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Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MUIRHEAD'S MYSTERIES: A giant basking shark and three white hares

Richard Muirhead is an old friend of the CFZ. I have been friends with him for 40 years now, since we were kids together in Hong Kong. He is undoubtedly one of the two best researchers I have ever met; he and Nigel Wright both have what Charlie Fort would have no doubt called a wild talent; a talent for going into a library, unearthing a stack of old newspapers, and coming back with some hitherto overlooked gem of arcane knowledge. Twice a week he wanders into the Macclesfield Public Library and comes out with enough material for a blog post..

I`ve been ill in bed most of the day with an appalling cough and cold but fortunately I have a small back log of animal stories from the pages of the Macclesfield Courier from late 1812 to mid 1813: Selling a basking shark for £600 seems alot even by early 19th century standards:

"Another fish of the basking shark species,measuring in length 32ft, girth 19ft,caught off Brighton on Friday se`nnight* (sic), in the herring nets of an industrious fishermen,named Collins-sold next day by Dutch auction,for £600 to some person who mean to exhibit it in London." Macclesfield Courier December 12th 1812. p.3.
This would make it one of the largest ever basking sharks? And if it was not a basking shark, what was it?
"A few days ago three white hares were found in a field of Mr Maws(?)of Hacknew(?) near Scarbro`about one month old."
Macc.Courier June 25th 1813.
* Se'nnight = seven nights (one week), an archaic usage, though fortnight (14 nights, or two weeks) is still widely used

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