298 Miscellaneous. 



other eastern islands, tortoise-shell holds one of the first places. The 

 quantity imported into Singapore sometimes rises above 13,000 and 

 sometimes sinks below 7000 lbs., but the average, one year with 

 another, is about 10,000 lbs. The following account by Mr. 

 Vosmaer of its collection by the Orang Bajo of the south-eastern 

 peninsula of Celebes will interest our readers. 



The Orang Bajo distinguish four principal kinds of Tortoise, and 

 name them Kulitan, Akung, Boko, and Ratu. The first-named is 

 the kind which, on account of its costly shell, is the most prized. It 

 is the so-named Karet tortoise. The shell or back of this creature 

 is covered with thirteen shields or blades, which lie regularly on each 

 other in the manner of scales, five on the middle of the back and four 

 on the sides ; these are the plates which furnish such costly tortoise- 

 shell to art. The edge of the scale or of the back is further covered 

 with twenty-five thin pieces joined to each other, which in commerce 

 are known under the appellation of feet or noses of the tortoise. The 

 value of the tortoise-shell depends on the weight and quality of each 

 head, under which expression is understood the collective tortoise- 

 shell belonging to one and the same animal, which is the article of 

 commerce so much in request both for the Chinese and European 

 markets. 



Tortoise-shells which have white and black spots that touch each 

 other, and are as much as possible similar on both sides of the blade, 

 are, in the eyes of the Chinese, much finer, and are on that account 

 more greedily monopolized by them, than those which want this pecu- 

 liarity, and are on the contrary reddish, more damasked than spotted, 

 possess little white, or whose colours, according to their taste, are 

 badly distributed. The*caprice of the Chinese makes them some- 

 times value single heads at unheard-of prices, namely such as pass 

 under the name of white heads, which they also distinguish by pe- 

 culiar names. It is almost impossible to give an accurate descrip- 

 tion of these kinds, and of their subdivisions, for these depend on 

 many circumstances which remain inappreciable to our eyes. It is 

 therefore enough for me to remark on this subject, that such heads 

 as, possessing the above-named qualities, are very white on the 

 blades, and have the outer rim of each blade to the breadth of two 

 or three fingers wholly white, and the weight of which amounts to 

 2£ catties (qualities which are seldom found united), may be valued 

 at one thousand guilders and upwards. The feet of the tortoise-shell 

 are only destined for the Chinese market ; whenever the two hinder 

 pieces are sound and have the weight of ^ catty or thereabouts, 

 which is very seldom the case, they may reach the value of fifty 

 guilders and more. The whole shell of a tortoise seldom weighs 

 more than three catties, notwithstanding it is asserted that there 

 sometimes occur heads of four and five catties. Tortoise-shells are 

 also sometimes found, of which the shell, instead of thirteen blades, 

 consists of a single undivided blade ; the Orang Bajos call this kind, 

 which very seldom occurs, Lojong. 



The Akung also furnishes tortoise-shell (Karet), but the shell 

 being thin, and of a poor quality, much less value is attached to it. 



