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<DIV>This is the winner. Hilarious.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(from someone who has never smelled a skunk)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sally.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Sally Stewart</DIV>
<DIV>Librarian</DIV>
<DIV>Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>Birdwood Avenue</DIV>
<DIV>South Yarra</DIV>
<DIV>Vic. 3141</DIV>
<DIV>Australia</DIV>
<DIV>Tel: +61 3 9252 2320</DIV>
<DIV>Fax: +61 3 9252 2423</DIV>
<DIV>Web: <A href="http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/">www.rbg.vic.gov.au</A></DIV></DIV><BR><BR>>>> Steve Halford <halford@sfu.ca> 12/12/2013 4:13 PM >>><BR></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Shortly after I slashed through the scent glands of my first skunk specimen (having spent the previous half-hour cautiously castrating him) my boss rushed into my preproom claiming "You're poisoning all of us!" and threw the specimen into the courtyard -- where it happened to land on the main air intake of the <I>entire</I> Science wing of the University...<BR></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra><BR clear=all>
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<DIV dir=ltr>Steve Halford (<A href="mailto:halford@sfu.ca" target=_blank>halford@sfu.ca</A>)<BR>Museum Technician (Retired) <BR>Department of Biological Sciences<BR>Simon Fraser University<BR><BR></DIV></DIV><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 3:54 PM, Steve Sullivan <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:ssullivan@naturemuseum.org" target=_blank>ssullivan@naturemuseum.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class=gmail_quote>Commuting to work with my wife one snowy morning she yelled, "Stop!" When I<BR>did, she jumped out of the car and crawled under a nearby truck only to<BR>emerge with a huge, snow white possum in perfect condition. Since I was<BR>currently in need of such a specimen, and considering the preservative<BR>effects of the cold, we decided this was good luck and continued on our way<BR>to work. By the time I arrived at the museum, I realized that the possum<BR>was more fresh than I had assumed since it's parasite population had<BR>transferred from the back seat to my body. After a good scrub, I skinned<BR>the specimen and found that it had been killed by a single BB to the ear.<BR>This was ironic since just up the block from where the specimen was found, a<BR>sign proudly proclaimed that this community was a "Nuclear Weapons Free<BR>Zone."<BR><BR>---Steve<BR><BR>Steven M. Sullivan | Senior Curator of Urban Ecology<BR>The Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum<BR><BR>Museum|2430 North Cannon Drive|Chicago Illinois 60614|<A href="http://naturemuseum.org" target=_blank>naturemuseum.org</A><BR>Collections|4001 North Ravenswood Ave.|Chicago Illinois<BR>60613|<A href="http://projectsquirrel.org" target=_blank>projectsquirrel.org</A><BR>P <A href="tel:708-937-6253" value="+17089376253">708-937-6253</A> | F <A href="tel:773-755-5199" value="+17737555199">773-755-5199</A> | <A href="mailto:ssullivan@naturemuseum.org">ssullivan@naturemuseum.org</A><BR><BR>A century of memories and lessons from the Passenger Pigeon at<BR><A href="http://passengerpigeon.org" target=_blank>passengerpigeon.org</A><BR>
<DIV class="im HOEnZb"><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: <A href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</A><BR>[mailto:<A href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</A>] On Behalf Of <A href="mailto:dinoceras@juno.com">dinoceras@juno.com</A><BR>Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 9:19 AM<BR>To: <A href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</A><BR>Subject: [Nhcoll-l] The Dangerous Museum<BR><BR>Hi all,<BR><BR>I'm working on a talk for visitors to our museum that's all about the types<BR>of dangers (dangerous objects, substances, activities, etc.) we sometimes<BR>encounter in our work behind-the-scenes in collections. It's meant to be<BR>informative, not to mention---entertaining. I'm starting with how we get<BR>objects to the museum, preparing & conserving them, handling them, etc. If<BR>any of you have any stories or images you are willing to share along these<BR>lines, please contact me. I'd love to hear about what you've had to deal<BR>with from disease-carrying rodents to nasty stuff on clothing & herbarium<BR>sheets, and everything in between.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance,<BR><BR>Chris Chandler<BR><BR>Curator of Natural Science<BR>Putnam Museum<BR>Davenport, IA<BR><BR><A href="mailto:dinoceras@juno.com">dinoceras@juno.com</A><BR><A href="tel:563-324-1054%20x226" value="+15633241054">563-324-1054 x226</A><BR></DIV>
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