‘Twas for the Birds

Initially, it seemed surprising that Evelyn de Wolfe’s informative article on waterbird habitat preservation (March 29) was placed in the real estate section. A moment’s reflection, however, brought the unwelcome but realistic conclusion that wilderness and wildlife habitat must, of necessity, be negotiated as real estate.

Satisfied that the article was legitimate real estate material, I then reached a paragraph that could only have been meant for the comics. Here I learned that victims of wetland habitat loss included “ . . . sandpipers, dowagers, mondo curlers, (and) marble goblets.”

I’ll raise my marble goblet to Ms. De Wolfe for an otherwise excellent article, but suggest that she check a field guide the next time she writes about dowitchers, long-billed curlews or marbled godwits.

KIMBALL L. GARRETT

Los Angeles

Garrett is collections manager, section of birds and mammals, of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.