At the risk of beating a dead and already pounded-to-a-pulp horse: Lori
Schroeder and I ran across some shells today which were given to me
years ago...they were micros and miniatures from an old collection, all
packed in friction-fit plastic boxes on old style degradable foam
padding, and set out in a varnished wooden (fir or pine) tray, and the
collection had resided in Florida for many years. The foam, the wooden
tray and the humidity have taken their toll. Almost all the shells have
Bynes'  badly, the (formerly) shiny ones and the rougher surfaced shells
alike.  I have scanned a few of them and if you would like to see what
the stuff looks like, email me privately. Keep in mind when you look at
the scans that this is not contagious and is not a disease, but a
mineral deposit and etching of the shell's surface. Lori Schroeder is
saying a lot of "eeeuuuuuu's" and "ick's!" as she browses through the
box. They do look awful. One of them is a tiny Distorsio clathrata with
the periostracum hairs poking through the white powdery stuff that is
coating the shell.

Lynn Scheu
Louisville, KY
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