271 
THE TORTOISE SHELL OP CELEBES.* 
Amongst the more valuable of the commodities which the 
enterpriziog and industrious Bugis annually bring to us from 
Celebes and other eastern islands, Tortoise-shell holds one of 
the first places. The quantity imported into Singapore 
sometimes rises above 33,000 and sometimes sinks below 
7,000 pounds, but the average one year with another is about 
10,000 pounds. The following accrunt by Mr Vosmaer of 
its collection by the Or ng Bajo of the south eastern penin¬ 
sula of Celebes will interest our readers 
The Orang Bajo distinguish four principal kinds of Tor¬ 
toise, 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 13 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 furnisli such costly tortoise-shell to 
art. The edge of the scale or of the back is further covered 
with 25 thin pieces joined to each other, which in commerce 
are known under the appelation 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 tortoiseshell 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 peculiarity, and are on the contrary red¬ 
dish, more damasked than spotted, possess little white, or whose 
colours, according to their taste, are badly distributed. The 
caprice of the Chinese makes them sometimes value single 
heads at unheard of prices, namely such as pass under the 
name of white heads, which they also distinguish by peculiar 
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, 
* Translated (for tbia Journal) from theVerliandelingen vaa liet Bata- 
viaash GenooUcUap van Kulisten en Wetens chap pen vol. xvib p, i. 
