NEW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 236 November 1977 Page 3 
reaching this beautiful volcanic island etti 
collecting in its waters and forests. the pesado 
notable for their scenic splendor and their lack of shell subjects. 
Frank and Lee found the shelling poor, although they know of others 
who were, at least, less unlucky. (For one thing, their eight days 
of vacation included four days of rain.) In most respects, though, 
their stay was delightful - in part because Saint Lucia is not a 
major tour stop. 
Milton Werner, Recording Sec'y 

COLLECT SMALL TO TINY SHELLS 
Every shell collector eventually bumps up against the problem of 
space for his specimens. The older and richer the collection, the 
bigger the problem. But there is a whole world of tiny to micro~ 
scopic molluscan shells where this problem never appears, The lil- 
liputians are often as beautiful and interesting as the larger, 
clumsier (spacewise) shells and moreover there are many times more 
species of these minimollusks in existence than large sized ones. 
Hence a rich and varied collection can be assembled with the same 
eagerness and pleasure as any collection brings forth. And the 
space problem will never appear. Fortunately there is a dealer who 
specializes in these minimollusks (mini in price, too) and will 
send her interesting lists to all who ask for copies. Write to: 
Mrs. Margaret C. Teskey, P. O. Box 273, Big Pine Key, Florida 33043. 
mk 3 

SLEEPING BEAUTIES 
By Peggy Carpenter 
We are all aware of the fact that many animals hibernate in the win- 
ter, but did you ever stop to think that the object of our affections 
== shells, of .course -- also hibernate? They stop eating in the fall 
and burrow underground or under logs or leaves. The common brown 
land snail, Helix aspersa, often favors such ground covers as English 
ivy or pachysandra. Slugs and the edible Helix pomatia are also 
noted for their ability to take winter naps. Among the most cold- 
resistant are the Physa which live in Siberia where the annual mean 
temperature is minus 20 degrees centigrade. Usually they are in 
clusters with their apertures turned upward and the opening 1s sealed 
by secreting a membrane, made mostly of calcium phosphate, which is 
called the epiphragm. A tiny hole is left in the epiphragm for 
breathing. 
In the subarctic and the temperate zones most fresh water shells are 
able to live in water that is under ice and are often themselves en- 
closed in solid ice. In some very cold or very hot and arid loca- 
tions it is something more than just seasonal dormancy; sometimes it 
is several or even many years at a time. 
: : i i fodiolus, are able 
Seyetal marine mollusks, Littorina, Mytilus, and Mo LU 
Mt eystani extreme cold altnougn they ere-not. true hibernators. 
ears F i i far north as 
They are very hardy and live 1n the intertidal zone as 
igen, iebrdaoce Ena even the Arctic Ocean. There they are repeated- 
ly exposed to temperatures of minus 20 degrees centigrade in the win- 
ter and ice forms inside the shells! They can withstand as much as 
