Year: 1879

The sea serpent is classed by some nat
uralists as reptile. and by others as an
animal, but this trifing disagreement
has no effect on the general health OF
the monster. He is always in jolly
mood and the best of spirits. He is not
quite as domestic in his nature as an old
tom-cat, or a boy with three stone
bruises on each foot, but he is seldom
met with any great distance from home.
There is abundant evidence to prove that
he knew all about this country before
Columbus did. At least, the first one
seen in America by white men acted as
much at home as a hired man in the
pantry, and at no time during the last
four hundred years has the market been
short of full supply.


Sea serpents have been met with only
$50 feet long, but the majority of them
are at least double that length. A sea
captain who would come into port and
make oath that he had seen one less than
200 feet long would be laughed to scorn
and advised to 20 West and become q
Buffalo Bill. There is no doubt that
one of the monsters can keep right on
growing as long as he " ants to, and OF
course each one is ambitious to spin out
as far as he can. During fly time sea
serpent 300 feet long has great advan.
tage over a COW or mule-a fact wi hich
naturalists seem to have overlooked en-
tirely.


While these monsters are no doubt
somewhat given to roaming around, they
are seldom found curled up under favor
ite cherry trees or in arbors resorted to
by moon-struck lovers.


While other snakes 60 to heaps OF
trouble to get into a house and curl up
in an old straw hat on the top-shelf of a
bedroom closet, the sea serpent keeps
himself modestly in the background.
This animal is not gregarious in its
habits. Two sea serpents are never
seen together, and it Is seldom that two
are seen the same week.


Their plan seems to BE to 90 it alone.
Each one then secures all the glory and
all the plunder, and there is no give
away about it. Their principal food
consists of tough old ships-the older
and tougher the better, and if any red
nosed sea captain or staggering mates
happen to slip into the monsters mouth
along with topsail yards, bowsprits,
capstans, ETC., the serpent is not to
blame for it.


While children may cry for this rep
tile, they hadn't better fool with it, as it
is plain that he is very whimsical in his
nature. Captains have taken one stiff
glass of grog and gone on deck to be.
hold sea serpent humping away from
the ship as fast as he could 60. Other
captains have taken two glasses of grog
and seen the serpent swim all around tile
ship and lift its head thirty feet in the
air and open his jaws as if he scented
roast chicken. 1t may all be in the grog.
or it may be the variable nature of the
serpent. Until the real truth is known
the tow-headed boys of the land had
better not run after this marine novelty.


While it is known that the house tiy
lives six months and the elephant 10C
years nobody knows how long it takes
sea serpent to die of old age. He may
droop and die just as he has learned the
ropes and come to know all about the
bunko-game, or he may hang on and
witness the passing away Of seven gen.
erations of long-lived ola Jack Tars. II
is perhaps lust as well that some little
mystery is allowed to enshroud this
strange inhabitant. If we were priv
lodged to slam him around as we dc
mud turtles, or kick him.out of the patti
as we do an old hat with rock under it
we should feel contempt instead of ar
admiration for him, and when ship
came home and reported seeing q mons
ter sea serpent in the neighborhood o
section three, township eleven, in rang
thirteen east, the captain would b.
asked to look in our eyes and answer i
he saw vegetable garden there.-De
| 1,.o,} Eroo prees