The instance [of AttributeList] provided will return valid results only
during the scope of the startElement invocation (to save it for future use,
the application must make a copy: the AttributeListImpl helper class
provides a convenient constructor for doing so).
This statement should probably be in the specification of the startElement()
method rather than the AttributeList class, so you can be excused for
missing it, but it's there.
Mike Kay