304 
NATURAL HISTORY 
a fish, but appeared to settle directly down like a rock* 
My gun carries eighteen to the pound; and I suppose 
there is no person fn town more accustomed to shooting 
than I am. I have seen the same animal at several 
other times, but never had so good a view of him. His 
motion was vertical like that of the catterpillar. 
Deposition of William B. Pearson, of Gloucester, 
merchant, 
I have several times seen a strange marine animal, 
that I believe to be a serpent, of great size: I have had 
a good view of him only once, and this was on the 
eighteenth of August, A. D. 1817. I was in a small 
boat, and when off Webber’s Cove (so called) in the har- 
bour of Gloucester, I saw something coming out of the 
cove; we hove too, not doubting, but that it was the 
same creature that had been seen several times in the 
harbour, and had excited much interebt among the in- 
, habitants of Gloucester. James P. Collins was the only 
person with me. The serpent passed out under the 
stern of our boat, towards Ten Pound Island; then he 
stood in towards us again, and crossed our bow. We 
immediately exclaimed u here is the snake:” from what 
I saw of him, I should say that he was nothing short of 
seventy feet in length. I distinctly saw bunches on his 
back, and once he raised his head out of the water. The 
top of his head appeared flat, and was raised seven or 
eight inches above the surface of the water. He passed 
by the bow of the boat at about thirty yards distance: 
His colour was a dark brown. I saw him at this time 
about two minutes. His motion was vertical. His ve- 
locity at this time was not great; though, at times I 
have seen him move with great velocity; I should say 
at the rate of a mile in three minutes, and perhaps faster. 
His size I judged to be about the size of a half-barrel. 
I saw Mr. Gaffney fire at him about the distance of 
thirty yards: I thought he hit him, and afterwards he 
appeared more shy. He turned very short, and ap- 
peared as limber and active as the eel, when compared 
to his size. The form of the curve, when he turned in 
the water, resembled a staple. His head seemed to ap- 
