Greetings,

As a new subscriber to Conch-L, I'd like to say hello to all and briefly
introduce myself.  My name is Nancy Smith, I live in south Florida, a few
miles west of Ft. Lauderdale where I am a self-employed medical
transcriptionist with a great interest in photography, antiques and
computers.

My introduction to shells came when I was very young and my father brought
back a hundred or so money cowries from his tour in the Philipines during
WW2.   I was fascinated with them then, but have only recently adopted a
more serious attitude towards collecting and learning about mollusks.   I'm
a novice snorkeller as well, and it was during my first attempts at this
that my interest in shells began to develop more fully, on a trip to the US
and British Virgin Islands a few years ago, where I first discovered that
fighting conchs do not like to be disturbed and that you can indeed scream
through a snorkel underwater.  <lol>    Since then I have learned a bit
more about taking live specimens and am not quite so alarmed at the
inhabitants' reactions to humans taking a liking to them.  :)    Actually
just this past weekend I took my first (intentional) live specimens of
crown conchs, augers and periwinkles from a Gulf coast mud flat while
exploring some mangroves at low tide.   I was quite proud of
myself.   <tongue in cheek>   My favorites remain cowries although I don't
restrict my collection solely to Cypraea.

I know I'm a rank novice in here but I hope to learn a lot about all
aspects of shells, their habitats, collecting, cleaning and conservation as
well so please do be patient with all my inevitable questions.  :)

Wishing you all a great day as it storms here in south Florida.  :)
Nancy Smith