>just a guess). For years I've been pushing the idea of having size
>indicated by weight in guides, as I think length measurements have the
>potential to confuse people because a long-tailed bird ends up with a
>larger number in the "size" category in the book than a bird that is quite
>obviously larger but with a shorter tail. And that's quite independent of
>whether they get the figures right or not!
>
>Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
>Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
>University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
>Tacoma, WA 98416
>web site: http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html

An enthusiastic second to this idea. I have found it interesting how far off
people often are when they guess the weight of large birds like redtails or
eagles. Today I noticed an article in the P.I about the snowies that said
they weighed 8 pounds, which is heavier than I would estimate-- but I've
never held one and when I looked in several guides, the Birder's Handbook,
and the Encyclopedia Britannica I was frustrated to see that none of them
gave the weight-- so I guess I won't know until Dennis corrects me.

-------------------------------------
Name: Jerry Broadus
jbroadus at seanet.com
901-16th. St S.W.
Puyallup, Wa. 98371
206-845-3156
11/13/96
15:42:05