bob (03/28/83)
I was reading a travel article on Australia this weekend and
came across the fact that some species of wombat are becoming
extinct ! We must save the wombat...
Also mentioned was a critter called a numbat. Does anybody know
what these are ? (a dumb wombat ?) Of course Vegemite was also
mentioned, poor ossies don't know what they're missing without
Marmite. If we can't send the Cubans back to Cuba why don't we
drop them into central Australia one dark night - perhaps they'd
feel right at home.
Why isn't wombat in the spelling list ?
Brit abroad. 8-) (-8
Bob Palin {ucbvax,decvax}!tektronix!zehntel!varian!bobjwp (04/01/83)
vaxwalle!bob (Bob Palin) mentioned the fact that some species of wombat
are becoming extinct, asked if a numbat was a dumb wombat, and wanted to
know why "wombat" is not in the spelling list.
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No, a numbat is not a dumb wombat [actually, applying the word "dumb" to
wombats is a redundancy]. A numbat is a banded anteater; numbats are
smarter than wombats (which probably could have gone without saying).
The word "wombat" was expunged from the spelling list during the great
"UN*X Spelling List Expurgation and Snake-biting Testimony" conducted by
fundamentalist Christians during the Victorian era. They objected to the
close resemblance between its first syllable and the spelling of one name
for a portion of the female reproductive system.
With regard to the possibility of wombats becoming extinct:
As I mentioned sometime back, wombats wreak havoc with the vegetable farms
of the Northeastern Australian Highlands (particularly those devoted to root
crops). The farmers have started an extermination campaign to rid themselves
of this menace; this is one of the reasons wombats are decreasing in numbers.
A contributory cause is the reduction in acreage devoted to vegetables
(especially rutabaga, one of the wombat's favorites), thus reducing the
available food supply. Authorities are divided as to whether these two
factors (along with others) will eventually lead to the complete extinction
of wombats or to a "retroevolution" leading to the return of a giant wombat
better able to cope with current conditions. [The ancient giant wombat,
some 10 to 12 feet long, became extinct several thousand years ago.]
As an interesting aside, the reduction in vegetable farm acreage is
generally considered to be a direct result of the increased substitution
of Vegemite for real vegetables among Australia's large vegetarian
population. This has led to a drastic drop in vegetable prices, and has
some Australian farmers' organizations to speculate as to whether or not
a campaign to exterminate vegemiterians would have beneficial results.
John Pierce, Chemistry, UC San Diego
{ucbvax, philabs}!sdcsvax!sdchema!jwplab (04/01/83)
One can appreciate John Pierce's information regarding numbat and wombat. Unfortunately, his application revealed either an ignorance of history (UN*X wasn't around in the Victorian era) or a dangerous desire to slander a group against whom he has a prejudicial bias (which the wording would lead one to believe). Please, Mr. Pierce, keep facts as facts and post slanders to net.flame. Larry Bickford decvax!decwrl!qubix!lab