The Billdad (Latin, Saltipiscator falcorostratus) is a creature which originated with the North American pioneer tradition of telling tall tales to new immigrants.
Description[]
With a body type similar to that of a kangaroo, the Billdad has a pair of short forelimbs, long, powerful back legs, a curved beak similar to a bird of prey, and the tail of a beaver. It is found only in Hurricane Township, Maine, and specifically in one lake known as Boundary Pond.
Hunting Technique[]
The Billdad has an unusual method of catching its prey: it crouches quiet-as-can-be by the side of the water and waits for a fish to break the surface in search of an insect, then once one does it leaps on top of the fish and smacks it with the flat of its tail, stunning the poor creature and making it easy prey for the hungry predator. Adult male Billdads have been known to make leaps in excess of sixty yards in attacks of this manner.
Cuisine[]
Although Billdad meat is said to make an exceptionally tasty meal, none will touch this delicacy since the incident involving Bill Murphy at Hurricane Lake. There, a dish of Billdad was served to poor Murphy who, after the first bite, promptly let out a loud shout before running down to the side of the lake and leaping a clear fifty yards out into the water, just like a Billdad on the hunt. Needless to say, Murphy sank into the water and was never seen again.
Further reading[]
"The Billdad" from Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods (1910) by William T. Cox