In the West Indies the turtle is killed and left to rot on the beach. 
This loosens the plates, which then are put in boiling water to soften them 
and make them pliable. A large specimen yields about eight pounds of 
tortoise shell. In the East Indies, however, the turtle is boiled alive, as the 
plates are believed to lose their color if they are left on the rotting reptile. 
The meat is said to be poisonous because of certain marine plants the reptile 
feeds on. Singhalese fishermen will not eat it before they have fed the 
liver to the crows. If the birds discard the liver, the turtle is said to be 
poisonous. The Singhalese also believe a hawksbill with fourteen shields to 
be poisonous. 
The shell of the hawksbill is a black or brown color, splotched with 
yellow. Articles made from it or inlaid with it are expensive and somewhat 
rare. It is, therefore, imitated with a man-made plastic product that is 
more durable and less expensive. Cigarette cases, Spanish combs, and inlaid 
furniture made of real tortoise shell are exceedingly costly and increas¬ 
ingly rare. 
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