I know John Epler and he is an eccentric (who among us isn't) and quiet
enthusiastic about his work (a refreshing quality).  My wife constantly
reminds me that those who choose to study mollusks are the most eccentric
bunch of people she has ever known, but she has never had an opportunity to
go on a collecting trip with a herpetologist (now that's eccentric).  Deborah
Wills could probably relate some humorous tales of when she, her husband and
I were collecting freshwater mussels on the Paint Rock River when the leader
of our "expedition" was a herpetologist.  That man was crazy -- collecting
snakes like we collected shells; grabbing snakes by the tail with no thought
as to whether the snake might be poisonous or not.  Me - I happened to be in
same canoe with him.  Once when one of his snakes got loose in the canoe I
threatened to decorate his canoe with 18 holes about 9 mm in diameter (or was
it 90 mm by the time the projectile made contact)?

Doug Shelton


____________________________________
Douglas N. Shelton, Malacologist
Alabama Malacological Research Center
2370-G Hillcrest Road #236
Mobile, AL 36695  USA


In a message dated 6/11/99 12:09:37 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> John Epler, the guy who named Dicrotendipes thanantogratis after the
Grateful
>  Dead, has a web page of his own (www.freenet.tlh.fl.us/~johneplr/names.htm)
>  that includes other odd names including  Lalpa lusa, Agra vation and Etu
>  brutus.  The fact that most of the strange names belong to insects raises
> the
>  question of the sanity of those who choose not to study mollucs.
>
>  Larry Eaton
>  Raleigh, NC
>
>