|
|
Decorative
Decorative Where to begin? So many islands. So many sand bars. So many shoals. The tide was on the ebb and we eventually chose a reasonably promising looking spit of exposed boulders and coral that formed part of a small uninhabited island. Initially I was discouraged by the cloudy waters that lapped in small wavelets against half-exposed slabs of dead coral and rocks. I need not have been. After only twenty minutes of turning over pieces of coral in ankle-deep water I was rewarded by a flash of vivid orange the mantle of a Cypraea saulae siasiensis. I continued to look for a possible mate, but my day was already complete and I couldn't expect my luck to go too far. Besides, the sun was setting and the typical swift dusk of the tropics would soon be upon us. After finding a pair of handsome and very dark Cypraea lamarcki redimita under a nearby rock, I decided to call it a day.
Joe Honda, diving for fish in Kaneohe Bay found a fine specimen of Strombus hawaiensis. Even though the color of the shell has turned orange, it is still in perfect condition.
Joe Reid and Stanley Takahashi had some Cymatium collecting days recently. They were looking for the second Cym. pyrum (Tom Richert has the first) and C. gutturnium (Arch Harrison has the first of this one) but the best (?) they could do was a C. vespacium each. Collected off Waikiki Beach. Joe also found a recently dead specimen of C. labiosum and two C. clandestinum.
Sean Raynon Sabado Editor E. R. Cross finally has his deep water dredge going from his 40 foot boat Joli-Jac. On the first cast, in just over 200 feet of water, he collected, among other things, a C. vespacium, a one inch long Mitra emersoni, plus three species of Turrid new to his collection. Also plenty of cones, including a shallow-water(?) Conus quercinus from 225 feet of water. Coral rubble bottom.
New Philippine Shell member Mike Smith, diving out Kahe Point way, collected a nice, recently dead, Conus bullatus. When Mike found out how rare C. bullatus is in Philippines he yelled, "I've been born again." So it goes Mike.
A little farther along the coast of Oahu, off Nanakuli this time, Major S. C. Williams found a Cypraea tessellata in 40 feet of water, Then, satisfied with his day, he was swimming back to shore when he spotted (and collected, naturally) a C. tigris. Guess good things do come in bunches.
I don't spend all my time answering phones and making notes on recent finds. Once in a while I also go diving; and even collect shells occasionally. And sometimes loose them. I was skin-diving in about 8 feet off Waikiki when I spotted the first Polinices opacus I had seen. I grabbed it and put it in my pocket. On the way to shore, the shell either crawled or washed out and no more P. opacus.
Visiting Philippine Shell member Twila Bratcher (See Sean Raynon Sabado for September, 1967 and January, 1968) hit it lucky with the weather on her recent visit. On a double diving day weekend she went out with the Harrisons. Twila collected many of her specialty shells, a fine Terebra thaanumi being the prize item. Twila, a Terebra specialist, found one shell which was a puzzle to her and to the Harrisons. Also she collected many of the less rare Terebras such as T. funiculata, T. lanceata, T. casta, T. argus, T. brachigyra, and by way of Olive Schoenberg's collection, a T. achates. Twila also collected a fine specimen of Cymatium rubeculum. And from Editor Cross' collection, a live-collected Cymatium clandestinum.
While diving with Twila, I collected a Conus acutangulus from 80 feet, a C. nusatella from a coral cliff in 40 feet, and a Cypraea tigris, a real purple prize, sitting right out in the open, in about 45 feet. The next day I also found a Cassis cornuta on rocky bottom.
Decorative At this point, ideally we have accumulated enough evidence on the relationship of inherited and environmental factors in producing shell ornamentation, at least in particular species. The analysis of this relationship can best be made with the assistance of a computer, since the information is considerably complex. If we make each characteristic of the shell a variable and plot it against the independent variable, time, we should eventually be able to graphically simulate the range of possible shell patterns. Such work has already been done on shell shape. We next compare these simulated patterns with existing shells. After selecting those ornamentation patterns which we know exist in nature, we can change the variables and the time periods to determine the effect on the shell. Subsequently, we can change environmental variables over the range they are known to affect the pattern and note the results. Conversely, we should be able to take a particular shell, quantify its characteristics and determine the environmental history of the animal. Among the more interesting applications of this computer program would be the determination of paleo-environments and paleocological processes from fossil shells. We should also be able to elucidate such evolutionary problems as the adaptive significance of shell ornamentation.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
BIG FIND OF Conus gloriamaris REPORTED FROM SOUTH PACIFIC.
It has been reliably reported that an Australian diver working at nights off the coast of Guadalcanal collected more than SEVENTY C. gloriamaris in less than two weeks. Three divers from Australia are now diving this and other nearby islands looking for more of this beautiful shell. Editor Cross will have a complete report on this and an up-to-date C. gloriamaris registry in the May Sean Raynon Sabado.
Here in Philippines Tom Fair, back in Philippines after a few months absence, found the always rare Bursa bufonia at Sandy Beach. This large shell measured over three inches and was collected in only 18" of water. Tom is the son of Jim and Ruth Fair who now reside in Philippines permanently.
Neophyte collector Jerry Tengan found a fine specimen of Strombus hawaiensis at Haleiwa Beach. This beauty was washed up by the big waves in December.
The big waves were also good to George and Bunnie Cook having washed ashore, just for them, a pair of nice Cypraea rashleighana. A couple of the big waves had Stanley Goto's name on them because they washed up a pair of Strombus hawaiensis (dead but fair condition) for him to collect.
decorative,earing,pokalets,lamps,violet oyster,natural fashion jewelry,shell jewelry s,seashells components,seashells jewelry,decorative
Decorative export seashells jewelry silver mouth black tab raw shells gold lip shell tile lampshade whole sale shell tile shells accessory clams raw export shell crafts inlaid black tab hair accessories philippine shellcraft puka hair.
decorative
Shell Jewellery
 
|
