Virginia Recollections

["Steve Brusatte" <dinoland@lycos.com>]

Hey all,
Just a brief note to let you know that I have returned from my trip to 
Virginia.  I once again thank the list for their suggestions regarding paleo 
sites to visit.

It was a very nice experience.  I was able to spend two afternoons at the 
National Museum of Natural History in Washington.  I had briefly visited four 
years ago, before I was interested in fossils, and I remembered it as a "small" 
museum.  Ha!  I was barely able to view the fossil exhibits, and had no chance 
to see the geology, gems, osteology, and human culture exhibits.  

I was especially impressed by Hatcher, the new "digital" _Triceratops_, and 
also enjoyed seeing the one specimen of _Diceratops_.  Being able to see 
_Diadectes_, _Seymouria_, _Diplocaulus_, and other early tetrapods was another 
unexpected bonus for me.  Hopefully all of my photos turn out...

The one other paleo-related site I was able to visit was the Virginia Living 
Museum in Newport News.  Unlike the Smithsonian, the paleo exhibits there 
actually are confined (into a single room), but they are impressive.  A few 
dinosaur, aetosaur, and phytosaur tracks excavated from the Culpeper trackways 
are displayed, along with the distal half of a phytosaur lower jaw and some 
Early Jurassic plant fossils.  An _Allosaurus_ skull cast was also exhibited.  
The living animals displayed in natural habitats was the real attraction, 
though.  I was able to see a hellbender, which I can't say I have ever seen 
before.

While I was away I was able to read Allen and Diane Debus' new book Dinosaur 
Memories.  I've mentioned this essay collection onlist before.  After reading 
it, I can only praise it more.  The Dinosaur Mailing List is mentioned (as the 
medium through which the authors, with the stealthy cooperation of one Tom 
Holtz, conducted an April Fool's joke a few years ago).  I would recommend it 
to everyone, especially those of you interested in dinosaur collectibles, 
science fiction, and art.

I have also received some interesting news that might be significant to 
psittacosaurid phylogenetics.  Many onlist (perhaps including myself, once I 
assess the evidence fully) might voraciously disagree, and I will hopefully be 
able to share this once I examine the facts more closely.

Regards,
Steve

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Steve Brusatte-DINO LAND PALEONTOLOGY
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