Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Harry the Hidebehind

When loggers failed to return to 19th century logging camps, the hidebehind (C. silvestris palinensis) was sometimes believed responsible for their disappearance. Although large enough to drag its human prey to its lair, it was capable of quickly hiding behind trees when someone looked in its direction. This illustration from the book Fearsome Critters (1939) looks a lot like Harry.

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