Harry G. Lee wrote: "On 9/30/99 you posted a missive from Prof. Verhecken on ConchL. In it he cited a work by an "Austrian scholar" in four volumes "Ein Beitrag zur Purpurkunde" Mayer and Muller, Berlin (1898, 1906, 1908, and 1911). I am unable to find the author's name (and thus a complete citation of this "rare work") in any of Verhecken's sentinel works. How can we fill in this niche? Is this another phantom like the trivalve?" With pleasure, Harry, I quote a later message by André Verhecken, in which he gave this very information. Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama +++++++++++++++ Dear Dr Rindsberg, only now I remarked that, in my mail to you, I forgot the name of the author of "Ein Beitrag zur Purpurkunde" : it is Alexander Dedekind. He was rather obsessed by the subject: in his mind, the study of purple in its complete context (also archeology, history, philology, ethnography, etc.) was to become one of the main scientific disciplines ! In spite of his extreme viewpoint, his work is very valuable since he reproduced in extenso many old texts that are very hard to find elsewhere. Unfortunately, I have only volume 4 of his series in my library. Sincerley, André Verhecken