256 THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS , [N°. 106, a.] 
more distinct, and we presently saw the extremity of an enormous 
tail, longitudinally divided into two seetions, white and black. 
This tail appeared to wind itself up, and repose on a part of the 
object itself. Then, at the other extremity, we saw a membrane 
rising to the height of about two meéres from the water, and 
inclining itself at a considerable angle upon the mass (without 
leaving it, however); and this led me to conjecture that the mon- 
ster before us was provided with an apparatus for the purpose of 
respiration, like the lampreys. At last we perceived something like 
an antenna rising from the water, to the great height of nearly 
eight metres, terminated by a crescent of at least five metres from 
one extremity to the other. We could not approach sufficiently near 
to acquire any very positive idea as to what we had seen; but 
everything led us to believe that it was an enormous serpent of at 
least 100 metres in length.” 
Although the editors of the Journal du Havre believed that 
Captain p’Asnour by his “exhibiting a degree of cantious reserve 
would shake the obstinacy of the most sceptical”, I think that on 
the contrary his narrative has had quite another effect. Every 
sceptic, I think, will smile or even laugh when he reads this re- 
port, for who can help laughing when he reads of a “membrane 
which led me to conjecture that the monster before us was provided 
with an apparatus for the purpose of respiration, like the lampreys’’, 
and of an “antenna of eight metres, terminated by a crescent of 
at least five metres from one extremity to the other.” We find 
here several limbs enumerated, and mentioned by the names of 
the corresponding limbs of different classes of the animal kingdom. 
A “membrane” in my opinion is a thin and transparent or nearly 
transparent planely extended object. If what the captain saw was 
one, I don’t know what it could be. If not, if untransparent, 
how could they see from such a great distance, that it was thin; 
what reason was there to call it a “membrane”? 
I am convinced that Captain d’ABnour really saw a sea-serpent. 
The animal lay extended on the surface of the water, nearly still, 
showing numerous bunches; head and tail being under water and 
invisible. Quite the same thing was afterwards witnessed by Captain 
Weisz, of the Katze (n°. 154, fig. 50). We know that sea-serpents 
lying still may show coils or bunches or hillocks. It resembled “a 
long chain of rocks, falling off by a gentle inclination at the two 
extremities, and elevated at the middle by only a few feet over 
the level of the sea’. The sea broke gently against it. As they ap- 
