>     BR, you want to be careful when reading Stephen Jay Gould.
>Notwithstanding his quarter-century of teaching biology at Harvard, he
>thinks (and has said in writing) that if a boy and girl carve their
>initials on a tree trunk, if they come back to their trysting spot after
>many years, their initials will have grown out of reach.
 
I must admit to never having heard this particular story about Gould.
I can say that Gould has done more to enrich evolutionary biology
in the last quarter century than any other single figure.  I am inclined to
let small gaffs by unarguably brilliant men (and women) pass while I
am more sceptical about those men who would judge someone on the basis
of a (possible) single mistake.
 
Also, curators are always easy targets when dissing (its a slang word, but
I think it is appropriate) museums.  I have not really had that much
experience in lots of museums, but from what I have seen, ADMINISTRATION
has much more impact in the quality of a museum.  I think the recent
posting we have seen on the list would support this supposition.
 
Cheers,
 
Robert Guralnick   | Museum of Paleontology   | University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720 | [log in to unmask] | (510) 642-9696