MUIRHEAD'S MYSTERIES: MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: TERMITES, A BIRD AND MORE ON THE 9 LEGGED FISH

Dear folks,

Today I have a mixed bag of items, namely a report on foreign termites near the home of the Dear Leader, an early Takahe report from New Zealand and an opinion concerning the 9-legged fish from Nevada, which I featured on this blog about 10 days ago. This opinion comes from Chad Arment in his book Cryptozoology and The Investigation of Lesser-Known Mystery Animals pp 177-178.

Now the termites: “Alien termites set up home in Devon. Termites, one of the world`s most destructives insect pets, have established what is thought to be the first colony in Britain in a house in rural Devon. The termite, Reticulitermes lucifugus, is normally found in southern Europe, southern Russia and North Africa.

“The termites were found in two timber frame walls, heated by pipes,” says Roger Berry of the Building Research Establishment. “ The timber was damp and the combination of heat and moisture has produced the perfect microclimate for the insects.”

No one knows when the insects set up home in the house near Barnstaple, or how they got there…A colony can contain as many as a million termites. The number in the Devon colony is not known but the investigators counted at least 500 individuals in “just one foot of skirting board.” So far no termites have appeared in other properties. “If this were an urban area or a row of terraced houses, we could be looking at a rather more serious problem.” says Berry…One thing the experts are sure of is that the termites have not appeared as a result of climate change. “This isn`t a case of change. “ This isn`t a case of global warming,” says Paul Eggleton,who runs the termite research team at the Natural History Museum. “They have certainly been brought in by somebody.” (1)

The Takahe report is from The San Francisco Call of October 9th 1898. It`s not significant from a cryptozoological perspective, rather, historical. According to Wikipedia the takahe was thought to be extinct after the last 4 were taken in 1898. This article reports on one of those 4:

RARE BIRD CAUGHT BY A TOURIST`S DOG. Capture in New Zealand of a Wild Fowl of a Species Thought to Have Been Extinct. Advices were received from Auckland by the Warrimbo to the effect that a species of a very rare bird has been discovered on one of the southwest coast fjords of New Zealand. It is the mantelll, the takahe of the Maoris, supposed to have been extinct. Until a few weeks ago there was only three specimens of this bird in the world, and for many years no trace of others had been seen. The specimen just secured will probably be worth its weight in gold and perhaps a good deal more. It was caught by a dog owned by a tourist.

Information hitherto unknown has been acquired through the capture of this strange creature. It is a handsome bird of heavy gait, and absolutely unable to use its wings for flying. It is about the size of a goose, and has beautifully colored feathers. On the back, wings and tail they are olive green of almost metallic luster and below the short tailfeathers are white. The legs and toes are of a rich salmon red. Another remarkable feature is the beak – a great equilateral triangle of hard pink horn, with one angle directed forward, while on the upper side of the base of the beak is a rudimentary comb. (2)

Now Arment`s take on the 9-legged fish. His source was the Syracuse Post Standard of August 31st 1905. My source may have been different, the story seems to have neen syndicated. Arment says – “Again,* an animal more fabulous than realistic. However in this case, the witnesses truly existed. Sweeney was Attorney General for the state of Nevada during the 1906 San Francisco, California, earthquake. Unfortunately, no mention is made of where the creature is caught. In this case, I`m leaning more toward misidentification than hoax, though I cannot supply a reasonable biological candidate. Perhaps some intrepid investigator will have opportunity to make an appointment with the Smithsonian and try to track the critter down. (3)

* Arment was writing this in 'Miscellaneous Menagerie', a chapter on cryptozoological odds and ends.

1 Alien termites set up home in Devon. New Scientist 12th November 1994
2 Rare Bird Caught….The San Francisco Call. 9th October 1898
3 C.Arment. Cryptozoology Add The Investigation of Lesser Known Mystery Animals. (2006) p. 178

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