I have seen live-collected Buccinid shells from Aleutian waters that were
worn through, where the animal presumably dragged the shell on the sharp,
black volcanic sand substrate as it moved around.  The dorsal periostracum
was intact on these shells, so I don't think that they had been tumbled by
wave action.  I have also wondered about cold water species seeming to have
shells that appeared to be partially disolved; thinned almost to the point
of not being intact, as if some acidic solution had come in contact with the
shell.  These were also live-collected, with almost no periostracum.

Steve Turre performed here at the Cape May Jazz Festival one year, and I saw
him play all those shells;  it was a wonderful performance.

Cheers to all from sunny, cold Cape May......I found my first aboriginal
artifact on a Delaware Bay beach last weekend!
Sue Hobbs

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