K R A 
K U T 
jplay itfelf fufficiently, though it's whole body is 
not apparent. It's back, or upper furface, which 
leems an Englifli mile and a half in circumference, 
(fom.e have affirmed more) looks at firft like a 
number of fmall iflands, furrounded v/ith fome- 
thins: that floats like fea-weeds: at laft feveral 
bright points or antennae appear, which grow 
thicker the higher they emerge, and fometimes 
fland as high and large as the mails of midciie- 
fized veiTels. In a Hiort time, it gradually finks, 
which is thought as dangerous as it's riling, cauf- 
ing fuch a fwell and vortex, that it draws in veffels, 
like that of Maleftram.' 
The bifliop laments the omiflion of the only 
opportunity which ever has been, or perhaps ever 
may be prefented, of examining this creature when 
alive, or feeing it entire when dead : this, he ac- 
quaints us, did once occur, on the credit of the mi- 
nifter of Nordland, and vicar of the College for 
promoting Chriftian knov^'ledge; who informed 
him, that a Kraken came into the lhallows be- 
tween the rocks and cliffs near Abftahong ; where, 
in turning about, fome of it's long horns caught 
hold of the adjoining trees, which it might have 
eafily torn up, had it not been entangled in fome 
clefts of the rock, whence it could not extricate 
itfelf, but putrified on the fpot. 
Pontoppidon mentions no account he has ever 
received of this monfter proving fatal to any per- 
fon ; but relates a report of the danger of two fifh- 
ermen, who arrived at a part of the water covered 
with a quantity of the creature's thick flimy excre- 
ments: they immediately ftrove to row off, but 
were not quick enough in turning to fave the boat 
from one of the Kraken's horns, vv^hich lb cruflied 
it's prow, that it was with difficulty they faved their 
lives on the wreck, though the Vv^eather was per- 
fectly calm. The excrements of this animal are 
faid to be attraftive of other fifh, on which it feeds. 
This expedient was probably neceffary to it's fub- 
fiftence, on account of it's flow unwieldy motion; 
as this flow motion again may be neceffary to the 
fecurity of a fhip, which would certainly be over- 
whelmed on encountering fuch an immenfe animal, 
if it's velocity was equal to it's weight. 
In confirmation of the reality of this monfter, 
our learned author cites the defcription of Faroe 
by Debes, for the exiftence of certain iflands, which 
fuddenly appear, and as fuddenly vanifh. Many 
fea-faring people, he adds, give accounts of llich, 
particularly in the North Seas ; which their fuperfti- 
tion has either afcribed to the delufion of the devil, 
or confldered as inhabited by evil fpirits. How- 
ever, Pontoppidon fuppofes fuch miftaken iflands 
to be nothing elfe but the Kraken; in which opi- 
nion he is greatly confirmed by the fubfequent 
quotation from Dr. Hierne, a learned Swede, and 
which is certainly a very remarkable pafTage. 
* Among the rocks about Stockholm,' fays he, 
* there is fometimes feen a traft of land, which at 
other times difappears, and is feen again in another 
place. Burseus has placed it as an ifland in his 
map. The pealants, who call it gummar's ore, 
fay, that it is not always vifible, and that it lies out 
in the. open fea, but it never fell under my infpec- 
tion. One Sunday, when I was out among the 
rocks, founding the coafb, it happened that, in one 
END OF THE F 
place, I faw fomething like three points of land in 
the it^a, which furprizcd me a litde, as I thought 
I had inadvertently pafled them over before. On 
this I called to apealant to enquire for gummar's 
ore ; but when he came, we could fee nothing of 
it: on which the peafant faid all was well, and that 
this prognofticated a ftorm, or a quantity of fifli.' 
To this our author fubjoins, ' Who cannot difco- 
ver that this gummar's ore, with it's points, and 
prognoftications of fifl:ies, was the Kraken, miftaken 
for an ifland by Burseus!' 
The bifliop takes the Kraken, probably from 
it's numerous tentacula, which ferve it as feet, to 
be of the polype kind ; and the contemplation of 
it's enormous bulk led him to apply fome paflTages 
in the facred v/ritings as defcriptive of it. 
After paying a juft tribute of refpeft to the mo- 
ral charafter and philofophical abilities of our au- 
thor, we muft admit the pofTibility of this creature's 
exiftence, as it implies no contradiftion ; though it 
feems to oppofe a general prepofTefllon of the 
whale's being the largeft animal in nature. But, 
were we to fuppofe a falmon or a fturgeon the 
largeft fifh any number of perfons had ever feen or 
heard of, and that the whale had difcovered him- 
felf as feldom, and but in part, like the Kraken; 
then it will be eafily conceived, that the exift- 
ence of the whale had been as unwillingly cre- 
dited as that of the Kraken is now. Some, indeed, 
may liippofe, that fuch an extenfive monfler would 
encroach on the fymmetry of nature, and be over 
proportionate to the fize of the globe itfelf; as a 
little retrofpedlion will inform us, that the breadth 
of what is feen of it, fuppofing it nearly round, 
muft be full two thoufand fix hundred feet; and 
it's thickneis, which may be called it's altitude, at 
leaft three hundred. Neverthelefs, we apprehend 
that thefe immenfe dimenfions will not argue con- 
clufively againft the exiftence of the animal, though 
confiderably againft a numerous increafe or pro- 
pagation of it. In fad, the great fcarcity of the 
Kraken, it's confinement to the North Sea, and per- 
haps to fimilar latitudes in the fouth; the fmall 
number propagated by the whale, which is vivi- 
parous; and by the largeft land-animals, of which 
the elephant is faid to go two years with young; 
all incline us to conclude, from the analogy of 
nature, that this monfter is by no means nume- 
rous. 
KUTZE GEHEF. A very beautiful mew, 
(fo called by Marten) which receives it's name 
from it's cry. The bill is fomewhat bent; and on 
it's under part there is a fmall protuberance, or 
knob. The eyes are black, each being furrounded 
with a red circle; the tail is long and expanded 
like a fan; the legs are black and fhort; the belly 
is of a fnowy whitenefs ; and the wings and back 
are grey, except that the tips of the former are 
black. 
This bird, which is about the fize of the common 
mew, is caught with a hook baited with whale-fat, 
of which kind of food it is very fond. It is hunted 
by the arftic gull, that never defifts purfuing it 
till it drops it's excrements, which that bird de- 
vours. It is generally extremely lean; and even 
the little flefh it contains is wholly confined to it's 
legs and breaft. 
IRST VOLUME, 
