272 
THE TORTOISE SHELL OF CELEBES. 
are very white on the blades, and have the outer rim of 
each blade to the breadth of 2 or 3 fingers wholly white, 
and the weight of which amounts to 21 catties (qualities which 
are seldom found united) may he valued at one thousand guil¬ 
ders and upwards. The feet of the tortoiseshell are only des¬ 
tined 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 3 catties, notwithstanding it is asserted that 
there sometimes occur heads of 4 and 5 catties. Tortoise¬ 
shells are also sometimes found, of which the shell, instead of 
13 blades, consists of a single undivided blade; the Orang 
Bajos call this kind, which very seldom occurs, Liojong, 
The Akung also furnishes tortoiseshell (karet). but the shell 
being thin, and of a poor quality, much less value is attached 
to it. 
The Boko is the same as that which is called Panju by the 
Malays. It is the common sea-tortoise which is of no other 
use than to he eaten. To these sorts the Panjubui ought to 
be added, being the common tortoise with a thick shell, like 
that of the proper tortoise, but of poor quality and therefore of 
trifling value ; so also the Akung Boko which is distinguish¬ 
ed from the common Boko by its much larger head- 
The Ratu, lastly, furnishes a sort, which is distinguished 
by its peculiarly great size, the Orang Bajos asserting that it 
is usually twice as big as the largest tortoise-shell tortoise, 
and therefore 5 to 6 feet long, and even more. 
The usual modes by which the Orang Bajos catch the tor¬ 
toise, are principally by the hadung, the harpoon and the net j 
to these we add the simplest of all, namely, falling upon the 
females when they resort to the strand to lay their eggs. 
This is also the most usual, I may almost say the only way, 
by which the inhabitants of the coast catch this animal. They 
need nothing more, than, as soon as they have got the crea¬ 
ture in their power, to turn it on its back, when, unable to 
turn itself again, it remains lying helpless in their power. It 
sometimes also falls into the hands of the dwellers on the coast 
through means of their fishing stakes, into which it enters 
like the fish, and from which it can find no outlet but re¬ 
mains imprisoned in the innermost chamber. 
Whenever the Orang Bajos have caught a tortoise, they 
kill it immediately, by bestowing some blows upon the head. 
They then take its upper shield or the back itself quite off, being 
the only thing about the animal which has value. The tortoise¬ 
shell adhering so fast to the shield that, if they at once pulled 
