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M.o.p Other C. teulèrei follow-up letters included one from Phil Clover. He wrote, "I really enjoyed reading the C. teulèrei article. You must have done a lot of research on that project.
"I have learned the name of the collector who found the shells in the Al Masirah Island area is Ali. He now has a new home and a second wife and is quite happy over it all.
"A hundred or so years ago C. teulèrei must have been 'found' because quite a few are to be seen in museum collections. But from then until recently specimens sold for about $600.00. I think the price of this shell will now level at about my list price."
Ed. Note: The comments below are quoted from a letter received recently from Prof. Dr. F. A. Schilder, Schleiermacherstr. 19; DDR 402 Halle-Saale, Germany. In offering his criticism and comments of the article Dr. Schilder said, "I hope you will not be offended by this criticism: real scientists never should be offended." As far as we of the Shell News are concerned, we welcome comments and constructive criticism. One of our main objectives is to get information to Philippine Shell members in as accurate a form as possible. Comments such as Dr. Schilder's help accomplish this.
"The September issue of Sean Raynon Sabado the arrival of which I appreciated in my last letter, was very quickly followed by the October issue, which arrived very few days ago: I sincerely thank you for sending me the copy by air mail so that I must not wait long time to learn the contents. I noticed the correction of JEFFERIES on p. 2. The paper of DEBANT on Cribrarula fischeri (not: Cribraria fisheri) is very instructive and the figures are fine. However, in future you should ask the authors of papers to add the size of the figured specimens, as in fact the shell represented in fig. 5 must be much smaller than that of fig. 6. Besides it is regrettable that Mr. DEBANT constantly misspelled cumingii into cummingii, and fischeri into fisheri. The generic name Cribraria is a preoccupied homonym, and has been rechristened into Cribrarula four decades ago."
This is a surprise sequel to my recent report on two dead Cypraea marginalis Dillwyn found at Diani Beach, East Africa. To my great thrill and excitement I discovered that I have actually collected three more, live, C. marginalis during my repeat trip to the same area in February of this year.
The shells were collected on 6th February 1969 during an extreme low tide (four days after full moon) from the undersides of large coral boulders lying half submerged in the lagoon at just around low tide level. They are three little beauties of 24.5, 23, and 18.5mm [in length], respectively, with dark olive brown dorsum spotted profusely with white dots, some of which are ringed with dark brown. The base is a shiny, deep mauve with some dots and, on the outer lip, streaks of darker purple. (See photo... [right].)
The dead specimens found before were much lighter in color. Although their exterior was still quite glossy and porcellaneous, they must have undergone considerable fading. Especially the dorsal coloring appeared on first sight quite different, with the dark ringed spots much more conspicuous on the pale background than the white ones. In the live shells the exact opposite is he case. This is also the reason why I did not bring the two finds into connection at first, and failed to recognize the newly found live shells for what they were.
M.o.p 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.
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