NEW ARRIVALS

Maxy arrived yesterday, but he was encumbered by molluscs. First up was a brace of swan mussels of magnificent size that he brought me for a belated birthday present. Dear boy; it was very kind of him.

He put them into the Hong Kong community tank together with my Asian bitterlings, and we hope that this will inspire them to breed.

However, I am sure that the dear boy will spend the next few months telling everyone how I gazed myopically at the tank for nearly an hour before noticing the new arrivals.

He is already telling everyone how this is just another symptom of my approaching senility, and how if I am not actually prepared to go into the library with a bottle of port and a revolver, I should at least resign forthwith and let him be director of the CFZ in my stead.

Jackanapes!

However, on the way down to us from Wells, Maxy stopped off at a pet shop that shall not be named and made an urgent telephone call to headquarters. There were, he told me, some rare and beautiful snails including the larest apple snails he had ever seen. They were going to die slowly and unpleasantly in the shop unless we bought them, so - against my better judgement, and despite being skint - we did.

They are certainly magnificent; four apple snails (including two the size of large apples) and five Brotia pagodula from one teensy weensy river in Myanmar (which sounds eminently Kiplingesque....