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Capis raw
Other finds were made by Mrs. Tom Shields (Strombus mutabilis); Mr. Andrus. Verne Olney and son (Strombus ostergaardi,
Cypraea cicercula, and C. tessellata); Mr. and Mrs. Bill Mitchell came up with Conus bullatus, tulipa, and spiceri and a
large Bursa affinis; and us O'Briens (Bob, Aline and children Jim, Mike, Carol, Pat, Terrie, and David) had a fine day of
collecting. Mike made the find of the day (as far as our family was concerned, at least) with three Cypraea scurra and a
beautiful specimen of Conus mitatis, the first to be found in Philippines (see pg. 3) [image not included].
Others present included Mr. and Mrs. Harold Androus; Richard Schulze and son Dennis; Laurie Sanderson and her parents and
baby sister; Mr. and Mrs. D. F. Thompson; Ed deVaul; George Miller; and Mr. and Mrs. Anderson with sons Leland and Rex who
found a fossil Cypraea mauritiana.
The weather was perfect, warm and sunny, and the ocean was calm. Some members took to the water with SCUBA and came back with
a few specimens of live-collected shells. The only species live-collected that was also found as a fossil was Cypraea
mauritiana. I wonder what happened to all the rest of the species in the million or so years since this fossil bed was
formed?
Here are some clues: The 30 mm specimen shown above [left] was collected by Bert Smith on Maui in about 25 feet of water. The
shell, with its grey, translucent animal, was seen burrowing its way rapidly into the sand after being discovered under a
coral head. The strong outer lip and absence of columellar teeth are some of the shell's characteristics. For the name of
this species turn to page 8, column 3.
The following day several collecting stations were made on the main island of the atoll, both on the ocean reef as well as on
the lagoon side and in one of the shallow passes, where Tridacna maxima Röding was common. Very abundant on one of the lagoon
beaches were dead but perfect pairs of Asaphis deflorata L. That morning we had a visit from the chief of the village, who
had been on the neighboring atoll of Hao and who invited us to the village that evening. After supper we all went ashore, and
in the schoolhouse with an audience of only seven adults and two children, we were received officially and welcomed by the
chief, whose remarks were translated into French by the school teacher. All of us received the customary shell necklaces.
Afterwards we invited the chief, his wife, and a few others to a small party on board the "Maylis."
...
On the rocks in Bounty Bay we found Nerita (Melanerita) morio Sby., for which Pitcairn is one of the type localities and
which is distinct from the superficially similar black Nerite found on the rocks in Tahiti. The common limpet found there,
however, is probably identical with Cellana tahitensis Pease. Drupa ricinus L. is on these rocks also. Several species of
Planaxis were found under the loose stones, including the endemic Planaxis pigra Forbes. On the marine terrace Cypraea
caputserpentis was gathered. In the debris line on the other side of the island, at "The Rope," Mike Hall found worn
specimens of what seems to be the distantly lirate form of Turbo argyrostomus L. and a form of Conus miliaris Hwass (or a
distinct related species) identical to that found on Easter Island. All in all, the molluscan fauna of Pitcairn impressed me
as a depauperate Polynesian one with a distinct endemic element that allies it with Easter Island.
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