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THE 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD; 
 
 OB THE 
 
 DAINTIES AND DELICACIES OF DIFFEEENT 
 NATIONS 
 
 OBTAINED FEOM THE 
 
 BY 
 
 PETER LUND SIMMONDS, F.E.G.S., E.S.S., 
 
 ATJTHOB OF “ A DICTIOlfAIlT OP TRADE PRODD'CTS,” 
 
 “ THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM,” 
 ETC,, ETC, 
 
 Cassius. 'Will you dine vrith me to-morrow T 
 
 Casea. Ay, If I be alive, and your mind hold, and your dinner worth 
 the eating. 
 
 Julios C^ssar. 
 
 Horatio. O day and night, but this is wondrous strange I 
 Hamlet. And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. 
 
 There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, 
 Than ttre dreamt of in your philosophy. 
 
 Hamlet, Act 1, scene 5. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY G. PHIPPS, RANELAGH STREET, EATON SQUARE, 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 The SHstentation of the body, and the repairing of its 
 waste by an adequate supply of wbolesome and nutri¬ 
 tious daily food, is a subject of general importance, and 
 necessarily occupies a large share of attention. But 
 all nations have not the advantages of sldlful cattle- 
 breeders, slaughter-houses, well-supplied meat and 
 poultry markets, and butchers’ shops graced with all 
 the tempting joints of beef, mutton, and pork, which 
 gladden the eyes of an Englishman, and keep up his 
 stamina for labour. The traveller, the settler, and the 
 savage, must be content to put up with what they can 
 most readily obtain, and to avail themselves of many 
 an umisual article of food, which would be rejected 
 under more favourable circumstances, and with a greater 
 choice for selection. 
 
 The subject of Food, in a physiological point of view, 
 has been often discussed. Popular and learned treatises 
 on all the art and mysteries of Cookery have been sold 
 by thousands. We have had pleasant details furnished 
 us too on the Food and the Commissariat of London.— 
 But with respect to the animal substances, eaten by other 
 people in foreign countries, we have known little—ex¬ 
 cept from mere scraps of information. 
 
IV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The basis of the present volume is a lecture on the 
 Curiosities of Food, which I delivered at several of the 
 metropolitan literary institutions. Having been favour¬ 
 ably received,—from the novelty of the subject, and the 
 singularity of the specimens from my private museum 
 by which it was illustrated,—I have been led to believe 
 that it might prove generally interesting in a more am¬ 
 plified shape. 
 
 In order, however, to bring the details within a con¬ 
 venient compass, I have limited myself to a description 
 of the Curiosities of Animal Food; but should the 
 work be well received, I may follow it up hereafter by 
 a companion volume, on the Curiosities of Vegetable 
 Food. 
 
 In the arrangement of the materials for this work, 
 one of two modes of description was open to me, 
 either to dress up the details in characteristic pictures 
 of the food-customs and viands in use in different 
 quarters, and by different people; or to group the 
 whole scientifically under natural history divisions. 
 As the subject is curious and striking enough in its 
 simplicity without the aid of fiction or embellishment, 
 I have preferred adopting the latter arrangement, and 
 have followed it as closely as the miscellaneous character 
 of the selections and quotations would permit. 
 
 Many of the articles of food named are so outrage¬ 
 ously repulsive, and the consideration of the subject, 
 in a collected form, is altogether so new, that I have 
 preferred citing authorities in all instances, so as to 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 V 
 
 relieve myself from the charge of exaggeration, or the 
 imputation of untenable assertions. For this reason, 
 and from the varied and very extended nature of the 
 field of enquiry, I can claim no merit for original 
 writing in this work. I have merely desired to present 
 the public with a readable volume; and I think its 
 perusal will show that in this, as in other cases, truth 
 is often stranger than fiction. 
 
 After a perusal of these pages, it can scarcely be 
 said that, ‘ there is nothing new under the sun,’ for 
 many of the articles of food which I have described as 
 being served up in different parts of the world, will he 
 certainly new to many. Probably, some of the hints 
 thrown out will make the fortune of any restaurateur 
 in the city or at the west-end, who chooses to dish up 
 one or more of the reputed delicacies, under a proper 
 disguise, and with a high-sounding name. 
 
 8, Winchester Street, Pimlico, 
 December 1858. 
 
