CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 115 



and variegated colours they have. Having thought fit to 

 give this notice of these creatures, I must leave it to you 

 what use to make of it, who am, &c. 



P.S. — In the above-mentioned African book there is 

 mention made of a quadruped called Adwa, which I re- 

 member not to have met with in other authors. It is 

 described to be no bigger than a lady's lapdog, in shape 

 like a young roebuck, with a beautiful long head, very 

 neat feet, short slender body. 



Just when I was going to send this, I was informed 

 that you had caused only some young ones of the little 

 East India birds to be di-aA\ai, but that the old ones differ 

 so much from the young ones, by their being most cu- 

 riously speckled (which I hear the young ones are not), 

 that those that know the old ones, and not the young, 

 wiU hardly think them to be the same birds. 

 London, December 21, — 74. 



Dr. Towne's Letter about the Shark to Mr. Dent, and by him communicated 



to Mr. Ray. 



I SEND you by this fleet the skin of a young shark-fish 

 stufied; you may receive it from Mr. Penn, if it come 

 safe to him. The skin of this fish, when fresh, is so 

 porous, especially about the head, that though never so 

 little squeezed, it sends forth water-drops about the big- 

 ness of a small pea through its pores, and so harsh, that 

 it wore my nails, as I was helping to flay it, to the quick 

 almost in a moment. I believe you may now whet your 

 knife upon it. His ventricle is without any folds in its 

 inmost coat, or any sensible acidity, which makes me 

 think that perhaps the philosophers do not justly attri- 

 bute concoction to the famous succus acidus and calor 

 innatus, for both of these he wants, and yet is extremely 

 voracious, insomuch, one was taken by some of our sea- 



