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Ian Fleming and the Domino Effect

Common Yelllowthroat Watson                                                                                                                          Photo by Kevin Watson

As we mourn the passing of Christine Auger, the French actress who played a femme fatale in "Thunderball," it's worth noting that her character, Domino, was named for a ... bird.

Matthew Parker, author of "Goldeneye," pointed out in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio that "when you go back to [Ian Fleming's]  books, you start seeing Jamaica everywhere ... Two of his heroines are even named after rare birds found in Jamaica: Solitaire and Domino."

The Domino Bird in question is known in the states as the Common Yellowthroat. The bird was nicknamed the Domino because the black feathers around its eyes resemble the domino mask so popular with comic-book heroes and carnival-goers.

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