Miscellanies. 373 
pearance of the tail. The serpent remained almost motionless while 
in sight, the head above water and eyes directed towards the vessel. 
Remark by the Editor.—Vhe distance of the place of observa- 
tion being several hundred miles from the nearest coast, this serpent 
must have been a denizen of the ocean ; for the huge land snake of 
South America could not navigate so far out to sea if indeed they 
ever take to the ocean at all. The snake was perfectly quiet, and 
appeared quite comfortable and at home on the waves. We must 
therefore consider this case as settling the question of the real exist- 
ence of a Sea Serpent. The absence of paddles or arms forbids us 
from supposing that this was a swimming saurian. 
“The Sea Serpent.—Captain Shibbles, of the brig Manhegan, of 
Thomastown, from Boston, for New Orleans, which arrived here* 
on Saturday last, states that he saw when about nine or ten miles 
from Race Point light, what he, as well as the whole crew supposed 
to be a Sea Serpent,—he could distinctly see it with the naked eye, 
but to be certain, he took his glass and saw his eyes, neck and head, 
which was about as large as a barrel—the neck had something that 
looked like a mane upon the top of it ;—several times he raised his 
head seven or eight feet above the water, and for thirty or forty min- 
utes he swam backward and forward with great swiftness. ‘There 
were two other vessels near, the crews of which were in the rigging 
looking at the same object. Capt. S. states that it was very long, 
and that his head, neck and tail and his motion in the water, was 
exactly like those of a snake; every time he put his head out of 
water, he made a noise similar to that of steam escaping from the 
boiler of a steam-boat. One of the crew told us that his appear- 
ance and motion was precisely like that he saw last summer while n 
the bay, which was said to be a Sea Serpent. The Captain and 
crew attest to the correctness of this statement.” 
29. New publications. Ev.—Journal of Natural History, by 
the Boston Natural History Society, Part I, No. II. This number 
contains articles— 
On certain causes of geological change now in operation in Mas- 
sachusetts, by Prof. Edward Hitchcock. 
Enumeration of plants growing spontaneously around Wilmington, 
N. C., &c. by Moses A. Curtiss, A. M. 
* Gloucester, (Mass.) March or April, 1835. 
