I'm not sure about historical abundance, but it's a difficult shell to find.
I now know
when and where to look here in Massachusetts (in winter, at the very highest
tide line,
entangled in seaweed, with JFK Memorial Beach in Hyannis being one reliable
locality).  I've also formed a search image.  S. velum has a very glossy
periostracum and it looks more like a piece of brown plastic in the drift
than
it does like a shell.  I probably overlooked it many times before I found my
first one.

Dan

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Kirsh" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 1:25 AM
Subject: Common shells


> Anyone who knows,
>
> I've often wondered about some of the shells named "Common" this or
> that, that I've never even found a fragment of, for instance, The
> Common Awning Shell, Solemya velum. Has its population declined
> steeply, or is it found much more frequently in the northern part of
> its range or have I completely missed its habitat?
>
> Maybe people are reminded of other examples of elusive "Common" shells.
>
> David Kirsh
>
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