MERMAID, or MERMAN, a marine animal, the up per parts of which arc supposed to resemble those of the human species, and the lower the tail of a fish.
This animal, such as it is understood to be, has never come under the observation of any intelligent naturalist, and has therefore given birth to many contro versies. Artedi, however, proposes to institute a genus under which the mermaid may be comprehended with these characteristics, SIREN, Dentes Pinnx dux tantonz in toto corpore. Ganda pinnate nulls. Caput, collum et jleCtUS ad umbilicum usque, human= spcciem habent. But, at the same time, he says, " I wish that some skilful ichthyologist would examine this animal, to ascertain whether it be imaginary, or a real fish ; it is better to refrain from opinions, than to give them precipitately." Bibliotheca Ichthyologica. Others have shown less reserve, and have declared positively that the mermaid is an animal sot generis, narrowly resem bling the human species.
The ancients describe Sirens, Tritons, and Nereids, as inhabitants of the waters ; and it has been general ly believed by the natives of all maritime countries, that such beings actually exist ; but the discrepancies in the description by those who have seen the mermaid, or merman of modern times, are such that they can not refer to the same animal. Some affirm it is smooth ; others call it hairy ; and, according to a third class, it is covered with scales. There is the like dif ference regarding the real figure of the animal, which is said either to have a single or divided tail ; or to have none ; as seems to be the case with that alluded to by Artedi.
In an early account of Newfoundland, the narrator describes a " maremaid, or mareman," which he ob scree,: within the length of a pike, as a strange crea ture, which came 5WITIIM tug swiftly towards him, " !coking cheerfully on my face, as it had been a \VG mart By the face, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears, neck, and forehead, it seemeu to be so beautiful, and in those parts so well proportioned, having round about the head many blue streaks resembling hair, but certainly it was no hair." The observer further remarked, that the shoulders and back, down to the middle, were square, white, and smooth, as the back of a man : and from the middle to the end, it tapered like a broad hooked arrow. This animal put both its hands on the side of the boat he sat, and strove much to get in, but was repelled by a blow. (Sec Whithourne's Discourse of .Vcv.youndland in fine.) Probably the narra tor's imagination has embellished the appearance and the boldness of the animal. In the year 1671, another marine animal was seen by six negroes, who, being strictly exa mined on the subject, agreed, in general, that from the head to the middle it. resembled a man, and from
thence downwards a fish, terminating in a forked tail ; the head, face, eyes, and mouth, were like those of a man ; the nose extremely flat. Its hair, which was grey, hung over the shoulders ; and the beard, also grey, was about seven or eight inches long. Grey hair covered the breast, but the thruet and rest of the body were rather white. The size or the animal was about equal to that of a youth of 16 or 17. It. stood half out of the water, looking boldly on the negroes, and raising its hand as if to wipe its ftice : it was wit., in a few paces of them ; and, alter showing itself three times. plunged into the sea. De llailiet, Telliamed, torn. ii. p. 320.
Nearly about the same period, there was given a very distinct account of an animal referred to this tribe, though the author, an English surgeon, does not design it by any name. About three leagues from the mouth of the river Rappahannock in America, while alone in a vessel, he observed, at the distance of about hall a stone throw, " a most prodigious creature, much resembling a man, only somewhat larger, stand ing right up in the water, with his head, neck, shoul ders, breast, and waist, to the cubits of his arms, above water ; his skin was tawny, much like that an In dian ; the figure of his head was pyramidal and sleek, without hair ; his eyes large and black, and so were his eye-brows ; his mouth very wide, with a broad black streak on the upper lip, which turned upwards at each end like mustachios. His countenance was grim and terrible. His neck, shoulders, arms, breast, and waist, were like unto the neck, arms, shoulders, breast, and waist of a man. His hinds, if he had any, were under water. He seemed to stand with his eyes fixed on me for some time. and afterwards dived down ; and a little after rose at somewhat a greater distance, and turned his head towards me again, and then im mediately fell a little under water, that I could discern him throw out his arms, and gather them in es a man does when he swims. At last he shot with his head downwards, by which means he cast his tail above the water, which exactly resembled the tail of a fish with a broad fane at the end of it." Glover's .4cc,unt cf Virginia, .1p. Phil. Trans. vol. xi. p. The mermaid is not confined to any quarter of the globe ; for according to Debes, in 1670 one stood i car the shore of the Faroe Islands, ii sight of a eey of tic inhabitants, during two hours and a halt, up to the navel in the water. " Long hair hung from her head all around her, down to the surface ; and she held a fish in her right hand." The modern historian of these islands, Landt, is silent on this subject.