4.60 THE VARIOUS EXPLANATIONS. |The 17th. | 
may testify. The movements of an unusually long frond or group | 
of fronds of tangle, attached to a rock, and set in motion at low 
water, by a light swell, has before now, and when seen indistinctly, 
suggested the idea of the existence at the spot of some large den- 
izen of the sea, browsing on the sea-weeds, with the fore part of 
its body, represented by the tangle fronds, occasionally appearing 
at the surface of the water.” 
Though the writer of the following story which originally ap- 
peared in the Madras Mail, but which I take from Nature of 
13th. October, 1881, does not assert that the sea-serpent may be 
explained in this way, I firmly believe that such was, indeed, his 
purpose. I also think that this was the intention of the contributor 
who inserted it in the columns of Nature, of the man who sent 
a Dutch translation of it to the Meuws van den Dag, of 26th. 
Nov., 1881, and of Professor P. Hartine who republished this 
translation in the Album der Natuur, of 1882, p. 66. 
“In a letter to the Madras Mail of September 8, on the use of 
gigantic sea-weed as a protective agent for shores, Capt. J. H. 
Taylor, the Master-superintendent of Madras, gives the following 
interesting “sea-serpent’’-story: — “A notable incident connected 
with this sea-weed, is recalled to my recollection, by Dr. Furnell’s 
letter. About fifteen years ago, while I was in my ship at anchor 
in Table Bay, an enormous monster, as it appeared, was seen 
drifting, or advancing itself round Green Point, mto the harbour. 
It was more than one hundred feet in length, and moved with an 
undulating snake-like motion. Its head was crowned with what 
appeared to be long hair, and the keen-sighted among the affrighted 
observers declared they could see its eyes and distinguish its feat- 
ures. The military were called out, and a brisk fire poured into 
it at a distance of about five hundred yards. It was hit several 
times, and portions of it knocked off. So serious were its evident 
injuries, that on its rounding the point it became quite still, and 
boats went off to examine it and complete its destruction. It was 
found to be a specimen of the sea-weed above mentioned, and its 
stillness after the grievous injuries inflicted was due to its having 
left the ground swell and entered the quite waters of the Bay.” 
It will not be necessary to point out that this hypothesis is not 
deserving of any notice on our part. 
