A MARINE MONSTER..

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 221, 6 January 1877, Page 2

A MARINE MONSTER..

The sea-serpent has at length rival in the shape of a marine frog. At . least MQ : gather .this .from a-paragraph: the Melbourne Argus, which' runs"'as' lows :—" The master,, and .surgeon or tho s.s. Nestor, on arriving at Shanghai, made-, j statutory, declarations respecting the. enor* "•' ! miaous marine creature -that they 1 they met with on Sept. 11, at half-past "ten a.nv.', whett in Mala'cc'a Straits. 'Cap-,; -., tain' Webster compares" the, creature., &q *.,. a 'gigantic pig. The greater part of its body _. 'was out of view, but frqjn,the,parts that , were ; visible, At; was evident that the crea.* ' -ture ,was J; of immense size.' Tire hea'dj' -' .which was of a jiale yellowish color, was .about 12ft. in length, anil 6ft. of the crown was above the water. _ Neither the. , eyes nor mouth, were made, cut.,: ..The ■ head, was- immediately connected' with the ■' 'body,'- with' but" any'indication''of' a neck.'''"' "'The body was about 45ft. or 50ft. in length, and of an oval shape, and, the tail was fully 150 ft. in'ie'ngtL . The ..master,, | states,'that, he distinctly .saw the.tail 'its junction with the body to its extremity. ' 'lf seemed cylindrical,.with .a.-very, slight ~ taper,,, and, he,,estimated., its.- idiameter/.ati < \ '4ft.. The body and' 'tail were • marked""' ' with alternate bands and stripes, b.ack and pale yellow in «olor.■ • The .stripes''were distinct to-the-very extremity of the 'tail';-'' 'No furs'dr' paddles" we're observed, monster seemed to progress .by means of, an undulatory motion of its tail. It ' seemed to have, no dimeulty in keeping-up- '■ : with the-vessel,. which-was-agoing. 0 J-knots' •■ an hour. Captain Webster at first thought' '•> "'of' "niniiing ' it down, but, dismissed,, the:.jtf idea for fear' of injuring his The creature sigr.f finally dropped astern. . it exude an oily matter as it moved. Anderson,'"tliV ship ! 3 . surgeim, .stated, ■ i\\Q creature l.im of an enorlM mous salainand-.r in sh';;'p : aii'd color. • back was'L'igi.er''si'rtik el.ht or "t n 'feet at" times t!:an t!;e head or tail. It was apparently of a gilatiaouo or flabby substance. Its. .movements, were let'argic'.' ' ' He sLoukt - -not •f6i , ''a'''nVo'!!icn't''cbinp'are'it' ~ to a snake,; thj3-,p,idy,creatures it.could be..«! compared to were of the newt 'or frog • ,! tribe. .."■-•- ••■-,.■<■>. ■' ■ ' ''.'",." \ ,',"'