The morning call., 1894-10-28

various shades forming a com bin alton very
eff ctive to the eye. One OF the most mag
nificent armOrs ever seen was inaue Uy
Turkish travelling gold and silver worker
of Egypr. He secured large number oil
these insects and in spare moments made
them into an armor. The work represented
in this undertaking was prodlgious, as each
sheath, OF over an inch in length. was
puuctured by four holes and connected TO
Its fellows Sy delicate wires, the entire
armor when completed presenting mag
nifieeDt appearance. 1t was purchased for
the Sultan and is in the royal museum.
"One of the most exquisite cOlOrs used
in fabrics comes from an insect-the
cochineal--the industry giving employ
meUt to thousands Of persons. A species
of these insects also supplies the candies
| that illuminate many altars of cathedrals
in Europe.
zone Of the most valued animals in the
arts is the turtle known as the nawksbill.
| Its she'll is employed in lnnumeraoe OBJ
iects of decoration, but 1t is so skillfully
! initiated that it is very difficult to dis
tinguish the genuine from the imitation.
| The turtle ranges from len to fifty pounds
| IN weight, and is caught principally in the
| Caribbean Sea and about the islands of
| the Spanish main, and in some cases in a
very singular manner. The turtle-catch-
ers employ fish called the remora TO do
the work. holding iL by a rope or cord
about the tGil, and when a turtle is seen,
releasing it. the fish attaching itself TO the
animafs back by its sucker, so being
hauled into the boat. A horrible custom
prevailed in some localities of taking the
| scales or plates from the living animal,
then releasing it in this scalpeG condi-
| ton. Hundreds of pounds of the shell
are used in America, especially in
! combs aud other toilet articles, jewelry
and many objects, while much is used by
makers of fine and artistic furniture. Es-
| peclally In China and Japan is the shell
used, where it is obtained from the Malay
country. The japanese are prOdlgal in its
use. and thoroughly appreciate the artistic
| effect OF the rich combination OF browns
and yellows. 1t finds a place in swords
! ana in Sabers; cups and vases are inlaid
with 1t; spears, saddles and ornaments.
even pair Of Chinese chOpstieks In my
| possession has a tortoise-shell seabbard.
| The sticks are of ivory, the scab0ard of
| the she'll bound with brass. while on the
| side is an ivOry-mounted handled knife.
| 1t evidently belonged to some exquisite,
| and was swung about the waist by cords
| Or worn as a dirk. Many of the old
japanese armOrs are ornamented or deco
rated with the beautiful she'll; and in this
country and Europe books have been
bound with it, plates of the shell being set
in. furnishing rich cover.
''The use of feathers in the art OF dec
oratiOn is well known, and it might be
| incidentally mentioned that the women of
1
sponsible for the destruction of many of
| our most beautiful birds. Feathers are
used TO large extent in the production OF
artistic work. The Mexicans are perhaps
the most skiilful in featbeT-wOrk. using
! the choice feathers of various birds 10
decorate various objects. They are espe-
cially clever in the manufacture OF birds
| in relief from the feathers of other birds,
Initiating them 80 perfectly that they ap-
pear like the birds in miniature.
The feathers Of the argus pheasant, the
birds of paradise and many of the pitas
are used in the gorgeous ceremonial OBJ
| Jects OF India, and Wnen mounted IN gold
| and ivory are very beautiful Even the
California Indians recognize the artistic
beauty of feathers and employ them in the
manufacture of baskets, weaving them in
| so deftly that the entire basket often ap-
pears TO be made up of feathers taken
from the blue bird, one of the richly
cOlored woOdpeckers and more commonly
the plumes OF the California quail. A
basket l have seen, made by the Indians
! near Uklah, contained the plumeS OF over
500 quail and was mass of rich, changing
color. In an old basket | Cwn the red
feathers OF a woodpecker were worked in
| in The weaving, but have been eaten off by
moths or worn down by constant use So
| that they barely show.
Even the claws of birds, especially the
large hawks and eagles, are used extern
sively in the arts. Mounted in ivory,
gold and brass they serve as paper-cutters,
and in very elegant toilet aud other light
tables are used as the feet, clasping a ball
Of gilt and tipped with gold. A dressing
case belonging to Marie Antoinette, pre-
sented by a Swiss admirer, was of polished
Swiss woods supported by ten legs, each
being the claw and leg of the great lam
mergeyer. The magnificent claws were
richly polished and mounted in gold, and
each claspad a gold ball or sphere.
Fish scales are used in orDamen tation
not iufreQuently. This Is true of the
tsrpon or silver king, whose scales are
almost a counterpart OF a newly coined
silver dollar. supposing the coin to be
frosted, il having the appearance of
molten silver poured upon il. These
scales are used in the binding of fine books,
and a dado in the room of an enthusiastic
tarpon fisherman in New York is made up
of the skin Of the tarpon laid on in strips
a cleaning mass of silver that presents a
magnificent appearance in direct or re-
f1ected light.
Modern Ingenuity has been employed
to develop all the resources of nature, yet
il is doubtful if we have surpassed or even
eQualed the anclents in this respect
SENIOR X.