Re: the tonight show

[NJPharris@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/13/01 11:21:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
kinman@hotmail.com writes:

> P.S.  I certainly hope that you are right about your Jurassic "dino-birds", 
>  so that Aves can be expanded someday [oooops, I think I just heard some 
>  cladists grumbling].

Cladists _per se_ couldn't care less if Aves were expanded to include 
oviraptorosaurs, dromaeosaurs, troodonts, tyrannosaurs, etc.  Strict 
adherents to phylogenetic taxonomy, however, would object that Aves already 
has a definition and that under that definition Aves does not include the 
groups named above, under most current phylogenetic hypotheses.

--Nick P.