[Taxacom] Source of quote on taxon ranking

[Nadia Talent]

It sounds a bit like J.B.S. Haldane, but that may be only by a stretched analogy with his oft-quoted remark about the motor bus being a powerful force to break up inbreeding in villages.

Nadia Talent

On 2013-04-25, at 12:46 , "Robin Leech" <releech at telus.net> wrote:

> Hello Mark, 
> I suggest strongly that it is from the wee Iles (UK and Scotland), mainly
> because we in North America do not use 
> the word "hamlet".  
> Robin
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Mark Hughes
> Sent: April-25-13 10:23 AM
> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Subject: [Taxacom] Source of quote on taxon ranking
> 
> Does anyone have any idea who said:
> 
> "Trying to decide if a group of organisms is a species, a subspecies or a
> variety is like trying to decide if a group of houses is a town, a village
> or a hamlet?"
> 
> I thought it was Darwin but I cant find the source anywhere. The quote is
> from (gin-soaked) memory so may deviate slightly from the original.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Mark Hughes (PhD)
> Tropical Botanist (Begonia systematics)
> Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
> Phone: +44 (0)131 248 2893
> Mobile +44 (0)7981423758
> Fax: +44 (0)131 248 2901
> 
> SE Asian Begonia database<http://elmer.rbge.org.uk/Begonia/>
> Personal home
> page<http://www.rbge.org.uk/science/tropical-diversity/mark-hughes-home-page
>> 
> Begonia research at
> RBGE<http://www.rbge.org.uk/science/tropical-diversity/Monographic-phylogene
> tic-research/begoniaceae>
> 
> 
> --
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> SC007983)
> 
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