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Components of mother pearl
Components of mother pearl In the past month three members of the Philippine Malacological Society have died. Members whose contribution to the Society and to malacology will not likely be equaled. It is our sad duty to inform readers of the death of Professor Jens Ostergaard, Jan van der Riet, and Mrs. Mariel King and to pay humble tribute to their work and their contributions.
Jens Ostergaard started his life in Philippines as a street car conductor and, through study and hard work became a professor at the University of Philippines. His work in marine, land, and fossil shells is known world wide. He has been a "friend" to every collector in the world, either through personal contact or by his many contributions to the science and hobby of collecting. His Philippine Shell member Eddie Bryan's letter to Jens Ostergaard's family best expresses the feeling voiced by all who knew this great man. "It is with sadness that I have learned of the passing of a good friend of more than fifty years. His contributions to the knowledge of shells have been many and outstanding. The fortunate students who had the opportunity to learn from him about nature have profited much. Many persons have had their lives enriched through friendship with such a fine gentleman. We will miss him, and we sent our deep sympathy to those whom he has left."
The life of Jan van der Riet was also one of dedication. For nearly twenty years he was a priest in a remote corner of the Solomon Islands where, through the sale of shells which he and the native members of his church collected, he built a church building, a school, and farms for his people. His generosity with his life - in his teachings, as well as his worldly goods - benefited many throughout the world. In 1967 he visited Honolulu on his way to Holland from his Solomon Island mission. He had not wanted to leave. Soon after his arrival in the Netherlands he gave up his robes and became a layman. He was married and continued his teachings. A letter from one of his close friend P. L. v. Pel, expresses our feeling for this man. "I must write you the terrible news of the death of Jan van der Riet. I know he was a well known member of the Philippine Malacological Society. He died in a hospital in Belgium where he lived with his devoted wife. The fortunate people who have known him for so many years of collecting and exchanging will miss his friendship and council. His shell collection, specially his sea shells, are in safe hands as his wife Lucy van der Riet will continue the van der Riet collection. Truly, many will miss this man."
The life of Mariel King has been one of research and search for her beloved shells. Her contribution in time and money for expeditions throughout the Philippine Islands has been reported many times in the [Philippine] Shell News. Her research boat Pele is well known in the Philippines, the Sulu Sea and in Australian waters. Seldom does a day go by but what we receive letters from collectors, students, and scientists asking to be remembered to Mariel for the many contributions she had made not only to conchology but to their lives. Her work with the Society in the Shell Fairs as well as advisor has helped us over many tough spots during the formative and growth years of our Society. I will miss Mariel King, her ready laugh, and capacity for understanding. We will all miss her knowledge and willingness to work hard to find shells. Her sense of humor helped pull many a collecting and dredging crew through some bad days on the Pele. It was Mariel who looked at my first shells collected at Barbers Point and assured me they were really good specimens, even when they weren't, and thus created an interest in collecting for which I will always be grateful. I am sure I am only one of hundreds who have received the encouragement from this great lady of shells needed to keep up our interest at a height always somewhat less than was her zest for life and collecting.
Components of mother pearl Palmadusta lutea (Gmelin 1791) and P. humphreysii (Gray 1825) are similar in size, shape, dentition, and the yellow to orange color of the punctate base, so that they have been mixed by many writers and collectors; however, they differ by several characters in markings as well as in geographical distribution in which they exclude each other. The main differences may be tabulated as follows:
The map indicates most localities from which specimens have been examined personally: one will observe that P. lutea [rings] spreads from western Indonesia to Japan, Ceylon, Shark Bay and Yirrkala, whereas E. humphreysii [dots] spreads from New Caledonia to Sydney, Torres Strait, Solomon Is., Marshall Is., Samoa and Tonga Is. These two areas approach each other in the Gulf of Carpenteria, but they are widely separated between the Philippines and Solomon Is.; however, it is interesting that the three shells found in Pleistocene beds of Kajuragi, N.W. Celebes [bull's-eye] seem to belong to the eastern P. humphreysii which evidently is the more primitive taxon.
[Corrected per NSN 101, May, 1968.]
The two living taxa should be classified as "prospecies" of almost specific rank, because fresh shells can be well separated morphologically, as well as e.g. Erosaria lamarckii and E. miliaris which are separated geographically in a similar way (see Schilder & Schilder 1939, Proc. Mal. Soc. London 23:225, map 9).
One summer we vacationed in a cottage on the rocky sea coast near Kailua, Kona, on the Big Island. The shelling a few years ago before the big population explosion over there, was quite productive. We got lovely specimens of Conus distans, Cypraea mauritiana, C. maculifera and other shells whose habitat is the high surf area.
As usual, the cleaning was a problem and especially so because in the short time we were there, the ants couldn't work hard enough to suit us. We couldn't freeze them as the house came equipped with the barest refrigerating essentials like a box of about 4 cubic feet with room for only two small ice trays. And in Kona in summer, you just have to have ice for various thirst quenchers. So, we had to cope with the cleaning problem by employing the services of the ants and flies. We didn't want to bury the shells and mess up the nice little garden, so we just strew the shells in little piles... like my pile is here ... your pile is there... and don't touch each other's pile or else...
My friend's pile somehow was be depleted as the days slipped by... first she missed a few small sea shells, then some other marine specimens. Then the pay off came when she announced that her best mauritiana had vanished, and she accompanied her announcement with some pretty dirty looks. I tried to offer various explanations like, "maybe one of the kids around here"... or, "are you sure you put it in your pile?" But I knew who was under suspicion. Worst of it was, she didn't seem quite so friendly lately.
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