THE COLUMBIA RIVER SAND SQUINK

The Squink is a creature of restricted range, with reports limited to prospectors, hunters, and sheep-herders in the remote mountains of Washington. Descriptions present it as a hybrid form, combining features of both coyote and bobcat, distinguished further by long ears resembling those of a jackrabbit. Its tail is bushy and recurved, carried over the back in the manner of a squirrel.

The Squink is nocturnal, emerging after dark to frequent rivers in search of fish. While not selective in diet, it displays a particular preference for electric eels, a detail explained in folklore as linked to their higher pH content. Accounts note that the animal is timid when unfed, yet becomes bolder after feeding. It is then said to patrol mountain trails, at times appearing before lone travelers. In these accounts, the Squink walks a short distance ahead of its chosen victim, waving its tail and alternately brushing one ear and then the other. Folklore attributes to it a static charge gained from consuming electric eels, with the alternating contact producing flashes of light. The display is said to mesmerize travelers, who follow the creature and are never seen again.

Several supposed nests of the Squink have been described, each lined with pieces of discarded inner tubes. The creature is further claimed to be oviparous, with eggs encased in shells made of bakelite.