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in the air。 Hunters often saw his tracks； tracks that appeared suddenly and vanished suddenly； in such a。 way that they could only be possible if the 〃man〃 alighted on the ground； then took off again into the air。
In Mexico there are stories of the ikals； tiny black men endowed with the power of flight who live in caves and kidnap humans。 In India the giant bird known as the Garuda is an important part of the mythology。 The gods Vishnu and Krishna traveled around the heavens on the back of a great Garuda。 North American Indians have extensive legends about the Thunderbird； a huge bird said to carry off children and old people。 It was acpanied by loud noises； hums； buzzes and； apparently； rumbles from the infrasonic and ultrasonic levels。 Known as Piasa to the Indians of the Dakotas； it was supposed to have terrifying red eyes and a long tail。
We are dealing with three types of phenomena in these cases。 The first is the winged man； the second is a giant bird； so huge it is a biological impossibility； third； we have a monstrous demon with red eyes； bat's wings； and a body closely human in form。 All three are probably interrelated。
Research is still fragmentary but there is journalistic evidence that the winged man of 1880 was not confined to Coney Island。 His activities there were just a publicity gambit； attracting the notice of the staid New York Times and thus attaining a measure of respectability so that when anyone anywhere else saw him they had a frame of reference。
According to the Louisville； Kentucky； Courier…Journal； July 29； 1880； the winged man was busy in that area。 Two men； C。A。 Youngman and Bob Flexner； reported seeing 〃a man surrounded by machinery which he seemed to be working with his hands。〃 He had wings or fans on his back which he was flapping rather desperately to keep aloft。 The startled men wat6hed him flutter unsteadily out of view。
But he would be back。
II。
A year before the first flying saucer 〃scare〃 erupted in the state of Washington in 1947； a group of sixteen people in San Diego； California； witnessed a strange phenomenon。 They were gathered on a rooftop to watch a meteor shower on the night of October 9； 1946； when a bluish…white winged object appeared in the sky。 It looked like an extremely long airplane carrying two reddish lights and it left a luminous contrail。
〃The strange object was certainly no airplane；〃 one witness told Harold T。 Wilkins。 （1） 〃The wings； which moved； were too wide for any bird。 Indeed； they were rather like the wings of a butterfly。 The whole object emitted a red glow。〃
The object was especially conspicuous as it crossed the face of the moon。 Some of the witnesses thought it 。 resembled a gigantic bat。
Astronomers have also reported similar objects。 In Popular Astronomy； 1912； Dr。 F。B。 Harris stated： 〃lathe evening of January 27； 1912；1 saw an intensely black object； like a crow； poised upon the moon。 I estimated it at 250 miles long by 50 miles wide。 I cannot but think that a very interesting phenomenon happened。〃
In that crazy year 1880； an Italian astronomer named Ricco； on the observatory at Palermo； Sicily； was studying the sun at 8 A。M。； November 30； when he saw 〃winged bodies in two long parallel lines slowly traveling； apparently across the disk of the sun。 They looked like large birds tor cranes。〃
Cranes on the sun？ Crows 250 miles long on the moon？ Black…garbed men swimming through the skies over Coney Island？ Ornithopters over Kentucky and San Diego？
＇1＇ Harold T。 Wilkins； Flying Saucers on the Attack （New York： Citadel Press； 1954）； chapter III。
On December 30； 1946； Ella Young； an American writer； saw one of our bats at dusk near Morrow Bay； California。 〃On the golden sky it looked very black；〃 she reported。 〃It came forward head on； and had a batlike appearance； owing to the curvature of its wings。 I am not sure if there were motions at the extreme tip of the wings； but the strange machine seemed to stand still for several minutes； and its form was very distinct。 Suddenly； it either lowered itself toward the horizon； or the bank of cloud…mist made an upward movement…maybe； both movements occurred…for the machine passed behind the cloud and did not reappear。 Immediately afterward； a great flush of color spread over the sea。〃
May through August 1947 saw the first modern UFO wave in the United States。 Odd lights； glistening circular machines； and reddish flying cigars captured the American imagination。 Tiffany Thayer； the eccentric novelist and founder of the Fortean Society； named after Charles Fort； chortled over the air force explanations in the society's journal； Doubt。 Obviously the government was determined to cover up the true facts in this new situation。 Mystics and cranks quickly appeared； explaining the phenomenon as the work of people from outer space。 The press gave the sensation a two…week run； then went back to the intricacies of the cold war。 No one； not even the beady…eyed Forteans； paid much attention to the giant birds and machines with flapping wings that returned to our skies in 1948。
Early in January 1948； Mrs。 Bernard Zailowski reported seeing a 〃sizzing and whizzing〃 man with silver wings maneuvering about 200 feet above her barn in Chehalis； Washington。 The air force scoffed。 Four months later； two laundry workers in Longview； Washington； about forty miles south of Chehalis； claimed to see a trio of 〃birdmen〃 circling the city at an altitude of 250 feet。
〃When they first came into sight； I thought they looked like gulls； but as they got closer I could make out that they weren't gulls and I knew they were men；〃 Mrs。 Viola Johnson told reporters。 〃I could see plainly that they were men。 。。。 They wore dark； drab flying suits。 I couldn't make out their arms but I could see their legs dangling down and they kept moving their heads like they were looking around。 I couldn't tell if they had goggles on but their heads looked like they had helmets on。 I couldn't see their faces。〃
