Note for Mr Raudot (Paris) Memoir for the islands. One must ask the islands for crabs, spiders, lobsters, sea crayfish and starfish of all kinds, which must be thoroughly dried and, in order to send them, they must be spread out in a box filled with sawdust or wood shavings, and the box must be closed so that nothing can escape during transport. To this end, strips of paper must be stuck over all the joints. You should also ask for a small caiman, lizards and small turtles of all kinds, dried with their heads and feet intact, as well as land crabs and soldier crabs in the various shells they occupy. The latter can be brought back alive if the crossing is made during the winter by feeding the soldier crabs grass or greenery. A few should be dried and prepared in the same way as the crabs. Small conch shells of all colours and various species of helmet shells can also be found in the same places. To prevent them from rolling away, they must be wrapped separately in a piece of paper or dry grass, but it should be noted that only young, lively shells should be used, i.e. they must not be damaged or chipped, nor have wormholes. You should also ask for a small, whole, dried slipper shell with its fins and tail; one measuring 18 inches to 2 feet long will suffice.
