Bill Clendenin asks how best to clean and preserve small, very fragile shells in clay. The answer depends on how fragile they are, and whether the clay will swell when moistened (which will tend to break up the shells). Clay can be crumbly or stiff. General guidelines: 1. Proceed cautiously. Whatever you decide to do, test it on the least desirable shells first. Test it on a small part before trying the whole piece. 2. If shells are relatively robust, they can be entirely freed from the clay. Some clay can be removed by immersing the whole piece in water; some clay is better removed my moistening a small part at a time; some clay is best removed dry, by gently scraping it with a dental pick. 3. If shells are so fragile that removing the clay breaks them, then only one side of the shell should be cleaned, with enough clay left as a backing for the shell. Excess stiff clay can often be cut or scraped away with a small knife, so the specimen can be squared or rounded off neatly. Leave enough sediment so you can handle the specimen without touching the shell. If you can clean only one side of the shells, then try to clean different sides of specimens so you end up being able to see both sides of the same species. Generally it is easier to clean the exterior than the interior, because the clay tends to break that way; but identification is much easier if you can see the interior as well. Charles Sturm's advice on stiffening or gluing the shells after cleaning is excellent. Don't try to bleach fossil shells. Most people prefer as little as possible to be done to fossil material. Do record any chemicals that you have used on the label, in case they need to be removed later. Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama