"But when hunter meets with husband, each confirms the other's tale, The female of the species is more deadly than the male." 'The Female of the Species' is a classic poem by British poet Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1911. Its title and recurring line—"The female of the species is more deadly than the male"—have inspired many other works and titles over the years. The poem depicts the traits and actions of the female sex of various different fauna, to later reflect on the reactions they arouse and what conclusions may be derived. The subject of controversy in recent years, it is nonetheless a classic of English poetry that merits its lecture and analysis, regardless of interpretations. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is often regarded as the unofficial Laureate of the British Empire. Yet his cutting verse and prose reveals a ferociously independent figure, at times violently opposed to the dominant political and literary tendencies of his age. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."