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Craft shells
More so than in other ways of collecting shells, infinite patience and perseverance is needed to build up even the smallest
collection of ex-pisce specimens. Further I should mention the number of disappointments you will encounter in the few
specimens that come your way. Only one shell in twenty will be a perfect and really desirable specimen, and only one in ten
reasonably good. I have had beautiful large Voluta ponsonbyi with teeth holes pierced through them, or the lips badly
damaged, or even worse, a perfect Cypraea fultoni but with a hole in it. Also to be taken into consideration is the fact that
a fish must be caught within two hours of having consumed a shell, otherwise the shells will be ruined by stomach acids. Last
but not least is the fact, which I have had from very good authority, that only about one fish in ten, of the species which
eat these shells, will have a shell in its stomach. Naturally all sorts of other edibles form their diet in addition to
shells.
Sparodon durbanensis (Castlenau), commonly known as the "Musselcracker," is the fish to be relied upon, more than any other,
to produce these exciting shells for us. This species is found only in South Africa off the Natal coast. It attains a maximum
weight of approximately 40 lbs., and develops massive jaws and powerful teeth. ...
The following list of ex-pisce shells in my collection, which I have patiently acquired during the past fourteen years, may
be of interest to readers:
...
..., Cypraea arabica L. var. immanis Schilder, C. broderipii Sow., C. cernica Sow., C. citrina Gray, C. fultoni Sow. C.
helvola L. var. argella Melvill, C. vitellus L. var. dama Perry;...
The Hotel Arahiri, as I have said, lies on the edge of a lagoon where the barrier reef is about 3/5 of a mile offshore. On
the sea wall and small stone dock in front of the hotel, a black Nerita from 3/4 to 7/8 of an inch in length was common on
the rocks, while the small cobbles at the water's edge were covered by thousands of a small Neritina, possibly N. chrysostoma
Broderip. On some of the rocks forming the dock, and more abundantly on rocks at the mouth of a small freshwater stream
entering the lagoon close by, specimens of Ostrea circumsuta Gould were collected.
On the barrier reef, the top of which, except for scattered coral heads, was just under the surface, the following species
were found: Cypraea tigris L. and obvelata Lam., Terebra maculata L., Strombus gibberulus L., Conus pulicarius Hwass, small
specimens of Pinctada margaritifera L., and a large Barbatia.
On the western end of this segment of the barrier reef, where it is broken by Taone Pass, is a small ilot, consisting of a
heap of coral fragments piled upon the reef flat at the eastern border of the pass. Around this little island, which is only
about ten yards in width, a good collection was made; here the commonest species was Cypraea obvelata.
...
Other good collecting places were found in Faaone, near the isthmus leading to the beautiful Taiarapu Peninsula. A short side
trip was made along the south coast of this peninsula, and collecting was attempted in a rather muddy lagoon. The only common
species found here were Cypraea obvelata, Isognomon perna L. and Barbatia sp., which were found under clumps of the coral
Pavona praetorta. These species are among the commonest found in shallow water under coral fragments all along the coast
Nearby, in shallow water and on a sandy bottom, a small, mahogany-colored Terebra was found by tracking.
C. cribraria is not known to occur in Mauritius; Viader (Maurit. Inst. Bull., 1(2), 1937), recorded C. cribraria from
Mauritius, however, Viader's records are unreliable, and were compiled from literature records and not actual specimens
examined. Viader reports Pacific species, e.g. C. eburnea, C. mariae and C. gaskoini from Mauritius.
C. esontropia most probably evolved from C. cribraria, through effective geographical isolation, on the same lines as C.
caputdraconis from Easter Island (Pacific), C. semiplota Mighels and C. granulata Pease, from Philippines, and C.
erythraeensis Sowerby, from the Red Sea region. C. esontropia is regarded as a weak species by some, strong subspecies by
others, and a valid species by most workers.
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