mateur investigators chose to pursue the more exciting Martians and Venusians。
But the figure of a man with 〃wings like a bat；〃 dressed in tight…fitting black clothes and surrounded by an eerie glow startled three people in Houston； Texas； on June 18； 1953。
〃I could see him plain and could see he had big wings folded at his shoulders；〃 Mrs。 Hilda Walker said。 He was about six and a half feet tall and was perched on the limb of a pecan tree。
＇2＇ 〃Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman； 〃Winged Weirdies；〃 Fate； March 1972。
His halo of light slowly faded out and he vanished。 〃Immediately afterward；〃 Mrs。 Walker continued； 〃we heard a loud swoosh over the housetops across the street。 It was like the white flash of a torpedo…shaped object。〃
〃I may be nuts； but I saw it； whatever it was；〃 Howard Phillips； another witness； declared。
The next big year for our phantom fliers was 1961。 Residents along Florida's Tamiami Trail began seeing what one woman described as 〃a big vulture 。。。 with a wingspread of about fifty…five feet。 Isn't that sorta unusual？〃 In May 1961； a New York pilot was buzzed by 〃a damned big bird； bigger than an eagle。 For a moment I doubted my sanity because it looked more like a pterodactyl out of the prehistoric past。〃 The thing had swooped at his plane as he cruised up the Hudson River valley。
Far away； in the Ohio River valley； another startled pair had an even more breathtaking experience。 A woman prominent in civic affairs in Point Pleasant； West Virginia； was driving on Route 2 along the Ohio River with her elderly father。 As they passed through a sector on the edge of a park known as the Chief Cornstalk Hunting Grounds； a tall manlike figure suddenly appeared on the road in front of them。
〃I slowed down；〃 she told me years later； 〃and as we got closer we could see that it was much larger than a man。 A big gray figure。 It stood in the middle of the road。 Then a pair of wings unfolded from its back and they practically filled the whole road。 It almost looked like a small airplane。 Then it took off straight up 。。。 disappearing out of sight in seconds。 We were both terrified。 I stepped on the gas and raced out of there。
〃We talked it over and decided not to tell anybody about it。 Who would believe us； anyway？〃
Dr。 Jacques Vallee； French statistician and puter expert； was given access to the air force's UFO files and he came across a curious report from an air force colonel who was driving alone along a road in Illinois one night （no date is given） when he became aware of something flying above bis car。 It was； he said； a huge bird the size of a small airplane。 It flapped its wings and soared away。
There are shaggy bird stories by the pound。 A businessman in Arlington； Virginia； wrote to me recently； describing an experience he and three friends had in the winter of 1968…69。 They were at a farm near Haymarket when they heard a strange rushing sound near a small lake。 Intrigued； they set out with flashlights and a couple of dogs to investigate。 Suddenly the dogs howled； turned tail； and ran。 There； standing by a tree was a huge dark shadow between eight and twelve feet tall。 The quartet scurried back to their car； turned on their lights； and swung toward the shadow。 〃All we saw；〃 he reported； 〃was this huge thing with large red…orange eyeballs and winglike arms。 We couldn't get out of there fast enough。〃
We even have a naked woman with wings in our collection。 The case was investigated by Don Worley； an experienced student of the unknown； who interviewed the witness in depth。 〃He is a reliable observer；〃 Worley notes； 〃and he swears that this event is well beyond the capacity of his imagination。〃
Earl Morrison； the witness； was serving as a private； first class in the marine corps in Vietnam in the summer of 1969。 He and two buddies were sitting on top of a bunker near Da Nang on a warm summer evening。
All of a sudden…I don't know why…we all three looked out there in the sky and we saw this figure ing toward us。 It had a kind of glow and we couldn't make out what it was at first。 It started ing toward us； real slowly。 All of a sudden we saw what looked like wings； like a bat's； only it was gigantic pared to what a regular bat would be。 After it got close enough so we could see what it was； it looked like a woman。 A naked woman。 She was black。 Her skin was black； her body was black； the wings were black； everything was black。 But it glowed。 It glowed in the night…kind of a greenish cast to it。
There was a glow on her and around her。 Everything glowed。 Looked like she glowed and threw off a radiance。 We saw her arms toward the wings and they looked like regular molded arms； each with a hand； and； fingers and everything； but they had skin from the wings going over them。 And when she flapped her wings； there was no noise at first。 It looked like her arms didn't have any bones in them； because they were limber just like a bat。
She started going over us； and we still didn't hear anything。 She was right above us； and when she got over the top of our heads she was maybe six or seven feet up。
We couldn't do anything。 We didn't know what to do。 We just froze。 We just watched what was going over because we couldn't believe our eyes。 。。。 So we watched her go straight over the top of us； and still she didn't make any noise flapping her wings。 She blotted out the moon once…that's how close she was to us 。。。 As we watched her…she got about ten feet or so away from us…we started hearing her wings flap。 And it sounded； you know； like regular wings flapping。 And she just started flying off and we watched her for quite a while。 The total time when we first saw her and could almost define her until we lost sight of her and were unable to define her was between three or four minutes。 （3）
Vietnam had a big UFO wave in 1968…69； which included an epidemic of phantom helicopters。 On several occasions the military forces on both sides fired at the objects without effect。
Pfc。 Morrison's account stands as one of the best close…up sightings of a winged entity。
III。
A bright 〃star〃 appeared over the trees of Sandling Park； Hythe； in Kent； England； on the night of November 16； 1963； and so began one of the classics in ufology。 Four teen…agers were strolling along a country road near the park； going home from a dance； when the movements of the 〃star〃 caught their eyes。 It dipped out of the sky and headed straight for them； finally dropping down behind some nearby trees。
John Flaxton； seventeen； said he suddenly felt very cold； and a sense of overpowering fear engulfed the group。 They started to run。 The light； now a golden oval…shaped object； reappeared from behind the trees and seemed to move along with them from a distance of about two hundred feet。 When they stopped； the light stopped。 Then it was lost from sight behind the trees。 The four youngsters slowed down； catching their breath。
Suddenly a tall； dark figure emerged from the woods and waddled toward them。 It was pletely black and had no discernible head。 Mervyn Hutchinson； eighteen； described it as looking like a human…sized bat； with big bat wings on its back。 All four took off as fast as they could go。
＇3＇ FSR Case Histories； No。 10； June 1972。
More strange lights were seen in Sandling Woods in the days that followed。 Investigators found three giant footprints； an inch deep； two feet long； and nine inches across。 Three weeks later a group of people； including two newspaper reporters； visited the site and found the whole forest illuminated by a strange pulsating light。 They watched it from a distance for half an hour； afraid to go closer。 （4）
These great Garudas and winged beings are closely associated with luminous phenomena。 They tend to appear in areas where UFOs have been active and； like UFOs； they tend to linger for days or even weeks in the same specific area。 The big luminous bird of the Illinois…St。 Louis region in 1948 was visiting an area of the Mississippi