Re: 4/1999 Dicover Mag

[L Nyveen <lawrence@dsuper.net>]

At 19:42 -0400 9/4/99, Philidor11@aol.com wrote:

>In a message dated 4/9/99 1:33:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>Edels@email.msn.com writes:
>
><<  Biologists at the University of California at Irvine glued
> white feathers to the head of male zebra finches, which the females seem to
> find irresitable.  This suggests that the prediliction for crests may be
> hardwired into the avian central nervous system. >>
>
>The dedication of the true scientist, probably not matched by the dedication
>of the male zebra finches.
>If the females indeed went wild over fake crests, this would imply that they
>do not think much of the males' actual accoutrements.  Another reason the
>males' day was ruined.  Perhaps the males persuaded themselves the glue was
>an inhalant, and if it were that might have been the only consolation from
>the males' point of view.
>Worse yet, I assume that the feathers were later removed, leaving the females
>indifferent and the males with a legendary bad feather day.  Did the article
>say whether the males called for restoration of the feathers or whether they
>have decided to join a different group of finches, one with less unrealistic
>females?
>The social aspects of this experiment are frightening in their implications.

Frighteningly, I can't figure out what this year's April Fool's item was....


Laurie Nyveen                                  lawrence@dsuper.net
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