
Page 2. __ October 1977 _ No. 235 NEW YORK SHELL CLUB __ NOTES 
SHELL MUSEUM OF THAILAND 
by Morris Levine 
" i rsuaded by H.R.H. Princess Phanthip Boriphat, consort 
ae tdaee bari onet of Bakar Sawan, to start a shell conan as 
a hobby, and started to buy shells from the Sanam Luang 35 en mar- 
ket in Bangkok with a modest sum of 1,000 baht ($50) a 973." Such 
was the humble beginning of the Shell Museum of Thailand, located 
about 25 kilometers from Bangkok, which houses one of the finest col- 
lections of shells in Southeast Asia, that of Mrs. Urai Bhotiwihok, 
ad about the collection and being a shell collector myself, 
I started out one morning, accompanied by my wife and son-in-law who 
is conversant in Thai, to visit the museum. Arriving there we found 
the gates closed, and were informed by the caretaker that the museun 
was now open only weekends. After telling him that we had traveled 
half way around the world to see the collection, he was persuaded 
to seek permission for us to enter. 
In a short while the gates opened and we were ushered in to a beau- 
tiful garden landscaped entirely by Mrs. Urai and her husband, Air 
Chief Marshall Swasdi Bhotiwihok. Leading us to a small house along- 
side the main building, the caretaker opened the door and we beheld 
case after case of some of the most beautiful and colorful shells in 
the world. The collection includes a number of rare and important 
specimens, including Cypraea aurantium, Conus bengalensis, Harpa 
costata and the rare and beautiful flower-like Angaria sphaerula 
which is native to the South China Sea. On one side was an entire 
case of vividly colored land snails in rows of green, yellow and 
rose. Special exhibits illustrate the growth of shells, the beauty 
os on cross-sectional views and their broad classification into 
amilies. 
Soon Mrs. Urai, a vivacious attractive woman who speaks with her eyes 
and gestures gracefully with her hands, appeared and filled us in on 
the details of how she started her collection and what she intended 
to do with it. With her children grown, she became involved in the 
hobby and realized that a place was needed to display the growin 
collection. An initial investment of two million baht ($100,000 
was spent in building the museum and procuring fine shells for it 
from all over the world. An inveterate traveller, Mrs. Urai was able 
to get shells in almost every country she visited, choosing her spec- 
imens particularly for their beauty. She confided that a few years 
ago she picked up a Conus bengalensis for about twenty-five cents. 
The organization of the museum was accomplished with the expert as- 
sistance of conchologist Dr. Kamphol Issarangura Na Ayudhya. 
We were taken to a cozy apartment above the 
k 2 museum where - Urai's 
husband maintains an interesting collection of fossils. i atase 
study room with a library of books relati ; 
is also located on this upper floor. a ie eee at 
A wonderful hostess, Mrs. Urai invited us t 
° Oo have coffee with her in 
i Mpa house. The rooms, decorated with furniture inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl, gave us the impression of being in a palace. 
Continuing the conversation, Mrs. Urai i 
; - Ural informed us of som f° the 
objectives of the museum: to provide an attractive and anor cena’ 
Having re 
