'Critical' Age

[Alice Faber]

Bob Fitzke wrote:
>Re  Creative origins (what are the odds on this one being true?)
>
>Wildlife ID
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>According to the Knight-Ridder News Service, the inscription on the
>metal bands used by the U.S. Department of the Interior to tag
>migratory birds has been changed.  The bands used to bear the
>address of the Washington Biological Survey, abbreviated
>"WASH.  BIOL. SURV." until the agency received the following
>letter from an Arkansas camper:
>
>"Dear Sirs:
>
>While camping last week I shot one of your birds.  I think it was a
>crow. We followed the cooking instructions on the leg tag and I
>want to tell you it was horrible."
>
>The bands are now marked "Fish and Wildlife Service".
>
This came up on alt.folklore.urban last year. Apparently there was a
blurb in Smithsonian Magazine, suggesting that the story goes back to
some misprinted ("boil" for "Biol") bands in the 1920s. For more
details, see the archived post at
http://www.urbanlegends.com/animals/wash_boil_and_serve.html.

Alice


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