I was misenlightened, no doubt — made the victim, very possibly, of a trifling hoax.
He started in on Microby Dandeline--we jest called her Dandeline furst, bein' thet yallar with janders when she wus a baby, but when she got about two year, I wus a readin' a piece in a paper a man left, 'bout these yere little microbys thet gits into everywheres they shouldn't ort to, jest like she done, so I says to Watts how she'd ort to had two names anyways, only I couldn't think of none but common ones when we give her hern.
Given the nickname the walking shark, it is about a metre long and stands up on its pectoral and pelvic fins to walk around on the seabed with a sinuous motion, rather like a lizard, hunting molluscs and crustaceans.
The tradition is no less ancient, that the basilisk killeth by aspect ; and that the wolf, if he see a man first, by aspect striketh a man hoarse.