Library of Cryptozoology

The waterless wastes of central Australia are penetrated only occasionally by lone prospectors and other adventurers. These men have a reputation for hard drinking. When they first brought back stories about 10-foot rabbits, the yarns were credited to their alcoholic tendencies. Then the famous Australian naturalist, Ambrose Pratt, drew attention to the skeletons of certain extinct animals called Diprotodons in the local museums. These creatures were just about 10 feet long and must have looked uncommonly like enormous rabbits. They were of the same general shape, tailless, with rounded rumps and a pair of enormous, rabbit-like front teeth. It's possible that the Diprotodon isn't as extinct as was thought. Australians who hunt the water buffaloes that now run wild in huge numbers in the north of their continent will tell you that this great beast can literally vanish before your eyes in fairly open country. A buffalo is nearly the size of a Diprotodon.

I could write an interesting paper on the discovery of the Israelite Bay mammoth kangaroo, and the preparations made by Messrs. Ponton Bros. for capturing living specimens. The natives told some marvellous stories about the big kangaroo being abundantly found at a big fresh water lake, far away inland.

I have had a long conversation with 'Charlie Pierce', an aboriginal, relative to these [ Diprotodon ] fossils; and he avers that they are those of an animal, long extinct, known to the natives by the name 'gyedara'. Tradition among them has handed down the appearance and habits of the animal for generations, but Charlie says he never paid much attention to the descriptions that have been given to him, but imagines the animal was as large as a heavy draught horse, walked on all fours the same as any other four-footed beast, eating grass, never went any distance back from the creeks to feed, and spent most of its time in the water, chiefly in enormous holes excavated in the banks. I told him he must mean some other animal; but he spoke most positively and asserted that the bones which we have been finding are those of the animal of which he was speaking, and that at one time the bones were very numerous about the Gowrie waterholes, where his forefathers had seen the anima...

It is possible that it [ Diprotodon ] is at the present time still living in the tropics of this country, which are rich in water. This I was told by Mr. Dennis, that the blacks speak of extensive lakes and gigantic animals.