Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-02-15
NO SEA-SERPENT.
""s 'here are Several sarnnue Mo
rine Animals That Loo, RI.

Rnn I'LL
rihe Aaimnis That Look iL.,
me question of the existence Of thu
seaserpent is solely one Of fact
iherc Is no prior reason why su,.h ron
tles could not exist, ana creatures -
"hiol sueal a name would apply did
exist In abundance in mcsozoic timas
nevertheless, although thcrc have hc,p
many reports Of the discovery of the
sea s~erpents," there is not at present
the slightest positive evidence 10 nrove
that such "A creature now habits rho
Sea. 1t Is not within the realm of pro-
liability that any marine reptile Of
large size other than sea turtles now
exist.
Ehe sea has been as fully explored
as the land Fhe fishes Of the sea. from
the surface TO the depth of five miles,
are as well known as the animals Of
similar size on any of the continents
except Europe. The larger animals
which swim car the surface in the
open ocean are for tn most part well
Known and have been known ever
since oceanic navigation began. Pro-
badly mo- half n dozen species Of ma
rine animals reaching a length Of Is
feet have been discovered in our GEN.
fury. Most of those nOw known Were
known TO the GnCieutS.
The sea-SCrpent stories may be claS-
sifed as follows:
l. Pure Inventions, f~orecastle yarns,
etc.
.. AlcohOlisms.
3, Stories with a foundation Of fact,
the basis being a seal, a fragment of a
wreck, a long strip of kelp, or some
other natural object mistaken for a
serpent.
4. Practical jokes, as the India rub
her sea-s"rpent seen on Silver Lake,
n. Y, about 1855. This appeared usu-
ally in the evening and in sight of the
veranda Of the hotel.
3. The great OarfiSh. or king Of the
herrfngs RegaleCus glcSne.) This is a
long, slender, ribbOn-shaped fish Of the
open sea. 1t Swims in swift undula-
tons, with greet ON the surface
OF the water. ga. 'ength of 20
feet or more. u on its
o ofn a h f"r%s a n5ali,' 4 2te5;s ;s m4'' a
striking object, IL AIS teen but once
taken in American waters, a specimen
having come ashore in Bermuda some
years ago. This fish is remotely allied
to the mackercl. According to DIR.
GOOde, all the Sea -SerpentS with up
reared heads and the nan of a horse
can be referred TO RcgalecuS.
A smaller fish Of this type, o small
to seem like Il scrp"nt, is occasionally
taken off our coast and known as king
| Of the salmon CTrachyptcruS rcX-Sal-
mOnOruml. The Chinook Indians be-
leve that If this fish is caught the sal
no will cease running. \ similar
! nGXtOuS influence is CXpTtcd by the
birth Of twins. Other Swift-mOving,
ribbOn-Shaped surface fishes, as the
threaded, the cullaSS fish, etc, have
been reported as young Sea-SeTpPnts.
6. The great frill-Shark (~ChlamydOSe-
lachus anguineuSp '.IH been reported as
a sea serpent. 1t = as correctly drawn
as such by a Maine fisherman before its
ONStli tlISf ~ AlS @AlltNAiNiN DNNHh 'tN'
known. This il a very rare shark, as
slim and flexible AS "A snake. and grow
10 be II feet or more in length. 1t has
the general structure of the shark, or
rather OF the extinct shark, for II has
TO 90 back to the ClrbOniferOuS age to
| find any like him. This shark, with its
frill Of gillS about its neck, is II OF
the rarrSt Of fishes, only about four eX-
| isting in collections. 1t Is thought TO
be the Oldest living vertebrate, for all
other sharks Of similar structures have
long since passed away. 1t is h or
iginal of the sea-Serpent that SWlms
low, with it's head under water.
Z. The great killer, or gladiator (Or-
| caorca). This creature is a water
manual allied to the porpoise and dol
phin. 1t is very swift and strong, and
of so savage a disposition that IL Is the
| terror of whales. seals sharks, sword
| fishes and of large fishes generally. II
| reaches a length Of 20 to 30 feet. 1t Is
ordinarily dctested by fishermen, but
this Su."mpr it served them a good turn
by rounding up" in Monterey Bay the
shoals of salmon froEn the neiSiiborlng
ocean.
In its spiteful attack OH the whale
and Il will kill even the biggest OF
them-it has been taken for a sea-Ser-
pent. Its word shaped dorsal fin, some
6 feet high, helps on the illusion. All
the sea-serpcnts which attack whales.
choking them in their gigantic folds
and flashing the water for rods INTO
bloody foam" are doubtless killers.
4 Venomous ltd" snakes exist /
the Indian Ocean. These are we'll
krown and are never taken for sea
serpents."
The abeve record includes all the sea
serneutS of which ! have seen records
ND to date.-PrOf. ID. s. Jordan In the
San Francisco Examiner.
Replenishing q Wardrobe.
~ Uo,r Uttl,. wife Is