MESSAGE FROM TEX.... thanks buddy

SMALL TORTOISESHELL UPDATE

The picture is by Maxy, and the text is taken from the latest issue of the Entomological Livestock Group Newsletter:

Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock:

Thanks to all the ELG members who helped us to our research into parasitoids of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies in 2008. Our research focused particularly on the arrival and spread of a 'new' tachnid fly, Sturmia bella, from the continent since 1998. We would like to ask for your help again in 2009 as our research continues. Some of the data from the 2008 are still being analysed, but a report of the main results can now be
downloaded from our web site at the following address:
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~zool0376/small-tortoiseshell.htm

To summarise:

* Small Tortoiseshells have declined by approximately 50% in the past decade
* Sturmia bella now has a wide distribution in southern Britain, at least as far north as Merseyside and Doncaster.
* Small Tortoiseshells have declined most dramatically in southern Britain but have been
declining in northern England and Scotland too.
* Sturmia bella is now the major parasitoid for Small Tortoiseshells (but not Peacocks)
* Sturmia bella is mostly recorded from caterpillars collected in late summer.
* Sturmia bella is an additional cause of mortality to the larval batches it parasitizes and may now be competing with native parasitoids.
*The overwintering strategy of Sturmia bella in the UK is still unknown.
* There is no evidence that local decline rates reflect the presence of Sturmia bella, but sample sizes are small.

Caterpillar samples of Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell collected from the same location as last year would be extremely valuable, but we are also interested in samples from new sites. Samples from northern England and Scotland would be especially welcome. Instructions and recording sheets (slightly updated since last year) are available at the project web site.

Dr Owen Lewis & Dr Sofia
Gripenberg, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
(Email: sturmia.bella@googlemail.com)

GROVER KRANTZ IMMORTALISED

I saw this some months ago, and forgot to post it. Grover Krantz was one of the good guys in a field increasingly populated by lunatics, charlatans, and blowhards. When he died in 2002, he was mourned by people across the cryptozoological community, and in the wider realm of anthropology. Now, he has been immortalised. The BBC report reads:

"Dr Grover Krantz was an anthropologist. He's probably best known for his search for Sasquatch - or Big Foot - the ape-like creature rumoured to live in the forests of America's Pacific north west. Dr Krantz never found Big Foot but always remained dedicated to his work.He died of cancer a few years ago but wanted to continue teaching, even after death. He left his body to the University of Tennessee 'Body Farm' so that crime scene investigators could study its decomposition. But once decomposed, what should happen to the skeleton?"

In 2003, his skeleton arrived at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History and was laid in its final resting place in a green cabinet, alongside the bones of his three favourite wolfhounds, as was his last request. In 2009, Krantz's skeleton was painstakingly articulated and, along with the skeleton of one his dogs, included on display in the Smithsonian's "Written in Bone" exhibition.

Golly, I wish I had kept Toby's skeleton....

BBC Story

Smithsonian Blog

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday’s News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

Another day and it’s time for another round-up of yesterday's news from the CFZ’s cryptozoology daily news blog, followed by a bad pun:

Wildlife crisis worse than economic crisis – IUCN
Birds fly higher with shrinking forest, warmer climate
Zoos Fear Forced Closure, Destruction of Animals
Concern over Ebola virus in pigs
Amphibians mate under a full Moon
'Whistling' deer spark searches
Mystery of cat's 150-mile journey
Water voles are latest victims of the recession
Action to be taken to stop Sussex’s plummeting eel population
Apparently they haven’t been ‘eel’ing very well lately.

ITS INTERNATIONAL DONJ DAY (says Shosh)

July 14th 2009 is the first annual International Donj Day, where cat lovers (and non-lovers) around the globe must celebrate Orange Cats and their gingery marmaladeness.

Before anyone points out the obvious, I am aware that July 14th is also Bastille Day in France. July 14th is also the birthday of my good friend Aurelia and we manage to celebrate that, so I'm sure we can manage to celebrate National Donj Day as well.

Happy birthday Aurelia, by the way, and happy Bastille Day to the French.

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

According to the poet T.S. Eliot in 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', all cats must have three different names. The first is a sensible everyday name, the second is a name that must never belong to more than one cat, and the third is known by the cat and the cat alone.

My 10-year-old ginger cat is unusual in that he is far more commonly known by the second of these names, with his 'everyday' name now being used only occasionally. His everyday name is Orange Cat, although his 'proper' name is Spider McGraw.

So, why National Donj Day? What is Donj and what has it to do with the Orange Cat? Basically, after a time Orange Cat became the French 'Chat d'Orange'; this was later shortened to just 'd'Orange' and subsequently bastardised to 'Donj'. The Orange Cat is certainly a character. He is one of those cats whose pride is precious to him, to such an extent that if he falls off the arm of the chair during a nap, he will feign sleep and pretend that he 'did it on purpose'. He will also beg for food under the table like a dog and loves crisps and cake*.

