Too young to collect?

Kurt Jacobs kurtjacobs at earthlink.net
Thu Mar 30 18:45:24 EST 2000


Touche.

"John Grehan" <jrg13 at psu.edu> wrote in message
news:3.0.1.16.19990331075955.5837100c at email.psu.edu...
> Some responses to Kurt Jacobs
>
>  I have to wonder though, are
> >these children exceptionally gifted, because to take it to the level that
is
> >beyond most high schoolers may be a bit overwhelming.
>
> Perhaps the children can decide this.
>
> Most modest
> >collectors will admit that it takes years to learn how to properly mount
> >lepidoptera to what an experienced entomologist would consider
> >"professional".
>
> Perhaps true, but does that matter? Specimens may look lousy, but still
have
> scientific value. And the earlier one starts the earlier one might become
> proficient.
>
> Many collectors with any love of the environment who hold
> >collections feel that taking butterflies or moths without using the
proper
> >mounting and storage techniques is just throwing away a living animal.
>
> I'm not one of the many. Each year I "throw" away millions, perhaps
billions
> in the front of my car.
>
>  It
> >is a waste.
>
> A matter of personal philosophy.
>
> Many lepidopterists also feel that people who hold collections
> >and are not affiliated with a university or museum or such are also
wasting
> >the environment, even if they house a collection that rivals the most
> >respected.
>
> I'm not one of the "many". And with the attitiude of some universities and
> museums
> towards collections I wouldn't necessarily want such persons to have such
> affiliations. If universities can hold collections in such distain and
> trash the idea of active working collections why burden this attitude upon
> private collectors?
>
>  If noone learns or sees the collection but the collector it is
> >truly a waste.
>
> Personal philosophy. If no one learns of, or sees, a particular species is
> the existence of that species a "waste"?
>
>  The children would not most likely know
> >if they were taking a female regal fritilliary or a male great spangled
> >fritilliary until after it had been killed.  So to rush right out and
start
> >collecting insects at age 10 is wrong.
>
> When I started collecting as a child I did not "know" what I was
collecting
> either.
> So this makes me a sinner?
>
>  NOOOO, but it would be nice if the
> >children learned respect for the fauna and if they could get a sense of
what
> >type of collecting is proper.
>
> This is loaded with moral judgements of guilt. The idea that if one does
> not "know" what one is collecting, one has no "respect" for the fauna.
> Sounds typical of fundamentalist christian theology (sin, sin, guilt,
> guilt) (and I don't imply that is the foundation of anyone with christian
> faith, and the same philosophy no doubt also occurs in other faiths). I
> would argue (as personal philosophy) that "proper" collecting is that
which
> does not endanger the existence of a species.
>
> >
> >I have no problems with collecting, mounting and storing lepidoptera,
>
> Evidently Kurt Jacobs has a lot of moral problems with collecting that is
> not "proper".
>
> >arent children in 4th grade a little young to be doing the work that
college
> >students sometimes have trouble learning?
>
> Having experienced museum visits from many (many means hundreds) of
> preschool and early grade children, and can confirm that they often have a
> knowledge of insects that college students sometimes have trouble
learning!
>
> John Grehan
>



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