Wow, how did you manage to collect so many. My father had one he had picked up off Middleton Beach in Albany many years ago. You don't find too many of them intact.

What gorgeous shells, Ian...this made for a great jigsaw!

A truly beautiful display Ian, and a terrific jigsaw puzzle.

Lovely Ian. How long did it take you and Anne to assemble this collection?

We collected all of them in one day. There must have been a massive storm well out to sea and suddenly one morning the beach was covered with thick seaweed, and the seaweed was dotted with dead and dying Argonauts.
They are very delicate little things - which is why they are called 'Paper Nautilus', but so beautiful - as you can see.

Amazing, another of Nature's beauty!

I should have mentioned that the Paper Nautilus is not a true shell but the egg casing of the Argonaut. By the time we got to them the eggs had already been destroyed by the forces of nature.

Avery Ian puzzle, beautiful, interesting and challenging. Thank you Master Ian.

They spawn every seven years. Last year they were being washed up on our beaches and there were a few people with bags to collect as many as they could. They would start early each morning and the local beachcombers (like me) would find only broken pieces. I was lucky, though, and found one buried under some seaweed.