Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!mailrus!ames!oliveb!oliven!mjm
From: mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: What is "Thayer's Gull" ?
Message-ID: <33058@oliveb.olivetti.com>
Date: 22 Nov 88 17:00:18 GMT
References: <1988Nov11.185810.22941@utzoo.uucp> <32654@oliveb.olivetti.com> <2775@cs.Buffalo.EDU>
Sender: news@oliveb.olivetti.com
Lines: 19

In article <2775@cs.Buffalo.EDU>, dmark@cs.Buffalo.EDU (David Mark) writes:
 > 
 > >	Bear in mind that the pictures in books, the self-perpetuating
 > >descriptions, and the pigeon-holes are all defined by you scientists, not
 > >by us birders. 
 > 
 > Field guides are rarely written by 'scientists', and especially not by
 > systemmatists (sp?).  They are usually written by birders, by 'naturalists',
 > and/or by nature artists.

	The source of information for the field guides with which I am
familiar is the American Ornithologist's Union checklist and the scientific
data upon which the checklist is based. Regardless of who performs the
"task" of writing the guide, the definitions ultimately come from the
scientific community. Also, many field guides have as authors, or employ as
consultants, professional scientists in the field of ornithology or wildlife
biology.

Mike