Imagine for a moment that you have a pet swan. What would you call it? Alan? Belinda? Clive? Dot? I could continue through the alphabet, but I won’t, not for the time being. If I did, we would soon enough get to J. I like to think that I would not, at that juncture, pick the name Jack. Not for a swan. It doesn’t seem right. Yet that is the name Anna Pavlova gave to her swan, as can be seen in this tremendous photograph, kindly sent to me by David Cranmer. Click for gigantic version.
A Google search has unearthed some more photos of Anna and Jack, and one with Ms. Pavlova dancing with an elephant (name unknown).
My swan was named Beaky, but those who feared him knew him as Swanzilla:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJwSXl8XvyM