A MARINE MONSTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4319, 30 December 1876, Page 4

A MARINE MONSTER.

The sea serpent has at length found a rival in the shape of a marine frog. At least we gather this from a paragraph in the Melbourne ' Argus' which runs as follows:—The master and surgeon of the si. Nestor, on arriving at Shanghai'/ made statutory declarations respecting .the enormous marine creature, that they assert they met \uth on September 11, at half-past 10 a.m., when in Malacca Straits. Captain Webster compares the creature to a gigantic pig. The part of its body was out of view, but from the parts that were visible, it was evident that the creature was of immense size. The head, which was of pale yellowish color, was about 12ft in length, and 6ft of the crown was above the water. Neither the eyes nor mouth were made out. The head was immediately connected with the body, without any indication of a neck. The body was about 45ft or 50ffc in length, and of a oval shape, and the tail was folly 150 ft in length. The master states he distinctly saw the tail from its "junction with the body to its extremity. It seemed cylindrical, with a" very slight taper, and he estimated its diameter at*4fr. The body and tail were marked with alter hate bland? and stripes, bkick and j.al<yellow in color. The stripes were di.s tract to the very extremity of the tail JJo tins or paddles were observed, bui the monster seemed to progress by means of an undttlatory motion of its tafc; « It no Uifli-

culty in keeping up with the vessel, which was going nine and threequarter knots an hour. Captain Webster at first thought of running it down, but dismissed the idea for fear of endangering his screw-blades.. The creature showed no signs of fear, and finally dropped astern. It seemed to exude an oily matter as it moved. Mr Anderson, the ship's surgeon, stated tfyat the creature reminded him of an enoi'mous salamander in slwpe and colbr. Its back was higher some eight or ten feet at limes than the head or tail. It was apparently of a gelatinous jor flabby substance. Its movements j were lethargic. He should not for a moment compare it to a snake; the only creatures it could be compared to were of the newt or frog tribe.