THE HAWK'S -BILL TURTLE. 179 



perceive the turtle basking on the surface of 

 the sea, they drop one of these fish overboard, 

 retaining hold of the cord, which they "pay 

 out " to a sufficient length not to impede the 

 Remora. As soon as the fish observes the 

 floating reptile it makes towards it, and by 

 means of its sucker attaches itself to it so firmly 

 that both fish and turtle are drawn into the 

 boat. Several other methods are adopted in 

 other localities, but these are amongst the most 

 curious. 



The tortoise-shell of commerce is in part 

 yielded by this species, although there is little 

 doubt that both in ancient times and in the 

 present, more than one, and probably several 

 species, afforded tortoise-shell. 



Bruce, the African traveller, alludes to this 

 article. 



The Egyptians (he says) dealt very largely with the 

 Romans in this elegant article of commerce. Pliny tells us, 

 the cutting them for veneering or inlaying was first prac- 

 tised by Carvilius Pollio, from which we should presume 

 that the Romans were ignorant of the art of separating the 

 laminaB by fire placed in the inside of the shell, when the 

 meat is taken out ; for these scales, though they appear per- 

 fectly distinct and separate, do yet adhere, and oftener break 

 than split, where the mark of separation may be seen dis- 

 tinctly. Martial says that beds were inlaid with it. Juvenal 

 and Apuleius, in his tenth book, mentions that the Indian 

 bed was all over shining with tortoise-shell on the outside, 

 and swelling with stuffing of down within. The immense 

 N2 