 P. L. S. 
 
< ^ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 -f 
 
 PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 
 
 John Bull’s partiality for Beef, 2. Comparative quantities of 
 meat eaten in Paris, New York, and London—Different 
 parts of Animals eaten by choice, 5. Want of courage to 
 taste new Food, 6. Various kinds of Food eaten in different 
 countries — Man’s omnivorous propensities, 7. Weight of 
 Food eaten in a man’s life-time—instances of gluttony, 10. 
 Ethnological view of the question, 11, Jerked beef con¬ 
 sumed in Cuba — Varieties of— tasajo, rebenque, charqui, 
 sesina, 12. Mode of preparing the sun-dried meat in Chile— 
 Grasa or melted fat, 13. Biltonge or dried meat of the Cape 
 Colony— Pastoormah —dried Elephant’s flesh—Hung Beef, 
 14. Mode of preparing Pemmican, 15. Gelatine—Beef 
 and Bone Soup, 17. Jellies unnutritious—Portable Soup, 
 18. Meat Biscuit—Mode of making it, 19. Utilization of 
 the Blood of Animals for food, 21. M. Brocchieri’s experi¬ 
 ments—Anecdote of an unlucky Pig doomed to perpetual 
 blood-letting, 23. Arctic luxuries—Climatic difficulties, 25. 
 A Tuski Feast, 27. A Greenland Banquet, 29. Animal 
 Food in the Arctic Regions, 30. A Sledge made of frozen 
 Salmon, 34. Frozen Food brought to the St. Petersburg 
 Market, 35. A Russian Dining-room, 36. Cooking at Cape 
 Coast Castle—Food customs and delicacies of the Abori¬ 
 gines of various Countries, 38. Raw-flesh eaten in Green¬ 
 land and Abyssinia, 42. Australian Food delicacies, 45. 
 
Ylll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 QUADEUMANA. 
 
 Monkeys eaten in South America, Africa, and the Eastern 
 Archipelago, 46, Mode of cooking them. Cheiroptera, or 
 hand-winged Animals —The Fox Monkey, and Bats eaten 
 in the East, 50. Carnivora —Hyena eaten by Arabs—Pole¬ 
 cat in North America—Foxes in Italy—Prairie Wolf in 
 North America, 51, The Lion by the Arabs—The Tiger 
 by the Malays — The Puma by the Americans, 52, No 
 reason why Carnivorous Animals should not furnish whole¬ 
 some and palatable Food—Bear’s Flesh—A draught of a 
 Quart of Bear’s Grease, 53. Bear’s Paws and Steaks—Flesh 
 of the Badger, 54, Dogs eaten in olden times by the 
 Greeks and Romans, and still considered a delicacy in 
 China, Zanzibar, Australia, and the Pacific, 57. Anecdote 
 of a Dog Feast. Marsupialia, or Pouched Animals—The 
 Kangaroo—Food delicacies from it—Mode of cooking, 58. 
 Aboriginal practices and Food in Australia, 60. Kangaroo- 
 Rat— Opossum—Wombat, 63. Rodentia —Marmot—Mouse 
 —Musk-Rat, 64. Field-Rat—Rats eaten in West Indies, 
 Brazil, Australia, China, &c., 65. Chinese Dishes and 
 Chinese cooking, 66. California bills of fare, 69. Abun¬ 
 dance of Rats in Hong Kong and in Scinde, 62. Salted Rats 
 an article of export from India to China, 70. Bandicoot, 
 Coffee Rat, Dormouse, Lemming, and Jerboa eaten as Food, 
 71. Beaver—Porcupine, 72. Anecdote on Rabbits, 73. 
 
 Arctic Hare—Water Dog—Guinea Pig—Agouti—Paca and 
 Viscascha, 74. Edentata, or Toothless Animals—Native 
 Porcupine of Australia—Ant-eater and Armadillo, 76. 
 
 PACHYDERMATA, OR THICK-SKINNED 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 Baked Elephants’ Paws—Mode of cooking them, 76. Cutting- 
 up the Elephant, 78. African Haggis—Hippopotamus Flesh 
 and Fat—Zee-koe Speck, 80. Products of the Hog—Read- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 ing Bacon and eating Bacon, 81. Swine feeding on Corpses in 
 the Ganges, 82. Pigs fed on Mutton, 83. Acres of Pork 
 in America, 84. ‘ Going the whole Hog,’ 85. Origin of 
 
 roast Pig, 86. Spanish Pigs, 90. Toucinho, or fat Pork, 
 used in Brazil—Peccary, Ehinoceros, and Tapir eaten, 92. 
 Horse-flesh, the recent endeavours to popularize it as an 
 article of Food, 94. M. St. Hilaire’s exertions in the cause— 
 Historical progress — Horse-flesh eaten in Africa, America, 
 Asia, and Europe, 97. Experimental trials and cooking, 
 100. Horse-flesh eaten unknowingly in many cases, 104. 
 Anecdote of Sausages—Evidence before Parliamentary com¬ 
 mittee respecting Horse Sausages, 105. Unwholesome 
 Meat, 106. Blowing Veal, 109. Asses’ Flesh—The Quagga 
 110 . 
 
