"One of the most common Western forms of sky dragon was the amphiptere, which resembled a serpent dragon in overall form, i.e. possessing a long and limbless ophidian body with the head of a dragon, but it also sported a large pair of bat-like wings. These enabled it to fly above the ground, its body frequently held in a series of vertical undulations. Some amphipteres also possessed a pair of rooster-like facial wattles. Although they ought not to be, amphipteres are often confused with winged snakes—mythical reptiles entirely ophidian in form, lacking a dragon’s head—so these latter beasts will also be documented later here, in order to emphasise their fundamental differences.
"Several amphipteres have been re corded from Britain. What has been claimed by many chroniclers to be not only the last British amphiptere but also the last British dragon of any kind was described by eyewitnesses as a big-eyed, 10 ft-long specimen as thick as a man’s leg, with two tongues inside its toothy mouth, but disproportionately small wings. Sighted twice during late May 1669 near Henham in Essex, according to some reports it was timid enough not to need slaying, but was simply shooed away into the forest by the Henham villagers.
"In Wales, amphipteres were known as gwibers, and were sizeable creatures, but the largest and most dangerous was the gwiber of Penmachno, in North Wales. Uniquely among gwibers, it was able not only to fly through the air and dwell upon land but also to live underwater. After it even defeated the fearless local hero Owen Ap Gruffydd, this most formidable of gwibers was attacked en masse by a group of Owen’s friends, firing a volley of arrows into its sleeping form. Waking to find itself besieged and severely wounded, the gwiber shrieked in pain and rage, then dived into the nearby river to escape. It was never seen again."
