Re: Response to Gould?

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/1/00 12:08:56 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
kinman@hotmail.com writes:

>      Birds are the living descendants of dinosaurs, but different enough 
>  that I won't go as far as to say they ARE living dinosaurs.   I don't find 
>  it the slightest bit surprising that many other people see it the same 
way.  
>  Can be as irritating as someone saying "termites ARE cockroaches" or 
"fleas 
>  ARE scorpionflies".

Um, as far as I know, the someone saying this would be irritating because 
that person would be *wrong*--unless you can direct me to some evidence that 
termites and fleas are phylogenetically nested within the groups commonly 
referred to as cockroaches and scorpionflies, respectively.

I don't see why calling birds dinosaurs would make you any less comfortable 
than calling fleas insects, or arthropods, or protostomes, or metazoans.

Nick P.