Dear Tita;-
   You now live in the right place. Charleston is wonderful. My family comes from there.
   At any rate, you want to go to Folly an hour before extra low tides. (Check the News and Courier) At the lighthouse end, around the curve, look for movement. Hermit Crabs bring up all sorts of small shells, at least 4 species of Wentletrap, Olivella, etc. Look in small pools as well. Examine and shake out stuff washed up.
   At the other end, you want to get there an hour early as well. Simnia acicularis in a variety of colors may be attached to sea fans, etc. There are some wonderful large cockles at that end as well. I recommend Folly over Sullivan's or Isle or Palms since it is less traveled by far.
   Now--books. Anything by Tucker Abbott is good. Good, hell, it's great! You may also wish to subscribe to a few shell magazines. American Conchologist comes with a Membership in Conc. of Amer. (Known lovingly as COA) Of Sea and Shore is a quarterly published by Tom Rice in Washington State. La Conchiglia is published in Rome---in English.
   Clubs and other collectors: go to the Charleston Museum and ask if they know any local shell collectors. They will. And those locals are usually delighted to help. I just can't remember their names. (at my age, I have trouble with my own name)
   Let me know how you do at Folly---next full moon.
      Art
>
> From: Tita Massie <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 2003/09/04 Thu PM 03:10:09 EDT
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Help
>
> I am new to CONCH -L and have been reading your e-mails for a couple of weeks now. At first I thought I got in over my head as so many of you are so knowledgeable - I mean you use scientific names and everything!   I have collected US east coast shells for about 20 yrs. just because I love them and I use them in my classroom for many activities (including teaching the common names to students).
> I live in Charleston, SC now (moved from TN mountains) and am close to the beach so I have decided to get SERIOUS about these shells! What better way than to ask help from all you experts out there!
> I  think I got in on the tail end of Tink's e-mails about "What are the best shell books?" but if any of you would be so kind as to resend me some suggestions, I would appreciate it.  I have an old book by S.Peter Dance - The Collector's Encyclopedia of Shells - and the Audubon Society Field Guide and Seashore animals of the Southeast by Edward E Ruppert and Richard S Fox (it's a very good guide for invertebrates but doesn't have all the shells).  I need to learn common and scientific names and am mostly interested in mollusks on US beaches.  I still have shells I can't identify - even with a common name!
> Also, I read Ellen's e-mail to Tink about shell clubs.  I didn't even know they had clubs for shellers.  Does anyone know of one in S. Carolina?
> Tita
> PS any comments on the value of any of the above books as resources - i.e. should I use or chunk them?
>

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