Astute American ' Professor * 173 



belongs to the same individual, that the skeleton 

 differs, most essentially, from any existing or fossil 

 serpent, although it may countenance the popular 

 (and I believe well-founded) impression of the existence 

 in our seas of huge animals, to which the name of 

 Sea-set pent has been attached.' 



Now the facts of this case undoubtedly were proved 

 to be as follows : — 



Dr. Koch was a collector of fossils, but entirely 

 unscrupulous in the use he made of them. He was 

 a business man first, and a scientist afterwards (a 

 long way). Not satisfied with the real scientific value 

 and interest of the wonderful collection of American 

 fossils he really possessed, he, seeing what a valuable 

 show it would make, deliberately faked the said 

 serpent out of bones of several Zeuglodon, made a 

 head and claws to suit, and then having hitched his 

 fraud to Silliman, put it on public exhibition. And 

 no doubt his enterprise was considered to be a real 

 smart one, an evident token of high business capacity, 

 quite unusual in a scientific professor. 



Sober investigators, like Dr. Andrew Wilson, Mr. 

 Lee, and Mr. Gosse, all being gifted with sound common- 

 sense, as well as having high scientific attairmients, 

 do not waste time over the many obvious absurdities 

 and palpable fabrications which are so plentifully 

 quoted in Dr. Oudemans' book. But they have given 

 much time and careful investigation to such stories 

 as bore the stamp of truth, in so far that it was manifest 

 that the observers had seen something out of the 

 common, but had quite naturally in their excitement 

 gifted the vision with some extraordinary attributes 

 which it never really possessed. 



Of these stories the most interesting is that told 

 by the captain and crew of the ' Paiiline.' Captain 



