|
|
Hair accessory
Hair accessory In spite of cold weather and rough waters both sides of the Island's shores were worked by collectors during the past month with moderate success.
On the leeward side, off Kahala, Ed Heale and Harry Masaki collected four specimens each of Cypraea gaskoini. Several other of this species were found in the small colony of shells but had damaged shells or were sub-adults and were left under the coral chunks. In the One Hundred Foot Hole area Warner Pukini collected a very nice specimen of Murex elongatus. A little farther along the lee coast of Oahu, Tom Richert collected a large, perfect specimen of Conus spiceri. This rare find off Ala Moana. In the same area Tom collected two Strombus dentatus and a nice Charonia tritonis (Triton's trumpet shell) about 8" long. Back down Waikiki way, Charles Boerner collected two fine specimens of Umbraculum sinicum from two feet of water off the Halekulani hotel.
On the windy windward side Jack Uyemura collected two fine specimens of Cypraea chinensis off Kaneohe.
On the north shore Jean Womack found a nice Cypraea cicercula in the beach drift at Haleiwa. It took sharp eyes to spot this shell.
Would you believe Strombus gigas from the North Sea? A rather unlikely find indeed and yet just such a shell was discovered near the Hague, off the coast of Holland by Alex Storm. The story came to light in a recent conversation with the famous Canadian treasure hunter at his home in Louisburg, Nova Scotia.
Alex and two partners thrilled adventure lovers in 1965 with their successful search for a French Man-o'-War, Le Chameau, which sank in 1725 with an estimated $2 million in gold and silver coin, of which the trio recovered about $700,000. (See Canada's Treasure Hunt by Storm, a very exciting book). Recently they made another big find and it was this treasure we were discussing.
The subject of shells came up and Alex showed me the Strombus he had discovered in the wreckage of an ancient wooden hull in 1956. Rough seas had just wrested the old ship from a sandy tomb when Alex happened on her. While not a conchologist, he nevertheless recognized the alien shell amid a heap of ballast stones, jugs and an ancient anchor. It was the only souvenir he collected from his first wreck.
The shell's spire had been cut off and filed smooth for use as a trumpet, and two holes had been drilled in the lip about four inches apart, possibly to provide attachment for a lanyard to be worn around the user's neck. We speculated on the likelihood that this shell had been employed as a foghorn on the ill-fated vessel not an unlikely theory as it put out a loud blast.
Alex had figured that the shell had been transported to the North Sea via Cape Horn from the Far East. I nixed this theory, however, assuring him that it was a native of the West Indies. This established the date of the sinking as sometime after voyages to the New World had begun.
Many shells have strange stories behind them, but few others if any have had the distinction of being employed in such fashion, let alone being found twice in two separate oceans, thousands of miles apart, on two separate dates, centuries apart!!!
Hair accessory There were other species that we never collected in a live state, but were available occasionally in collector's condition from the native sellers. These were C. depressa, C. errones, C. limacina, C. scurra, C. staphylaea, C. testudinaria, C. ventriculus, and C. yakola. The best part of obtaining shells from the local sellers is the price. The most expensive shell we purchased in the above list was C. testudinaria. It cost us, at the time, $US 0.50, because "Thees one many beeg." We acquired a C. argus and C. scurra together for $US 0.25. Ah, what bargains await the shell collector in American Samoa. C. errones was one species that proved to be fairly common from the local sellers and yet we did not collect a live specimen. Perhaps the sea shells that we could acquire only from the natives are confined to reefs that we never visited.
Shell collectors all have their most satisfying collection trip: perhaps a long-sought species found, a seldom-collected specimen turning up, or several fine individuals located on a single dive -whatever the reason something makes it special. We have three trips that are special. On January 4, 1970, at the very edge of the drop-off at Utulei beach, we collected the first live C. mappa that had been collected in American Samoa in several years, according to local resident collectors. Since then several collectors have come up with as many as four on a single trip from the same general area. On May 5, 1970, again at Utulei reef, I collected three C. trizonata and two C. microdon, both very small species yet very beautiful and most satisfying to the collector. Four days later, this time at Hotel reef, two C. gaskoini (fisheri?), one live and one empty specimen, one C. labrolineata and one C. clandestina were added to our collection. We include the species name fisheri in parentheses because we have not been able to make a positive identification. Burgess reports C. gaskoini from Philippines and an isolated identification from Fiji. If our specimen does prove to be C. gaskoini it would broaden the geographical range of this species. The specimen we have also closely resembles C. cumingii, perhaps more that it does C. gaskoini. If it proves to be C. cumingii, this, too, would be a new geographical range, as Burgess reports this species as being endemic to the Tahiti and the eastern Polynesian group.
One last anecdote, and perhaps a new saying, "Shells are where you don't find them." On April 6, 1970, while reef walking at Breakers Point reef, we picked up a rock that was very convoluted and thought that it would look nice in a neighbor's salt water aquarium. The neighbor was grateful for the rock but even more so next morning as two C. kieneri and one C. ursellus emerged from the rock during the night. "Shells are where you find them?" Sure. But "shells are also where you don't find them."
hair accessory,shells necklaces,shell fashion accessories,m.o.p,mello,sheashells,shell shell,shell accessories,shells jewelry,hair accessory
Hair accessory pearls shell fashion coco shell shell madebelts shell accessories capis hanging lamp shell hairclips shell tile pauas pauas blacktab seashells components raw shell crafts painted shell beads troca bead jewelry shell craft.
hair accessory
Shell Jewellery
 
|
