Dear April;-
        It shouldn't take 2 hours to sift your messages. Conch-L generally
generates about 30 a day. I get rid of most of it in a botu a
minute---leaving an hour and 59 minutes for other stuff.
        You are right about this being a chat room. It's what a lot of us do.
We also find that there are a lot of shell related messages we are not
interested in. I do the Epitoniidae. My book on that family, written
with Len Brown and Bruce Neville, should be out in September. But I
wouldn't know a Ranelliidae from Rasputin.
        Maybe I typify the "Chatters" for you. After all, I am the designated
keeper of Flying Pig lore. But there's lots of us. And we like chatting
with you as well.
        Art