the sides of bona fide scientists, so when a team of biologists were
assigned to investigate the latest report, they grumbled as they were
sent into the wilderness.
It seems that local hunters in a rural area of France claimed to have
seen a hart that not only evaded them with ease, but was observed to
dismantle traps set for it. The biologists arrived, constructed blinds
with especial care, and settled into hiding in pairs.
One such pair settled in for a long wait. They didn't expect much, so
had stopped in the nearby town for the local brand of green liqueur.
Apparently, the wormwood in the area was particularly pungent.
They didn't have to wait long. The very hart of the matter showed up,
and as they watched it began to feed. It happened upon a wormwood
flower and tried it, only to spit it out and trot off in disgust. The
biologists looked at each other, shrugged, and continued to watch.
The hart returned, holding a stiff branch in its mouth, and proceeded
to clear away the underbrush and small clumps of wormwood. It worked
dilligently for quite a while, the biologists watching with increasing
interest. Finally, a substantial area of forest floor was completely
cleared down to the bare soil.
This excited the investigators to such an extent, that the blind was
mannned 24 hours a day in hopes that the hart would return. Several
weeks passed, hope dwindled, and the original pair found themselves
once again in hiding. The bare patch of ground had become a lawn of
wild grasses and weeds, and they held a small hope that the hart would
return, if only to graze.
Sure enough, the hart showed up one fine day, and they witnessed it
happily eating the grass.
One biologist turned to the other, and said, "Well, that proves it.
Absinthe does make the hart grow fodder."
A-1 
A-1