We have just been graced by a visit from Russia’s greatest wildlife artist, Vadim Gorbatov, “guided” by our friend Peter Reshetniak of the Raptor Education Foundation in Denver. It was a whirlwind — we attempted to show him all of our corner of New Mexico in one- and- a- half days, plus cook two good …
Neanderthals in the Gene Pool
Well that didn’t take long. Remember my post last week that discussed possible Neanderthal/modern human interbreeding based on skeletal morphology evidence? You may recall, I figured that genetic evidence would tell the tale. Today Nicholas Wade of the New York Times reports on a study that finds circumstantial evidence that a gene for brain size …
Scapa Flow
After the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War in 1918, the warships of the defeated German Fleet were interned at anchorage at the main Royal Navy seabase at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland. The ships were kept there with skeleton crews of German sailors to …
Chupacabra
I have always been intrigued by the legend of the Chupacabra. Terrierman Patrick Burns and his working terriers have hunted one down, and he has the pictures to prove it.
I Wonder if Steve Remembers This Picture?
Or this one? UPDATEWell, since I got Steve to bite, I’ll let everyone know where these came from. I was rummaging through books the other night and found “Quail Hunting in America” by Tom Huggler. The guy drove three-quarters of the way across the country in 1985 hunting along the way so he could write …
No Comment
…….other than this was on the back of a large pick-up truck driven by a small young woman.
The Apotheosis of Chairman Mao
Beyond irony: Mao Tse Tung is now considered to be a diety dedicated to making people rich. Hat tip Chas.
Turkish Toilet Blogging??
No, not the kind with the slit in the floor, which in variations from modern to disgusting is common in the east. I’m talking about a pic that our friend Christina sent, taken in Istanbul: Turns out it does NOT say “No blogging on the loo”. Professor Janet Jones, one of our intrepid band in …
House Finch
Anne Price at the Raptor Education Foundation sent this photo of an oddly- marked house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) trapped at a banding station. They seem to be an exceptionally variable species, with males in particular varying from almost all red to brown with just traces of red. Could this have something to do with the …
Marketing
Reid sent this interesting NYT piece on publishers selling books in non- traditional venues like sporting goods stores and delis. Matt mused: “Eagle Dreams on table with wilderness gear at outfitters store… “Edge of the Wild dual-billed at Whole Foods with the authentic Italian meats AND in pasta isle… “Tiger Country [ unpublished novel] at …