344 THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS , —[N®. 146. ] 
have been a slight ridge along the spine. Probably this was the 
mane, not quite discernable on account of the distance. The tail 
is described as cylindrical, tapering to its end, and estimated at 
four feet in diameter (at its junction, evidently). — It is clear that 
the extreme end of the tail was under water, for Mr. Wesstrer 
“cannot say whether the tail terminated ima fin or not”. As to 
the supposition of Mr. AnpDERsoN that the animal was “apparently 
of a gelatinous (that is, flabby) substance’, I cannot attach much 
importance to this, as it 1s impossible to decide this of an animal 
swimming at some distance, even of a calamary. The body was 
smooth, and that’s all. That the creature did not blow or spout 
like a whale, is very natural, as there was evidently no reason 
for doing so, the nose beimg constantly above the surface, and 
the animal swimming without diving from time to time. A whale, 
sleeping on the surface, does not spout either, as in that case 
the spout-holes are above the surface, and the breathing is regular 
and without puffing. So I think I have shown that all the parts 
of the statement are correct, except the estimated length. 
Mr. Anprew Wirson relying upon the statement of Mr. An- 
DERSON, adds in a note: 
“It is just possible that the “flabby” or “gelatinous” creature 
mentioned in this narrative was a giant cuttle-fish, whose manner 
of swimming, colour, absence of limbs, etc., would correspond 
with the details of the narrative. The “immense tail’ might be 
the enormous arms of such a creature trailing behind the body as 
it swam backwards, propelled by jets of water from the breathing 
‘fanmel.” 
My objections against this supposition are first, that, as I have 
already stated here it is impossible to decide betes an animal 
is gelatinous or flabby, until we have touched and handled it, and 
ecard that the manner of swimming of a calamary is not so as 
Mr. Witson believes; for the enormous arms of such a creature 
are not trailing behind the body, when it is swimming backwards, 
but are coiled up and retracted into two peculiar arm pockets; 
and thirdly, that the colour of a calamary does not correspond 
with the colour stated in the report, but is a very light grey one, 
mixed with red or crimson, intermixed with purple. 
In the number of February 3d, 1877 of the Li/ustrirte Zeitung, 
