As we all know, swallows are migratory birds. A swallow was flying north over the Atlantic Ocean when it saw something strange in the water below. "Hmm," said the swallow. "That can't be a whale, because it is too small. And it can't be a dolphin, because dolphins are beautiful swimmers and that thing is swimming really oddly." So the swallow descended to get a better look. And saw . . . a cow. A cow in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean swimming west. [The joke is funnier if, whenever the cow talks, the joketeller moves his or arms and legs stiffly in a swimming motion.]
"Excuse me, are you a cow?" Asked the swallow.
"Yes, yes, I'm a cow," said the cow.
"Well, where are you going?"
"To Madagascar."
"To Madagascar? But you're swimming west in the Atlantic. To get to Madagascar you need to head north, then east through the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and turn south in the Indian Ocean. You're going in completely the wrong direction!"
"That's okay," said the cow. [Swim, swim.] "I'm not going to make it anyway."