birding-aus

Help Needed with Blue Sparrow

To: Carl Clifford <>, Birding-Aus Aus <>
Subject: Help Needed with Blue Sparrow
From: Alistair McKeough <>
Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 17:20:09 +1000
Carl

I have packed the slingshot. If I find it I will mow the pullet down.

Should it just be delivered to the Museum?



On 5/15/09, Carl Clifford <> wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> I have contacted Rick Prum about his comment post on the "Living the
> Scientific Life" blog re the Sydney Blue Sparrow. It was indeed Rick
> Prum. He is very excited about the Blue Spadger and thinks that it
> most likely a genuine mutation. Here is part of his email :
>
> "This bird is a unique scientific opportunity, and I have been
> desperate to try to contact someone about this bird. Emails to the
> author of the story were all returned undeliverable, so I posted a
> message to try to get through.
>
> I think that this bird is a unique mutant for the production of spongy
> barb color, like a fairy wren. I know of no such bird in any captive
> breed species, though there are mutants for the loss of this trait in
> some parrot breeds.
> I am working on the issue of the development of blue feathers, and
> have recently published papers on this (available at the journals Soft
> Matter and   J. Roy Soc Interface). I can send them to you tomorrow
> when I get back to work."
>
> So I ask any Sydney birders to keep an eye open for anything like a
> bluish coloured sparrow, as this a genuinely "Big Thing". Rick Prum
> has contacted Walter Boles about this matter, but I think he may need
> all the help he can get in locating the sparrow or obtaining feather
> or blood samples. Also if anyone has a contact for Richard Shears, the
> "Daily Mail" journalist who discovered the blue sparrow, I would be
> most grateful if you could send them to me, or ask him to contact me
> or Rick Prum direct at  .
>
> Keep your eyes open,
>
> Carl Clifford
> ===============================
> www.birding-aus.org
> birding-aus.blogspot.com
>
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
> send the message:
> unsubscribe
> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
> to: 
> ===============================
>

-- 
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, 
send the message:
unsubscribe 
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 
===============================

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU