Page 2. June-July-Aug. 197 No. 253. NEW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES 
: : : uent slides pictured the 
while East Africa is home to twelve. oUEe arte daotaNOne Ne most 
shell characters -- knobs, pits and spiral ; ‘ 
prominent -- that are prevalent in the family. nesine ee nice 
cases these characters, and others such as Gre argo SS ap aoe 
are linked to geographical distribution, he showe 5 ee 
ples on the screen. As another type of geographica : . Be aoe 
pointed out that Australia has a cold-water species a f ee 
its southern shore, and an eastern species ~~ the sma ie: 2 a. 
helmets -- restricted to a comparatively short stretch of its oe : 
Referring to non-natural influences on distribution, i SG =. 
example the transport of Cassis larvae in the bilges o ta eae 
fishing boats that regularly work the waters off New Zea eet . 
Abbott ended his presentation with comment on the carving of Cassis 
and close-up photographs of exquisite cameos. 
Since no 30th anniversary celebration would be complete without a 
dash of "remember when," there was a showing of slides made at field 
trips, auctions and other events of earlier years. One photo was of 
a group that included co-founder Dr. Walter Jacobs and charter member 
Anthony D'Attilio; it was taken on the first field trip, in 1949. 
Bill Old then showed slides he had made during his recent brief stay 
in Christiansted, Virgin Islands, when he was working with the shell 
collection of the late Gordon Usticke. 
The annual auction, again conducted by Bill Old, offered a fine se- 
lection of shells and related items. Outstanding were two paintings 
by Al Scarpetti, one of a Spondylus and the other of a group of 
"strawberry shells" -- Clanculus. The book "Invertebrate Fossils," 
by Moore, Lalicher and Fischer, was bid in by the auctioneer himself. 
Hotly contested shells were: Spondylus regius, Conus cedonulli, C. 
attenuatus, Charonia nodifera, Cypraea hungerfordi, and a lot of five 
Achatinella. 
The sale table, presided over by Lee and Frank Nelson, had its usual 
interesting assortment to offer. 
The door prize, a large and beautiful Lima rathbuni, was won by 
Sandra Hunter. The raffle prize, a copy of "Field Guide to the Sea- 
Shells of the World," went to Ed Cowles. 
As always, the cocktails and punch, and later the buffet Supper, had 
the accompaniment of animated and prolonged conversation. A special 
feature was a beautifully decorated 30th anniversary cake, arranged 
for by President and Mrs. Walkwitz. 
Milton Werner, Recording Sec'y 

AMU '79 
The Corpus Christi meeting August 5 - 10 (See NOTES No. 252) promises 
to be a "best." In a mailing with general information we learn that 
there are two trailer parks and a number of motels in addition to 
La Quinta Royale which is convention headquarters. "Reservations (at 
La Quinta) must be made direct to the hotel prior to July 21, 1979. 
Mark card: A.M.U." Those contributing papers are requested to have 
their titles and abstracts in the hands of President Old by May 30th 
Two special events of interest: Monday, August 6, THE TEXAS STOMPEDS; 
Tuesday, August 7, a festive party, complete with mariachis, at the 
