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ALMOST HUMAN 
that it has to be confessed that he was rusticated and sent to the Zoo 
for conduct unbecoming to an alumnus of Alma Mater. Disdaining 
the indignity, he decided to show the unlettered creatures of the Zoo how 
far a University training had raised him above the rabble, but alas, they 
thought themselves quite as good as he — and what was far worse, they 
proved it! He put several small ducks to rout — a not very creditable 
performance, but as soon as the male swan, who had held undisputed 
sway on that pond for a very long while, saw the upstart intruder, he 
sailed up majestically to enquire into his reason for trespassing. 
“ ‘It’s very rude of you,’ he said, 
‘To come and spoil the fun.’ ” 
At first the black swan thought the white was in jest, and he was 
certain that a little judicious flattery would make them good friends 
until he could work a revolution in his own favor, but the white sternly 
ordered him to quit at once, and he 
“Knew by that awful and kingly look, 
By the order hastily spoken,” 
that the challenge was meant to be taken in full seriousness, and so he 
at once turned to fly for the bank and safety. But the white swan was 
just as quick, and he caught him before the haven was reached. 
He caught the coward with his beak in the middle of the back, and hung 
on like grim death. The black got a terrible fright, and kept making 
for the bank with his assailant’s beak biting right into his flesh. He 
flapped his wings piteously and cried aloud for mercy, but mercy there 
was none. He managed to crawl up the bank handicapped as he was 
with the weight of the heavier swan, but when he got on shore he was 
too exhausted to move a step further. Then his enemy crushed him 
down. He climbed right on the back of the beaten bird, all the time 
pounding him mercilessly with his cruel wings. Then the white 
managed to get a firmer grip of the black’s neck, and was just proceeding 
to kill him by scalping when a keeper who had been working in the 
hippos’ compounds rushed to the assistance of the black and pulled the 
infuriated white bird away from him. The black was badly torn, and 
took some time to recover from his wounds, but when he did recover he 
was not merely a wiser bird, he was rather a humbler one. The white 
was taken off to another pond, which was strongly netted in, and he 
paced up and down inside his cage for days, trying to get out and finish 
that fight. It is thought that, besides the arrogance of the newcomer 
