Heading off on a tangent, I was attending a class in medical botany at the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum back in the 70s. One tale that came up was based on the fact that birds don’t digest caffeine.

Back during World War II, when coffee was being rationed, the cola companies went looking for alternate sources of caffeine. Some bright fellow realized that birds would eat coffee beans, and perch nearby and eliminate wastes. The perches near coffee groves had huge, thick deposits of bird guano, loaded with caffeine. All anyone had to do was dig it up and refine the caffeine out of it.

Fortunately, some brighter fellow realized what the consumer response would be if the story ever got out. “Birds go better in Coke”…