Hi Karen,
OK. Please tell me what regions you have material from. Maybe that will be
a way to narrow down some of my wants. Thanks. --David

>That depends on how micro is micro! Under a quarter inch is about my lower
>limit for my collection, but I will sometimes take "tiny" Micro? shells for
>the trade list, esp. if I have a trade in mind when they are offered.
>Let me know when you are ready, and I'll send a list at that time. with
>E-mail trades move like the dow jones! And it gets difficult to keep things
>straight if too much time passes. so, whenever, just let me know! Good
>Shelling, (and cleaning)    Karen
>-----Original Message-----
>From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 12:54 AM
>Subject: Re: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
>
>
>>Hi Karen, I'd be glad to do some trading when I get things sorted out. Are
>>you averse to micros?
>>--David
>>
>>>David-
>>> I am sure that you have already been swamped, but if you have "extras"
>>>after you have ID'd your catches, I would be interested in trading. Let me
>>>know if and when you are ready!  Karen
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Date: Sunday, November 21, 1999 4:17 PM
>>>Subject: Re: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hi Eduard,
>>>>I will be trying to identify my catch in the near future. I suspect they
>>>>are all common especially given how easily they were obtained. I'm sure
>>>>most people on the list-serv will be better at identifying Cypraea
>species
>>>>than I. My helvola from Sri Lanka looks like my helvola from Hawaii but
>is
>>>>it helvola?
>>>>
>>>>Here's a technical question: Since I had to keep my live shells in
>formalin
>>>>temporarily, is it sufficient that I dipped them in water? Cypraea soft
>>>>parts are hard to extract, so will any retained formalin keep eating at
>the
>>>>shell?
>>>>
>>>>Also, note to all: my Terebra from Varkala appears not to be a Terebra.
>It
>>>>seems likely to be Bullia tranquebarica Roding. I found them in abundance
>>>>where the waves were splashing up on the sand. Like Donax variablis, they
>>>>have many different color patterns within the same area of beach and are
>>>>covered and uncovered with each passing wave. Strange to think such
>>>>dissimilar shells might occupy a similar ecological niche. I can't tell
>>>>what they were eating. There are some small Donax species in the same
>place
>>>>but the sand bugs (don't know the Latin name, but the rounded crustaceans
>>>>that dig backwards in the sand) were numerous enough to be eligible to be
>>>>prey for the Bullias.
>>>>
>>>>--David Kirsh
>>>>Durham, NC
>>>>
>>>>>Dear David Kirsh
>>>>>I note you collected several Cypraea species during your interesting
>trip
>>>to
>>>>>India/Sri Lanka. Could you please let me know which species of Cypraea
>you
>>>>>found. The place you visited is very interesting because several rather
>>>>>confusing species of Cypraea may be found there and any bit of
>information
>>>>>may be usefull.
>>>>>Best regards
>>>>>Eduard Heiman
>>>>>[log in to unmask]
>>>>>
>>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>>From: David Kirsh <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>>Date: Sunday, November 21, 1999 3:08 AM
>>>>>Subject: trip to India, Sri Lanka, Kuwait
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Fellow shellers,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I'm back from my 2 week trip. I'll be glad to fill people in on some of
>>>the
>>>>>>travel details if anyone wants.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As for shelling, now I know why no one knew about Southwest India:
>there
>>>>>>are apparently no accessible reefs. Shells are mostly pounded to bits
>on
>>>>>>the beaches; not even any shell grit for micros. However, there are
>>>shells
>>>>>>in Kerala. Where I stayed in Varkala, Kerala, the locals told me that
>>>after
>>>>>>the monsoons have passed for a month or so, the visibility clears so
>that
>>>>>>it is possible to snorkel over the offshore rocks and find plenty of
>>>>>>sealife. Usual means to get there are the three logs lashed together
>that
>>>>>>most fisherman use. There were beached shells in good numbers south of
>>>>>>Varkala in a spot where the "backwaters" (lagoon) open to the sea. In
>an
>>>>>>hour jaunt, found Murex, Sinum, Terebras and other goodies. There are
>>>also
>>>>>>some shells on the rocks at low tide. Couldn't leave India without a
>>>chank
>>>>>>shell, so I bought one from a local fisherman who said he got it in
>four
>>>>>>meters of water off the beach. NB: bring your own methyl alcohol
>because
>>>it
>>>>>>is prohibited in Kerala. I had to obtain formalin for my small live
>>>shells.
>>>>>>I was lucky that customs didn't insist on opening my shell pack and get
>a
>>>>>>whiff on the way back home.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I found out that the airfare from Trivandrum (capital of Kerala) to
>>>>>>Colombo, Sri Lanka is about $110 round trip. So I took a four day stint
>>>to
>>>>>>a recommended resort town of Hikkaduwa, three hours bus ride south of
>>>>>>Colombo. As I had been told, there were shells. Yes, well, I was a
>virgin
>>>>>>to the Indo-Pacific faunal region. I'd been to many spots in the
>>>Caribbean
>>>>>>and to Gulf of California but nothing like this. I didn't even get to
>>>>>>explore the reef (too rough). Just in the place where the edge of the
>>>reef
>>>>>>meets the beach, there was a staggering number of shells. Every time I
>>>>>>looked there was something else I had never seen. Maybe some of you
>have
>>>>>>gotten jaded about this, but I never saw a place where there were six
>or
>>>>>>more species of live Cypraea in inch-deep water. No to mention plenty
>of
>>>>>>other types of mollusks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>And the shell grit under magnification was kind of like looking at a
>>>>>>treasure chest of jewels with a multitude of pastel colors and
>>>sculpturing.
>>>>>>Something new each time I scanned a different place in the drift. I
>don't
>>>>>>know if any of it is unusual but it was quite an experience for me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>On the way back through Kuwait, I stayed at a hotel that wasn't the
>>>airport
>>>>>>hotel for transit passengers. That took some extraordinary gyrations
>and
>>>>>>considerable expense for me. (My advice is to get your Kuwaiti visa in
>>>>>>advance of a visit, perhaps through a 3-star-or-less hotel). The beach
>>>near
>>>>>>the Hotel Safir International, right by Applebee's and Chili's, has
>>>plenty
>>>>>>of shells.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Some of my immediate questions from the trip are:
>>>>>>1) What books are going to identify the micros from Sri Lanka? Any?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>2) What is a 1/2 inch long mollusk whose shell looks like a fat taco
>open
>>>>>>on one side and pointed on the other? The animal is light orange with a
>>>>>>bright orange and a black stripe. Lives around green algae in tide
>pool.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>3) Is Seashells of Eastern Arabia likely to be useful for Kerala (on
>the
>>>>>>Arabian Sea) and Kuwait (Persian Gulf)? Is that the same book as Shells
>>>of
>>>>>>Muscat and Oman?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>4) Does anyone have a count of the known sinistral chank shells in
>>>>>existence?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>5) Anyone venture a guess about the one live shell very abundant on the
>>>>>>beach at Varkala? (It's their version of the Coquina). It's a Terebra
>>>about
>>>>>>1 and 1/4 inches long. Subsutural axial wrinkles tend to fade out
>toward
>>>>>>the body whorl. Extremely variable colors: from pure white to deep wine
>>>and
>>>>>>black, some are orange or rose, or those colors with white bands.
>Animal
>>>is
>>>>>>off-white and very active.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>More questions are bound to come up.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>David Kirsh
>>>>>>Durham, NC
>>>>>>