Dear all, in response to the recent discussion about rostrate cowries, I have something that ya might find interesting. This Cypraea spadicea, which I got from Dan Yoshimoto, is badly mutated. It is more elongate than most spadicea specimens, and the dorsum coloration is not restricted only to the top as in most spadicea specimens, but spreads almost to the base, gradually turning from chestnut to blue-gray. The aperture is crooked. On the right side of the aperture is a nasty, rough, greenish gray callous, perhaps the most grotesque feature of the whole shell. Now, the cause of the distortion is perhaps the most interesting thing about it. It was mutated by nuclear power plant emissions near San Onofre, California. This shell is really quite an interesting thing, and I will try and put a photo of it on my site sooner or later. Kind Regards James ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]