 KUMINANTIA AND CETACEA. 
 
 Camel’s Flesh, 111. Axis Deer—Moose Deer—Caribboo—Ven¬ 
 ison not Meat in North America — Eeindeer, 112. Giraffe 
 —Eland—Hottentot cooking—Antelope Tribe—The Harte- 
 heest — Sassaby— 0urebi — Boshhok—Eheebok—Gnu, &c. 
 113. Alpaca Tribe—Sheep’s Milk—Large Tailed Cape 
 Sheep—Dried Flesh of the Argali—Goat’s Flesh, 115. 
 Bison Beef—Buffalo Humps—Musk-Ox, 116. Cetacea — 
 Manatus, 117. Flesh and Tongue of the Sea-Lion, 118. 
 Walrus Meat—Sea-Bear—Seal Flesh, 119. Flesh of the 
 Whale eaten in various quarters—Porpoise, an ancient dainty 
 —Mode of serving it at the tables of English Nobility, 120. 
 
 BIEDS. 
 
 No Carnivorous Birds eaten —Tnsessores or Perching Birds—Beca- 
 fico—Edible nest of the Eastern Swallow or Swift, 122. 
 Mode of collecting, localities, statistics, and details in the East¬ 
 ern Archipelago, 123. The Guacharo Bird, 128. The Diab- 
 lotin or Goat-sucker—Spitted Larks, 129. Crows, Thrushes, 
 
X 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 and Robin Redbreasts eaten in Italy—The Rice Bunting, 130. 
 The Toucan—Parrot Pie — Gallinaceous Fowls—Peacock 
 Enkakyll, 131. Wild Turkey of New Granada—Value of 
 Poultry and Eggs consumed, 132. Fixed Tariff for Poultry 
 and Game, &c., in London in 1272—Price of Eggs, Pigeons, 
 &c., in 1313, 133. Prices of Poultry and Game in 1575,134. 
 Prices of Food and Poultry in 1531, 135. Ancient Receipt 
 for making a Game Pie in 1394, from the Books of the 
 Salter’s Company—Prices of Cattle and Dairy produce in 
 1548, 137. Consumption and Statistics of Eggs—Compa¬ 
 rative use in Paris and London—Imports from Ireland— 
 IModes of testing the quality of Eggs, 138. Preservation of 
 Eggs—Salted Eggs—Pickled Eggs—Painted Eggs—Con¬ 
 densed Egg, 140. Roman Preserves for fattening Poultry 
 —Wild Game in Jamaica, 142. Canadian mode of cooking 
 Partridge, 143. Red-legged Partridge run down on foot— 
 Quail—Turtle Dove—Passenger Pigeon, 144. Hogs fed 
 upon the Squabs — Canvas-back Duck, 146. Cock of the 
 wood—Wild Birds of New Zealand, 147. 
 
 GRALLATORES. 
 
 Ostrich and Emu Eggs, 148. Bustards, 149. Clucking Hen 
 and Mangrove Hen of Jamaica, 150. Bittern — Snipe 
 Woodcock—Flamingoes’ tongues, 152. 
 
 NATATORES. 
 
 Sea-guils eaten by the Chinese—Livers and Hearts of Penguins 
 —Puffins pickled with Spices, 153. The Mutton-Bird of 
 Australia—Habits of the Bird—Mode of taking them by 
 the New Zealanders, 154. Birds eaten in the Arctic Re¬ 
 gions—Grouse Pie—Dovekey and Auk Pie — Guillemot 
 Soup, 156. Eggs of Sea Fowl—Large sale of them in San 
 Francisco, and at the Cape of Good Hope, 158. Penguins’ 
 Eggs in Tristan d’Acunha, 160. The Rookeries—Exciting 
 
CONTEKTS. 
 
