Having spent the morning running round chasing money from clients and writing a couple of final demands I was in a 'good' mood when I received an e mail from Trevor regarding the current bird club bulletin. Just a minor issue, nothing to get hot and bothered about and easily sorted but all the same my blood began to run.
Bloody British Ornithologists Union moving and changing their list yearly and why.....probably because of modern technology they can, so they do. Ok, I admit the moves will all be well founded based on research and new DNA evidence but to the logical among us moving Falcons from the Birds of Prey and jamming them between Woodpeckers and Shrikes (Larks having previously been booted to follow Tits) oh it just gets too much. Strum that steel guitar
I've got the taxonomy blues
I don't know what species name to use
If only I had my half arsed way
I'd bring back order by Voous
Which raises another point, how can anybody write a book or article when it's out of date within a year. I have always feared giving power to quasi official clubs as it so often promotes undue and sometimes mis-guided enthusiasm in their officials. One wonders if asking a committee member of the BOU in future years what they achieved they would be proud to announce they re-named xyz species moved abc species and got sbc booted off because those that didn't see it wouldn't form a quorum.
I just don't bother. 'Bill' Bourne opposed this creeping name changing lark (Phasianidae anyone?) at the outset and he was right. For scientists at their level of detail it might be fine to fiddle, but name changing seems like controlling behaviour to me.
ReplyDeleteTo old to change or learn.