Tho akung also furnishes tortoise-shell (karet), but the shell being thin, and of a poor quality, much less value is attached to it.
The boko, called panju by the Malays, is the common sea - turtle, which is of no other use than to be eaten. To these sorts the panjubui ought to be added, being the common turtle, vith a thick shell, like that of the proper turtle, but of poor quality, and therefore of trifling value ; so also the akung-boko, which is distin guished from the common boko byits much larger head.
The ratu, lastly, furnishes a sort which is dis tinguished by its peculiarly great size, the Orang Baju asserting that it is usually twice as big as the largest tortoise-shell turtle, and therefore five to six feet long and even more.
The Baju catch the turtle by the hadung, the harpoon, and the net ; or by falling upon the females when they resort to the strand to lay their eggs, which is almost the only way by which the inhabitants of the coast catch this animal. So soon as they have got the creature in their power, they turn it on its back, when it is unable to recover itself. It sometimes also enters the fishing-stakes.
1Vhen the Baju catch a turtle, they kill it immediately by blows upon the head. The tor toise-shell adheres so fast to the shield, that, if they at once pulled it off, there would be danger of tearing the shells, and they usually wait three days, during which time the soft parts become decomposed, and the shells are loosened midi little trouble. When they wish to remove the
shell immediately after the capture, they separate it by means of boiling water. This object can be accomplished by the heat of a fire, in the applica tion of which, however, a danger is run of injuring the shell by burning it. The Indian islands furnish the largest supply of tortoise - shell for tlie European and Chinese markets, the chief emporia being Singapore, 3fanilla, and Batavia, from which are exported yearly about 26,000 lbs.; and one-half of this quantity is from Sing,apore. 3fr. Morrison tells us that the best tortoise-shell comes to China from the Spice Islands and NCR' Guinea. The green turtle average 350 lbs. each, and the hawk's-bills' about 250 lbs. Although a strong prejudice existed against the hawk's-bill as an article of food, it is at least equal to the ' other. He saw newly-hatched turtle running about in every direction, and among their numer ous enemies was a burrowing crab (Ocypoda cursor), which runs with great swiftness along the sandy beaches. The price varies from 1000 dollars down to 200 per pikul, according t,o quality.— M‘Gillivray, Voyage i. 51 ; M.E.J.R.; Morrison, Comp. Des. ; Crawfui rd ; Journ. Ind. Arehi., 1839.