 XI 
 
 Sport, 161. Annual Egg gathering visits to the Pedro Keys 
 from Jamaica—Description of the Islets — Birds which 
 frequent them—Recognised customs among the Boatmen— 
 The Egg Bird, 163. Turtle Eggs, 167. Wild and Domestic 
 Geese—Half-hatched Eggs eaten by the Esquimaux, 168. 
 Cygnets—Pintail Duck—Widgeon and Teal, 169. 
 
 REPTILIA. 
 
 Enumeration of the Reptiles in the Four Orders, eaten asFood, 169. 
 Land Tortoises and their Eggs, 170. Terrapin or Box Tor¬ 
 toise—Cruel mode of killing them, 171. Tenacity of Life— 
 Fluviatile Tortoises—The Hiccatee of Honduras, 172. Shoot¬ 
 ing a Turtle—-Abundance of large Laud Tortoises in the 
 Gallipagos Islands—Very generally eaten in the Pacific, Aus¬ 
 tralia, South America, and Europe—Tortoise oil, 174. Salted 
 Turtle—Chasing the Turtle—Horrible process of removing 
 the Shell, 175. Dampier’s Description of Land Tortoises 
 in the West Indies in 1684 — First Introduction of Turtle 
 to England— Statistics of Consumption—Noted City Houses 
 for Turtle Soup, 176. Turtling in the Grand Caymans, 
 West Indies, 177. Mock Turtle and Real Turtle — Ascen¬ 
 sion the Head Quarters for keeping Turtle, 178. Ad¬ 
 ventures of Old ‘ Nelson’—Turtle should be sent home in 
 a Sealed Cask—Jaguars of South America fond of Turtle 
 and their Eggs—A Brazil Native will eat 20 or 30 Turtle 
 Eggs at a meal, 180. Description of the Eggs—Hawk’s- 
 bill Turtle eaten, but sometimes unwholesome —Collecting 
 Turtle Eggs on the Orinoco, by the Indians—Preparation 
 of an Oil called ‘ Mantega ’ from them—Gives Employment 
 to several thousand Persons, 181. Quantity made and 
 Value—Not very pure—Uses of Turtle Oil for Culinary and 
 Illuminating Purposes, 182. The Iguana—Description of it 
 — Repulsive Appearance — Very Delicate Eating, 183. 
 Mode of cooking it—First Repugnance of the Early Span¬ 
 iards to it, as related by Peter Martyn, 184. Mode of 
 Catching the Reptile by Natives, 185. Hunted by Dogs 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 in the Bahamas Islands — Met with and esteemed in Aus¬ 
 tralia, 186. Aboriginal Appreciation of it — Eaten by 
 Natives of Ceylon, 187. Eggs of this Lizard an esteemed 
 Delicacy—Should be introduced to our Tables—All kinds 
 of Lizards eaten by the Blacks of Australia, 188. Lizard 
 Family obnoxious to Poisons—Lizards brought to the Rio 
 Janeiro market—Hatching a Crocodile by a Fancy Poultry 
 Breeder, 190. Eggs of the Alligator eaten—Effect of 
 Imagination on the Stomach, at a Dinner given by Dr. 
 Buckland, 191. Australian Crocodile eats like Veal, 192. 
 Origin of the Australian ‘ Bunyip’ Fiction—Flesh of the 
 Crocodile musky, 193. Various Opinions of Alligator Meat, 
 194, An Alligator Hunt in South America, 195. Eggs 
 and Skin of the Alligator eaten—Oil prepared from the Fat, 
 196. Lizards, Serpents, and Snakes, 197. Swallowing Live 
 Lizards supposed to cure the Cancer—Boa-constrictor eaten, 
 198. Fried Rattlesnake or ‘ Musical Jack,’ 199. Roasted 
 Snakes in Australia, 202. Extending use of Frogs for Food 
 in Europe, America, and the East—Toads frequently sold 
 for frogs, 204. Mode of skinning and preparing them— 
 Eaten boiled in Brazil, without any Preparation, 206. 
 
 FISH. 
 
 Abundance of Fish—Modes of preserving them—Analyses of 
 their Flesh, 208. Presence of Iodine, 210—Fish Chowder 
 —Fish Glue and Isinglass—Fish-maws, immense Trade in, 
 211. Caviar and the dried Roes of Fish, 212. Ancient 
 Customs, Prices, and Kinds of Fish used, 215. Fish Or¬ 
 dinaries, 216. The Russian Piroga, an oily Fish-cake— 
 Dried loaves of putrid pounded Fish eaten in Africa and 
 South America, 218. Bony Fishes—Unwholesome and 
 
 Poisonous Fishes—Assumed Causes for the Fish Poison, 219, 
 Fish Liver and Gall, 221. Classification of Fishes—Neglect 
 of our Fisheries, 222. Ocean Fishes dry eating—Mode of 
 drying the Bonito—The hard horny pieces, under the name 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 of Cummelmums, used to rasp over Rice, 223. Shark’s 
 Flesh sold in the Havana Market—Shark Hunting—Ex¬ 
 citement of the Sport, 224. The Picked Shark—Spotted 
 Dog-Fish—Pigs fed on them—Shark oil, 228. Fisheries 
 for the Sharks in India for the Fins—Extensive Trade 
 in these to China—Dogs trained to bring Sharks ashore, 229. 
 Anecdotes of Sharks, 231. The Sturgeon, a Royal Fish— 
 Flesh not much esteemed—Sturgeon’s Skull-cap and Shark’s 
 Fin Stew, Chinese Delicacies, 236. Lampreys—Eel Pies and 
 stewed Eels—Spearing Eels—Jews prohibited from eating 
 them, 238. Comparison between British Fish and Mediter¬ 
 ranean Fish, 240. Finnon Haddock—Fresh Herrings— 
 Pickled Herrings—Red Herrings and Bloaters—Origin of 
 Smoked Herrings—Herring Pies sent from Yarmouth pe¬ 
 riodically to the Queen, 242. Conger Eel dried and grated 
 to powder for making Fish Soup—Congers formerly reared 
 in Vivaria by the Romans, 244. The Sand-Eel and Sand- 
 launce—Smelts—Whitebait, 245. Substitutes for White- 
 bait in distant Seas, 246. The Anchovy—An Irishman’s 
 Blunder, 249. The Sardine Fishery, 252. West Indian 
 Fishes—Hog Fish— Snapper—Queen Mullet—Paracuta 
 —Callipeva—Red Mullet—King Fish, &c., 253. The Sun 
 Fish — Pacou— Gourami— Caft'um, 256. The Pirarucu — 
 The Sheep’s Head—The Green Cavalla—The John and 
 Goggle-Eye—The Flying Fish, 259. Sprats—Coveeching 
 Fish—Mud Fish, 261. Lut-fisk of Sweden—Fish ex¬ 
 ported from New Brunswick— The Sea-perch—The striped 
 Bass—Brook Trout and Sea Trout, 263. Gaspereaux or 
 Alewives—Salmon-trout—Skate— Capelan—Halibut Fins 
 —Smoked Eels in New Brunswick and Port Phillip, 266. 
 White Fish of the North American Lakes—Gizzard Fish— 
 Mashkilonge —Trout and other Lake Fish, 268. Modes of 
 Fishing—Scoop Nets and Gill Nets —Angling through the 
 Ice, 271. Extreme Fatness of Lake Fish, 274. Fish Soup, 
 275. Fish of the Pacific Coasts—Robalo, Corvino, Lisa, 
 Bagre, 227. A Hawaiian Restaurant—Raw Fish eaten— 
 Salmon the King of Fresh-water Fish, 278. Salmon Fisheries 
 of Oregon and California, 279. Chinese Fisheries—Fish of 
 the Australian and Indian Seas—Tamarind-fish—Mango- 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 fish—Black and white Pomfrets—Bombay Duck, 284. Fish 
 of the Cape Colony—Geelbeck or Cape Salmon, Snook, Sil¬ 
 ver fish, Harders, Jacob Evertsen, Kabeljauw, Hottentot 
 Fish, Windtoy, Bamboo Fish, Galleon, Lake, &c., 286. 
 
 INSECTS. 
 
 Insects furnish many good Delicacies—Fairy Cates, 292. Co- 
 leoptera —Larvae or Grubs of Beetles eaten in various loca¬ 
 lities—Roman Epicures used to Fatten them, 293. Goliath 
 Beetles eaten in Africa—Turkish Women cook Beetles in 
 Butter to fatten themselves, 295. Orthoptera —Locusts exten¬ 
 sively eaten in Africa and Arabia—Modes of Collecting and 
 Cooking them, 296, Animals and Birds feed greedily on 
 them—Descriptions given by various Travellers, 300. Lo¬ 
 custs eaten in Eastern Asia—Grasshoppers tried and found to 
 be good eating—A Grasshopper Roast in California, 304. 
 Neuroptera —Termites, or White Ants, eaten by the Africans 
 and South American Indians—Yellow and Red Ants in Brazil 
 —Ants Distilled for Brandy in Sweden—Cocoons of the 
 Wood Ant collected and sold for Feeding Birds, 305. 
 Caviar of Insect Eggs in Mexico— Axayacat —Mode of Col¬ 
 lecting—Cakes and Bread, called Hautle, made from them 
 —Curry of Ants’ Eggs, 306. Hymenoptera —Bees eaten in 
 Ceylon—Caterpillars of the Butterfly—Silk-worm Chrysalids 
 Bugong Moth, a great Delicacy to Natives of Aus¬ 
 tralia—Sage-Apples or Galls, in the Levant, 311. He- 
 miptera —The Cicada or Chirping Flies eaten in America 
 and Australia—Caterpillars eaten like Sugar Plums, 314. 
 
 ARACHNIDA. 
 
 Spiders eaten in Various Quarters as Centipedes are in others, 
 316. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XV 
 
 CRUSTACEA. 
 
 Flesh of Crustaceans Difficult of Digestion—Varieties of Con¬ 
 sumed — Land Crabs — Their Habits—Varieties—Mode of 
 Cooking them—An Ingredient in the Famous ‘ Pepper-pot,’ 
 316. Abundance of Land Crabs at the Bahamas—mentioned 
 by Virgil—Mason Crab of Chile eaten, 321. The Lobster— 
 Where principally Caught—Preserved Fresh Lobsters, 322. 
 Salted Lobsters—Pond or Saltern, for keeping them, at 
 Southampton—A Tale with a Moral, 327. Turning Lob¬ 
 sters on their Backs, 328. Live Crablets eaten by the 
 Chinese, 129. Shrimps and Prawns—Enormous Consump¬ 
 tion of them—Instructions for Cooking tliem, 350. Dried 
 Prawns and Shell-fish — Large Trade in them in the 
 East, 332. Balachong or Onapee, 333. 
 
 MOLLUSCA, &c. 
 
 Oysters — ‘ Natives and Scuttlemouths ’—Racoon or Parasitic 
 Oysters, 334. Large Trade in Oysters in America, at New 
 York, Baltimore, Boston, and New Orleans, 335. Bottled 
 Oysters at the Cape—Mussels — ‘ Old Maids ’—Scallops 
 —Clams and Clam Digging—Largely used for Bait, 342. 
 Periwinkles—Large Consumption of, in London—Whelks, 
 Boiled and Pickled, 345. Snails a Fashionable Article of 
 Diet—Roman Taste for them—A Snail Pie—The Vineyard 
 Snail—Modes of Dressing them, 346. Attempt of Two 
 Philosophers to relish them, 347. Snail Soup—The Par- 
 rot’s-bill Barnacle eaten, 349. Annelida —Palolo, a Pacific 
 Delicacy, 350. Diet of Worms—Cuttle-fish eaten, 352. 
 Areas a.nA. Monodonta eaten—Sea Eggs or Urchins, 353. 
 Holothuria —the Sea Slug Soup of the Chinese— Beche-de- 
 mer or Tripang, 354. The Times' Correspondent’s Opinion 
 of this Dish, 355. Extensive Fisheries for the Animal, 
 356. Details of the Preparation and Statistics of the Trade, 
 358. Varieties and Prices, 364. 
 
 I 
 
X^'l 
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 Ignorance as to some of our Common Food—Ox Tongues— 
 Polonies — Confidence inspired by the Pie-man eating one 
 of his own Pies, 367 We eat many things which would 
 be refused by others, 368. Eounty and Wisdom of the 
 Creator in providing for Man—Difficulty of determining 
 what are Food Delicacies, 369. New Varieties of Food 
 may be Provided Artificially—Fresh Hides of Cattle a Deli¬ 
 cacy in Java—Buffalo Hides and other Skins made into 
 Jellies at Home — Buckskin Breeches, boiled and stuffed 
 with Sea-weed for Food—Resume of the Dainties of Dif¬ 
 ferent People—Verification of the Proverb—‘ One half the 
 world does not know how the other half lives.’ 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 What is the prevailing food of the people ? Is it 
 chiefly animal or vegetable, and whence is it derived in 
 ,the two kingdoms ? Do they trust to what the bounty 
 of Nature provides, or have they the means of modify¬ 
 ing or controlling production, whether in the cultivation 
 of vegetables, or the rearing of animals ? Describe 
 their modes of cooking, and state the kinds of condi¬ 
 ments they employ. Have they in use any kind of 
 fermented liquor ? What number of meals do they 
 j make, and what is their capacity for temporary or sus¬ 
 tained exertion? 
 
