4' 



ON THE ORKNEY ANIMAL 



Part of that evidence, founded on the compa- 

 rison of some organs belonging to the Squalus and 

 the animal of Stronsa, has been already detailed i 

 the remaining part is in the following affidavits. 

 The solemn declarations in these affidavits, it must 

 be confessed, do not always agree, even where they 

 relate to the same things ; and part of this differ- 

 ence may have arisen, from the persons who emitted 

 the declarations not being accustomed to the ac r 

 curacy required in zoological descriptions, —from 

 their having seen the animal separately, at diffe- 

 rent periods, in different states, and in different 

 positions. Be these declarations, however, true or 

 false, there is nothing in them which, when taken 

 literally, indicates a Squalus or a Squalus maxi- 

 mus. 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 such truly wonderful effects 

 on the senses, the judgment, the imagination, and 

 the veracity of these Orcadians, as to have made 

 their solemn declarations so widely different from 

 nature and from truth. If these odd effects on 

 the minds of the Orcadians, could have proceeded 



