The morning call., 1892-01-03
qHE MONSTERS
OF FICTION
That Have Been RELOCATED by Science to
the Domain Of The Imaginary.
The Wonderful Accounts of Msrmaids, Sea
Serpents, Giant squds and the Kraken
Knocked Out" by Investigation.

This is the age of fact rather than Of
fancy" said q zoologist to Washington
Star writer. MANY monster that has been
believed until lately to inhabit the earth has
been relegated by science to the domain OF
the Imaginary. Writers of authority on
natural history only century or two ago
published grave accounts of such supersti-
tlouS wonders of the animal kingdom as the
sea serpent, the kraken aud the mermaid.
can refer you to a very interesting and mat
ter-ot-fact account of the latter. which was
printed $50 years ago by the celebrated
Bishop Pontoppidan Of Norway.
lie says that in the Sea of Angola mer-
maids were frequently caught, being taken
In nets. When killed they would cry and
Shrek like women, whom they resenlbled
above the waist, the rest of their bodies be-
Ing like those of fishes. The people along
the shore were in the habit of eating their
hesh. which seemed much the same as
PORK. Also norman was found in the
waters of North America and elsewhere,
It's length being about eight spans and
Its lace being of human cast. with little
eyes, fat nose, big mouth and no chin or
ears. It's two arms were short, without
elbows, the hands having four long myers,
connected with a membrane as OF the foot
OF goose. The upper part OF the body
was ike that OF a human being. the SKIN
Delng OF q bfowniSh-gray tint This eX-
traordlnary animal was a fay0rlte dish
among the natives OF the countries where II
was caught, tho most approved method OF
cooking 1t being to broll 1t on the grldlron.
A bone in its head that divided the brain
was powdered by the Portuguese, who con-
sldered it an excellent remedy for stone IN
the bladder.
The learned Bishop. giving numerous
authorities for his statements. refers for
confirmation to a friend Of his own, the
kev. Peter Angel. minister TO the parish Of
Fand-Elvens Geld This clergyman Is
quoted as saying that while walking on the
beach.in the year 1719 he found norman
which had been cast ashore dead. Its
mead and upper body reSembied a human
Delng the lower part being hsh-llke, with
the tai OF pOrpOlse. The back was
very lat, and when the flesh was cut
OF and boiled together with the liver it
yielded large quantity of oil. Popular be-
fei was 10 the effect that the creature was
fish of prey. Sometimes a living speci-
men was seen with cod In its grasp. Many
young ones were caught and taken home
by fishermen, who gave them milk, which
they drank, rolling their eyes around as II
astonlshed at what they saw on land. Most
remarkable, however, was the female,
which had breasts like woman and gave
suck in a similar manner to her young, be-
ing frequently beheld half Ous of the water
and ~ the act of doing this.
Now, the most skeptical person might be
fairly staggered by the array If evidence in
behalf of this alleged marvel were It not
that all these strange accounts are readily
explained within the lines OF everyday zoOl-
Ogy. The creature which has breasts like q
woman and sucked its young III the manner
described was evidently the dugOng. AS
for the mermen they were the common hair
seals which answer III all material respects
to the description given. To the casual OBJ
server the upper part OF the BODY OF TINS
animal Is sufficiently humanlfke 10 account
for the mistake. 1t has fiat nose, singu-
larry beautiful and human eyes and no cnin
or external development Of ears. The color
Of the beast is gray. 1t must not be con-
fused with the fur seal, which looks more
like a Newfoundland dog than anything
else, As for the lower part it has the fish-
like form you know of.
THE SEA SERPENT MYTH.
More remarkable than the mermaid myth
must be considered that OF the sea serpent,
which survives even to the present day, so
that the appearance OF this imaginary reptile
of the deep at various points on the Atlantic
Coast is recorded each season with sensa-
ti0na headlines in the newspapers. Numer-
Gus most circumstantial accounts have been
printed, together with afidavlts by reliable
persons respecting the gigantic marvel
1dhiUB liltIll dilDE6illcIs iilb CItdLuI6-ll Dtl6
exists there are presumably MANY of them
may be described as of a maximum length of
600 feet, its body as thick as the hull Of
medium-siZed vessel, with name, a sharp
snOut and great eyes like round metal plates.
1t has also been sometimes observed to be
covered with great scales; it spOuts water
on occasions like whale, ana persons have
come near enough TO it to behold its great
nostrils and whiskers. More than once 1t
has been seen to rear itself higher than the
maintop of a good sized ship A writer of 100
years ago, who had been greatly impressed !
by personal view Of the monster, remarked:
Methinks he seems another Behemoth,
Or the Leviathan who doth despise
All arms. swords aud guns and glittering spears
For iron is 10 him ike straw or fax.
And copper like the twiGs that bend aud break.
For thus he Is described IN Holy Writ.
THE GIANT sQUID.
Now, no one is able to say with certainty
what the basis OF this myth is. The most
plausible suggestion, with which | coincide,
is that the original of the sea-serpent is the
giant squid-an animal which might itself
deservedly figure as a ehimera OF fancy were
it not fact There is no doubt that this
creature attans sometimes the length Of 100
feet-a cast of one 40 feet long Is exhibited at
the National Museum-and there is good rea-
son for believing that the numerous stories of
attacks by large specimens upon boats and
other small craft in the Indian Ocean and
elsewhere have some foundation in truth.
However, whether this IS so or not, such
creature swimming on the surface of the sea
would answer very fairly to the accepted
description of the sea serpent, progressing
backward, after its habit, with part Of its
huge body projected out of the water. its
flukes at the tail having the appearance of q
name. a spout of foam proceeding from the
great SiphOn by which it pTOpels itself, and
its enormous tentacles following snake-like
after the cOnvOlutiOns appearing above the
surface. Unfortunately for the sea serpent,
whenever it has been looked upon from the
point OF view of science rather than Of won
der 1t has tailed to support its reputation.
Repeatedly on occasion OF its appearance
within view OF men OF an investigating turn
of mind 1t has been found-although the
observers themselves were anxious to be
amazed, having the natural human appetite
for wonders-to be merely d school of por-
poises following one another In single file,
a flock of shay birds flying near the
water, a barrel all0at with a long streamer
OF Seaweed or other such receptions. The
most important encouragement given re-
Gently to believers in this deusion was
afforded by a captain Of a vessel bound for
San francisco few years ago, who, while
becamed In the Pacific. saw an animal on the
bottom beneath his ship, which was about 60
feet III length, resembling In all respects
the pleSioSaurus of the m0soZoic epoch
Naturalsts have never denied that few
survivors Of that age of reptiles might still
exist, but they have been very skeptical rs
to tue likelihood of such thing and they
are naturally disposed TO pooh pooh this
seaman's yarn. At the same time they con-
fesS establishment that he should have made
and held SO positively to description of the
beast which accOrds perfectly and in every
respect with present scientific knowledge
of what this great saurian was in that
strange era of the past.
THE KRAKEN.
There is third fabulous monster Of the
deep, firmly believed in a century or So ago,
which may be presumed to be wholly a
creature of the imagination. 1t was called
the 'kraken, and was so enormous that
when it came 10 the surface the people fire.
quently mistook the animal for floating
island. You may remember that Sinbad