WOULD-BE SEA-SERPENTS. Q7 
1860? — In the Zoologist for this year we read p. 6934: 
“4 sea-serpent in the Bermudas. — 1 beg to send you the fol- 
lowing account of a strange sea-monster captured on these shores, 
the animal being, in fact, no less than the great sea-serpent which 
was described as having been seen by Captain M’Quhae, of H. M. 
S. “Daedalus”, a few years since. T'wo gentlemen named Trimingham 
were walking along the shore of Hungary Bay, in Hamilton Island, 
on Sunday last, about eleven o’clock, when they were attracted 
by a loud rushing noise in the water, and, on reaching the spot, 
they found a huge sea-monster, which had thrown itself on the 
low rocks, and was dying from exhaustion in its efforts to regain 
the water. They attacked it with large forks which were lying near 
at hand for gathermg in sea-weed, and unfortunately mauled it 
much, but secured it. The reptile was sixteen feet seven inches in 
length, tapermg from head to tail like a snake, the body being 
a flattish oval shape, the greatest depth at about a third of its 
length from the head, being eleven inches. The colour was bright 
and silvery; the skin destitute of scales but rough and warty; the 
head in shape not unlike that of a bull-dog, but it is destitute of 
teeth; the eyes were large, flat, and extremely brilliant, it had 
small pectoral fins, and minute ventral fins, and large gills. ‘There 
were a series of fins running along the back, composed of short, 
slender rays, united by a transparent membrane, at the interval 
of something less than an inch from each other. The creature had 
no bone, but a cartilage running through the body. Across the 
body at certain intervals were bands, where the skin was of a 
more flexible nature, evidently intended for the creature’s locomo- 
tion, screw like, through the water. But its most remarkable 
feature was a series of eight long thin spines of a bright red 
colour springing from the top of the head and following each 
other at an interval of about an inch; the longest was in the 
centre: it is now in the possession of Colonel Munro, the acting 
Governor of the Colony; and I had the opportunity of examining 
it very closely. It is two feet seven inches long, about three eighth 
of an inch in circumference at the base, and gradually tapering, 
but flattened at the extreme end, like the blade of an oar. The 
shell of these spines is hard, and, on examination by a powertul 
glass, appeared to be double, some red colouring matter being 
between the shells; the outside, which to the touch and natural 
eye was smooth, being rough and much similar to the small claws 
or feelers of the lobster or crayfish. The centre was a wide pith, 
7 
