The protagonist, newly appointed superintendent of the Bronx Zoological Gardens, begins the story with deep skepticism toward a letter claiming the survival of the great auk. Urged by Professor Farrago, he accepts an expedition to Black Harbor, torn between scientific duty and reluctant curiosity. The hermit Burton Halyard hints not only at rare birds but also at a strange amphibious being haunting the harbor, unsettling the rational framework of the mission. As preparations and early investigations unfold, the narrator senses that nature may conceal realities beyond established science. This part builds a steady tension as empirical certainty gives way to cautious fascination with the unknown.
