Mermaids
Mermaids have been seen by sailors for centuries. The basis of all mermaid myths is supposed to be a creature called a manatee: a kind of walrus! Mermaid used to be shown in funfairs until recently. It all begin in 1817 when a ‘mermaid’ was bought for $6,000 by a sailor in the south Pacific. She was eventually sold to the great circus-owner Barnum. She was exhibited in 1842 as ‘the feejee mermaid’. It was said that she earned Barnum $1,000 a week! The thousands who saw this mermaid must be disappointed. she was cleverly made by a Japanese fisherman. A monkey’s head was delicately sewn to the tail of a large salmon. The job was so skillfully done that the join between the fish and the monkey was invisible. Real. imagination must be required to see this revolting creature as a beautiful mermaid combing her golden hair!