RE: Bambiraptor

[Mickey Rowe <rowe@psych.ucsb.edu>]

A technical glitch prevented this from going straight through (Chris,
Field has again changed the way it stamps your outgoing mail; I've
"fixed" it again.).

-- MPR

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Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 22:25:56 -0500
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
From: chris brochu <cbrochu@mail.fmnh.org>
Subject: RE: Bambiraptor


>If this is the take on what Padian said, then we sure as the Hell Creek
>can't talk about SUE!!! It was collected by a private collector!!!
>Tracy
>.

Actually, we sure as hell can.  Sue is currently curated in a public-trust
institution (FMNH PR2081).  Anyone can visit the Field Museum and
double-check my observations, Pete Larson's observations, and so on.  At
the time of publication, "Bambiraptor" was not so curated; the observations
in the published description cannot be regarded as repeatable.

The issue isn't necessarily the existence of commercial fossil dealers as
much as the ultimate fate of scientifically important material.  If it
doesn't go to a museum, it might as well have not been collected, as far as
science is concerned.


chris (who was sickened to see dinosaur teeth from Africa for sale at the
Geological Society of America meeting, and who is definitely writing to the
GSA president to complain.)

------------------------
Christopher A. Brochu
Department of Geology
Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605

phone 312-665-7633
fax 312-665-7641
electronic cbrochu@fmppr.fmnh.org
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