Did you hear about the Redruth girl who vomited snails?

Or how the saint of Gunwalloe saved his sister's eye from a goose?

Can you cure warts with a slug, or whooping cough with spiders?

In A Cornish Bestiary you'll find familiar faunal favourites like the red-eyed Owlman, ominous Black Dogs and the iconic Cornish Chough, alongside more reclusive specimens.

From Camborne's frog king and Ladock's feathered fiend to a horrifying plague of flies and an absence of wolves, this illustrated compendium of Cornwall's most curious creatures brings together stories from natural history and folklore, broadside ballads and news reports, celebrating the wonderful history we share with the animals around us.



'A magnificent compendium of curiosities. Luke Thompson is the perfect guide to this landscape teeming with demon chickens, ghost dogs and devil fish – wry, funny, curious and full of wonder and delight.'



'A Cornish Bestiary is a glorious, mischievous and deeply knowledgeable celebration of Cornwall and the creatures – real, legendary and wonderfully questionable – that inhabit its landscapes and stories. Thompson has a rare gift for combining serious research with curiosity, humour and a genuine delight in the strange. From saints and choughs to phantom dogs, big cats, sea monsters and demon chickens, he follows each trail with an open mind and a sharp eye, revealing along the way just how much our animals tell us about ourselves. A book to dip into, get lost in, and return to time and again ... full of wonder, wit and unmistakable Cornish character.'