xiknal
10-09-2004, 01:47 AM
A marine biologist who specialized in the study of dolphins was sent to a remote island in the South Pacific where, according to legend and natives’ observations, a certain species of dolphin was reputed to live forever.
:scratch
He set up camp on the deep-water side of the island and every day watched the dolphins frolicking in the bay. Sometimes he took a small boat out into the bay, but the dolphins would not come close. With the natives’ help he caught fish in nets and took them out to offer to the dolphins, but they seemed disinterested.
Sometimes he noticed a strange activity among them. One would catch a fish and hold it, unhurt and flopping, at the water’s surface. Seagulls would swoop down in groups to snatch this easy prey (so they thought, if seagulls think at all), and as they came near the fish, other dolphins would leap up, grab them and swallow them on the spot. The biologist had discovered that these dolphins ate seagulls, and only used fish as bait!
The seagulls nested on the rocky shallow-water side of the island a couple of miles away. The biologist was shown a narrow trail leading through the dense jungle across the island to the nesting area, and he arranged with local help to lay nets on the beach to catch seagulls. It was tricky, but after a few tries, he had a big bag full of screeching unhappy birds which he threw over his back to make the trek back to the dolphins’ side of the island. He felt confident he could befriend the mysterious creatures by offering them their favorite meal.
As he was about halfway back to the dolphins’ bay, he came upon a lion lying across the trail, completely blocking his passage. The surrounding bush was so thick that he could not detour around the lion, who appeared to have a very full belly and was fast asleep. After a prudent pause, he stepped quickly over the lion.
Not ten yards down the trail, a sheriff jumped out of the jungle, gun drawn, and arrested him.
The charge:
(scroll down)
(scroll down some more...)
Transporting gulls over a sated lion for immortal porpoises! :shocked
:scratch
He set up camp on the deep-water side of the island and every day watched the dolphins frolicking in the bay. Sometimes he took a small boat out into the bay, but the dolphins would not come close. With the natives’ help he caught fish in nets and took them out to offer to the dolphins, but they seemed disinterested.
Sometimes he noticed a strange activity among them. One would catch a fish and hold it, unhurt and flopping, at the water’s surface. Seagulls would swoop down in groups to snatch this easy prey (so they thought, if seagulls think at all), and as they came near the fish, other dolphins would leap up, grab them and swallow them on the spot. The biologist had discovered that these dolphins ate seagulls, and only used fish as bait!
The seagulls nested on the rocky shallow-water side of the island a couple of miles away. The biologist was shown a narrow trail leading through the dense jungle across the island to the nesting area, and he arranged with local help to lay nets on the beach to catch seagulls. It was tricky, but after a few tries, he had a big bag full of screeching unhappy birds which he threw over his back to make the trek back to the dolphins’ side of the island. He felt confident he could befriend the mysterious creatures by offering them their favorite meal.
As he was about halfway back to the dolphins’ bay, he came upon a lion lying across the trail, completely blocking his passage. The surrounding bush was so thick that he could not detour around the lion, who appeared to have a very full belly and was fast asleep. After a prudent pause, he stepped quickly over the lion.
Not ten yards down the trail, a sheriff jumped out of the jungle, gun drawn, and arrested him.
The charge:
(scroll down)
(scroll down some more...)
Transporting gulls over a sated lion for immortal porpoises! :shocked