[ Ne. 73.| REPORTS AND PAPERS. 223 
ea. — 1820, August. — In the Zoologist of 1849, p. 2361 ; 
- we read: 
“He was several times seen in the month of August, 1820, from 
the piazza of the house of Col. Perkins, at Nahant.” 
@4. — 1820? — The following report was published in the 
Zoologist of 1849, p. 2460. 
“What degree of confidence the following story may gain is to 
me a subject of very little consideration; for as I can have no view 
of gaining anything by it, so it certainly will appear that it would 
hardly be worth the trouble of invention; but as a story of this 
sort has made its appearance among our transatlantic friends , without 
being at all credited, it is as likely in Europe this may have the 
same fate; yet if it can afford any amusement or information for 
intelligent and scrutinizing minds, for their gratification I freely 
give it to the press, assuring them, on my sacred honour, of the 
truth of what I am about to describe. On Sunday, about 5. P. 
M., being then in latitude 46, longitude 3, by dead reckoning, 
observed an immense body on the surface of the water, apparently 
without motion, but water spouting from it, not unlike the blow- 
ing of a whale. I immediately got my glass; and, from its rugged 
appearance and showing nothing where the water issued from, | 
began to entertain some doubts, that this must have been the 
~~ vigia laid down for Barenethy’s rocks or the three chimneys, and, 
so prepared in my own mind, | directed the steering sails to be 
taken in and the ship prepared for going about. Some of my ship’s 
company were of opinion it was a ship-bottom up: this I thought 
not unlikely, and went into the main cat harpens to look more 
distinctly at it: the appearance then was still steady, but irregular. 
I saw neither head nor tail above the water, but a hump from 
one extreme resembling the rise or point of rather a triangular 
rock: this tapered to a distance, — I certainly believe 70 or 100 
feet, and the water broke over it, a little beyond it: it discharged 
the spout; but nothing showing itself, undetermined in mind what 
it could be, or whether I should tack the ship, it all at-once 
disappeared, and, to my great astonishment, a head and neck — 
resembling something of a serpent’s -— made its appearance, erected 
about six feet above the surface of the water. After taking a survey 
towards the vessel, it all at once vanished , leaving us full of con- 
