‘Any other queer beasts?’
‘Of course, plenty. You have heard of the Mylodon, the gigantic Sloth? His bones, skin, and hair were lately found in a cave in Patagonia, with a lot of his fodder. You can see them at the British Museum in South Kensington. Primitive Patagonian man used the female of the species as a milch-cow. He was a genial friendly kind of brute, accessible to charm of manner and chopped hay. They fed him on that, in a domesticated state.’
‘But he is extinct. Hesketh Pritchard went to look for a live Mylodon, and did not find him.’
‘Did not know where to look,’ said Bude.
‘But you do?’ asked Merton.
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘Then why don’t you bring one over to the Zoo?’
‘I may some day.’
‘Are there any more survivors of extinct species?’
‘Merton, is this an interview? Are you doing Mr. Jones Harvey at home for a picture paper?’