CoLENSO. — Mcmorahilia of certain xinimal Prodigies. 87 



Aet. XII. — Memorabilia of certain Animal Prodigies, Native 

 and Foreign, Ancient and Modern. 



By W. OoLENSO, F.E.S., F.L.S. (Lond.), &c. 



[Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th November, 



1894.] 



St. George, that swinged the dragon, and e'er since 

 Sits on his horseback at mine hostess' door, 

 'Teach us some fence ! ... 

 And make a monster of j"ou. 



Shaksp., " K. John," Act IE., Sc. I. 



I go alone. 

 Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen 

 Makes fear'd, and talk'd of more than seen. 



Shaksp., " Coriol.," Act IV., Sc. I. 



Early in the month of May, when the shooting season begins, 

 I was residing, as usual in the autumn, at Dannevirke, in the 

 Forty-mile Bush, and I heard the friendly warning given to 

 "Lookout!" or "Beware!" at a certain notorious lagoon, 

 pool, or deep-water swamp, frequented by ducks, lying about 

 three miles from Dannevirke, and not far from the bridge over 

 the Eiver Manawatu. 



Curiosity being aroused, I made inquiry, and I found that 

 during the shooting season of the last year (1893) a young 

 man of Dannevirke named George Slade, out shooting, had 

 there seen a tanitcha (unknown watery monster), and had 

 fired at it and wounded it. Through the kindness of the 

 resident clergyman (Eev. E. Eobertshawe) I had an interview 

 nest day with the young man, who related the whole matter 

 very clearly, temperately, and coherently ; and, briefly, it was 

 as follows : He was out shooting, and, having fired at a duck 

 there swimming, and killed it, his dog went into the water 

 after it ; but before the dog got up to the duck a large 

 animal (unknown) emerged from the thickly-growing raupo 

 (bulrushes) adjacent, and, swimming, made direct for the dog ; 

 on this the dog retreated howling, sans duck. Seeing this, 

 Slade, on the high land above, fired at the strange animal, 

 and struck its head, beyond the eye, and near the angle of its 

 mouth. On receiving the shot the creature turned and swam 

 back into the tall raupo, and was not again seen. Slade 

 further said, its head was raised, as if on a neck, a little above 

 the water, and appeared about 18in. long, with greyish hair 

 or fur. He had related the occurrence at the time on his 

 return to the township, so that it was well known and talked 

 of. This fresh and strange relation by him brought four 

 others to the fore, who stated that, when out riding lately in 

 that neighbourhood, they too had seen a creature, apparently 



