MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: A DAY`S CRYPTOZOOGY WORK IN OXFORD

On Friday May 6th I travelled down from Macclesfield to the Bodleian Library in Oxford to do a day`s research and was quite successful. I suppose the high point was a story of a brilliant red panther skin hung up in a hall or temple in `Cathay`. Ie China, though the source did not give an exact date, though my impression was this was hundreds of years ago. I am awaiting the extract from the book to arrive my post within about a week and I can give the exact details then if anyone expresses an interest. The same book also mentioned a 6 legged snake said to exist in Poland, again in antiquity.

Other items found were: `An animal with a head like a cat, 4 feet like a leopard, hind feet like a ferret, purple eyes, 3 white marks over the right eye, 3 black over the left. Whitey-brown colour, spotted with red. Tail beautiful white tipped with blue. ` Seems like just a story-filler to me. This was at Reading,Yorks in The Morning Post of 9-1-1828.

Also amazing was the story from the Boston Palladium (sorry I forget to note the date, but it would be early to mid 19th Century) I have scanned to Jon, he may have been able to include it here, of strange cat like animal near Oxford.

The Standard (London) of 19-2-1829 reported on a child of a labourer at Donington who voided up an animal like a locust “with 2 remarkably prominent eyes” Gross!

There is a story also from the Sheffield Independent of 11-5-1833 of a wolf-like animal at Coulsdon, Surrey. Was it supernatural?

The Caledonian Mercury of 4-7-1839 says [quoting the Gloucester Journal]: ` About a fortnight ago a strange large animal was observed on the sands of the Severn at Purton, and as a man went towards it, it retreated towards the water. This emboldened the pursuer and he soon approached very near to the animal, upon which it turned round and exhibited a countenance of such apparently extraordinary ferocity and disposition to do battle , that the man was glad in his turn to take to flight with pretty considerable speed. He then procured a large duck gun with a man to accompany him, and to lend his shoulder to support the gun while he took aim, and by this means the strange visitant was very soon dispatched. On examination it turned out to be a walrus or morse, a well known animal of the seal tribe in the Polar seas, but which very seldom, we believe, is seen in these latitudes. It was quite young, as it measured only about seven or eight feet in length, while the average length of a full grown walrus is from twelve to sixteen feet, and some have even measured twenty feet. After its death it was, we understand, conveyed to Berkeley Castle, where its tusks &c, will probably be added to the other trophies of the chase which are preserved in that ancient baronial fortress.

THE BEATLES

I AM THE WALRUS

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I`m crying.

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long
I am the egg-man, they are the egg-man
I am the walrus, goo goo g`joob