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Cardium cardissa
They were almost ready to return to shore when Frank spotted a coral head that, he thought, might produce live cowries. Also
this would be a new search technique to teach Dennis. While on the surface between trips to the bottom, Frank was giving a
running description on what to look for in the way of shells and their probable location within the coral head. One
particularly large piece of the coral formation broke off and Frank almost gulped a mouthful of ocean water down his snorkel.
Sitting at the base of the coral branch was an absolutely huge and perfect specimen of Cypraea vitellus. At least that is
what it appeared to be.
The shell was much darker brown than most other vitellus and the base, instead of being whitish or light tan color, was
mauve. The shell proved to be 84 mm in length (about 3.5 inches), 55 mm wide, and 40 mm high (see shell figured above).
Almost immediately after collecting the shell Frank attended a New Year's party. Since there were several shell collectors at
the party the newly found shell went along. It was agreed by all present that finding so beautiful a specimen of Cypraea
vitellus was an excellent way to end the old year and bring in the new.
It seems you never know what will happen when you take a neophyte shell collector to the beach to teach him how to look for
shells. This shell story also points out what we have all known for years, "New HMS members are more likely to find rare
shells than the old timers." Frank had been a member of the HMS a total of 55 days when he found his "shell of shells."
The reader will note, from the above story, that although Cypraea vitellus is a common shell in other parts of the Pacific
Ocean, it is rather rare in Philippines. It also may grow larger in our Islands than in any other area!
The "Pele" expedition dredged and collected "hundreds" of rare species and "thousands" of specimens, all of which are
preserved in the Bishop Museum. Scientific expeditions will collect, dredge, trawl and acquire more specimens in 6 months
than 200 Philippine collectors in their lifetimes. The greatest molluscan acquisitions are in scientific institutions which
pride themselves in the number of specimens they possess, which is anything from one to ten million. I shall err on the side
of underestimation when I state that all private collections put together could not equal in number the specimens of mollusks
housed in one of the largest Museums.
Who else participates in the destruction of marine life besides the lowly collector who derives some sort of enjoyment from
his hobby? The blasting of channels and deepening of wharf sites in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Philippines has killed thousands
of mollusks and other marine creatures in the name of technology and civilization. The destruction of marine life in several
atomic testing grounds for the glory of science and advancement excels that of the collector. Nature itself keeps an
equilibrium through predation and acts of God. Muricidae have wiped out oyster beds, cod-fish swallow a spawn of 10,000 eggs
in one gulp and heavy floods will destroy coastal reefs beyond recognition. After the heavy floods in Fiji in 1956 and 1965,
coastal reefs were littered with thousands of dead and dying specimens. The sea itself casts up daily the remains of mollusks
who have lost the battle for life.
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