And so it goes on (yes, I didn't get away quite so fast as I thought).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ray Korpi
rkorpi at clark.edu
Wrk: Clark College Hm: Portland, OR
Vancouver, WA
360-992-2215
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 16:33:58 -0500
From: Paul DeBenedictis <BENEDICT at VAX.CS.HSCSYR.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Florida Scrub Jay, one more time

>What is so special about political geographic names? What is so special
>about fully symmetrical "geographical attachments" for only two of three,
>but not all three, jays? Why is it more important to revert
>Florida Jay ---> Scrub Jay ----> Florida Scrub Jay ----> Florida Jay,
>than it is to recognize that we've grown to understand and appreciate
>much more the close ties of the Florida Scrub Jay to _its_ habitat,
>and of that habitat's special significance to environmentalists,
>including Florida environmentalists?

Actually there are quite a few reptiles that are endemic (some are endemic
genera) to the Florida scrub, but only one (a Sceloporus lizard) is called
"Scrub beastie". I don't see why the jay needs special treatment in that
regard. (But I've communicated my preferences elsewhere [I'd drop scrub & call
A. california California Jay, and recognize Woodhouse's Jay as a species -
see Birding sometime this year - but I don't get to vote on that]).

[stuff deleted]
>There's no need to by symmetrical, nor politico-geographical:

The reason for the modifier is so that "Scrub Jay" by itself isn't ambiguous.

>Passionately yours,
>Peter

Paul DeBenedictis
SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse