It is 80 years since the Loch Ness monster   was spotted for the first time. Mrs. Aldie Mackay, a local hotel manageress, might have thought that her eyes had deceived   her when she reported seeing a "whale-like fish" in the waters of the Scottish lake. Or was it made up by people? Dr. Charles Paxton, a researcher from St Andrew's University, noted that many of the 1,000 eye-witness accounts of the elusive "monster" he has been analyzing come from hotel owners. This raises suspicion   of an intention to increase tourism. Mrs. Mackay is widely regarded as the first "modern sighting" of the monster in the lake. And it has opened the floodgates. Police inspectors, lorry drivers, clergymen and fishermen were among the people who claimed to have seen the monster. It became so famous that it got a nickname: Nessie. Tourists and 'Nessie hunters' poured to the area. There were traffic jams around the lake. Certainly, there was much to be gained from the legend. According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than PS1,000,000 to the area per year. Marine biologist Adrian Shine, who interviewed Mrs. Mackay years later, believes she was sincere. But there are plenty of people who have made a living from Nessie, including Mr. Shine himself. He now runs the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition out of Mrs. Mackay's old hotel. Dr. Paxton says, analyzing the eye-witness accounts may tell us more about ourselves than whether or not the monster exists. He is due to publish the results of his study later this year. As a scientist, he casts a disbelieving eye on all the evidence linked to Nessie. Highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed he photographed the beast in 1934. It was later proved to be a toy submarine   with a sea-serpent head. Dr. Paxton says: "I suppose it is possible that people have an agenda  . But I believe the vast majority of people are reporting the truth. They believe they have seen something strange." Some say you see what you expect. If this is true, in the land famous for whisky and Nessie, the beast will live long and prosper. Mrs. Aldie Mackay probably felt   _   when she reported seeing something unusual in the lake.
excited astonished frightened disappointed