 These are some of the enquiries to which a traveller 
 is directed to pay attention, if he wishes to furnish 
 and diffuse useful information. 
 
 I do not intend to go over this wide field of investi¬ 
 gation in the systematic and scientific manner shadowed 
 forth by these enquiries, but merely desire to assist the 
 reader to pass a leisure hour, although he may probably 
 glean some useful information at the same time. 
 
 I propose bringing under notice some of the Animal 
 food in which people in various countries indulge, not 
 that I wish persons to test these meats, or to live upon 
 
 B 
 
2 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 them, unless they please. I do not deal in them, and have 
 no interest in their collection or sale, but I merely desire 
 to introduce them to notice that the reader may ascer¬ 
 tain the opinions entertained of them, think over them, 
 and know how much better an Englishman is fed than 
 any one else in the world. So that, despite our habit 
 of grumbling, there is at least this undeniable fact before 
 us, that the middle classes are in very easy circumstances ; 
 and that English workmen earn good wages, or they 
 could not consume the quantity of animal food they do 
 at the present prices. 
 
 According to Vauban, Bossuet, and La Grange, the 
 richest and most comfortable nation is that which eats 
 the most meat. At the present prices of this article 
 here, it certainly must be so, for a poor nation could 
 not indulge in the luxury. 
 
 Beef and mutton, and mutton and beef, no matter 
 what their price, John Bull will not dispense with; and 
 although they are 40 or 60 per cent, dearer now than 
 they were ten years ago, and although we import animals 
 largely from abroad, and our cattle-breeders do their 
 best to meet the demand, cattle and sheep will not in¬ 
 crease and multiply fast enough to bring down the 
 price for the consumer. 
 
 A writer in Household Words thus alludes to our 
 national weakness.—‘ Next to the Habeas Corpus and the 
 Freedom of the Press, there are few things that the Eng¬ 
 lish people have a greater respect for and a livelier faith 
 in than beef. They bear, year after year, with the same 
 interminable, unvarying series of woodcuts of fat oxen 
 in the columns of the illustrated newspapers; they are 
 never tired of crowding to the Smithfield Club cattle- 
 show ; and I am inclined to think that it is their honest 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 3 
 
 reverence for beef that has induced them to support so 
 long the obstruction and endangerment of the thorough¬ 
 fares of the metropolis by oxen driven to slaughter. 
 Beef is a great connecting link and bond of better 
 feeling between the great classes of the commonwealth. 
 Do not Dukes hob and nob with top-booted farmers 
 over the respective merits of short-horns and Alderneys ? 
 Does not the noble Marquis of Argentfork give an ox to 
 be roasted whole on the village green when his son, the 
 noble Viscount Silvercoral, comes of age ? Beef makes 
 boys into men. Beef nerves our navvies. The bowmen 
 who won Cressy and Agincourt were beef-fed, and had 
 there been more and better beef in the Crimea a year or 
 two ago, our soldiers would have borne up better under 
 the horrors of a Chersonesean winter. We feast on beef 
 at the great Christian festival. A baron of beef at the 
 same time is enthroned in St. George’s Hall, in Wind¬ 
 sor’s ancient castle, and is borne in by lacqueys in 
 scarlet and gold. Charles the Second knighted a loin 
 of beef, and I have a shrewd suspicion that the famous 
 Sir Bevis of Southampton was but an ardent admirer 
 and doughty knight-errant in the cause of beef. And 
 wdio does not know the tradition that even as the first 
 words of the new-born Gargantua were ‘ A boyre, a 
 boyre,’ signifying that he desired a draught of Bur¬ 
 gundy wine—so the first intelligible sounds that the 
 infant Guy of Warwick ever spake were ' Beef, beef ! ’ 
 When the weary pilgrim reaches the beloved shores of 
 England after a long absence, what first does he remark 
 —after the incivility of the custom-house officers—'but 
 the great tankard of stout and the noble round of cold 
 beef in the coffee-room of the hotel ? He does not cry 
 ‘ lo Bacche ! Evoe Bacche ! ’ because beef is not Bac- 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 elms. He does not fall down and kiss his native soil, 
 because the hotel carpet is somewhat dusty, and the 
 action would be, besides, egregious; but he looks at the 
 beef, and his eyes filling with tears, a corresponding 
 humidity takes place in his mouth ; he kisses the beef; 
 he is so fond of it that he could eat it all up; and he 
 does ordinarily devour so much of it to his breakfast, 
 that the thoughtful waiter gazes at him, and murmurs 
 to his napkin, ‘ This man is either a cannibal or a pil¬ 
 grim grey who has not seen Albion for many years.’ 
 
