APPENDIX. 591] 
time afterwards. The belly and the fins were pure white. I saw 
the back part. It was the colour of an eel. The head and neck 
were like those of an eel. It. was nothing like a whale. Had it 
been at all like a whale I should have taken no notice of it, as 
it is such a common thing to see whales at sea. It was not more 
than one hundred yards away the last time I saw it. The thing 
was glistening in the sun. I could not see its eyes. Had the sun 
not been shining, or had it been night, I might have been able 
to see its eyes. Every time it went down there was a distinct 
splash that could be heard quite plainly. The time being so early 
in the morning and the sea being so rough, there were no people 
about except the watch on deck, who were aft scraping the decks. 
The Chief Officer was on the bridge. I spoke to him about it. 
He said he had seen it. I have often heard of a sea-serpent before, 
but never saw one, nor have I ever seen any one who had seen 
one, but have spoken to men who have seen other men who pro- 
fessed to have seen the creatures. I have always laughed at the 
sea-serpent story but never denied it. Call it what you like, but 
after my experience of Saturday morning I am decidedly of opinion 
that what I saw is a fish or creature that 1s never hardly seen. I 
never saw any thing like it before, although I have been at sea 
twenty five years and have seen a great many queer things.’ In 
reply to a question, Nelson said, “I am not a very frightened 
sort exactly, but I suppose I should have been frightened if it 
had come much closer.” 
I have reprinted here these three reports of two different appear- 
ances, because they so completely corroborate the hitherto so won- 
derful-seeming report of Herpr (5), and figure of Brine (fig. 19). 
As to the remark of Prof. Hurron, of Canterbury College (N. 
Zeal.) “that if the animal had great fins or flappers, as reported, 
they would no doubt be used for swimming, and it is improbable 
that the creature would wave them about in the air like wings’, 
I only remark in my turn, that Prof. Hurron seems never to have 
observed the movements of seals, and sea-lions, for these animals 
really “wave the flappers about in the air like wings’. 
