282 SALMONIA. 



turalists, turned out to be a putrid species of 

 shark the squdlus maximus. Yet all the 

 newspapers gave accounts of this as a real 

 animal, and endowed it with feet, which do 

 not belong to serpents. And the sea snakes, 

 seen by American and Norwegian captains, 

 have, I think, generally been a company of 

 porpoises, the rising and sinking of which in 

 lines would give somewhat the appearance of 

 the coils of a snake. The kraken, or island 

 fish, is still more imaginary. I have myself 

 seen immense numbers of enormous urticde 

 marinte, or blubbers, in the north seas, and in 

 some of the Norwegian fior ds, or inland bays, 

 and often these beautiful creatures give colour 

 to the water; but it is exceedingly improba- 

 ble, that an animal of this genus should ever 

 be of the size, even of the whale; its soft 

 materials are little fitted for locomotion, and 

 would be easily destroyed by every kind of 

 fish. Hands and a finny tail are entirely 

 contrary to the analogy of nature, and I 

 disbelieve the mermaid upon philosophical 

 principles. The dugong and manatee are the 

 only animals combining the functions of the 



