CHAPTER I.

TORTOISESHELL AND THE TURTLE FISHERIES.

Marine tortoiseshell-Commercial classification-Land tortoises-Employment of tortoiseshell-Mode of working it-Various applications of tortoiseshell -Statistics of imports-The green or edible turtle-Food uses of the flesh and eggs.

IF the earth is made by man to give up its gems and precious stones for art, and its mineral and vegetable substance for the art workman and the art manufacturer, the sea is also constrained to yield its pearls, its coral, and amber for the jeweller; its mother-of-pearl and other shells for inlaying and carving, and its tortoiseshell for ornamental work. It also yields treasures for the painter, the sculptor, and the art manufacturer, for designs and studies; whilst its objects of beauty in corallines, shells, and seaweeds adorn the cabinets of the naturalist, the collector, and public museum. It is to be regretted that even in this scientific age much ignorance still prevails as to the nature, sources of supply, and mode of treatment of many of these marine substances-so worthy of close study and investigation.

A little scattered information on some of the materials mentioned has, from time to time, been published; but they seem to require more systematic description.

The horn-like epidermoid plates which cover the dorsal buckler or carapace of the sea-tortoise, are in some species

so fine and of such beautiful colours as to be employed for various purposes of art. It is only those, however, of the hawksbill and caret species that possess any great trade value'; the plates being stronger, thicker, and clearer than in other varieties. There are usually 13 plates on the carapace, called collectively in trade "the head,"-four on each side, and five on the back; the last bent in the centre. Of the side plates, the two middle are the most valuable, being the largest and thickest; those on the back and margin, known as "hoofs" or "claws," are comparatively of

less value. There are 24 marginal pieces round the edges, which are termed the "feet" or "noses." The lamella or plates vary in thickness from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch, according to the age and size of the animal, and weigh collectively from four to six pounds or upwards. In an animal of ordinary size, about three feet long and two and a half feet wide, the largest plates weigh about nine ounces, and measure about thirteen by eight inches, and are a quarter of an inch thick in the middle.

Tortoiseshell is usually detached from the carapace and bony framework by placing heat below, or sometimes by soaking it in boiling water. In the West Indies the plates or blades of tortoiseshell are removed by burying the carapace in the ground, or in the sand, for 10 or 12 days. When taken up the blades fall off, and the 13 dorsal pieces are easily collected, forming the before-mentioned, viz., eight "sides," two "hoofs," one "skull," and two "main plates." A small hole is bored in each, so as to string them together, for no experienced buyer will purchase a case of tortoiseshell unless the whole of the shell is thus presented.

The "feet" or "noses" of the tortoiseshell are chiefly in demand in China. The blades of the hawksbill or imbricated turtle are very transparent, and more beautifully mottled than those of the caret turtle; the scales of the latter are thinner, and are not used for the same purposes, but employed for veneering and inlaying work. The shell of the hawksbill has a blackish green colour, with yellowish spots; while the colour of the plates of the caret turtle is blackish, with irregular transparent spots of golden yellow, and veined with red and white, or of a brownish black, of various shades.

The plates of the green or edible turtle are thin and flexible, and of slight manufacturing use. Their general colour is dull palish brown, streaked with patches of black, but not exhibiting those strong beautiful colours which so peculiarly distinguish that of the imbricated tortoise. The scales of the carapace of the loggerhead turtle are of a dark chestnut brown, very thin, and neither clear nor beautifully coloured; hence they are of little value: but latterly some use appears to be made of them, for the imports of turtleshell (as it is commercially named, in contradistinction to tortoiseshell) have averaged in the last

four or five years in value £6000, worth wholesale about 5s. or 6s. a pound; the range has been, however, as low as 8d. to 3s. per pound for turtleshell.

Of the shells of the smaller land-tortoises not much use is now commercially made; and they find no sale in this country. They were formerly worked up in the manufacture of ornamental articles, such as tea-caddies, workboxes, card-cases, side-combs, etc.; but they have fallen almost into disuse, being superseded by the marine tortoiseshell. In the Cape Colony the dorsal shield or shell of a small land-tortoise, about three inches in diameter, which is very beautiful, is made into a snuff-box. This kind is used, more especially on the continent, in buhl furniture, and occasionally in England for inlaying tables, cabinets, picture-frames, and other ornamental articles; a suitable foil being placed below it, to give lustre and colour. The shells of land-tortoises are used by the Indians of North America for pots, scoops, and rattles.

By holding pieces of shell before a gentle fire, or, what is better, by steeping them in boiling water, they can be so far softened as to be pressed into moulds.

The moulds employed for this purpose are double, so as to contain the shell between them. Both parts of the mould being made warm, the piece of tortoise-shell, which is made warm and pliant, is placed on the lower half of the mould, and the counter-mould is closed upon the shell. The mould is then put into a press, and the upper half is gently pressed down upon the shell. The whole is then put into boiling water, and as the shell becomes more and more softened, the upper half of the mould is, from time to time, screwed down upon the shell, until at length the shell is completely pressed into the lower mould, and is itself closely pressed by the upper mould; so that any

devices that may have been engraved or embossed upon the two halves of the mould leave corresponding impressions upon the shell. The mould is then taken out of the hot water and steeped in cold water for a quarter of an hour; after which the shell is taken out and is found to retain the form imparted to it by the mould.

When two pieces of tortoiseshell are to be joined together, the two edges are bevelled or chamferred off, so that one inclined edge may lie upon the other. The edges are then scraped perfectly clean, contact with the fingers or any greasy substance being carefully guarded against. A piece of paper is then bound round the overlapped edges and fastened with string. A pair of tongs or pincers, something like hair-dressers' tongs, are then heated and applied to the shell, one jaw above and another beneath, by which the shell is grasped throughout the length of the seam or overlap. By holding it some time in this position the heat of the iron penetrates through the paper, softens the shell, and causes the two pieces to unite firmly. Sometimes two pieces of shell are united by means of boiling water. The two edges are overlapped, two pieces of metal are placed along the joining, the shell is placed in a press, and the whole is immersed in boiling water. As the shell softens, the press is screwed more tightly, by which the two pieces of shell become firmly united. In practice, when two pieces of tortoiseshell are joined, attention is paid to the colour and pattern of the surface, in order that the two pieces may agree in those respects.

Sometimes ornaments are made of what may be termed melted tortoiseshell, with very beautiful effect. The clippings, raspings, turnings, etc., of tortoiseshell are collected and put into moulds which are double; that is, a mould for the external surface of a box or piece of ornament, and