78 
SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED, 
the description, and the excurrent stream pouring aft 
from the locomotor tube, causes a long swirl and swell to 
be left in the animal's wake, which, as I have often seen, 
may easily be mistaken for an indefinite prolongation of 
its body. The eyes are very large and prominent, and 
the general tone of colour varies through every tint of 
brown, purple, pink, and grey, as the creature is more or 
less excited, and the pigmentary matter circulates with 
more or less vigour through the curiously moving cells. 
Here we have the " long marine animal " with " two fins 
on the forepart of the body near the head," the " boiling of 
the water," the moving in undulations," the " body round, 
and of a dark colour," the "waving motion in the water 
behind the animal, from which the witnesses concluded 
that part of the body was concealed under water," the 
"head raised, but the lower part not visible," "the sharp 
snout," the "smooth skin," and the appearance described 
by Mr. William Knudtzon, and Candidatus Theologiae 
Bochlum, of " the head being long and small in proportion 
to the throat, the latter appearing much greater than the 
former," which caused them to think " it was probably fur- 
nished with a mane." Not that they saw any mane, but 
as they had been told of it, they thought they oicght to have 
seen it. Less careful and conscientious persons would have 
persuaded themselves, and declared on oath, that they 
did see it, 
I need scarcely point out how utterly irreconcileable is 
the proverbially smooth, gliding motion of a serpent, with 
the supposition of its passage through the water causing 
such frictional disturbance that "white foam appeared 
before it, and at the side, which stretched out several 
fathoms," and of " the water boiling around it on both sides 
of it." The cuttle is the only animal that I know of that 
