BOOK IX. XII. 38-xv. 42 



sands, and it is believed that they live on the moisture 



of dew. No other animal occurs there. XIII. The rorioise- 



practice of cutting tortoiseshell into plates and using '''"^"- 



it to decorate bedsteads and cabinets was introduced 



by CarviHus Polho, a man of lavish talent and skill in 



producing the utensils of luxury. 



XIV. The aquatic animals have a variety of cover- Vanous 

 ings. Some are covered with hide and hair, for 'i^g,Zlic' "^ 

 instance seals and hippopotamuses ; others with hide spcdes. 

 only, as dolphins, or with shell, as turtles, or a hard 



flinty exterior, as oysters and mussels, with rind, 

 as lobsters, with rind and spines, as sea-ui-chins, 

 with scales, as fishes, with rough skin which can be 

 used for pohshing wood and ivory, as skates, with soft 

 skin, as lampreys ; others with no skin at all, as 

 polyps. 



XV. The aquatic animals clad with hair are nviparous 

 viviparous— for instance the saw-fish, the whale and "ptcles. 

 the seal. The last bears its young on land ; it pro- 



duces after-birth Hke cattle ; in coupling it cHngs 

 together as dogs do ; it sometimes gives birth to more 

 than two in a Htter ; it rears its young at the breast ; 

 it does not lead them down into the sea before 

 the twelfth day, thereafter continually accustoming 

 them to it. Seals are with difficulty killed unless the 

 head is shattered. Of themselves they make a noise 

 Hke lowing, whence their name ' sea-calves ' ; yet 

 they are capable of training, and can be taught to 

 salute the pubHc with their voice and at the same 

 time with bowing, and when called by name to 

 reply with a harsh roar. No animal sleeps more 

 heavily. The fins that they use in the sea also serve 

 them on land as feet to crawl with. Their hides even 

 when flayed from the body are said to retain a sense 



191 



