A question from someone who knows nothing about shells.  Can anyone tell
me how long it takes a Queen Conch to reach maturity?  I found one as big as
my head at Cayman Brac this summer--is that mature?  Anyway, I'm a writer,
and I want to make this the subject of a new poem.  Oh, is it true you can
look at the striations on a shell and count its years?  Like the trunk of a
tree?  I know this is all very elementary.  Thanks for responding.  Ashley
Havird