At 04:26 PM 1/5/98 EST, you wrote:
>In a message dated 98-01-01 16:35:33 EST, you write:
>
><<   However, we do want to
> come back alive and since there are cones out that way that can be dangerous
>to
> our health, we'd like to ask for your guidance on how to handle/pick up these
> poisonous shells.  >>
> Dear Kathy,
>  I am not a cone collector, but a friend of mine collected in the Seychelles
>and told me they used to tie an empty milk jug to themselves, with the cap on
>and an X cut in the side of the jug. He said they could put the cones in and
>they couldn't get out and they could not sting through the heavy plastic of
>the jug. You would put the cones in through the X cut. That is about all the
>information I have. I know you should pick them up from the wide end and DO
>NOT hold them for long as they are very aggressive.
>     Good luck,
>          Carole M
>
When I waa collecting on Okinawa, I was frequently asked to pick up some
rather large Conus geographus (10 cm+) .  My metod (bare handed) was to
grasp the shell at the base and watch it very carefully as you transfer it
to a bucket (not a sock).  If the critter even started to emerge, I would
drop it and the shock would cause the animal to retreat immediately, and you
could follow the above procedure into the bucket.  I probably picked up 20
or so of them and never had any problems.  On some nights ( we basically
shelled at night). the cone traffic would get so bad that I would tell my
fellow collectors that the next one was going to be mine.
 
Horatio