pire FOS) REPORTS AND PAPERS. 253 
days, amongst others by a trustworthy and intelligent gentleman, 
who with his two sons had reached a small islet, where the sea- 
serpent, after having followed their boat , passed closely and slowly.” 
Those who made the statement that when they were near the 
head, the tail could not be discerned distinctly, of course, spoke 
the truth, for the tail is very seldom above water, but they who 
afterwards thereby imagined that the animal therefore must have 
a length of from 600 to 800 ells, exaggerated in a most ridiculous 
manner. Again we observe that the Norwegian fishermen are in 
great dread of the sea-serpent, and the description of their behav- 
iour is quite the same as told us PontToprrpAN a century ago. 
Again we read of the habit of the sea-serpent of following boats, 
but never attacking them, which may only be the effect of mere 
curiosity. The description, moreover, given by the not mentioned 
trustworthy and intelligent observer is quite correct. All the cha- 
racters given by him are already known to us, and where he states 
that the eyes are not glossy, apparently in contradiction with for- 
mer statements, it is natural that in a certain direction and in 
certain moments they need not give the impression of being so. 
Remarkable is the statement of the animal having bristles on its 
upper-lips, as in seals. 
In Dr. Hamitton’s Amphibious Carnivora, 1839, we read: 
“The most recent account of this monster we have noticed, ap- 
peared in the public Newspapers of Drontheim, im the autumn of 
1837, and we confess we cannot regard it as a sheer fabrication”. 
And he further cites the above mentioned report and tells us that 
it was the Ads of Drontheim which contained those particulars. 
The Krovaag Islands are called by Dr. Hamiiton the Kerchvang 
Islands, and strange enough, the very interesting particulars about 
the skin, the eyes and the bristles on the upper lips near the 
nose are omitted. 
1Q@4. — 18382 — The reader will soon be made acquainted 
with the well known report of Captain M’Qunat, of the Daedalus. 
As the report was published in the newspapers of Oct., 1848, 
Captain Brxcuy, of the Blossom, “one of the most scientific officers 
and ablest naval surveyers’, wrote a letter to Mr. Francis Brav- 
ForT, F. R. S., Admiralty Hydrographer. An extract from this 
letter appeared in the J//ustrated London News of Oct. 28, 1848, 
and runs as follows: 
