180 OUR REPTILES. 



America, Australia, Egypt, the West India and 

 Philippine Islands. 



The mode of working this substance is described 

 at some length by MM. Dumeril and Bibron, in 

 their large work on " Eeptiles." In order to straigh- 

 ten the plates, which, when detached, are bent in 

 various ways, it is sufficient to steep them in boiling 

 water for a few minutes, and then take them out 

 and place them between plates of metal or smooth 

 blocks of hard wood, leaving them to cool, great 

 pressure being employed at the same time. They 

 then retain the flatness desired. They are next 

 scraped and filed, a smooth surface being obtained 

 with as little loss as possible. When these shells or 

 scales are brought to a proper thickness and size, 

 they may be then used separately; but they are 

 generally submitted to a still further preparation. 

 When, for instance, they are too thin, or when they 

 are not sufficiently long or broad, the following pro- 

 cesses are employed : — In order to obtain single 

 plates of great size, two are soldered together, the 

 thin part of one being laid upon the thin part of 

 the other; or, as is sometimes done, the edges of 

 each plate are delicately bevelled and fitted together. 

 In each case they are then put between metallic 

 plates ; to these a certain degree of pressure is 

 given, which, when the whole is plunged into boiling 

 water, is increased, and by this mode they are so 



