Nearly three years afterwards, in October 1811, a singular creature is said to have been seen on another part of the coast of Scotland, remote from the former. A peasant made oath in presence of a magistrate, that about four miles south of C.Impbehown, his attention was attracted by a white object on a black rock. He crept through a field of corn, and then advanced among the rocks on the shore, until he approached within 12 or 15 paces of it. The upper part was white, and resem bled the human form, aid tapered gradually towards the tail, which terminated like a fan 12 or 14 inches broad. The under half was of a brindled or reddish grey, apparently covered with scales ; but the extremity of the tail itself was of a greenish-red shining colour. Its whole length appeared to be four or five feet, and it was of the thickness of a youth. The head, hair, arms, and body down to the middle, resembled those of a hu man being ; but as the creature lay flat on the rock, and with its head towards the sea, and was constantly strok ing and washing its breast, the peasant could not dis cover whether or not the bosom was formed like that of a woman. The neck and arms seemed short in pro portion to the body. Long light brown hair covered the head, which being sometimes raised over it by gusts of wind, the animal leaned towards one side, and with ber hand on the other stroked it back, then shifting its position, adjusted it in the same manner on the opposite side. During two hours it remained thus exposed to observation ; but the tide having receded, so as to leave the rock dry five feet above the surface of the water, the animal, leaning forward on one arm, then on the other, drew its body towards the edge, and tumbled clumsily into the sea. Now for the first time the face was dis tinctly seen, having all the appearance of the human aspect, with very hollow eyes, and the cheeks of the same colour as the rest of the face.
Still more lately it has been affirmed, that in the course of autumn, 1819, a creature appeared on the coast of Ireland, about the size of a girl of ten years of age, with a bosom as prominent as that of one of six teen, having a profusion of long dark brown hair, and full dark eyes. The hands and arms were formed like those of man, with a slight web connecting the upper part of the fingers, which were frequently employ ed in throwing back and dividing the hair ; and the tail appeared like that of a dolphin. This creature remained basking on the rocks during an hour, in the sight of numbers of people, until frightened by the flash of a musket, when it plunged with a scream into the sea.
These are some of the most recent narratives regarding marine animals, that had a resemblance to the human figure. But a question naturally arises, what were these animals ? Had they actually some of the parts and pro portions of man, or do they belong to another order, on which credulity and inaccurate observation have bestowed false character ? We are, no doubt, very imperfectly acquainted with a multitude of animals, especially those of the aquatic tribes ; and the learned Bishop of Bergen justly exclaims, " Were it possible that the sea could be drained of its waters, what incredible numbers, what infinite variety of uncommon and amazing sea monsters would exhibit themselves to our view, which are now entirely un known." Natural History of Norway, vol. ii. p. 185.
Many, however, have supposed, that because a narrow link appears between the human and the brute creation on land, the same should exist in the sea ; and various other causes have contributed to the prevalence of this opinion. Nevertheless, the most skilful naturalists of the present age deny the existence of the mermaid : regarding those seen in the sea, as some of the various species of seals ; and those exhibited as such on shore, as natural subjects disguised by art. The triton of .iElian and Pliny are different ; the woman fish of Santos, Bar chewitz, Bartholin, and Artedi, cannot be considered the same ; nor can any of those animals we have describ ed be referred to the Alusague of the Pelew islands, sixteen feet long, and twelve in circumference, which has been lately classed with " the merman of Norway." The nature and properties of the seal are yet suscepti ble of many illustrations ; and some have found an im perfect resemblance of the human form in certain or gans, to the corresponding parts of phocx. Parsons, ap. Phil. Trans. vol. xlii. p. 383. A recent voyager to the North remarks, that " these animals, in swimming, often raise themselves as far as the shoulder above the surface of the water. The first I saw in this position was at a considerable distance, and might easily have been mistaken for a man." Laing, p. 107. But the il lusion may be heightened still farther ; for, according to some authors, the woman fish of the African seas, when taken in nets by the Negroes, shrieks and cries like a woman. Captain Colnett relates also, that in the South Seas, when far from land, an animal arose beside the ship, and uttered shrieks and lamentations, so like those proceeding from a woman, as to occasion great alarm. They continued for above three hours, and seemed to increase as the ship withdrew. Captain Col nett conjectured that they came from a female seal that had lost its cub, or a cub that had lost its dam, but he declares that no resemblance could be nearer the hu man voice. Voyage to the .South Seas, p. 169. The extreme rarity of what has been called the mermaid, is far from being an argument against its existence. During late years, naturalists scarcely believed in the giraffe and hippopotamus ; they still debate concern ing the unicorn and the mammoth ; and that such a creature lived as the great sea serpent, was resolute ly denied, until one was cast up by the waves on our own islands. The existence of a marine animal, partly resembling the human species, is therefore to be con sidered a question of evidence, which remains to be decided. (c)