THE KOMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



jects into the harbour, and about twenty feet 

 above the level of the water, from which we were 

 distant about fifty or sixty feet 



"In a few moments after my exclamation, I saw 

 on the opposite side of the harbour, at about two 

 miles' distance from where 1 had first seen, or 

 thought I saw, the snake, the same object, mov- 

 ing with a rapid motion up the harbour, on the 

 western shore. As he approached us, it was easy 

 to see that his motion was not that of the com- 

 mon snake, either on the land or in the water, 

 but evidently the vertical movement of the cater- 

 pillar. As nearly as I could judge, there was 

 visible at a time about forty feet of his body. It 

 was not, to be sure, a continuity of body, as the 

 form from head to tail (except as the apparent 

 bunches appeared as he moved through the water) 

 was seen only at three or four feet asunder. It 

 was very evident, however, that his length must 

 be much greater than what appeared, as, in his 

 movement, he left a considerable wake in his rear. 

 I had a fine glass, and was within fro n one-third 

 to half a mile of him. The head was fiat in the 

 water, and the animal was, as far as I could dis- 

 tinguish, of a chocolate colour. I was struck 

 with an appearance in the front part of the head 

 like a single horn, about nine inches to a foot in 

 length, and of the form of a marlinespike. There 

 were a great many people collected by this time, 

 many of whom had before seen the same object, 

 and the same appearance. From the time I first 

 saw him until he passed by the place where I 

 stood, and soon after disappeared, was not more 

 than fifteen or twenty minutes. 



''I left the place fully satisfied that the reports 

 in circulation, although differing in details, were 

 essentially correct. I returned to Boston, and 

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