354* THE GREAT UNKNOWN. 



been one of the sharks ; and there is no doubt that the 

 celebrated Stronsa animal, which was considered by Dr 

 Barclay as the Norwegian sea-serpent, was really the 

 Selache maxima or basking shark. But the identification 

 of Captain M'Quhae's figure and description with a shark 

 is preposterous. 



There are, however, the ribbon-fishes ; and some of these, 

 as the hair- tail, the Vaegmaer, and the Gymnetrus, are of 

 large size, and slender sword-like form. Several kinds 

 have been found in the North Atlantic, and wherever seen 

 they invariably excite wonder and curiosity. All of these 

 are furnished with a back-fin ; but in other respects they 

 little correspond with the descriptions of the animal in 

 question. One of their most striking characteristics, more- 

 over, is, that their surface resembles polished steel or silver. 



A far greater probability exists, that there may be 

 some oceanic species of the eel tribe, of gigantic dimen- 

 sions. Our own familiar conger is found ten feet in 

 length. Certainly, Captain M'Quhse's figures remind me 

 strongly of an eel ; supposing the pectorals to be either 

 so small as to be inconspicuous at the distance at which 

 the animal was seen, or to be placed more than com- 

 monly far back. 



To the Reptiles, however, popular opinion has pretty 

 uniformly assigned this denizen of the sea ; and his 

 accepted title of "sea-serpent" sufficiently indicates his 

 zoological affinities in the estimation of the majority of 

 those who believe in him. Let us, then, test his claims 

 to be a serpent. 



