LOCH NESS MYSTERY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 48, 26 February 1934, Page 8

LOCH NESS MYSTERY

PROBABLE SOLUTION

A VERY LARGE SEAL'

"HEAD LEAVES NO DOUBT" 8

(From "The Post's" R«pras«ntatrv«.)

LONDON, January;, 'lft

According to tho special mission; sent to Loch Ness by the "Daily Mail1? to clear up the'monster mystery, evidenco more and more points to tho fact '.that there is a large, 'grey seal making its homo in the lake. . ,

Oa ono day, one of the members of tho party saw something which ho definitely ' recognised as a seal—but a monstrous one. Two young women of Inverness report seeing it .from the Dorcs-IToyers Road. It was travelling at great speed, but although its back was more than two feet out of • the water they did not see its head. They did notice that it had a greyish-black skin like that of an elephant. This (says the "Daily Mail" correspondent) is just another link in tho chain of evidence in favour of the solution of the whole mystery being a particularly large grey (or white) seal. It shows that tho monster is, too, closely following the track of the incoming salmon, and when, in three days, tho fishing season opens, thcro may bo a little more definite proof of its identity by the capture of fish bearing the signs^ of seal mauling. This theory is gaining moi'o adherents ' every; day, particularly among those who remember that as recently as 1911 a white seal was shot at tho mouth of tho Ness. INJURED SALMON. Mr. A. Donaldson Grant, of luvermoriston, secretary of tho Loch Ness Angling Association, states that salmon have been reported in tho loch bearing signs of seal mauling, but it has always beon presumed that this was dono in JBcauly Pirth, into which tho River Ness runs. ' It was when tho "Daily Mail" party was proceeding towards Fort Augustus to take up an all-night position for hydrophone work that they saw what is believed to bo a seal. Mr. M. A. Wothercll, one of tho party/tells tho story. \ "We were proceeding at half-speed and keoping close to tho southern, shore. Suddenly a black object roso'from. the water about 150 yards away on our slarboard side. Tho creature's head and neck roso at least 4ft 6in out of tho water. "Mr. Smith and, Mr. Ecnwick came hurrying from, the cabin, but they were too lato to see anything except the wash created by the creaturo as it turned over and went' beneath the water.

"I did not see any flippers or fins, and;, as I watched, tho head sank back into tho water, and appeared to shoot forward under the surfaced

"Then what seemed to bo a hump rose 18in or. 2ft above tho loch' lovol, remained visible for a soc'ona or so, and passed from sight, creating- a slight wash.

"I have not tho slightest doubt that what I saw was a very -big seal.. The head leaves no-room for doubt. What appeared to be a hump was actually the crcaturo's back'as it lunged forward to dive."