Ellen,

First you could list the dangerous species and learn how to identify them.
Here, in New-Caledonia, the most dangerous ones are : C.geographus,
C.striatus, C.tulipa and C.textile; the following species present a real
danger : C.aulicus, C.marmoreus, C.omaria, C.magnificus and C.magus.
All these shells are easily recognizable...
Even wearing gloves, we always avoid handling cones too long time.We place
them in a small hermetic plastic box in which we first put one or two folded
plastic bags to protect them from shocks.
Then we put the box under our wetsuit if we are skin diving or in a pocket
of our stabilizing jacket when we are scuba diving and Bob's your uncle!

Regards

Solange and Serge


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Bulger" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 9:19 PM
Subject: How do you collect a cone? gingerly....


> Howdy Folks,
>
> For the first time, I'm going collecting in waters where there are cone
> species that could conceivably pack a wallop. I've been told that the
> seriously dangerous ones have wide apertures, but underwater my ID skills
> aren't always stellar. To be on the safe side, I figure I should treat all
of
> them like contaminated syringes.
>
> Would any of you seasoned Pacific collectors tell me what you use to grab,
> then contain, cones when you are out collecting? I've had folks tell me
they
> just picked up geography cones with their bare hands, but I'm too chicken
for
> that. Just don't simply tell me to leave them!
>
> Ellen