That happened on April 9； 1948。 That same day； a couple in Caledonia； Illinois； reported seeing 〃a monster bird 。。。 bigger than an airplane。〃 Researchers Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman dug into Illinois newspapers and discovered that state had an epidemic of funny birds in …1948。 （2）
That January James Trares； twelve； excitedly exclaimed to his mother； 〃There's a bird outside as big as a B…29！〃 They lived in Glendale； Illinois。 In April； a huge bird was reported in Alton； Caledonia； Overland； Richmond Heights； and Freeport； all in Illinois。 Walter Siegmund； a retired army colonel； saw it on April 4。
〃I thought there was something wrong with my eyesight；〃 he said； 〃but it was definitely a bird and not a glider or jet plane 。。。。 From the movements of the object and its size； I figured it could only be a bird of tremendous size。〃
Three people in Overland； Illinois； viewed the creature on April 10。 At first they thought it was an airplane； then it began to flap its wings。
By late April the Garuda was buzzing the city of St。 Lous。 Dr。 Kristine Dolezal saw it on the twenty…sixth。 A group of instructors at the Mississippi School of Aeronautics observed 〃an awfully big bird〃 at 1；200 feet the next day。 A salesman named Harry Bradford plained； 〃I've seen it three times in the last four days and that's too much tomfoolery for a man of fifty to take。〃
〃I thought people who reported seeing the thing were 'bugs' until I looked into the sky last night；〃 Charles Dunn； an inspector for U。S。 Steel； declared on April 30。 〃It was flapping its wings and moving quite fast at about 3；000 feet altitude and it appeared to be illuminated by a dull glow。 It looked about the size of a Piper Cub plane but there was no engine sound and it was not a plane。 I could hardly believe my eyes。〃
Although the plane…sized bird was seen sporadically during the next decade； the flying saucers stole the limelight。 The air force and the amateur investigators chose to pursue the more exciting Martians and Venusians。
But the figure of a man with 〃wings like a bat；〃 dressed in tight…fitting black clothes and surrounded by an eerie glow startled three people in Houston； Texas； on June 18； 1953。
〃I could see him plain and could see he had big wings folded at his shoulders；〃 Mrs。 Hilda Walker said。 He was about six and a half feet tall and was perched on the limb of a pecan tree。
＇2＇ 〃Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman； 〃Winged Weirdies；〃 Fate； March 1972。
His halo of light slowly faded out and he vanished。 〃Immediately afterward；〃 Mrs。 Walker continued； 〃we heard a loud swoosh over the housetops across the street。 It was like the white flash of a torpedo…shaped object。〃
〃I may be nuts； but I saw it； whatever it was；〃 Howard Phillips； another witness； declared。
The next big year for our phantom fliers was 1961。 Residents along Florida's Tamiami Trail began seeing what one woman described as 〃a big vulture 。。。 with a wingspread of about fifty…five feet。 Isn't that sorta unusual？〃 In May 1961； a New York pilot was buzzed by 〃a damned big bird； bigger than an eagle。 For a moment I doubted my sanity because it looked more like a pterodactyl out of the prehistoric past。〃 The thing had swooped at his plane as he cruised up the Hudson River valley。
Far away； in the Ohio River valley； another startled pair had an even more breathtaking experience。 A woman prominent in civic affairs in Point Pleasant； West Virginia； was driving on Route 2 along the Ohio River with her elderly father。 As they passed through a sector on the edge of a park known as the Chief Cornstalk Hunting Grounds； a tall manlike figure suddenly appeared on the road in front of them。
〃I slowed down；〃 she told me years later； 〃and as we got closer we could see that it was much larger than a man。 A big gray figure。 It stood in the middle of the road。 Then a pair of wings unfolded from its back and they practically filled the whole road。 It almost looked like a small airplane。 Then it took off straight up 。。。 disappearing out of sight in seconds。 We were both terrified。 I stepped on the gas and raced out of there。
〃We talked it over and decided not to tell anybody about it。 Who would believe us； anyway？〃
Dr。 Jacques Vallee； French statistician and puter expert； was given access to the air force's UFO files and he came across a curious report from an air force colonel who was driving alone along a road in Illinois one night （no date is given） when he became aware of something flying above bis car。 It was； he said； a huge bird the size of a small airplane。 It flapped its wings and soared away。
There are shaggy bird stories by the pound。 A businessman in Arlington； Virginia； wrote to me recently； describing an experience he and three friends had in the winter of 1968…69。 They were at a farm near Haymarket when they heard a strange rushing sound near a small lake。 Intrigued； they set out with flashlights and a couple of dogs to investigate。 Suddenly the dogs howled； turned tail； and ran。 There； standing by a tree was a huge dark shadow between eight and twelve feet tall。 The quartet scurried back to their car； turned on their lights； and swung toward the shadow。 〃All we saw；〃 he reported； 〃was this huge thing with large red…orange eyeballs and winglike arms。 We couldn't get out of there fast enough。〃
We even have a naked woman with wings in our collection。 The case was investigated by Don Worley； an experienced student of the unknown； who interviewed the witness in depth。 〃He is a reliable observer；〃 Worley notes； 〃and he swears that this event is well beyond the capacity of his imagination。〃
Earl Morrison； the witness； was serving as a private； first class in the marine corps in Vietnam in the summer of 1969。 He and two buddies were sitting on top of a bunker near Da Nang on a warm summer evening。
All of a sudden…I don't know why…we all three looked out there in the sky and we saw this figure ing toward us。 It had a kind of glow an