The Anecdote Bin

IN the animal kingdom we find specific evidence that booze doesn't go well with--in these cases--cows, fish and rats. Case A: In Western Norway, eleven cows drank fermented molasses, burned down a barn by lurching into some electrical wires, and finally staggered into a lake to drown. . . . Case B: After whiskey accidentally leaked from a Scotland distillery into a river, astonished fishermen watched salmon and trout weaving drunkenly through the water, snapping carelessly at hooks and resisting the haul to shore with no more than a drowsy flick of their tails. They were thrown back to sleep it off. . . . Case C: University of Michigan experiments show that when rats are taught to drink, the early learners drink more than those who learn at a later age. Furthermore, those with problems drink more than their carefree brother rats, and the males outdrink the females.