Funny that Travancore should pop up.

Travancore is the colonial name for Kerala (more or less) where I just went
on my vacation. I now have a network of Keralans on the lookout for
sinistral chank shells.

My hotel manager in Varkala was extremely gracious and took me to various
locations in my search for mollusks. He suggested asking a chance fisherman
on the beach if he happened to have a chank shell. He did. When he
reappeared from his palm thatch hut, he brought out a fresh specimen with
periostracum and a bright orange aperture. Cost me 30 rupees (about 70
cents). "Give me the money," he told me in nearly perfect English.

Evidently, many people spin the chanks during their prayers and the way
they fall indicates their luck.
--David Kirsh

>"Flags of the World" (http://fotw.unis-ru.com/flags) shows four flags with
>shells:
>
>East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea
>West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea (two quite different flags,
>one showing a marine snail, the other with shell money)
>Travancore, British India (looks like a sacred chank)
>Turks and Caicos (Queen conch)
>
>For extra credit, can anyone identify the shells shown on these flags?
>
>Andrew K. Rindsberg
>Geological Survey of Alabama