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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 "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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