178 OUR REPTILES. 



sea, they drop one of these fish overboard, retaining 

 hold of the cord, which they " pay out " to a suffi- 

 cient length not to impede the Remora. As soon 

 as the fish observes the floating reptile it makes 

 towards it, and by means of its sucker attaches 

 itself to it so firmly that both fish and turtle are 

 drawn into the boat. Several other methods are 

 adopted in other localities, but these are amongst 

 the most curious. 



The tortoise-shell of commerce is in part yielded 

 by this species, although there is little doubt that 

 both in ancient times and in the present, more than 

 one, and probably several species, afforded tortoise- 

 shell. 



Bruce, the African traveller, alludes to this 

 article — 



The Egyptians (he says) dealt very largely with the Komans 

 in this elegant article of commerce. Pliny tells us. the cutting 

 them for veneering or inlaying was first practised by Carvilius 

 Pollio, from which we should presume that the Romans were 

 ignorant of the art of separating the laminaa by fire placed in the 

 inside of the shell, when the meat is taken out ; for these 

 scales, though they appear perfectly distinct and separate, do 

 yet adhere, and often er break than split, where the mark of 

 separation may be seen distinctly. Martial says that beds were 

 inlaid with it. Juvenal and Apuleius, in his tenth book, men- 

 tions that the Indian bed was all over shining with tortoise-shell 

 on the outride, and swelling with stuffing of down within. The 

 immense use of it in Rome may be guessed at by what we learn 

 from Velleius Paterculus, who says that when Alexandria was 

 taken by Julius Caesar, the mag^zmes or warehouses were so full 

 of this article that he proposed to have made it the principal 



