From: "Don Doggett" 
Subject: Re: (urth) The leatherskin
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 22:57:03 -0800


----- Original Message -----
From: "William Ansley" <
> [1] Way back on October 18, 1999 I argued that the leatherskin has twelve
> legs and no one has bothered arguing with my conclusions yet.
>
> What I said then:
>
> >----------------
> >The leatherskin, one of the largest I have ever seen, stood with six
> >massive legs and half its weight on the starboard gunwale, over which
> >silver water cascaded. [OBW (hc), p. 62]
> >----------------
> >
> >If this creature has only six legs and all of them are on the starboard
> >gunwale (rather a tricky balancing act in the first place), then how can
> >the gunwale be only bearing half its weight?
>


 Then Blattid says:
"Actually, since first reading that scene, I've always envisioned
the leatherskin as some kind of lobster ... possibly one with a
slightly softer shell, possibly one that has molted recently;"

Sounds good to me.  Lobster anyone?  There's plenty for everybody.




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