Great, David,
The early Nautilus was loaded with great trivia (pardon the pun) and
shell-related stuff, with many notes compiled from newspapers under the
section "Newspaper Conchology" and other amusing fillers. One example of the
light-hearted nature of my favorite shell journal in its ealier years is the
following brief account extracted from the 'Boston Globe:'
"Sea Gull drops Clam on Policeman.--The habit of sea gulls to carry clams in
their talons to a considerabble height and drop them on a hard surface to
break, so that the bird can feed on the bivalve, nearly proved disastrous to
Abe Loche, a former policeman of Atlantic City, N.J.
Loche was walking along the Boardwalk when one of the gulls flew
high above him and dropped the clam directly on the man's head. He fell and
had to be carried into a nearby drug store for treatment.--Boston Globe."
A lot of these great moments can be found in Tucker Abbott's 1976
compilation "The Best of The Nautilus," now unfortunately out of print.
Best wishes,
José
________________________________________________________
José H. Leal, Ph.D., Director
The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor, The Nautilus
www.shellmuseum.org
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
(239)395-2233
fax (239)395-6706
-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
David Campbell
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [CONCH-L] Nautilus, 104 years ago.
While looking for articles on various species, I encountered the following:
CLAM-OROUS CROWS.-The following newspaper clipping, if true, shows that the
amiable, inoffensive clams of the Northwest coast are having a hard time of
it, and are entitled to the sympathy of all conchologists without
distinction of age, sex, or color:
"Scare-crows are now placed upon slate roofs in Victoria, B. C. The
crows, which swarm on the beach and dig for clams, fly over the buildings
and drop the clams on the roof, by this means breaking the shells and
leaving the meat free to be eaten. In many cases, when the clams were
dropped, the slate would be broken."
Such conduct on the part of the crows is certainly discreditable;
they should be placed on the black-list.
Ill fare the clams to hungry crows a prey, And brought to grief in such a
crow-ill way.
Robert Stearns, 1904, Nautilus, 17(10):120.
--
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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