Tastevin, Constant "Le Riozinho da Liberdade," La Géographie, Vol. 49 (March-April 1928), pp. 205-215

I have heard talk on the Liberdade of the mysterious little carnivorous boule-boule. It seems that an old Amazonian mesitzo who knew the nheen gatú dialect of the Tupi-guaraní tongue, called it anga i uára, which would probably signify "the greedy devil" or the "eater of souls."

I also heard mention of a terrestrial caiman who lived in holes under the tree roots. They cited a seringueiro whose hand it had bitten and who had been maimed for life. It is said to be dark brown, almost black with a rather broad back. But the description is very vague. A literate seringueiro who had seen it found that it closely resembled the monotreme in his text book. Every person who had glimpsed it thought it a rare and strange animal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Doke, Clement M. (1931) The Lambas of Northern Rhodesia: A Study of Their Customs and Beliefs, p. 352

They [the Lamba] say that the ichisonga is a water animal which resembles a rhinoceros, having a horn on its forehead. It is said to inhabit the Kafue river. When it hears the hippo in a pool it comes out of the river, lest it be scented, and goes along the bank. When it reaches the pool it enters the water again, chooses the biggest bull hippo it can see, and stabs it with its horn. It does not eat the hippo, but merely kills it. It eats grass. The Lambas say, further, than when people kill an elephant near by the ichisonga roars and drives the people away. It then comes and remains near the dead animal, maybe for several days, until the people get tired of waiting and the dead animal rots. This creature is said to be prompted by ... jealousy.
Read more

Wolf, Tom & Sparks, Barbara (1995) Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, University Press of Colorado, p. 157

In their dual capacity as foresters and wildlife officers, the rangers of the 1920s and 1930s kept meticulous records that make riveting reading ... An early supervisor wrote: On several occasions this summer, Ranger Paul Gilbert has discussed with me the matter of there having been found in Lily Lake, in the southern end of Blanca district, from two to four or five "Duck-bills." I have not been anxious to report this earlier, thinking that some mistake might have been made in the identity of these mammals. However, on my last trip to his station, and in a a trip over his district, I found that the existence of the mammals is known to several men and that several men are making an attempt to trap them. As I understand it, these are egg-laying, burrowing, aquatic mammals and are supposed to exist largely, and possibly only, in Australia. I have read somewhere that North America has none of these mammals, and if this be the case, I think the matter should be immediately invest
Read more

Goldie, Andrew "Mr. Goldie's Discovery of Gold in New Guinea," Evening News, Sydney (4 Januay 1878)

Friday, 17th November. ... they drew the attention of the men to the tracks of a wild animal in the bush, showing great terror of it. This is the first indication of such being in existence. I have seen the tracks; what kind of an animal it is I can't explain, but there is not the slightest doubt in my mind, or in the mind of all our party, that such is in existence. The tracks had the appearance of horse's hoofs with shoes on–quite as large, but with this difference, there was the impression of four toes. We all know well the impression of the alligator, and it does not in the slightest resemble it. It must be a heavy animal, as we saw the impressions of where it had laid down on the sand, and the natives informed us it lived in the bush, not in the river.
Read more