354 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



four or five years in value ^6000, worth wholesale about 

 $s. or 6^. a pound ; the range has been, however, as low as 

 %d. to 3^. 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 manu- 

 facture of ornamental articles, such as tea-caddies, work- 

 boxes, card-cases, side-combs, etc. ; but they have fallen 

 almost into disuse, being superseded by the marine tortoise- 

 shell. 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 



