"Georges Cuvier's outstanding achievement resulted from his ability to reconstruct whole skeletons from fragmentary remains through his understanding of the way in which any particular feature entailed the presence or absence of other characteristics. This logical approach brought no little discomfiture to a group of students bent upon a practical joke.
"They broke into Cuvier's rooms in the middle of the night, and one, dressed in a devil's outfit with horns, tail, and hoofed feet, approached his bed, intoning, 'Cuvier, I have come to eat you!' Cuvier woke up, gave him a single glance, and announced, 'All animals with horns and hooves are herbivorous. You won't eat me. 'Then he promptly went back to sleep."
Sources
Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes
