came afterwards to 

 the side of the boat, and attempted to come into it, 

 but one of the men struck her with an oar, and made 

 her tumble into the water ; another was seen by two 

 of Hudson's men, who saw her tail, it was like the 

 tail of a porpoise." 



So much for mermaids. Then "there is the 

 manati in Jamaica, having a head like an ox, his 

 body long like an otter, and who has two feet like an 

 elephant's : some are about twelve yards long and four 



