BTW, I still think that Conch-Lers involved
> in serious collecting should be encouraged, if they have an opportunity, to
> peruse the Code.

Yup. There is a certain intellectual rigour which attends messing about in
Zoology. For most people, that's part of the fun. While you can be had up
for masquerading as a doctor and poking around in people's fundaments,
there is no such restriction on your activities in Zoology. In the naked
democracy of the scientific press, Tom, Dick or even Harry can become
leading world authorities with no formal training whatsoever. This
remarkably American situation is a laudable and precious thing, but of
course the corollary is that under-researched, hastily-prepared or
downright imaginitive work is also exposed to the scrutiny of all. The ICZN
is as liberal as a set of rules can be while still preserving any authority.

On another topic : those interested in acquiring literature on Fossil or
Recent mollusca should hie themselves to Stuart Baldwin's website, where
his catalogues are now available for perusal (www.fossilbooks.co.uk) Stuart
runs a vast (350,000 reprints and hundreds of square yards of book
shelving) used book business in deepest Essex, specialising in Geology and
Palaentology, but with a healthy stock of general Zoology, Malacology,
Philosophy and all sorts of other material. Huge stocks of journals and
periodicals too - anyone interested in getting their own Sherborn might be
in luck, as he had a full unbound set at a very reasonable price when I was
there in August.