The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-06-20
Sea Monsters Unmasked.

In all probability, monsters wonder
fully and fearfully made. equaling in
ugliness those described in the fables of
history, inhabit the sea and OCCASION
ally present themselves to view, assum-
ing to the excited beholder both the APP
pearance and movement of serpent.
One of these monsters has been graphi-
cally portrayed by Daniel {. Beard,
who in his description pointed out the
fact that 4 giant cephalopOd moving
upon the surface of the water would APP
pear to have all the characteristics of a
huge serpent. The Tin, or what was
supposed to be the serpent's tail, can
be readily accounted for by the fact
that in some species of the cephalopod
the longest tentacle wIdens and fiattens
at the end, and might easily be mis-
taken for a caudal fin.
Mr. Henry Lee, in his work ''Sea
Monsters Unmasked' london. 1857,
admits the probable existence of mon
ster sea serpents, and clearly shows
that nearly all of those which have
been seen can be accounted for by the
forms and habits of known animals
calamaries or squids of great size. Dur
'
of the inhabitants of the vast deep has
been enlarged and extended, especially
in regard TO the so-called monsters;
deep sea dredgings have brought up
fishes of unknown species; cutie fish
measuring more than sixty feet have
been, met with on the coast of New
foundland. -... ...s. ..
The cutie fish is described as being
most sensitively timid, watching its
captor. and upon the slightest move
ment belching forth its ink, which rolls
over. and over like volume of smoke
and mixes with the water with mar
velous rapidity. 1t is very intelligent,
soon learning to discriminate between
friend and foe. and in time becomes
quite tame, ceasing TO shoot its ink
unless irritated. .--. ..
Squids propel themselves backward
by forcing out a stream of water from
tube pointed in direction contrary
to that in which the animal is going.
The body tapers toward the tail, which
Is provided, at short distance from the
end. with two flat fins, one on each
side. so that this portion of the body re-
sembles in shape the Government
broad arrow. When swimming in
smooth water, the tail is raised above
the surface to height which might be
three feet or more in alarge individual;
land. as it precedes the rest of the
body, moving at the rate of several
miles an hour, it Of course looks, tt
person who has never heard of an ami
NAL going tail first at such q speed,
like the creatures head. The appear
ance of this head varies in cotdance
with the lateral fins being seen in pro-
file or in broad expanse The elongated
tubular looking .Dody gives the idea of
the neck to which the head is
attached: the eight arms trail
ing behind (the ttntacles are
ALWAYS cooled away and concealed)
supply the supposed name floating on
each side; the undGlating motion IN
swimming. as the water is alternately
drawn in and expelled. accords with
the description. and the excurrent
stream pouring at from the locomotor
tube causes . long swirl and swell to
be lift in the animals wake. which, as
| have often seen, may easily be mis-
taken for an indefinite prolongation of
its body The eyes are very large and
prominent, and the general tone OF color
varies through every tint of brown,
purple, pink and gray, as the creature
is more or less excited, and the pig
mentary mat er circulates with more or
less vigor through the euriOuslymoying
cells :" .. r"a
The author concludes that we here
have the long marine animal having
1.-TWO fins on the forepart Of the body
near the head" the '.boiling of the
water" the body round and of dark
color" 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 ..head being long and
small in proportion to the throat, the
latter appearing much greater than the
former causing the spectator to think
that lit was probably furnished with .
name. "-Seientifc American.