Is there an animal called a gnu?
Oh yes, there is such an animal. But unless you forget the first letter, he will not answer to the name of gnu. And the gnu is full of surprises. His cousins are the most graceful animals in the world. But he is a bulky, clumsy looking fellow. What’s more, the shaggy character is a frolicsome clown. The real live gnu has two names. We can call him the “noo,” to rhyme with “zoo.” But when we write it, we must remember that it begins with a silent letter “G.” We can also call him the wildebeeste, a name that sounds rather fierce. This name does not suit him at all, so let’s call him Mr. Gnu. And in our country, about the only place we are likely to find the gnu is in a zoo. His native home is Africa. There he shares the sunny plains with the zebra and the ostrich, the stately giraffe and the chunky, bad tempered rhinoceros:. The gnu’s home at the zoo is near the animals that have hoofs on their feet and horns on their heads. Like all hoofed animals, Mr. Gnu dines only on vegetables and s
