1937-02-08 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 8, 1937.

Surely One Of The Many Who've Seen The Sea-Serpent In These 200 Years Must Have Been Sober

The Great Unknown Of The Seas

A

BOUT four hundred years ago distinctly and very near to their known rare sea animal of large but animal. This report, which deser-

Pa scientist-Conrad Gesner ship and reported officially to their not extravagant size which occa- ves to be quoted in full, runs

zoological society. Now it became sionally played Great Sea-Serpent, follows:

as

of Zurich in Switzerland, later fam-

hard to explain the report in the but which is most certainly not a "Anno 1734, July. On the 6th ous as the "Father of Zoology"

usual way as misinterpretation, snake.

appeared a very terrible sea-mons- pondered on a zoological problem swindle or hoax. It was impossible Captain Hope of the Fly gives the ter, which raised itself so high which proved to be insoluble for the to charge the observers with "vivid description which corresponds most above the water, that its head reach- knowledge of his time. After spend- imagination," "insuficient scienti- nearly to the general impression. ed above our main-top. It had a long ing considerable effort to arrive at fic training," "lack of observative He is quoted to the Zoologist as sharp snout, and blew like a whale, a definite conclusion he finally de- qualities" and other friendly ad- follows:

had broad large flappers, and the cided with a short Latin sentence jectives of the same order.

"Captain the Hon. George Hope body was, as it were, covered with that "this problem may be solved

Consequently, by postponement.”

since a doubting states that, when in F.MS. Fly, in a hard skin; moreover on the low- the gulf of California, the sea ber er part it was formed like a snake, Thomas never admits, this case is He was right; accumulated know- the most rarely quoted observation ing perfectly calm and transparent, and when it went under water ledge of later times solved it with of all There is no room for doubt

he saw at the bottom a large marine again, it cast itself backwards and out difficulties. But the method he and therefore the whole story is animal, with the head and general in so doing it raised its tail above had unwillingly introduced-to solve intensely disliked.

figure of the alligator, except that the water, a whole ship-length from- the neck was much longer, and that its body. That evening we had the problem by postponing the solu- tion--became, afterwards,

As a matter of fact, investiga- instead of legs the creature had

very bad weather.' frequent than it is desirable. And tors have found that a good many four large flappers, somewhat like

more

it found an especially frequent ap- plication in the case of that much ridiculed but nevertheless existing

and persistent problem which for lack of a better name still- runs

By Willy Ley

"Granted that an unknown animal exists in the seas what could

it possibly be? Observers liked to compare it with certain extinct marine reptiles, such as the ple-

under the term "the Great Sea- observations were not reported at those of turtles, the anterior pair siosaurus. But this comparison is Serpent.",

all. There is the famous story of being larger than the posterior; the not fully accurate. Our unknown creature was distinctly visible, and all sea-serpent has four paddles, a the captain of a vessel who was call- Gesner himself wrote about this

its movements could be observed long neck and a long tail This animal in his ponderous volumes of ed from his cabin by the navigator with ease; it appeared to be par- description fits the plesiosauri with animal life. His source was Olaus in order to witness the appearance suing its prey at the bottom of the the exception of the tail, they had were some only a very short one. Another er- Magnus, living in superstitious Scan- of a large unknown animal, pre- sea; its movements dinavia and specialising in phantas- sumably a "sea-serpent." The cap-

what serpentine, and an appearance tinct type of marine reptiles has tic sea-monsters. Gesner did not tain refused to leave his room and of annulations or ring-like divisions also been compared the mosasuri. believe too much of Olaus tales, but stared at the table in order not to of the body was distinctly percep They had a very long muscular tail, on the other hand he felt obliged to look through the porthole by mis- record what was being reported, take. Because, as he declared later, making occasional question marks "Had I said I had seen the sea- here and there. The sea-serpent, serpent, I should have been however, is without this question sidered a warranted liar all mark, nota bene, in Gesner's tomes life after !” The question mark was made later

con-

my

and when the word sea-serpent was Recently, there has been a change only mentioned, all readers, listeners in attitude towards the unknown and spectators were ready for a monster of the seas. Dr. E C. Boulen- good laugh. For what reason-if ger, director of the London Zoolo- any at all is hard to understand, gical Society's Aquarium, writing because these reports that made in 1926, came to the conclusion: them laugh, came very often from

"The sea-serpent should not be most reliable sources. They were hastily dismissed because he has not sworn statements of witnesses in high and responsible positions

yet un- been actually booked Thak explored areas of the ocean run is was impossible to doubt their sincerity. It was, however, pos-into many hundreds of square miles, sible to doubt their abilities of ob and it would be almost surprising servation.

if the sea did not yield some hith- erto unknown creature of large size- When the problem of the Great I submit, therefore, that we should Sea-Serpent is finally settled some at least give the sea-serpent the scientist will probably write the his- benefit of the doubt, and not con- tory of this animal or this error, den him along with all those who whichever it will turn out to be. It have testified to his existence." will be the history of the postpone

Since that time scientific maga- ment of a problem. That the scien- tists of the eighteenth century zines, especially in Europe, have doubted the statements of the scien- opened their columns to discussions tists of the sixteenth century is ob of the sea-serpent problem and even vious. That they doubted the state such a conservative standard work ment of a missionary (we will speak as the Encyclopedia Britannica con- cludes the article about the my- about this case later) is no reason.

sterions animal with the remark for bewilderment. That Britis scientists doubted the official testi- that, while a large number of so- mony of commanders of the British called sea-serpent stories can be ex- navy is already a bit surprising, plained by reference to some known That a committee in the United animal, there is still a residuum States, after investigating the do- sufficient to prevent modern zoolo-t zens of testimonials referring to gists from denying the possibility the so-called New England Sea that some such creature may after

all Serpent finally postponed a decision

is only in line with the previous This, of course, does not me procedure.

that modern zoologists believe

But eventually there is always the existence of one immortal Great something that stops a good old prac- Sea-Serpent, a thousand feet

In the case of the

"this "something runs under heading "The Valhalla Monster"

British naturali

Great Unknown of the Seas ve

edible

The popular though

ception of one

a rem

dis

nt of the

doubt.

tible."

neck but only a very short

It One of the oldest and most fam- becomes obvious, therefore, that none

sionary, Hans Egede, refrains also sponsible, even if there were sur- ous reports, that of the Danish mis- of the extinct forms could be re-

from stating the length of the vivors, which is doubtful in itself.

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