The Dusky's fate
Sir: To Tony Samstag's question CA pathetic fallacy', 4 July): 'Would you believe that the American government recently wound up a three-million-dollar scheme to buy thousands of acres of the east coast of Florida as a refuge for the dusky sparrow?', my answer is; 'No, I do not believe it!' I live in the area and the fate of the Dusky Sparrow has been a prominent item of news in the local newspapers for over a year. Until a few months ago, when scientists rounded up the few surviving males of the species, the Dusky lived on a large wild life refuge attached to Cape Canaveral and had no need of a more spacious habitat. Scientists were, however, pressing for funds for a unique experiment. Their intention was to store Dusky sperm in a sperm bank so that they could use it to cross the Dusky with a nearly related species. The resulting hybrids were to be interbred for generations, always selecting Dusky traits, until the original Dusky was reconstituted. I thought the price tag ridiculously high. Apparently those in charge of funding such schemes thought so also, for the whole matter seems to have fizzled out.
Olwen Matthews 400 North 4th Street, Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA
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