Subject: long-tailed duck
Date: May 20 19:04:26 2000
From: GMunger140 at aol.com - GMunger140 at aol.com


I write without credentials. i am neither nativie american nor am i female
nor am i a member of a minority. I am not a historian nor am I a linguist.
I have never seen an Oldsquaw duck except in pictures.
As i sit here i have the page from "Birds of Europe", opened to show pictures
of the bird called long tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis). It is a lovely,
unique bird. In this country we call Clangula hyemalis, Oldsquaw.
Within a few pages forward and back of the listing for Clangula hyemalis, i
see pictures of Steller's Eider and Barrow's Goldeneye. Are these
"politically correct" names,...and what about King Eider?
Isn't oldsquaw a better name than long tailed duck? Why is it wrong to honor
age and women and native Americans in knowing the oldsqaw duck?
If we are going to worry about naming a bird Oldsquaw, shouldn't we also be
considering more "politically correct" names for the King Eider and Barrow's
goldeneye and Steller's eider?
Garet Munger
Seattle, Washington
gmunger140 at aol.com