Research source

Nor was I disappointed, the animal, lured no doubt by the dense masses of fish now off the coast, having…

Date of account: Late nineteenth-century survey
Source: The great sea-serpent: an historical and critical treatise
Reference: The great sea-serpent: an historical and critical treatise · selected passage 71
Rights: public_domain
Language: English edition of a European scholarly compilation
Translation: English edition of A. C. Oudemans's historical survey
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Nor was I disappointed, the animal, lured no doubt by the dense masses of fish now off the coast, having remained within a comparatively short distance of the land

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

Nor was I disappointed, the animal, lured no doubt by the dense masses of fish now off the coast, having remained within a comparatively short distance of the land. At about 11. o’clock A. M., when off Dunwordy-head, one of my crew on the look out sang out: “The sea-serpent on starboard bow!” and on looking in the direction indicated, I had the pleasure of at once recognizing the same monster that I had before seen, and greatly do I regret, indeed, that you or some person conversant with natural history were not on board with me. We drew as close as I thought consistent with safety, and had ample proof of the creature being piscivorous, he being at the time engaged in bolting a great number of large haak or congereels. I had now for the first time a view of his tail, which entirely differs from the usual form of that extremity in most descriptions of fish, being furnished with no fin, but somewhat resembling a huge elephant’s trunk or proboscis, the end long drawn out and curling and twisting in a very remarkable manner.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This is a historical compilation of unusual-animal reports and argument. Witness testimony, repetition between publications and the author's zoological assumptions all affect independence and reliability.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

Lattice compares morphology, behaviour and setting while keeping misidentification, folklore, exaggeration, error and known animals available as alternatives.

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