My favorite Rafinesque story is the one where he visited Audubon. A bat flew in the open window one night, and Rafinesque, jumping to the conclusion that it was new to science, caused a commotion by reaching for the nearest object and using it as a stick to knock down the bat. The whole household rushed to the room to see what was the matter. As the object was Audubon's violin, Rafinesque's host was less than pleased; however, he bode his time before exacting revenge. Later, with Rafinesque at a safe distance, Audubon wrote him a letter describing a remarkable new find: a freshwater trivalve in the Ohio River, the first mollusk ever found with three shelly parts. As Audubon expected, Rafinesque leapt into print and gave the new find a formal Linnaean name, sight unseen, in the American Journal of Science and Arts. Of course, the scientific community was not impressed with Rafinesque when the truth came out. Well, that's science: Sometimes you name the bear, and sometimes it names you. Have a great weekend, everybody, and stay away from those young oysters! A special "tug o' the ear" to Beatrice Burch. Andrew Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama P.O. Box O Tuscaloosa, AL 35486-0004