Jeff, thanks for pointing out the name of our Steller's Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri. So many "Stellar's Jays" had appeared in print that I was almost to that point myself. I suppose even more people who live in this area call them "blue jays," so many that I have often heard "eastern Blue Jay" said to refer to the real Blue Jay. The scientific name of our bird means "Steller's blue jay."

A fantastically stellar attraction was the Steller's Sea Cow, Hydrodamalis gigas. Its species name already tells you something about it, a massive marine mammal the sighting of which must have struck those lucky few who sighted it with awe. Notice I say "was," as this wonderful sirenian (manatee and dugong relative) was extirpated not long after it was discovered for science on that same Vitis Bering cruise. By the late 18th century, it was gone, one of the very clearest cases of extinction by human overhunting. They were the only cold-water sirenians, all black and up to 30 feet long (good drawing of sirenians at http://www.galeschools.com/environment/endangered/manatee.htm), and fed on kelp. What a tragedy to lose such an animal, which surely would have been on the bucket list of many a naturalist.

I don't know about Chinese Lettuce, but we have in eastern Washington all those other plants that Jeff mentioned. You might get out your plant book and check 'em out some time. I think all of them are non-native and somewhat invasive, thus they can be very common.

I'm waiting to read the recipe for collard-dove appetizers at the Anchor Pub.

Dennis

On Mar 13, 2012, at 6:23 PM, jeff gibson wrote:

> The names we give things are interesting and so are typos.
>
> Here's something the poet Robert Sund had to say about names (from his 1969 classic 'Bunchgrass):
>
> ' Before he goes, I learn the name of the plant frequented by butterflies.
> "That's Star Thistle", he says. "But I suppose there's a more high-priced name for it if you knew what it was. Funny thing about that, it don't grow where the land's cultivated; mostly just on the main line. They call that Star Thistle, near as I know".
>
> Star Thistle, Jim Hill Mustard, White Tops,
> Chinese Lettuce, Pepper Grass.
> The names of things
> bring them
> closer.'
>
> I've been liking that poem since I first read it almost 40 years ago. Names do give something to hold on to in our minds.
>
> I hadn't seen the name " Collard Doves" on tweeters yet, but I'm glad Dennis Paulson pointed it out - pretty funny. It gave me all sorts of ideas which I may post about later.
>
> Someone could do a study on it I suppose, but I'm thinking the most common bird typo on Tweeters is 'Stellar(s) Jay'. This is understandable because the bird is a real star as far as I'm concerned! I'm always amazed at the brilliance of the creature.
>
> While stellar, the bird is actually named Steller's Jay, after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller who apparently was the first white dude to walk on the shore of 'Alaska', in 1741, if wikipedia is correct that is. At any rate he showed up on the scene and noticed a few critters before he got back on Vitis Bering's ship, some of which still bear his name.
>
> Another of those creatures is the Steller's Sea Lion, also found around our parts. Although sharing a name this animal is a far cry from our bright blue jay. A sumo-sized seal, the males get up to 10 ft long or more and weigh up to 1200 lbs. On a trip to the San Juan's in March years ago our 26ft boat cruised by some rocks sporting a belligerent male of this species. Although we were about 100 ft away, I felt it was way too close. What a giant! The only animals I've seen larger in the wild were whales.
>
> Anyway, names are interesting.
>
> Jeff Gibson
> Everett Wa
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> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
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-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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