Page:Natural History, Reptiles.djvu/241

Rh and the fjords, or deep inlets, which mark the rocky coast of that country are the scenes where it is reported to have been most frequently seen. The shores of New England in North America are also said to have been favoured with frequent visits by the mysterious animal during the present century; and very recently reports have been published of its appearance in the midst of the ocean, at a considerable distance from land. A multitude of witnesses of unimpeachable character for veracity, both in Europe and America, have testified to personal observation of the monster, and a great body of evidence exists on the subject; yet it cannot be denied that when these testimonies are carefully collated and examined in detail, they present discrepancies, anomalies, and improbabilities, which greatly diminish their value. Perhaps the most that can with safety be predicated, at present, is that there probably exists some marine animal of colossal size, and lengthened form, which has not yet been received into systematic zoology.