A man who was starting a zoo was composing letters to suppliers of animals for a zoo he was proposing to start running.

Like Noah's Ark he wanted to order them two by two and had no problems with the plurals of any animal until he reached the letter M and the word Mongoose.

He wrote "Dear Sir, I am starting a zoo, please send me two mongoose."

He decided that didn't look right so he started again and wrote "Dear Sir, I am sending a zoo, please send me two Mongooses."

He decided that didn't look right either so screwed the letter up and threw it in the bin with the other one. He started writing on a fresh piece of paper...

"Dear Sir, I am starting a zoo, please send me two mongeese."

That didn't look right either and the letter ended up in the bin as well.

No matter what he tried, he couldn't find a plural for mongoose that satisfied him as correct.

Suddenly he had a brainwave!

He started yet another letter.

"Dear Sir, I am starting a zoo, please send me a mongoose,

Yours Sincerely etc."

Then he wrote underneath - "PS, please send me another one."