Bobbi Cordy wrote:
>
> mark wrote:
> >
> > Bobby you wrote:
> > "Common names are fine for children and beginners..."
> >  I must reply that we are all beginners, who amongst us can consider
> > themselves an expert. I do know many who claim this but it's a fool who
> > would boast "I know it all"...
> > The wisest man once replied "I don't know, teach me "
> > Please don't take this as an insult , I 'm just stating that we all have
> > much to learn and if using common names along with Latin names helps when
> > communicating with others then this is beneficial to all concerned.My wife
> > says that she considers herself a beginner as she learns something new
> > everyday. mark
>
> I am saying after several years of collecting (over 30) we do not
> consider ourselves beginners...we are at least advanced collectors.  I
> do realize we will never know it all...and neither will anyone else.
> But our goal in our club and as mentors to many beginning collectors is
> to teach them.
>
> I have to admit my husand is a wiz.  In our collection of over 7,000
> species he can not only call them all by their latin names...but can
> usually tell them where they came from and the author and date...we
> could never have done that 25 years ago!
>
> No...sorry I don't think we are ALL beginners.   A beginner is just
> starting to learn...like a beginner swimmer.  After a certain amount of
> time he becomes an intermediate and then advanced. We consider ourselves
> advanced...but again that doesn't mean we are not STILL learning because
> that is something we expect all our lives is to continue to learn...or
> become stagnant.
> --
> Jim & Bobbi Cordy
> Specializing in Self-Collected
> Caribbean & Florida Shells
 
It would be a nice gesture to help beginners by including common names
with latin names where possible to enable beginners to learn the
associations. Michael Huggins. PS: Bobbi, your ending was very poingant
and keeps that little bit of beginner in me alive, (although I am barely
an advanced beginner :-), the childlike facination that began this
journey in to shelling.