THE LATEST SENSATION. A Saurian Reptile in Waikato.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2220, 30 September 1886, Page 2

THE LATEST SENSATION. A Saurian Reptile in Waikato.

A report, the correctness of which is vouched for by Mr Castleton, who owns and occupies a portion of which is known as Maunders farm, near Frankton, appeared in the Herald of yesterday, to the effect that a reptile, the description of which id almost identical with that of the alligator, was seen on Tuesday morning. The story goes that Mr Castleton's son, a boy of 14, went down to a small creek which runs through the jwrperty, and that the strange animal came up out of the water and chased him. His younger brother, .iged twelve, went down to the creek to satisfy the burning curoisity engendered by his brother's recital and " enjoyed " a similar experience. Without wishing to caht suspicion on Mr Castleton's boy's, whose tale the father implicitly believes, since he has been lying in wait to shoot the "monster, "we may casually remark that not only are there no crocodiles in this colony, but there are no reptiles except the katipo and the mosquito. If the creature in question was larger than a lizard, and the lads said he was as large in girth as a calf, it will probably turn out to be one of Messrs Qualtrough and White's pigs. It being the springtide of the year, our own poet (who is now «ra the chain again) no sooner gathered the particulars than he proceeded to wrestle with the muses, and to this effect :— What is this great monster, so slimy and vile V Why surely it must be a real crocodile That's come here to make friend Yon Stunner his pile, As his real best sensation for many a while. Who brought it? Please let us pause for a while, Till we think out how far it may be to the Nile, Whence this monster could swim to Zealandia's "sile," To give Yon a chance to say, " Now I've struck ile." We've heard of the moa, ; we've all seen a whale, We know an ich'thauras, both female and male, We can tell our own lizards without any fail, But Yaa'a Saurian monster makes all these grow pale. We've a lamb with five legs and a dog with no fail, And phantom ships sailing without any sail, But this beast with bu^e teeth, pachydermatous scale, Oh! tell us? Who brought it? What favouring galo ? [Ed. : We should think it the creature of Baiton's strong ale.]

TheN.N.Z. Farmers' Cooperative Association offer about 100 tons Lawe.s' superphosphate slightly damaged by water, at £5 per ton. Mr J. G. Cox, dental surgeon, wjll attend at Kirkwood'a Hotel, Cambridge, op Thursday .Friday, and Saturday, the 7t ! i, Bth, aud Oth October.