98 WOULD-BE SEA-SERPENTS. 
like an ordinary quill. The three foremost of these spines were 
connected for about half their length by a greasy filament; the 
rest being unconnected; the serpent had the power of elevating or 
depressing the crest at pleasure. The serpent was carefully examined 
by several medical and scientific gentlemen; the head, dorsal 
spine, and greater part of the crest are in the possession of J. M. 
Jones Esq., an eminent naturalist, who will, doubtless, send home 
a more learned description of this “wonder of the deep”. I regret 
that the immediate departure of the mail for England prevents 
my preparing you any more careful drawing of this great “sea- 
serpent” than that 1 enclose.” 
Mr. Newman, the Editor of the Zoologist, adds hereto the fol- 
lowing note: 
“Written by Captain Hawtaigne, of Her Majesty’s 39 Foot. I 
place implicit reliance on the narrative, except as to the animal — 
being identical with that seen by Capt.. M’Quhae, of which I 
think there is no evidence. Mr. J. M. Jones is an old subscriber 
to the Zoologist, and a most intelligent; but the query occurs to 
me, “Is not ¢dis sea-serpent a ribband fish?” -—— 
Yes, ¢his sea-serpent was a ribband fish. And the “eminent nat- 
uralist’’, Mr. J. M. Jonzs, soon afterwards described this species 
for the Zoologist, p. 6986. Here we read that the Editor, Mr. 
Epwarp Newman has “received the following particulars of this 
most interesting capture from an old and valued correspondent of 
the Zoologist. It must be read in connection with a previous note 
on the same animal in the April number of the Zoologist. (Zool. 
p. 6934)”. 
Now follows the description of the animal, by Mr. J. Matazw 
JonEs, with which we will not trouble our readers, only referring 
them to our fig. 13, p. 938, of a ribband fish, closely allied to 
the specimen, captured in the Bermudas. 
Mr. Jonns adds comparisons of this fish with the great sea- 
serpent seen by Captain M.’ Quuaz (see report n°. 1]8), and con- 
cludes that part of the reports concerning the great sea-serpent 
originated from the appearance of ribband fishes. His views of the 
matter, however, will be treated of in our chapter on the various 
explanations. 
Immediately after this article Mr. Nuwman wrote another, in 
which he shows that this fish is a new species, giving it the name 
Regalecus Jonesii, Newman. How far Mr. Newman was right in 
doing so, I am unable to decide. He gives a full description of 
