Hide Article Text (OCR)
Sarasota SceneWondrous Animal KingdomA column dealing with, themythical mountain creatures of western North Carolina (the Be-hinder, Gardenil, Flat, etc.) has elicited a letter from Mrs. C F. Betikofer of Englewood, a notable story-topperWrites Mrs. Betikofer:Your adventuring among the snowy hills of North Carolina and your story of the critters that abound there reminds me of the fabulous ‘things' to be found in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho. Mountains seem to breed strange creatures indeed,“You may, or may not, haveheard of one scientifically minded Henry Senger who went intrepidly exploring in the Sawtooth* and recorded his findings of the great and fearsome creatures that live hidden among theharsh and inaccessible fissuresand rocks. -“With Mr. Senger went ‘OldMan Nick of the Woods’ who tookpictures. A sensible thing to do,as we now know how frighteningthe Sawtooth creature* look.“Mr. Senger says, ‘Most of these mountain animals have been extinct since infinity; many have been extinct forever/ With thiaclear explanation I’ll name a few.“The first marvel they encountered was the Mugwump. Mr. Senger tells us the Mugwump sits for weeks and months at a time upon the high mountain ridges with his mug cm one side and his wump on the other, meditating the cosmos Mr. Senger does not say what the result of all thismeditating corneas to.“Then there is the Great Rocky Mountain High Behind. Unlike the North Carolina mountains Be-hinder, the disposition of the High Behind is mild and sunny. This is due, I suppose to being a vegetarian. He eats no meat; no rancid human beings.“He feeds on twider shoots which he eats while standing with his short front legs on the mountain top, braced firmly by his long hind legs planted in the valley below. You can readily seeBy STAN WINDHORNwhat an advantage this is in not being compelled to climb themountains on all four feet“Next we have the Whang doodle His one vice Is smoking The Whangdoodk Aim has apoodle. No cat. ... *Another wonder is the Ithy-kassookas. He ’drinks from the showers, and his food is fairflowers/ A reptilian Ferdinand.so to speak.“One you’ll never guees is theFamous Idaho Sidehill Gouger.The legs on his left aide are longwhile the two on the right are short, enabling him to spiral around the slopes on an evenkeel. Nature is really wonderful!“However, If. like the man who hunted lions for fun ‘til all of a sudden he came upon one/ youmeet this Sidehill Gouger coming around a curve, you better figure a way to sprint sidewise either uphill cm down —* but fast — because the Gouger can’t and won’t turn around He is geared to walking hillsides in one direction only, and he’s pretty set inhit ^“The Sidehill Gouger, althoughdangerous, seems somewhat moremodern than the others, as hesports a red tail light Probablya warning signal, but with the light placed at the rear it seems to me too late to be of much use to anyone but the Gouger.“Then there’s a Wampus Cat that attracts its food by crying like a baby, and the Singing Dingle Rig who warbles ‘0 Sole Mi o’ — or maybe buzzes it Mr. Senger and Old Nick tells us that by training themselves for generations to an impossible degree of stealth and cunning they have managed to track down the elusive Whiffen Poofit, The Whif-fen Poofit, they explain, ‘thinks himself the master mind of all. though his intellect is small, andthe thing that makes him look so dumb is something he forgot. He’s trying to remember why his tailis In a knot/“There are people. I am sure, who will laugh and say such animals just ain’t. But that’s because the poor retarded souls have never been where these crit-•*areWe can assure Helen Betikofer that we will not be numbered among the people “who will laugh and say such animals just ain’t.**However, we feel that herfriends, Mr. Senger and Old Nick, did things the hard way when they remained alive through many generations merely to acquire sufficient stealth and cunning to track down curious creatures found in the Sawtooth Mountains. We know four or five fellows whocan achieve the same visions merely by spending three days working themselves through sixfifths of whiskey.The effect produced by this simplified training method will take one of two courses. Approximately 60 per cent of the amateurzoologists who indulge in the sportrelate “sightings” which nyi the entire gamut of an imaginarymenagerie. Their endeavors cause them to branch off into allied fields of herpetology, entomology, ornithology and ichthyology.The remaining 40 per cent artwhat could be called specialists. They limit their sightings to a single creature who becomes recurrent in their dreams. We knew one nature lover who became so familiar with the beast who came calling whenever he was filled with fermented com that he gave him a name. He called the critter Ralph.Ralph had the head of an alligator, the ruff and friendly wagging tail of a collie, the one eye of the unicorn and stripes of a zebra. Ralph declined to devour people, but was something of a woodetarian or clothetarian in that he ate furniture and draperiesHis keeper reported it was mostdisconcerting to have Ralph eatthe bed, sheets and mattrese right out from under his anguished body. Ah well, such are the wonders of nature.
Newspaper Details
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Sarasota, Florida, US
Thu, Mar 31, 1960
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Kevin S.
CA 25 Dec 2021
Other Publications Near Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota Herald Daily Tribune
Sarasota Herald Sunday Tribune
Sarasota Herald
Sarasota Journal
Sarasota News
