From long observation of ophidian habits, I venture to offer certain suggestions in addition to published opinions; and I may remind my readers that as all reptiles undergo a species of hibernation, we may reasonably conclude that these huge marine ones form no exception to the rule. They may lie for months dormant in the deep recesses of the ocean, and reappear during the long days and hot weather like their land relatives. It seems strange that so far from this having been taken into consideration, it has become the fashion to ridicule the ‘reappearance of the great sea serpent’ at the very time when all other reptiles reappear as a matter of course. Long days are more favourable for observations, and probably log-books record many other creatures, whether mammal, bird, or fish, seen during the summer and not in other seasons, as well as ‘sea serpents.’ Not because this is the slack time of journalists, therefore, who are supposed to be at their wits’ end for subjects, but simply because ships coming home at this time bring reports of their summer observations. It is much to be regretted that these reports have come to be associated with ‘the gigantic gooseberry,’ and such seasonable wonders, because the door to investigation is thus closed. It is also, to be regretted that many hoaxes have undeniably been committed to print, really to fill up newspaper columns, and feed a love of the marvellous. Professor Owen’s words may well be repeated here, ‘It is far harder to establish a truth than to kill an untruth.’ One more little matter is also to be seriously deplored; and this is the unscientific habit of calling all these unfamiliar animals ‘monsters,’ a word signifying truly a _monstrosity_, a creature with two heads, a beast with five or six legs instead of four, or other such malformations. These are truly monsters, and to use the term otherwise only creates mistaken impressions. Inadvertently even scientific men fall into this habit; naturalists and well-known authorities are seen in print to talk of these sea ‘monsters,’ but who in the same page denounce exaggerated expressions. In _Land and Water_ of September 8, 1877, several of our distinguished naturalists contributed papers on the evidence of the officers of the royal yacht _Osborne_, relative to a large marine animal seen off Sicily on June 3 of that year. Professor Owen also acceded to an earnest request to add a few words on the subject, and it was noticeable that more than once in his few pithy lines this eminent authority delicately hinted at the mistake of calling animals ‘_monsters_’ without just reason for so doing: ‘The phenomena were not necessarily caused by a _monster_,’ he writes; ‘and the words ... denote rather a cetacean than a _monster_.’ Again, ‘There are no grounds for calling it a _monster_.’