Night after night, a keen ornithologist stood in his backyard hooting like an owl. After weeks of getting no reply, he suddenly heard an owl hoot back at him. He was overjoyed at the response and for the next nine months man and bird kept up a regular dialogue of hooting. He was fascinated by his ability to relate to a wild creature and kept a thorough record of all their conversations.

Just when he was on the brink of taking his findings to the Natural History Society, his wife happened to be talking to a neighbor who lived four doors away.

'My husband spends his nights calling to owls,' she confided.

The neighbor said: "That's funny. So does mine!'