Oyster Shells!

Credit to Parasitic Tube Worms at http://www.asnailsodyssey.com
(This is not an oyster shell, just an example of the Polydora parasite.)

 She sells seashells by the seashore!

Except these shells were no where near the shoreline. One of BHAS's late January 2014 recording sessions involved weighing and categorising oyster shells, one of the many items found at Rocky Clump in East Sussex (not by me, I'm afraid). There were quite a few bags full of dirty, fragmented shells, some nearly entirely intact. Back in the day, Oysters were a staple food in the Roman Empire and were one of the resources that was exploited when they arrived in Iron Age Britain in 43 CE. Recording these shells was not too difficult as I had to differentiate between top and bottom, weigh it (or them if they were too fragmented to differentiate) and note any parasitic or human activity (such as breaking open the shell to eat). One of the most common parasites that I kept encountering was the Polydora (see photo on right).

Credits to the lovely Lesley Hains. Me, running on three hours of sleep, with a nearly intact oyster.