3(3 



sixteen miles north of Narandera, there exists an animal which in 

 every respect tallies with the description of the creature fre- 

 quently reported as seen in various places. Here is the account 

 of a gentleman who had a (juiet half-hour's view of this strange 

 nondescript. "A few days since, Mr. A., who was driving sheep 

 across country to Melbourne, camped on the lagoon. He called at 

 my house and asked what the animal was that we had in our swamp 

 and proceeded to describe something which had alarmed him and 

 the shepherds ? I ridiculed his report, and he got angry, inviting me 

 to come down and see for myself. I went down early next morning, 

 between six and seven o'clock, accompanied by two other persons, 

 and had not waited long before I heard the sound as of a body 

 rushing rapidly through the water, making a noise as load as that 

 caused by a North Shore steamer. Looking in the direction of the 

 sound I saw a creature coming through the water with tremendous 

 rapidity, and directing its course immediately towards us. We stood 

 still, deeply interested, and watched the approach of the animal, 

 which having, as we presumed, lately risen to the surface, was 

 evidently not aware of our presence. It came on with great swift- 

 ness until it was scarcely 30 yards from the edge of the lagoon, 

 when it appeared suddenly to catch sight of us, and stopped 

 instantly. It lay on the water then perfectly still, and I had a 

 splendid view of a creature that surprised me more than anything 

 I had ever before seen in my life. The animal was about half as 

 long again as an ordinary retriever dog, the hair all over its body 

 was jet black and shining, its coat was very long — the hair spreading 

 out on the surface of the water for about five inches, and floating 

 loosely as the creature rose and fell by its own motion, I could not 

 detect any tail, and the hair about its head was too long and glossy 

 to admit of my seeing its eyes ; the ears were well marked. It made 

 no noise, but kept its position for half-an-hour, surveying us, no 

 doubt, leisurely, although its visual organs were hidden from us. 

 At length it turned quietly round and swam off easily, without any 

 manifestation of alarm, and we watched it moving leisurely along 

 the surface of the lake until it was hidden by the distance. We 

 have been greatly excited by its appearance, and I have offered £20 

 for its dead body, and £50 if captured alive. " This statement may 

 be relied upon, and there can be no doubt whatever the gentleman 

 saw all he has described. Could not a party be fitted out to earn 

 the reward, and ennoble Wagga in the annals of Natural History ? 



And I was still more interested by the spontaneous infor- 

 mation received a few days back that several townsmen of this 

 city had seen a remarkable beast in Lake Tiberias, while on 

 a shooting expedition. My information is from Mr. Howe, 

 market gardener of Campbell- street, a keen sportsman and a 

 lover of natural history, evidently a good observer and not 

 likely to mistake a tadpole for a crocodile, who states that in 

 company with Messrs. Shadwick and Currie of New Town, and 

 five others, he was at the Lake Tiberias on the 17th July last, 

 and that while on the shore at the north-east end, he observed 

 swans, and creeping to the edge of the lake, fired at them, imme- 



