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Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Sunday, October 07, 2012

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: THE FORTEANOSITY OF THE YEAR 1907-1908 PART TWO


I am here continuing my look at a snap shot of 1907-8 along with a few items about Hong Kong Forteana that caught my eye.

A letter to the times on January 14th 1908 from H.D. Rawnsley. Luminous birds occurred in 1898, from March to October and the Autumn of 1899 at Greystokes and Skelton. They moved quickly and leapt over hedges. Described by some as “ a dazzling light as large as a table lamp”. Skelton light appeared to move in  undulating curves and soared over a fir plantation. End of September 1900 keeper at Hornby Hall was approaching his home after dark when a nightjar emitted a flash from beneath its wings.

January 22nd 1908  

Letter from Digby Pigott – model of owl painted with luminous paint was not as luminous as real one people had seen. Suggests the common barn owl is more often subject to luminosity than other birds.

Same day – L Veley suggests luminosity caused by phosphorescent plant matter in birds feathers. Another letter on 22-1-1908 says owl seen in darkened cage with phosphorescent plumage in Maidenhead. (1)

Two interesting reports from Hong Kong

The China Mail   May 4th 1948

STRANGE OBJECT OBSERVED


A ball of bluish light about half the size of the moon in diameter  streaked across  a cloudless sky over Hong Kong late on  late on Sunday* night according to an observer`s report.

The object, seen from the Praya, was travelling at high speed in a westerly direction. It disappeared behind the wesyern end of the Peak in  a few seconds. The ball did not have the characteristic tail of a meteor. (2)

  • May 2nd.

The Singapore Free Press June 2nd 1955

Snakes alive! `HORRID-LOOKING` MONSTER SEEN OFF HONG KONG

An anonymous Briton has reported seeing a 7-foot “monster” in the sea near Hong Kong. It was a vicious, beastly horrid-looking thing – enough to put anyone off swimming for the rest of the season “ he told the newspaper China Mail.He said it had grey and black stripes.

Hong Kong experts think the local “Loch Ness monster” may be a hydrophis cyancinctus, a black and yellow striped sea snake with a fatal bite when provoked. Residents of that colony are now uncertain whether to keep a look-out for the “snake” or a tiger which is reported to have swum to Kowloon Peninsula from the Chinese mainland. (3)

  1. R.Muirhead. Personal notes
  2. The China Mail May 4th 1948
  3. The Singapore Free Press June 2nd 1955

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