Dear Leslie,

I never heard the quotation you cite below. I admit my attendance has
been far from perfect at AMU/AMS meetings, however.

Can you, or anyone else, give us a better fix on the context and time
of this utterance? It seems uncharacteristic of Tucker although he
was a conservative taxonomist.

Harry


At 02:17 PM 2/1/2006, you wrote:
>Hi Art
>You're right; every species has its day and waning longevity.
>Regardless of whether it is or was ever once abundant...
>Not every species will reproduce in sufficient quantities to ever be
>considered abundant.
>Ants are abundant; panthers are not...
>
>I know you didn't coin the phase I commented on... just propagated it.
>.. Abbott was fond to the line and used it frequently.
>He's the same feller who made other stupid blanket statements such as
>"There are no new species of Molluscs to be described in the Western
>Atlantic."
>(made from the podium at an AMU meeting).
>He also said that anything that was found and thought tobe new had probably
>already been described at least 3 times.
>
>Such rash blanket statements are ultimately riddled with error when taken
>wholesale,  ... and as was in this case, aimed at another malacologist who was
>not sitting back on his katookish and was actively describing new species...
>the vast majority of which have now stood the test of time.  While he was
>locked in his own world of shuffling paper and specimens to create the BMSM,
>and running a publishing company.
>
>Leslie
>
>
>At 02:17 PM 2/1/2006, you wrote
>>Hi Art
>>Your right, every species has its day, and waning longevity.
>>Regardless whether it is or was ever once abundant...
>>Not every species will reproduce in sufficient quantities to every be
>>considered abundant.
>>Ant's are abundant, panthers are not...
>>
>>I know you didn't coin the phase I commented on... just propagated it.
>>.. Abbott was fond to the line and used it frequently.
>>He's the same feller who made other stupid blanket statements such as
>>"there are no new species of Molluscs to be described in the
>>Western Atlantic"
>>(made from the podium at an AMU meeting)
>>He also said that anything that was found and thought tobe new had probably
>>already been described at least 3 times.
>>
>>Such rash blanket statements are ultimately riddled with error when taken
>>wholesale,  ... and as was in this case, aimed at another
>>Malacologist who was
>>not sitting back on his katookish and was actively describing new species...
>>the vast majority of which have now stood the test of time.  While he was
>>locked in his own world of shuffling paper and specimens to create the BMSM,
>>and running a publishing company.
>>
>>Leslie

Harry G. Lee, M.D.
Suite 500
1801 Barrs Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204 USA
voice (904) 384 6419
fax (904) 388 1827
email: [log in to unmask]

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