Doug,
I understand, Doug.  I grew up in North Central Florida, as the crow flies,
almost equidistant from the Georgian and "Lower Alabama" (the panhandle of
Florida) lines.  Although I never grasped that habit of putting peanuts in
one's coke, I still have my grits as often as I can, and I too love boiled
peanuts.
I'm working on a bunch of 'fossil' (ca. 12,000 ybp) land and freshwater
snails from a mammoth (the animal, not a reference to size) site in the
Aucilla River.  Several taxa not currently found in Florida, but known from
southern Alabama.  Cool stuff.
 
Keep in touch.
 
Kurt
 
 
At 05:11 PM 4/2/99 EST, you wrote:
>Kurt,
>        Actually, only an Alabamian could plagiarize such a story.  A few
>years ago, Bob Howells wrote about a man-eating freshwater mussel that had
>been discovered in Texas.  He also called his species apriliauno and
>published it in his monthly newsletter at the time (date April 1, 1995)
>{uncertain of the year}.  Anyway, some recipients of the newsletter did not
>get the joke and inquired about obtaining specimens.  So, my little April
>Fool's joke was inspired by Bob.  I just dressed it up a little (OK, a lot)
>to fit the audience of CONCH-L.  By the way, I tried to leave my redneck ways
>behind when I left the farm, but after a good long days shelling you can
>still sometimes see me filling my Coca-Cola with peanuts.  The more things
>change, the more they stay the same.
>
>Doug Shelton
>Alabama Malacological Research Center
>2370-G Hillcrest Road #236
>Mobile, Al 36695  USA
>