[Herbert C. Kraft et al. (1994)] In a 50 cm x 50 cm test pit, S125E10, I found a single specimen of Veneridae (hard-shelled clam family) that displayed exceptional preservation. Similar to other pieces re covered from the Goldkrest Site, this fragmented hinge, umbo, and valve specimen also showed rounding and softening. However, much of the periostracum, or chitinous outer covering of the valve, remained intact. This part of the shell is the first to wear and flake off after the death of the shell. Even specimens deposited on beaches at the high-tide mark loose the periostracum after being exposed to the sun. Therefore, I believe that it is important to report the taphonomic information gathered with this specimen. Taphonomic studies focus on examining the condition under which a zooarchaeological specimen is 17 The Bulletin Table 1. Taphonomic Levels of Study for Zooarchaeologists. shell specimen. Based on these data, I consider the shell specimen to be probably associated with the historic material in level 0-30 cmbs and at least 100 years old. I would expect a specimen of about 100 years in age to be in a better state of preservation than the prehistoric shell found at the Goldkrest Site (e.g., soft fragmented shell in Feature 6 associated with charcoal dated 430 ± 80 BP). However, discussions of zooarchaeological material found within and near clay layers suggest that bone and shell do not preserve well in this context (Chaplin 1971; Wood and Johnson 1978).