In a message dated 12/16/2005 7:54:42 A.M. Central Standard Time, raincrow@xxxxxxx writes: Birders, Okay, so Dixon Merritt wrote the famous pelican limerick, or so it's said. But whether he wrote it or not, Ogden Nash is often given credit for it. Old Og is no longer around to set the record straight on this, but he does live on in other poems whose authorship is not in question >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Leslie Koller of Missouri clears that up with the following; * Wrote Dixon Lanire Merrith in his poem "The Pelican"(1910): A wonderful bird is the pelican His bill will hold more that his belican. He can take in his beak Food enough for a week, But I'm danmed if i can see how the helican Source: QBP Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, By Robert Hendrickson, or * "A wonderful bird is a Pelican, Whose beak can hold more than his belly can. Be it crabs, clams, or fish, It will hold all you wish. But damned if I see how the hell he can!" --Arbogast of Diedenhofen, or * A wonderful bird is the pelican, His mouth can hold more than his belly can, He can hold in his beak, Enough food for a week! I'm damned if I know how the hell he can! Dixon Lanier Merritt, a Southern newspaper editor and President of the American Press Humorists Association, penned this famous limerick in 1910. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Good Birding !!! Jeff R. Wilson / TLBA 6298 Memphis-Arlington Road Bartlett, TN 38135 =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the count in which the birds you report were seen. The actual date of observation should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp _____________________________________________________________