Just a quick story to add to those very enjoyable ones ( thanks, all)
already posted.  Makes good reading on another work day.

In 1993 I went on the many diving and snorkeling/wading field trips
offered by COA in Panama City.  I cleaned live shells as I could
before leaving but as we know, things don't come clean 100%. And
I had some frozen cowries and strombus. The collecting had been marvelous-
lion's paws, other treasures.

I packed this all in various baggies and newspapers in one cloth bag, and
carried it and one other piece of luggage onto my US AIRways flight from
Panama City to Charlotte.

About 5 minutes after I got off in Charlotte, going to make my connection
to the Charlotte-Pittsburgh flight, it hit me - I had left my shell filled
cloth bag on the plane. I went to the Airline Help Desk and the staff said
sympathetically, the plane I got off of already had started back to Panama
City.  But, she said, she would call her contacts in Panama City, they
would find my bag, re-tag it and ship it on to Pittsburgh on another
flight.

So, I continued home, feeling desolate, and stopped into the USAIRways
Baggage Desk before going home to tell them the bag would be coming. They
said "call the next day".

So I did.  When I finally reached somebody, at first she said, "No,
we don't have that kind of bag" and my heart sank.  Then she continued,
"Well, now wait a minute. There is something that did come in that smells
really funny". " THAT'S IT, that's it !!! I exclaimed. " I'll come right
out and get it."  And so I did.

And, I have always felt very grateful to USAIRways.

Karen