COVER N. 247 - SURINAME  

Postmark: Paramaribo PBM Suriname 03.04.2023

Posted on the 3d April; Received on the 5th May 2023
_________________________________________________________________________________

More of Eric's surprises...  this time once again from Suriname. the small state in South America where 60% of the population speaks Dutch... I wonder if there are any windmills and clogs and Gouda cheese there too....

One thing is certain, I'm sure that they must have a much larger variety of seashells in Suriname than on the weather beaten sandflats braving the northern sea, on this side of the ocean.... 

So it comes as no surprise and, from my humble point of view, it is hopefully expected, that stamps from a country which I would think must have quite an interesting and diverse maritime fauna, should showcase this diversity.

So instead of having a couple of triangles of Gouda, I'll have a couple of triangles of seashels

The stamps on the cover are part of a 10 stamp strip issued on 02FEB2022, featuring images of seashells that I presumed could be found in Suriname's coastal waters and reefs. But...

The 17 SRD stamp has a photo of a Bullia sendersi, a marine gastropode mollusc that is native to the waters of Kenya and Mozambique, from what I read, so my theory about the shells on the stamps being endemic, or, at least, occurring in Suriname went down the drain....

The 19 SRD stamp features an image of a Cantharus undosus. Again, according to the World Register of Marine Species, it has an Indo-Pacific distribution, so it shouldn't be occurring in Suriname either...

At least the Postmark is endemic, I'm sure 😀: Paramaribo, the place where the cover was postmarked is the country's largest city and its capital.