THE GREXt UNKNOWN. 



the discovery of a new and rare animal ; but be- 

 fore I can enjoy them, certain conditions — e.g., 

 reasonable proof or evidence of its existence- 

 must be fulfilled. I am also far from undervaluing 

 the information which Captain M'Quhae has given 

 us of what he saw. When fairly analysed, it lies 

 in a small compass; but my knowledge of the 

 animal kingdom compels me to draw other con- 

 clusions from the phenomena than those which 

 the gallant captain seems to have jumped at. He 

 evidently saw a large animal moving rapidly 

 through the water, very different from anything 

 he had before witnessed— neither a whale, a gram- 

 pus, a great shark, an alligator, nor any of the 

 larger surface-swimming creatures which are fallen 

 in with in ordinary voyages. He writes : — 'On our 

 attention being called to the object, it was dis- 

 covered to be an enormous serpent,' (read 'ani- 

 mal,') 'with the head and shoulders kept about 

 four feet constantly above the surface of the sea. 

 The diameter of the serpent' (animal) 'was about 

 fifteen or sixteen inches behind the head ; its colour 

 a dark brown, with yellowish white about the 

 throat. No fins were seen, (the captain says there 

 were none ; but from his own account, he did not 

 see enough of the animal to prove his negative) . 

 'Something like the mane of a horse, or rather a 

 bunch of sea- weed washed about its back.' So 

 much of the body as was seen was 'not used in 

 propelling the animal through the water, either 

 by vertical or horizontal undulation.' A calcula- 

 tion of its length was made under a strong pre- 

 conception of the nature of the beast. The head, 

 e.g., is stated to be, 'without any doubt, that of 

 a snake;' and yet a snake would be the last 

 species to which a naturalist, conversant with the 

 forms and characters of th? heads of animals, 

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