Closing In on "Nessie"
It was the biggest slug I'd ever seen ―― five inches of black creepy-crawly！ It looked like a snail without its shell. I'd nearly steped on it as I climbed a hill above the lake in Scotland called Loch Ness.
"Slug grow big here，" my companion said. "And our hunt may be for the grandfather of them all-a gaint sea slug."
My guide was Ciem Skelton. He belongs to a group that is tring to track down "Nessie". What is "Nessie"？ No one kowns for sure. But "Nessie" is the nickname for the famous Loch Ness Monster.
Skelton has seen the strange creature six times. But， as always， Nessie disappeared before he could take a close look.
More than one slippery creature is said to be living in Loch Ness. In any case， people have reported seeing a humped "what-is-it" for over 30 years.
For a long time the mysterious monster was considered just ajoke. But things changed in 1966. Then， some photo experts of the Royal Air Force reported on their study of a film of the "monster". They said that there really is some huge object in Loch Ness ―― and it's probably alive！
The man who "caught" Nessie on film was Tim Dinsdale. One day in 1960 he was driving slowly along a road above the black water of Loch Ness. Suddenly， he spotted a reddish-brown， humpbacked object floating about 1600 yards away.
He hurriedly stopped his car and grabbed his camera. The thing began moving toward the far shore. Dinsdale filmed what he was sure was the back of a huge animal. It was half in and half out of the water. The creature swam away in a slow zigzag course. Soon it disappeared in a gaint splah of foam. But Tim Dinsdale had Nessie's picture on 40 feet of film！
The film was shown on TV programs all over the world. Unfortunately， scientists who study animals （zoologists） still laughed about Nessie. But a small group of interested people decided to investigate further. They set up the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau. In 1964， the group gave Dinsdale's film to the photo expers of the Royal Air Force. "Here's a film，" said the group. "Tell us what's on it."
The 1966 report of the RAF made "Nessie"respectable. Here are some of the expers' conclusions：
1. The object rose three feet above the waterline.
2. It moved at ten miles per hour.
3. It was not a surface craft or a submarine. "It is probably a living object."
4. The normal body "rounding" suggested that there was at least two feet of it under the water.
5. A section cut through the object would not be less than six feet wide and five feet high.
A drawing and a model of the gigantic mystery creature were made. They were based on photos and on more than 100 eyewitness reports.
What a strange-looking animal it seemed to be！ Some natural natural scientist say it looks like a reptile from the time of the dinosaurs. This gaint reptile of long ago grew to a 30-foot length. Its body was shaped like a barrel， with four paddle-like legs. Above its long slender neck was a tiny head with a large mouth filled with pointed teeth.
Most scientists agree that Nessie is neigher a whale nor a shark. They think that it could be a huge， unknown kind of sea slug. The small garden slug can strench its body to enter worm holes. So a sea slug could shape its body into the one， two， three or more humps that different people say they have seen.
How did Nessie get into Loch Ness？ From the sea， all say. Untill the end of the last Ice Age， the lake was an arm of the sea. Then the ice on the rugged rocks melted. The earth's crust rose， leaving the lake separated from the sea.
The lake's gloomy bottom is well-stocked with fish. What a perfect place for a settlement of monsters！ Gradually， they could get used to fresh water.
Today the surface of Loch Ness is 52 feet above sea level. The lake is about 23 miles long and one to 11/2 miles wide. It is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. The water never freezes. There is a wealth of salmon， trout， eels， pike. All this adds up to good living for the shy gaint of Loch Ness.
Stories of the monster go back for hundreds of years. But the first reports of our times began in 1933. In that year， a road was blasted out of rock along the lake. Perhaps the shock waves reached the creatures. Many were repored seen in the following months.
Bits of eyewitness reports make startling reading： "Three humps churning through the water leaving a foaming trail. Head about the same width as neck， mouth 12 to 18 inches wide. Looked like an elephant's back， four feet high， 12 feet long. Speed about 35 miles per hour.
Expect for the number of humps， the descriptions' are quite similar. The creatures， probably several of them， have been spotted in all parts of the lake .They seem to fear noise. At the sound of a motorboat， they sink out of sight.
Led by Lnpib，the seach for the Loch Ness Monster continues. Each morning， some members take their cameras to goodviewing points on the lake. With convincing photos of Nessie， the members can raise money for a more thorough search. Since light cuts only a few feet into the black water， drivers are useless. Electronic equipment is needed. Radar and sonar seem the best ways to track Nessie.
A single radar set at one end of the long straight lake could spot Nessie on top of the water. For tracking Nessie under the water， echo-sounding could help. It was tried in 1960 by men in a motorboat. Something appeared on the sonar screen. But the thing dived rapidly and was lost. If it was Nessie， it may have fled beacause of the noise of the boat's propeller. Now there's talk of sonar-tracking the creature from a silent sailboat.
In such ways， we are closing in on the Loch Ness Monsters. Someday we may find out how many there are. When we learn their habits， we can find how to protect and perserve them. Who knows？ You yourself may someday have a chance to view the world's most famous monster ―― Nessie of Loch Ness .
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