On a shelling trip with Peggy Williams to the Yucatan Peninsula a few years
ago, we were driving by a beach - near Campeche - and I hollered at her to
stop, as I was seeing  a bunch of large shells on the beach. We all collected
a lot and it wasn't till I got back to the hotel room that I found I had a
Right Handed - Left Handed Whelk. (sorry folks - I don't know 'scientific
names')...anyway I sent a FAX of it to the Smithsonian and they reaffirmed me
that indeed I did have a Busycon Contraium - but a right handed one......a
great find for me.

The other great find was with Glenn Duffy - another great shelling guide - in
the Solomon Islands...I was walking along a beach on a small island (probably
the first foot prints since...who knows when..) when there in the sand was a
showing of a piece of a Chambered Nautilus - "..sure, I thought.. just a
piece..but NO..a complete shell...small but perfect - "fresh dead" as you
shelling guys say. My second best collected. I am a very amateur collector
and as you can tell, don't know the scientific names. But hope you enjoy my
story.

Ron Bender - Olympia WA