1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 391:
«Certain large fossil bones, found in various parts ofAustralia Felix, have been referred by the natives, whenconsulted on the subject by the colonists, to a huge animal ofextraordinary appearance, called in some districts the Bunyup,in others the Kianpraty, which they assert to be still alive.It is described as of amphibious character, inhabiting deeprivers, and permanent water-holes, having a round head, anelongated neck, with a body and tail resembling an ox. Thesereports have not been unattended to, and the bunyup is said tohave been actually seen by many parties, colonists as well asaborigines. . . .[A skull which the natives said was that of a`piccinini Kianpraty' was found by Professor Owen to be that ofa young calf. The Professor] considers it all but impossiblethat such a large animal as the bunyup of the natives can benow living in the country. [Mr. Westgarth suspects] it is onlya tradition of the alligator or crocodile of the north.»
1849. W. S. Macleay, `Tasmanian journal,' vol. iii. p. 275:
«On the skull now exhibited at the Colonial Museum of Sydney asthat of the Bunyip.»
1855. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' p. 214:
«Did my reader ever hear of the Bunyip (fearful name to theaboriginal native!) a sort of `half-horse, half-alligator,'haunting the wide rushy swamps and lagoons of the interior?»
1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 258:
«The river is too deep, child, and the Bunyip lives in thewater under the stones.»
1865. `Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45, The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':
«Beyond a doubt, in `Lushy Luke's' belief, a Bunyip had takentemporary lodgings outside the town. This bete noire ofthe Australian bush Luke asserted he had often seen in bygonetimes. He described it as being bigger than an elephant, inshape like a `poley' bullock, with eyes like live coals, andwith tusks like a walrus's. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
«What the Bunyip is, I cannot pretend to say, but I think it ishighly probable that the stories told by both old bushmen andblackfellows, of some bush beast bigger and fiercer than anycommonly known in Australia, are founded on fact. Fear and thelove of the marvellous may have introduced a considerableelement of exaggeration into these stories, but I cannot helpsuspecting that the myths have an historical basis.»
1872. C. Gould, `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Societyof Tasmania,' 1872, p. 33:
«The belief in the Bunyip was just as prevalent among thenatives in parts hundreds of miles distant from any stream inwhich alligators occur. . . . Some other animal must be soughtfor.» . . . [Gould then quotes from `The Mercury' of April 26,1872, an extract from the `Wagga Advertiser']: «There really isa Bunyip or Waa-wee, actually existing not far from us . . . inthe Midgeon Lagoon, sixteen miles north of Naraudera . . . Isaw a creature coming through the water with tremendousrapidity . . . . The animal was about half as long again as anordinary retriever dog, the hair all over its body was jetblack and shining, its coat was very long.» [Gould cites otherinstances, and concludes that the Bunyip is probably a seal.]
1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 202:
«In the south-eastern part of Australia the evil spirit of thenatives is called Bunjup, a monster which is believed todwell in the lakes. It has of late been supposed that this isa mammal of considerable size that has not yet been discovered. . . is described as a monster with countless eyes andears. . . . He has sharp claws, and can run so fast that it isdifficult to escape him. He is cruel, and spares no one eitheryoung or old.»
1894. `The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:
«The hollow boom so often heard on the margin of reedy swamps – – more hollow and louder by night than day – – is the mythicalbunyip, the actual bittern.»
1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 214:
«One advantage arose from the aforesaid long-deferred discovery – – a new and strong word was adopted into the Australianvocabulary: Bunyip became, and remains a Sydney synonoyme for impostor, pretender, humbug, and the like. The blackfellows, however, unaware of the extinction, by superiorauthority, of their favourite loup-garou, still continueto cherish the fabulous bunyip in their shudderingimagination.»
1853. W. C. Wentworth – – Speech in August quoted by Sir HenryParkes in `Fifty Years of Australian History' (1892),vol. i. p. 41:
«They had been twitted with attempting to create a mushroom, a Brummagem, a bunyip aristocracy; but I need scarcely observethat where argument fails ridicule is generally resorted to foraid.»