AQUATIC PEODUCTS IN ARTS AND INDUSTRIES. 243 



recommended especially for rheumatism. But little of this oil finds 

 its way into trade, being for the most part bottled and put away in 

 the family medicine-chest for home use only. The oil from a variety of 

 turtle found in Mauritius and the adjacent islands has had a local rei^u- 

 tation for more than two centuries as an excellent remedy in several 

 diseases. On the coast of India turtle oil is prepared for a number 

 of purposes, especially in the composition of a cement or pitch for 

 paying the seams of vessels. It has been highly recommended as a 

 medicinal oil, principally in cases of scrofula and anaemia. It is not 

 often refined, notwithstanding that the percentage of foots is large. 

 When bottled, the solid part is precipitated in an opaque and yellowish- 

 white mass, leaving the oil transparent and brownish in color. When 

 slightly warmed, as by exposure to the sun's rays, the two i^arts 

 amalgamate. 



Considerable quantities of turtle oil are prepared in the West Indies, 

 on the northern coast of South America, on the Seychelles in the Indian 

 Ocean, etc. Not only is the fat of the animal used for this purpose, 

 but likewise the eggs, of which large numbers are secured on the 

 Amazon and the Orinoco. It is said that a single turtle may yield 6 

 gallons of oil, and that 3,000 eggs are required for an equal quantity. 

 The eggs are crushed, covered with water, and submitted to the heat 

 of the sun, whereupon the oil quickly floats to the surface. Accord- 

 ing to consular reports. Para receives upward of 50,000 gallons of this 

 oil during some seasons, and a much larger quantity is consumed by 

 the natives inhabiting the shores frequented by the animals. 



Turtle oil is used for culinary purposes, and likewise for illumina- 

 tion, lubrication, and currjang. 



While the oils of the dugong and of the manatee are comparatively 

 unknown in the United States, they are of considerable local impor- 

 tance in several tropical and semitropical countries, especially in 

 Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. The oil is obtained from the 

 blubber situated beneath the skin, and each animal yields 5 to 20 

 gallons. No difference has been pointed out in the characteristics 

 of the oils of these animals; although, obtained in Mddely separated 

 countries, it is natural that different uses should have developed. 



Dugong oil has no prominent odor, is of a pleasant flavor, and when 

 in good condition is almost as limpid as water. It is used in jjlace of 

 butter and sometimes in preference thereto, and as a cooking oil it is 

 said to be unrivaled; but it is emplo3'ed principally as a medicine, its 

 properties resembling those of cod-liver oil, without the unpleasant 

 effects of the latter. It is valued by some medical i)ractitioners in 

 Australia and New Zealand even more highly than cod-liver oil. Dr. 

 Hobbs, of Queensland, was the first to draw attention to its virtues in 

 Australia, receiving a prize medal at the Sidney Exhibition in 1S51. 

 By some persons dugong oil is believed to be efficacious in the treat- 

 ment of debility, dyspepsia, chronic dysentery, bronchitis, etc. Occa- 

 sionally it may be found in this country put up in bottles with labels 



