Bigelow on the Sea Serpent. 155: 
Bay, in a public armed ship. At sunrise, I discovered a 
large Serpent, or monster, coming down the bay, on the 
surface of the water. The Cutter was manned and armed. 
I went myself in the boat, and proceeded after the Serpent. 
When within a hundred feet, the marines were ordered to 
fire on him, but before they could make ready, the Serpent 
dove. He was not less than from 45 to 50 feet in length ; 
the largest diameter of his body, I should judge, 15 inches; 
his head nearly of the size of that of a man, which he car- 
ried four or five feet above the water. He wore every ap- 
pearance of a common black snake. When he dove he 
came up near Muscongus Island—we pursued him, but 
never came up within a quarter of a mile of him again. 
A monster of the above description was seen in the same 
place, by Joseph Kent, of Marshfield, 1751. Kent said he 
was longer and larger than the main boom of his sloop, 
which was 85 tons. He had a fair opportunity of viewing 
him, as he was within ten or twelve yards of his sloop. 
1 have the honor to be, sir, 
Your friend and humble servant, 
GEO. LITTLE. 
Aupen Braprorp, Esq. 
D. . 
Capt. Crabtree, now of Portland, (late of Fox Islands, 
in the bay of Penobscot,) declares, that in the year 1777, 
or 1778, upon information of a neighbor, that a large Ser- 
pent was in the water, near the shore, just below his house, 
and having often been told by individuals that they had be- 
fore seen a similar sea-monster in that quarter, and doubt- 
ing of the correctness of their reports, was induced to go: 
down to the water to satisfy his own mind—that he saw a 
large animal, in the form of a Snake, lying almost motion- 
less in the sea, about thirty rods from the bank where he 
stood—that his head was about four feet above water—that, 
from the appearance of the animal, he was 100 feet in 
length—that he did not go off to the animal through fear of 
the consequences, and that he judged him to be about three 
feet diameter. He also says, that before that time, many 
people, living on those islands, on whose reports he could 
depend, had declared to him that they had seen such an 
Vor. LL. ...JNo.o. 20 