I managed to blame the Orange Cat for breaking the bathroom light in our old home for several months, and I think to this date I have got away with it (although now my deceit will clearly be uncovered). Bored one evening, I picked up the Orange Cat and placed him carefully on a small shelf mounted on the wall near the doorway of our bathroom. Of course, shortly afterwards he jumped down, somehow catching the cord of the light-switch as he went and damaging the mechanism in the ceiling. I pretended he'd done it by himself and that I'd had nothing to do with it. We all had to shower in darkness for months. I think he should share at least some of the blame.

He makes his living in Hollywood, although we have yet to see a penny of the rewards. ** The biggest roles to date are probably as 'Puss in Boots' in the Shrek films and as the infamous 'Garfield', although several bit parts have also helped make his name and he can often be seen popping up in films and on television. Of course, marmalade fame runs in the family. An ancestor was the feline star of Breakfast at Tiffany's alongside Audrey Hepburn, and other family members appeared as Data's cat 'Spot' in the television series of Star Trek and 'Jones' in the movie Alien. But orangery is not a phenomenon limited to this household alone.

A very brief scan through Google produces a plethora of sites dedicated to Orange Cats, including: · an entire group on the photo-sharing site Flickr, · a blog belonging to Jeff the Giant Orange Cat (under the name of http://www.whatjeffkilled.com/),· a page entitled 'I have a problem with Orange Cat peeing in my bed?' which, I must state, is nothing to do with our particular Orange. In fact, the world's love of carrot-topped cats does not stop there. Google also reveals a café, a wedding photography service and even a carnival glass dealer, all named after Orange Cats. So show your support for National Donj Day and let's celebrate orangery in all its glory, for without Orange Cats the world would surely be a much duller and less colourful place!

*This is of course a presumed love backed up by no hard evidence whatsoever, since no self-respecting vet would ever feed their cat crisps or cake.

** EDITOR'S NOTE: The Orange cat also works as chief typesetter of CFZ Press. If you have any of the books we have produced since the summer of 2007, have a gander at the title information page. Orange Cat invariably appears. But beware: He can take many guises....

MUIRHEAD DOES IT AGAIN

Another piece of ongoing research from the incomparable Richard Muirhead. I still don't know how he does it, but when I said this last time he wrote:

THE HAND OF GOD; THE FINGERS OF RICHARD MUIRHEAD

To quote Maradonna. I think research skills, at least my own, are a divine or 'wild' talent. To quote Fort!

Love, Rich

HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY SEEN THE DEAD MONSTER PICTURE?

Yesterday evening I was about my business of being a step-father, (both my lovely step-daughters have been here for the weekend) and all round family person, (I have a family, and I'm fairly round), when an e-mail came into my inbox. It read:

A mysterious-looking body found along the shore of Okanagan Lake might be the remains of the legendary Ogopogo, an expert says. Dan Poppoff found the 1.2-metre-long carcass last month while he was kayaking in the lake, close to Kelowna.

The Kelowna resident immediately called Arlene Gaal, who has written three books about the legendary sea creature and documented sightings of the Ogopogo for the last 30 years.

The headline reads:

Mystery carcass may be legendary monster: Expert

It appears that Arlene, who I have been in correspondence with over the years, and who seems an eminently sensible person, is actually quite excited by this carcass, which is a good sign. She is one of the people in this business, whose opinion I tend to trust. However, there is a slight problem. No-one seems to have a copy of any of the photographs.

We are not being negative here. The fact that Arlene is quoted as appearing to give a certain degree of credence to this carcass can only be a good thing. But I would be very interested to take a gander at the pics myself.

However, despite the story appearing on dozens of websites, several of which, by the way, where it was illustrated by the picture above; which not only was taken by me (I don't care when people pinch my pictures by the way, but I do like to be credited, and for them to be used in context) but shows a fibreglass Nessie next to the Loch Ness Visitor's Centre in Scotland, there are no pictures (at least none that I can find) of the carcass itself.

This I find mildly disturbing, because whenever the words `lake monster carcass` are used I am reminded of the furore from 2005 when it was claimed that this specimen, which is undoubtedly the antler of a roebuck, was the tooth of the Loch Ness Monster.

Politely, I tried to explain what it was, but - once again - was accused of being a tool of the government and of oppression in general, masterminding a cover-up for having done so.

But I digress. In view of Arelene's apparent endorsement, I cannot but be intrigued by this latest story, so guys - if anyone out there has a copy of the picture, or if Dan Popoff himself is reading this, please email me a copy....