AN AFRICAN MONSTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 319, 19 February 1910, Page 10

AN AFRICAN MONSTER.

Herr Carl Hagenbeck, the famous j zoologist, in his recently-published book, j "Beasts and Men," mentions reports received by him as to the existence of an immense and wholly unknown animal said to inhabit the interior of Rhodesia. He quotes native stories of "a huge monster, hau-eiepnant, naudragon," dwelling in the depths of the great swamps, and suggests that it may he some kind of dinosaur, seemingly akin to the Brontesaurus. The extract from "Beasts and Men" was reproduced! in the South African Press, and created enormous interest, but it was received coldly by scientists, bmce then, however, the Bulawayo Chronicle publishes an extraordinary story irom one of its correspondents). The correspondent states that he has met two natives, both of whom affirm in the most positive manner that they have actually seen tie monster. Neither of the natives knew the other, but both were shown a number of sketches, some wholly imaginary and others constructed from illustrations of prehistoric repI tiles, and both immediately picked one of the sketches as closely resembling the monster they had seen. Each, however, called the attention of the sketcher to the fact that he had omitted to give | in his picture what, from their des'crip- ! tion, must be held to be something in i the nature of propulsory flappers. The | general appearance of the dinosaut, if ;it resembles that supplied by the na- | tives to the Chronicle's correspondent, j must be alarming to a degree. It would seem to possess the head and tail of I a crocodile, the horns of a rhinoceros, I the neck of a python, and the body of a hippopotamus. It is supposed that j the creature inhabits a lake between the rivers Lungo and rlafoe.—Central News.