Flap: Paxton, Massachusetts, Jul–Sep 1855
3 reports · 4 separate documents
Other / Unknown (2), Other Canine (1).
In the 10 years either side we have 1 other report within 37 miles of here.
The reports, in order
- Jul 1855 Witness reports a large, fox-headed canine creature with a white stripe on its face was seen snarling at a man in Sutton and later by a young girl and two men.
Other Canine · Sutton, Massachusetts · rabbit hole - Sep 9, 1855 William Buyer of Paxton reports catching an unknown animal in a trap with a fox-like head, coon-striped body, and cat-like teeth.
Other / Unknown · Paxton, Massachusetts - Sep 26, 1855 An unknown animal caught alive in Paxton is being exhibited as a natural curiosity on the road to the Cattle Show Ground.
Other / Unknown · Paxton, Massachusetts
Sources: Newspaper (3).
How we find flaps
- Plain rules, no model: reports within 37 miles and about four months of each other are grouped, and a group counts only when it is at least 5 times what that place usually sees over the 10 years either side.
- A flap needs at least 3 reports from at least 3 separate documents: one article listing six sightings is one telling.
- Copies are not confirmations: a story reprinted in thirty papers counts once.
- Investigator logs (BFRO, NAWAC, the Loch Ness Register) are left out, because a busy field season looks just like a flap.
- Only reports placed to a town or county and dated to the month are used. A flap is a burst of reports, not proof of a creature: panics, hoaxes and newspaper fashions make flaps too.