[Taxacom] One of the Entomological Puns from our book, Once Apun a Time

[Robin Leech]

Hi All, 

As some of you may know, Lorie and I are in the final stages before 

press time for our new book titled, "ONCE APUN A TIME".  It should 

be out this summer.  There are, as you miight guess, many biologically 

oriented puns.  This is one of them.

Enjoy, 

Robni

 

Tack Tax

 

Dr Tom Smith is a biologist, and his specialty is classification of
lady-bird beetles.  He works in a small college, and about once per month or
so he produces a paper describing 

one or more new species of lady-bird beetles.  Sometimes he describes a new
genus.

 

Each time a new paper comes out in which at least one new taxon is
described, he tacks up a copy on the departmental bulletin board for all to
see and enjoy.  The plates in these taxonomic papers are in color,
beautifully showing the pretty lady-bird beetles.

 

As his tacked up taxonomic papers are taking a lot of room on the one and
only bulletin board, the department head decides to put up a second bulletin
board that faces the first.  

In short order Smith, who had filled up all the space on the first bulletin
board, starts tacking up his papers on the new board.

 

The head of the department is furious and frustrated at this abuse of space,
so he decides to charge Smith $20 for each tacked-up paper.  When Smith
complains, he is told that 

it is a taxon tax on tacks. 

 

Subsequent graffiti, written by Smith, but blamed on students, read, 

"Down with attacks on taxon tax on tacks."