92 IMBRICATED TURTLE. 



state, are committed to a strong press, by which 

 means they are effectually joined or agglutinated. 

 These are the methods also by which the various 

 ornaments of gold, silver, c. are occasionally 

 affixed* to the tortoise-shell. 



The Greeks and -Romans appear to have been 

 peculiarly partial to this elegant ornamental ar- 

 ticle, with which it was customary to decorate the 

 doors and pillars of their houses, their beds, &c. 

 &c. In the reign of Augustus this species of 

 luxury seems to have been at its height in Home. 



" The Egyptians," says Mr. Bruce, in the sup- 

 plement to his travels, " dealt very largely with 

 the Romans in this elegant article of commerce. 

 Pliny tells us the cutting them for fineering or 

 inlaying was first practised by Carvilius Pollio, 

 from which we should presume, that the Romans 

 were ignorant of the art of separating the laminse 

 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 ad- 

 here, and oftener 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, mentions that the In- 

 dian bed was all over shining with tortoise-shell 

 on the outside, and swelling with stuffing of 

 down within. The immense use made of it in 

 Rome may be guessed at by what we learn from 

 Velleius Paterculus, who says, that when Alex- 



* It may be necessary to observe, that tortoise-shell is not ca- 

 pable of being melted, as vulgarly supposed. 



