Report of a committee of the Linnaean Society of New England, relative to a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent, seen near Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August 1817.

  • Linnaean Society of New England
Date:
1817
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of a committee of the Linnaean Society of New England, relative to a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent, seen near Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August 1817. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    again saw him. He came into the harbour, occasionally exhib- iting parts of his body, which appeared like rings or bunches. As he drew near, and when opposite to me, there rose from his head or the most forward part of him, a prong or spear about twelve inches in height, and six inches in circumference at the bottom, and running to a small point. Q. Might not the prong or spear that you saw, have been the tongue of the serpent ? A. I thought not; as I saw the prong before I saw the head ; but it might have been. Q. At what distance was you, when you saw7 the spear of the serpent ? A. I should judge forty rods ; I had a spy-glass when I saw the prong or spear. Q. Did the a .imal appear round? A. He did. Q. Did he appear jointed, or only serpentine ? A. He appeared jointed. Q. Were its sinuosities vertical, or horizontal? A Vertical. Q. What was its colour? A. It appeared brown. Q. Did it appear smooth or rough ? A. It appeared smooth. f). What w'as the size and shape of his head ? A. At the distance wdierc I was, his head appeared as large as a man’s head; but I cannot describe its shape. Q. Did it appear to pursue, avoid, or notice objects ? A. I thought it appeared to notice objects. Q. How fast did it move ? A. At the rate of a mile in a minute, at times, I have no doubt. WILLIAM H. FOSTER. Essex ss. August 27, 1817. Personally appeared William H. Foster, and made oath that the foregoing deposition, by him sub- scribed, is true, according to his best knowledge and belief. Before Lonson Nash, Jus. of Peace.
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