Law of the Playground

Potential urban myth. If you stick a straw up a frog’s anus and blow, it will explode. Don’t question the physics; it will explode.

John C

Also - exploding pigeon. Mash bread up with bicarbonate of soda and feed liberally to pigeons (or any bird for that matter). As birds cannot fart or burp the build up of gas will cause the flying vermin to explode.

(In my opinion this would have vastly improved the cutesy “Feed The Birds” bit in Mary Poppins. Those two annoying kids dripping with tiny pigeon entrails, feathers in their hair and their screams punctuated only by the sound “coo, coo…ka-boom! Splat! " would have gone some way to cutting through the saccharine.)

Susan T

it may well be one of those ‘school myths’ but one of our chemistry teachers was alleged to have, as a hobby, wrapping small pieces of sodium (explosive when wet) in dry bread and feeding it to the seagulls which plagued our school.

dave e

This doesn’t explode them but certainly does kill the flying vermin of seagulls, as taught by Mr Jones who was used to living in a seaside town:

1. Dip sponge in gravy

2. Bake in oven so it shrinks

3. Cut into small chunks and feed to seagulls

4. Expands in stomach so they can’t eat

Now that I have kids of my own it’s fun to pass on these tips.

This whole thread is getting a bit “Wasp Factory”. We’ve called the man from the RSPCA. His name is Geoff.

[anon]

Methinks the exploding bird story is a myth as birds can indeed fart. Witness my parrot, who farts, lifts his leg when doing so and it smells! And my budgie pukes bird seed all over me whenever I hold him.

Thanks for that insight, Gemma.

[anon]