Evening star., 1900-07-14

instances. and those cited are merely speci-
gree of conviction.t These men saw some
| thing uncommon. What it was is a matter
| for further research. ftyWhen Bruce pub
| lished his work on Abyssinia 1t was greeted
with incredulity and It's author denounced
| in terms of unmeaSured abuse, but the cal
umniators have been made ridiculous by
further exploration in africa, and their ie-
norant pedantry should be warning
against refusing to believe what Is not a
common experiences. True as this Is in gen.
era:. 1t is particularly true where the fauna
of the sea is coiieerned, for so little IA
known of It, ~ :
Difficulties Of Oceanic Research.
The practical difficulties of oceanic re-
| search are such that our knowledge of the
abyssmal depths can Increase but slowly,
and despite the efforts of the past half
century the specimens in our museums are
like the few stray bodies of strange red
men that tradition reports to have been
washed on the shores Of the old world be
fore the discovery Of the new and which
served to indicate the existence OF uncx-
plored realms, inhabited by unknown races
hut not to supply Information about their
characters, habits and history Edward
Forbes). At least one-half of the deep sea
forms known at present are represented by
single specimens and of these some are IN
such condition as to make careful study OF
them almost impossible. The pressure of
deep water Is tremendous, and many Of the
loose, flabby tissues that are apt to be torn
or badly mutilated by being dragged in
rough net through. perhaps. miles of water.
l. this danger be escaped the lessening of
the pressure as the surface is approached
produces great changes as the soft tissues
expand to distort the animal out OF
semblance to Its original form, even If II
does not burst asunder. For these reasons
progress is slow, and not infrequentiy
score or more specimens may have TO be en-
amined to determine characters that could
be ascertained readily from the inspection
OF single individual in good condition.
Errors are unavoidable under these cir
cumstances, and conscientious students
painfully aware of the fragmentary stale ct
our acquaintance with the fauna of the
sea and keenly appreciate how tanta.izing
are the crumbs that fall from the unattain
able feast of science that is spread beneath
the waves.
Seen, but Never Captured
Many of the inhabitants Of the depths
are too large, too swift, too wary or too
cunning to be taken by our nets or
dredges. but from time to time specimens
Of these are cast ashore by storms or are
found dead on the surface. One of these
that has never been captured by an explor-
ing ship is the Regalecus. oar fish,
serpent-shaped, understanding FORM usu-
ally from eighteen to twenty-four feet long.
Prof. Gunther of the British Museum gives
list of forty-four that have been seen by
naturalists, but this represents only a frac-
tion of the whole number that have been
actually stranded. 1t is widely distributed
and has been sighted in every part of the
world. In color the Regalecus Is silver
gray with spots or streaks of darker tint.
Its head is oblong and the cleft of the
mouth is vertical. not horizontal. as usual.
The fin on the back makes an elevated
crest that is sometimes divided Into two
parts, and the two ventral fins expand into
blade-like tips at Their ex;remities. 1t can
be seen at once that this fish when swim
ming at the surface will present most Of
the features astribed to the serpent,
when allowance is -made for exaggeration.
One of these animals came ashore at
Hungry bay, in Bermuda, in 1880, and, al
though but seventeen feet long. 1t was de-
scribed as much longer by those who saw
1t before its capture They also said that
1t had a head like that of an immense
horse and a name that was flaming red:
This latter feature was the dorsai fin and
doubtless the ventraf fins were the flap
pers' seen by Lieut. Haynes from the Os-
borne.
An Absurd Mistake.
Not all of the tales of the sea serpent are
so well sustained as those based on the
Regalecus, and absurd mistakes have been
made by enthusiasts. In 1911 an alleged
sea serpent was seen OF Gloucester. Mass.
and an investigation was set on foot by the
Linnaean Society of New England. After
a while a curiously shaped reptile was
taken that the committee pronounced to be
the young of the monster that had been
seen. and gave it the name .'Scoliophts at
lanticus" The report was prepared by
Amos Story. and was published by The So
cety. but IL subsequently developed that
the young serpent was common back
snake with a rachetfe spine. The society
could not survive the derision with which
this report was greeted. and soon found an
ignominious DEATH
1t is VIGOROUSLY difficult to prove a mega
tive, and 1t Is especially when little Is
known of the real facts. For this reason 1t
is imposs be to assert positively that noSuch
animal as the sea serpent exists, although
the evidence In favor OF Its existence Is
far from convincing. The mere fact that 1t
has not been captured Is no sign that 1t
may not be found. there are other
aquatic animals that are known. although
no specimens are to be had.
Unknown Fishes.
In making Investigations into the fur
seals few yearsSago 1t was found that
the stomachs Of many Of the seals con-
tained the bones OF small fish that must
exist in great numbers, and yet not sin
gle specimen was taken by the scientists.
This fish Is known only from its bones,
and doubtless many forms are in the sea
that have not given any signs OF their pres
ence. The struggle for food Is such that
dead body is rapidly devoured by raven
Gus neighbors and the chance OF finding
any remains of it is very small, SO that an
animal Of even the dimensions attributed
to these monsters may remain undiscovered.
In the past gigantic animals existed tiat
have left nothing but their footprints. The
Connecticut valley is rich in the footprints
of some great organism of which no other
trace remains. If such was the fate of or
ganisms in remote geological eras 1t may
be the same with those of today.
From what has been definitely ascertained
about the fauna Of the sea the probabilities
are against the existence of any such mon
ster the serpent. but further than
this 1t Is unsafe to go without more light
than can be had at present. 1t Is true that
rolls of weed. logs and other bits OF
the flotsam of the sea have been mistaken
for vast serpent until investigated. 1t is
a SO true that a school of dolphins p,ung-
ing and diving in single file will simulate
a reptile almost perfectly. but these do not
explain all of the reported phenomena. In
other cases a gigantic cuttlefish or squid
was the basis for the reported monster. and
some of the highest authorities deny the
possibility of there being sea serpent at
all. 1t has been suggested that some huge
animal. partly serpent and partly fish. such
as the ichthysaums. may lfnger in the
depths Of ocean and rise at times to the
surface. but this is mere suppostion. This
ocean mystery stiu needs many clues be-
fore 1t can be solved