While scanning in more cowry-related articles from the HAWAIIAN
SHELL NEWS last night, I was considering articles in New Series
Number 149 and read an one about the (then) 10th known specimen
of Cypraea broderipi. It was reported to have been taken in fishing
nets from the waters off of Mauritius.
 
The first thought was -- must have been a fine-mesh net! -- because
the shell is only 70mm in length thus smaller still in girth.
 
The next thought was -- what kind of fisherman drags nets along
where cowries live? -- unless they have some real tough nets or
someone to go down and untangle them (which IS possible in this
case as the depth reported was 50-70 meters).
 
The concluding thought -- and reason from this posting -- was triggered
by a clue given in the article itself. Some specimens of this -- as
well as other rare, deep-water cowries -- are taken ex-pisce.
The only difference between an ex-pisce cowry and one collected in
a net is whether or not it was part of a 'singing lunch', 'Technicolor
yawn', 'round-trip lunch ticket', 'thrown chow' or any of those other
colorful euphemisms for regugitated food.
 
I'm not sure how many cowries have been taken in fishing nets, but
it seems rather likely that fish are responsible for those which
were noted as being collected in that manner.
 
Aloha,
 
Bob Dayle (a.k.a. makuabob)