A couple of sharp observers noticed one of my recent attempts at sanity
became "lost in the translation", to be kind. So, in response to
demand,( even if not so popular!), i de-bugged, re-wrote and preserved
the item in question for posterity, or whatever else comes along.
Enjoy! (or at least tolerate, which is the point anyway!!)
<G>
A message to all those who are worried that their collections are "scientifically worthless" without a vast amount of data: Take Heart!! *NOT* to belittle the desirability of obtaining as good data as possible, the fact remains that a shell can have "value" in a wide variety of ways, many of which do not require mountains of information!! A few such forms of value are:1) various personal meanings (reminders of trips, the kindness of friends (or strangers!), memories of former places of residence, cherished childhood experinces, etc.), 2) taxonomic work- an extremely valuable scientific persuit which often requires only minimal data, 3) public education and awareness, via displays,exhibits and books, 4) all the splendid functions a good hobby fulfiills in a person's life, and of course 5) purely "aesthetic" value-- beauty for its own sake, and especially the sort of beauty found only in nature (i've been known to take the occasional potshot at those who admire and collect for mainly or strictly aesthetic considerations- I take most of these back! (except for those involving people who have to have *every* specimen 99%+ perfect: Any well-built machine can turn out perfection all day long, but in the Real World, life goes on and things happen. The
"imperfections" on a shell tell the life story of its former owner, and so long as they don't disfigure or obscure its natural beauty, just add to the "character" of the specimen, and increase its intrinsic interest. Of course, visually perfect shells DO occasionally occur, and should be cherished for their rarity, but an entire collection of such oddities would be a bit "bland", IMHO!))So, do not despair if some of your shells have less-than-complete pedigrees, or are not "absolutely stunning" in every aspect: each one of them can have some sort of value in the right context(s),and who has the right to say which type is more valid, useful, or "correct" (politically or otherwise)??
-Ross Mayhew.
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___þvì
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