Many of the early records for fossil mollusks here in the U.S. were from
pits dug by farmers for shell, limestone, and phosphate as fertilizers.
Edwin Ruffin was so famous for advocating the use of these on fields that
it was said that he would fizz if you put acid on him.  He was also
interested in the fossils, and Anomia ruffini was named for him.  However,
he is most famous for purportedly firing the first shot of the Civil War.
He commited suicide when the war ended unfavorably.

Dr. David Campbell

"Old Seashells"

Department of Geological Sciences
CB 3315 Mitchell Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315
USA

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919-962-0685
FAX 919-966-4519

"He had discovered an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus"-E. A. Poe, The
Gold Bug