1209 



Two of the vertebrsB were transmitted to me, with portions of 

 what was termed the inane of the animal ; which I now exhibit. 



The dead animal was first observed by some fishermen lying on 

 2k, sunken rock, about a quarter of a mile from Rothiesholm-head ; but 

 in a few days a violent gale from the S.E. cast it on shore in a creek 

 near the headland, where it remained for some time tolerably entire ; 

 and it was subsequently broken up by the fury of the waves. Before 

 it was thus broken into several pieces it was examined, and mea- 

 sured by several intelligent inhabitants of the island ; and their tes- 

 timony, collected as above stated, was forwarded to London, Edin- 

 burgh, &c. Their declarations were, however, accompanied by a 

 very absurd suppositious drawing of the animal, which was thus pro- 

 duced. Many days elapsed ere the tempestuous weather allowed 

 any communication with other islands ; and when the storm abated, 

 a young man was sent from Kirkwall by Mr Laing, to collect what 

 information he could on the subject. But by this time the body of 

 the animal was completely broken up. This lad, who was no 

 draughtsman, and ignorant of Natural History, endeavoured, from the 

 descriptions of those who had seen the animal most entire, to delineate 

 with chalk on a table a figure of the animal. The rude figure so 

 produced was transferred by pencil to paper, and copies of it were 

 handed about as real representations of the animal. 



That it had a general resemblance to the animal was admitted by 

 those who had seen it ; but from the accounts I afterwards obtained, 

 it would appear that the jointed legs, which the lad had attached to 

 it, are creations of his own imagination. 



The appendages, which gave rise to this strange representation, 

 were never called legs by those who saw the animal, but were de- 

 nominated by them wingSy or Jins, or swimming paws. " That 

 nearest the head was broader than the rest, about four-and-a-half 

 feet in length, and was edged all round with bristles or fibres, about 

 ten inches long." The " lower jaw was wanting when it was cast 

 ashore, but there remained cartilaginous teeth in portions of the 

 jaws." Before it was discovered putrefaction had commenced, es- 

 pecially in the fins. The animal had a long and slender neck, on 

 which there were two spiracles on each side. 



The wings would seem to have been the remains of fins, altered 

 by incipient decomposition. The six may perhaps be remains of 

 pectoral, abdominal, and anal fins, and perhaps they may have been 



