364 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
to which a cord, made of the fibre of the bark of the palm tree, is 
fastened. As soon as the revé is firmly affixed to the turtle, the 
fishermen haul in the line, bringing the fish and the turtle. By a 
peculiar manipulation, the revé is induced to let go his hold, and is 
returned to his tub ready for the next hunt. 
Turtle-fishing, as is the case with oyster-fishing, is carried on 
regardless of the future, and without any discrimination, the conse- 
quence is, that turtle is becoming scarce, and unless, as we English 
say, there is something done, there will be great difficulty in 
supplying the aldermen of London with that celebrated soup, 
upon which, according to the popular belief, the aldermanic 
existence depends. 
In some way to obviate such a terrible disaster as the extinction 
of turtles and aldermen, turtle parks have been established in 
different parts of the world; but these reservoirs are more for 
keeping the turcle, than for encouraging their breeding, and will do 
little, therefore, towards the propagation of the race. The plan 
pursued in the Isle of Ascension is of far more practical importance. 
There, the authorities strictly protect the turtle eggs, and also the 
young reptiles, until their carapace is so grown that they can 
protect themselves. 
Admiral Anson, in 1752, brought the first turtle to England, 
and ever since that day, the importation of the turtle has been a 
commercial undertaking ; but it is gradually becoming dearer, and 
“mock turtle soup,” in which the gelatinous parts of a calf’s head 
take the place of the green turtle fat, is becoming more general, 
and the real turtle soup more rare. 
The carapace of these reptiles supplies the “ tortoise-shell,” 
which at one time was greatly used for combs; but the discovery 
of vulcanite has almost excluded it from the market. According 
to Pliny, Carvilius Pollio, an extravagant but ingenious gentleman, 
was the first to apply the shell of the sea-tortoise to ornamental 
purposes. The fashion for this style of decoration increased, and 
in the days of Augustus, the patricians ornamented their doors and 
the columns of their rooms with tortoise-shell. Julius Caesar found 
in Alexandria such a collection of these shells, that he had them 
carried in his triumphal entry. 
