The Sea Serpent 21 



and a great persecution of the Bishops; and it shew'd 

 also the destruction of the Country." 



Olaus Magnus has thus set the pace of sea-serpent stories 

 for all time, and there is little room for the achievement of 

 any later story-teller. Erik Pontoppidan, Bishop of Bergen, 

 in his interesting work, "Natural History of Norway," 

 gives, however, a graphic picture of the sea serpent, and 

 several descriptions of the monster as observed by various 

 mariners. Even Walter Scott, in his Notes, refers to it: 

 " The Sea-Snake was also known, which, arising out of the 

 depths of the ocean, stretches to the skies his enormous 

 neck, covered with a mane like that of a war-horse, and 

 with his broad glittering eyes, raised mast-head high, looks 

 out, as it seems, for plunder or for victims." 



Coming down to modern times, the sea serpent is still in 

 evidence. In 1809 Dr. Neill, Secretary of the Wernerian 

 Society, received a letter from the pastor of Eigg Island to 

 the effect that he had seen a sea serpent. The animal fol- 

 lowed the boat, and the clergyman had a narrow escape. 

 He described it as a monster serpentine-shaped animal, 

 seventy feet in length. Then came the sea serpent of 1833, 

 seen by British officers at Halifax; and the one at Molde, 

 observed by experienced fishermen. This serpent came 

 within six feet of the boat, and was about thirty-six feet 

 long. It is described as having a head like that of a man, 

 and was seen by a surgeon, a rector, and a curate, all of 

 whom were honest men. H.M.S. Dadalus reported a sea 

 serpent in 1848, and very circumstancial letters were written 

 by the officers, giving details of a remarkable sea serpent. 

 In 1877 the officers of the Royal Yacht Osborne saw a sea- 

 serpent-like animal off Cape Vito, Sicily. And so one might 

 go on indefinitely, and make a book out of the sea serpents 

 reported from the earliest time. Nearly all agree that the 

 animal is over fifty feet in length; that it has the general 

 shape of a serpent ; many observers having seen a mane, and 

 some have seen the head high out of water. All the sea 



