Andrew, I appreciate your comentary and I agree. It is all too easy to not stop and smell the roses when your collecting, and focus only on the shells. Often the animals are much more interesting and beautiful than the shell! ..but the crab comment was an inside joke between me and David from our January collecing trip to Dania! Cheers, Leslie -----Original Message----- My sympathies lie with the hermit crabs. Why not invest in a good digital camera with macroscopic lens, collect photos, and learn to appreciate the living animals? Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama -----Original Message----- From: Conchologists of America List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Leslie Allen Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 9:44 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: it's a vacation toss-up Hi David With Margarita there is a much less cross-over of species Florida as you have noted. Belize however has Mayan Ruins you can go visit it you want to trek inland. Good land & Freshwater snails too! Belize has officially banned shelling since about 1987? But usually turns the eye. I don't think they care in Margarita. I'd go for the Margarita trip, and get distinctly different materials. ..just don't let the park ranger catch you with hermit-crabbed shells at dusk! Have a great trip! Signed, Cooped up in Houston ----------------------- Folks, I'm looking for a quick (5-day) cheap off-the-beaten path getaway to include good shelling-- and it's come down to Margarita Island versus Belize. From the write-up on Margarita in Am Conchologist versus the write-up on Belize on the Jacksonville site, it looks like Belize tends to have more typical Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico species that I'm likely to already have. There are more unusual species to the main part of Caribbean on Margarita, no? Anybody have a sense of the micro fauna comparison? David Kirsh Durham, NC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------