Killing butterflies

[Jim Taylor]

Anne:

Put a tarp over your computer before Georges gets there;  I for one would
hate to lose you.

Jim Taylor
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Kilmer <viceroy at GATE.NET>
To: fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu <fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu>; Leps List
<leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 1998 7:06 PM
Subject: Re: Killing butterflies


>Kenelm Philip wrote:
>>
>>         Since I am one of the people who responded to Eric Wahlgren's re-
>> quest for information and thus aroused Terry Rodbards' ire, I would like
to
>> make some comments (and beg the forgiveness of those who have had enough
>> of this topic).
>>
> snip
>
>
>Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant.
>So glad Terry asked the question; it needs to be asked. Every collector,
>with every bug, needs to say to himself, "Should I kill this bug?"
>So glad Ken answered it.
> Part of learning about nature involves capturing and/or killing stuff,
>unless one is particularly saintly. Or squeamish, or sentimental.
> Another part of our interface with nature is the notion that we have to
>rescue everything and nurse it back to health ... it's fun to watch them
>at the zoo when someone brings in a baby grackle to be fostered
>(grackles being a sort of avian cockroach in these circumstances).
>Having been anthropomorphized, the bird now has to be treated with
>dignity. And yet, the snakes are right there, and hungry ... it would be
>so easy.
>
>>         Finally, Eric _asked_ for this information. To my mind,
withholding
>> knowledge from a curious mind is a worse sin than killing an insect.
>>
>>                                                         Ken Philip
>> fnkwp at uaf.edu
>
>Failing to foster anyone's education is a sin. Terry, I hope you are
>contented with our answers, and understand our feelings as well. Some of
>the collectors are pretty sore after a series of attacks.
> And, as Ken points out, we have real problems, and Eric is part of the
>solution.
>Anne Kilmer
>South Florida
>