[Magdalen] News from Lake Woboston

[Jim Guthrie]

Researchers for the  Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows 
near greater Boston  recently, and there was concern that they may have died 
from Avian  Flu.


A Bird  Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's 
relief,  confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu.  The cause of death 
appeared to be vehicular impacts.

However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints 
appeared  on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it 
was  determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, 
while  only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause 
for  the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car  kills. He very 
quickly concluded the cause:

When crows eat road kill, they always have a  look-out crow in a nearby tree to 
warn of impending danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could 
shout "Cah", not a single one  could shout "Truck."




Cheers,
Jim

"The enemy isn’t liberalism;
the enemy isn’t conservatism.
The enemy, is baloney." - Lars Erik Nelson