[The 13th.] THE VARIOUS EXPLANATIONS. 437 
extremities resemble those of seals. Most probably these limbs 
were provided with nails, as in seals. But, on the other hand, of 
some of the known skulls the remaining part shows an affinity to 
cetaceans. The vertebrae again are seal-like. Till now it is unknown 
whether the animal had hind-extremities or not, for the bones of 
them are not yet discovered. The body: must have been rather 
slender and cylindrical. I venture to represent to my readers in 
fig. 66, a Basilosaurus restored. As the bones of the fore-extrimities 
closely resemble those of seals, it is probable that small hind-extrem- 
ities were not wanting. If the former resembled those of dolphins, 
the existence of hind-flappers would be problematic. Yet I have 
omitted them, because the bones of them are not yet discovered, 
as far as [ know. 
The reader will remember that Dr. Kocu (see our Chapter on 
Hoaxes and Cheats) exhibited a large skeleton in Broadway, New- 
York, under the name of Aydrarchos Stlimanm. This skeleton 
was made by him out of several bones of the extinct Basilosaurus. 
The imposture was soon discovered by Prof. Wyman, and, of 
course, immediately published in all kinds of newspapers, which 
also reached Europe. In Frorirp’s Neue Notizen, of February, 
1846, is one of these articles translated into German. Consequently 
we may conclude that the translator of this article knew that 
the Hydrarchos Silimanni was, in fact, made up of bones 
of the Basilosaurus. Now we find in FRrorizp’s JNotizen, Third 
Series, Vol. Ill, n°. 54, p. 148, 1847, a suggestion of a writer 
who wrote under the initials M. J. 8. (evidently the Hditor, the 
well-known Professor Marrutas Jacop ScuuerpENn: | have searched 
the Bibliotheca Zoologica of Carus and Enertmann, and not found 
another author whose name has these initials): 
“Is the sea-serpent perhaps identical with the Hydrarchus, viz. 
a still living species, a still present remainder, though in a few 
individuals, of former periods?” 
I think that this means: “Are there perhaps still living Basv/o- 
sauri, and is the sea-serpent perhaps one of these creatures?” 
Mr. Szartes V. Woop, Jun. wrote in Nature of 18th. of Novem- 
ber, 1880, Vol. 23, a paper, entitled: “Order Zeuglodontia’, in 
which he tries to show that the sea-serpent most probably belongs 
to this Order. The contents of his paper are as follows: 
“In August 1848 H. M. 8. Daedalus encountered off St. Helena 
a marie animal, of which a representation appeared in the 
IMustrated News of the latter part of that year. It is thirty-two 
