Very interesting. Apparently fake mythological creature hoaxes were all the rage in the 18th/19th centuries, according to a book of children's horror stories I read when I was a kid - aged 10 or 11, I guess.
The book introduced each sub-genre story (ghost, vampire, werewolf, giant robot(!), etc.) with an essay about the story.
One story was called 'The Nonesuch' - the name given to 'creatures' brought back by explorers and the like, who'd apparently do things like get an anatomist to sew together (as in the included story) the top half of a monkey to the bottom half of a reptile.
I remember vividly that it scared the bejasus out of me at the time (such that I can recall it over 20 years later)! AFAICR, it was about a boy who finds a nonesuch in a relatives attic. After getting over his initial shock, he's allowed bring it home and he scares all his friends with it. Then it comes alive...
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The book introduced each sub-genre story (ghost, vampire, werewolf, giant robot(!), etc.) with an essay about the story.
One story was called 'The Nonesuch' - the name given to 'creatures' brought back by explorers and the like, who'd apparently do things like get an anatomist to sew together (as in the included story) the top half of a monkey to the bottom half of a reptile.
I remember vividly that it scared the bejasus out of me at the time (such that I can recall it over 20 years later)! AFAICR, it was about a boy who finds a nonesuch in a relatives attic. After getting over his initial shock, he's allowed bring it home and he scares all his friends with it. Then it comes alive...