WOULD-BE SEA-SERPENTS. 69 
and that it was situated with the broad and thick part downwards 
and the open part towards the vertebrae of the back: That he 
observed no appearance of fins about the neck or breast, or other 
parts of the body, except the six paws already described. And all 
this he solemnly declares to be truth, &c.” 
“(Signed)” 
“Geo. Sherar.” 
One of the ablest ichthyologists of those days, Mr. Evrrarp 
Home examined the “sea-snake”’, and recognized it for a Basking 
shark. Immediately after his paper in the PAédlosophical Transactions 
of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 98, entitled “An anatomical 
account of the Squalus maximus (of Linnaeus), which, &c.,” especially 
of an individual of thirty feet six inches, “entangled in the herring 
nets, belonging to the fishermen of Hastings, 13 Nov. 1808”, 
Mr. Home goes further: | 
“IT cannot close the present paper without mentioning, that 
nearly the same period, two other Squali of large dimensions were 
thrown upon our coast. The problable cause of this event, is the 
season being uncommonly boisterous and tempestuous. On the 3d. 
of January, 1809, a fish was thrown ashore at Penrhyn, in Corn- 
wall. On hearing of it from a person on the spot, I sent down a 
drawing of the subject of this paper to compare with it, and the 
fish proves to be of the same species, and a male, measuring 
thirty-one feet in length.” 
“The other was thrown ashore on the 7th. of October, 1808, at 
Rothiesholm, an estate of Gilbert Meason, Esq. in Stronsay, one 
of the Orkney isles. It had been seen lying on some sunken rocks, 
eleven days before, was in a half putrid state, and the sea fowls 
were in great numbers feeding upon it. Those who saw it, re- 
ported that the skin was rough in one direction, and smooth like 
satin in the other. At the time of its being examined, the skin 
and a great many other parts of the fish were wanting.” 
“Mr. Meason, with a zeal for science which does him infinite 
credit, upon hearing the strange accounts which were given of this 
sea-monster, got his brother, Malcolm Laing, Esq. and Dr. Grant, 
an eminent physician (both justices of the peace), to take depositi- 
ons on the spot, from those persons who had seen the fish, that 
its real appearance might be ascertained. This examination, how- 
ever, did not take place till six weeks after the fish was thrown ashore.” 
“These depositions were sent to Sir Joseph Banks, who put them 
into my hands. (The depositions are very long, and exceedingly 
