To expand a little on Don's answer on the definition of "prothonotary", my
trusty Webster's provides the following information: "Roman Catholic
Church: One of a college of 12 ecclesiastics charged with the registry of
important pontifical proceedings." Webster's goes on to give the derivation
of the name of the prothonotary warbler as coming from the bright yellow
robes worn by these ecclesiastics.

Well I learned something new!

Maggie Bell-McKinnon
Olympia, WA
mbel461 at ecy.wa.gov
----------
From: tweeters
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Anyone bored?
Date: Fri, Mar 31, 1995 1:18PM

> |> 1. Why would a warbler be given the name "prothonatory" ?
>
> There were medieval assistant scribes called "protonotarius", who
> wore bright yellow robes.

Since I failed to ask people to e-mail me answers, I'll go ahead
and give them as I understand them.

If I play this sort of prank in the future, I'll
remember to have y'all e-mail me. Sorry, though, only prize I
can offer is recycled electrons.

Yes, you're right, but as I understand it they were scribes or
clerks in the Catholic Church (thus the uniform).

No more obscure than "cardinal", is it?

> |> 2. What is the relationship between the prothonatory warbler and
> |> Richard Nixon's career?
>
> Alger Hiss was accused of passing documents to the Soviets. Whittaker
> Chambers, as witness for the prosecution, claimed he knew Hiss.
> Hiss denied this. Chambers said that Hiss, on one of their meetings, had
> told him about having seen a PRWA somewhere along the Potomac, on a day
> when Hiss, according to his own statement, had been in New York. When
> questioned, Hiss was unable to deny that he *had* seen a PRWA that day
> - he was too proud of the record. Thus he was exposed as a liar.

Actually, unless I'm really out to lunch, Hiss claimed to have been
searching for a PRWA during a time when Chambers claimed they had
met. He claimed to have never seen one before. His alibi, though,
was not supportable as he'd gone birding alone. Thus, it was his word
vs. Chambers.

Got this out of the Big O a few years ago, forget the occasion (when
Hiss got out? Death of Tricky Dicky?)

Now you've got me curious as to which version is correct!

Either way, though, it is proof that listing is a dangerous thing!

And, never go birding alone!

> Now what RN had to do with that, I forget. He may have been a prosecutor.

You're the second to guess that (one e-mail). Actually, Tricky Dicky
was a Congresscritter on the committee which held hearings (he may
have chaired it). He gained national notoriety for his impassioned
questioning of Alger Hiss and others hauled before the committee to
testify about the scandal. At the time, he was almost unknown
outside California, so the committee hearings were very important
for the development of his career on the national level.

-Don Baccus-