MEMOIR OF JOHN BARCLAY. ^ 39 



like arms_, terminating in toes^ edged all around, 

 from the body to the extremity of the toes, with a 

 row of bristles, about 10 inches long, and also a 

 mane or range of bristles along the back, from the 

 shoulder to the tail, about 14 inches in length, of a 

 silvery colour, and luminous in the dark. So strange 

 a tenant of the deep, naturally attracted Dr. Barclay's 

 curiosity, and he procured several of the vertebrae ; 

 an account of which he read to the Werneriaa 

 Society, illustrated with drawings by Mr. Sime. 

 Soon after, Everard Home, Esq., (afterwards Sir 

 E verard) published in the London Philosophical Trans- 

 actions, a description of two vertebrae of the Squalus 

 maximus of Linnaeus, which he alleged were similar to 

 those of the Orkney animal ; and, therefore, that the 

 ^' great unknown" of Stronsa, was nothing else than 

 the Squalus maximus, the Barking Shark of the 

 Swede. Believing, however, that Barclay had com- 

 mitted no mistake, even after perusing the affidavits of 

 the persons who had seen it, he endeavoured to throw 

 the blame of his own misconception on the declarations 

 of the witnesses. This induced Barclay to publish 

 his account of the animal, in a small pamphlet, to 

 which he appended some brief replies to Mr. Home, 

 concluding in the following caustically humorous 

 manner : — " Be these declarations true or false, there 

 is nothing in them which, when taken literally, in- 

 dicates a Squalus, or Squalus maximus. This Mr. 

 Home seems willing to admit; and, therefore, is at 

 some pains to explain how the sight of a Squalus, 

 or more probably a Squalus maximus, produced 