 It has been well observed, that there are few things in 
 which the public have so great and general an interest, 
 and concerning which they possess so little real know¬ 
 ledge, as of the provision trade and the wholesale traffic 
 in animals live and dead, in their own and other 
 countries. When, where, and how raised, and what 
 processes meat passes through before it reaches their 
 tables, are questions which, though highly important, 
 are very seldom asked by the consumers—all that they 
 usually trouble themselves with is, the current retail 
 price, and the nature of the supply. 
 
 Few of us think as we sit down to our rump steak 
 or pork chop, our sirloin or leg of mutton, of the awful 
 havoc of quadrupeds necessary to furnish the daily 
 meals of the millions, I will not weary the reader with 
 statistics, although I have a long array of figures be¬ 
 fore me, bearing upon the slaughter of animals for food 
 in different countries. It will be sufficient to generalize. 
 
 If the hecatomb of animals we have each consumed 
 in the years we have lived, were marshalled in array 
 before us, we should stand aghast at the possibility of 
 our ever having devoured the quantity of animal food, 
 and sacrificed for our daily meals the goodly number of 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 5 
 
 well-fed quadrupeds of the ovine, bovine, and porcine 
 races, or the fish, fowl, reptiles, and insects, which would 
 be thus re-embodied. 
 
 The average quantity of animal food of all kinds 
 consumed in France is stated on good authority—that of 
 M. Payen—to be as low" as one-sixth of a pound per 
 diem to each person. Even in the cities and large 
 towns, especially Paris, the amount of food upon which 
 a Frenchman lives is astonishingly small. An English¬ 
 man or an American would starve upon such fare. 
 
 In proportion to its population, New York consumes 
 as nearly as possible the same quantity of meat as 
 London, about half-a-pound a day to each person; more 
 beef, however, is consumed there and less mutton, and 
 the latter fact may be accounted for by the compa¬ 
 rative inferiority of quality. 
 
 It is curious to notice the various parts of animals 
 that are eaten, or selected as choice morsels by different 
 persons or classes. Sheep’s head, pig’s head, calf’s 
 head and brains, ox head, the heads of ducks and geese, 
 ox tongue, reindeer tongue, walrus tongue, crane’s 
 tongue, &c. Fowls and ducks’ tongues are esteemed an 
 exquisite Chinese dainty. The pettitoes of the sucking 
 pig, or the mature feet and hocks of the elder hog, 
 sheep’s trotters, calf’s feet, cow heel, bear’s paws, ele¬ 
 phant’s feet, the feet of ducks and geese, and their giblets; 
 ox tail, pig’s tail, sheep’s tail, kangaroo tail, beaver’s 
 tail. And the entrails again are not despised, whether 
 it be bullock’s heart or sheep’s heart, liver and lights, 
 lamb’s fry or pig’s fry, tripe and chitterlings, goose 
 liver and gizzard, the cleaned gut for our sausages, the 
 fish maws, cod liver, and so on. The moufle, or loose 
 covering of the nose, of the great moose deer or elk is 
 
6 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 considered by New Brunswick epicures a great dainty. 
 The hump of the buffalo, the trunk of the elephant, are 
 other delicacies. Deer’s sinews, and the muscle of the 
 ox, the buffalo, and the wild hog, jerked or dried in 
 the sun, and then termed, ‘ dendeng,’ is a delicacy of 
 the Chinese, imported at a high price from Siam and the 
 eastern islands. 
 
 The eggs of different animals, again, form choice 
 articles of food, whether they be those of the ordinary 
 domestic poultry, the eggs of sea fowl, of the plover, 
 and of game birds, of the ostrich and emu, of the tor¬ 
 toises and other reptilia, as alligator’s eggs, snake’s 
 eggs, and those of the iguana, or the eggs of insects, and 
 of fishes. 
 
 Amid all the multiplicity of special dainties, appre¬ 
 ciated by different peoples, the prejudices of the stomach 
 are, perhaps, more unconquerable than any other that 
 tyrannize over the human mind. It is almost im¬ 
 possible to get people to adventure, or experimentalize 
 upon a new kind of food. There is a great want of 
 courage and enterprise on this head among English¬ 
 men. John Bull is resolved to eat, drink, and do only 
 what he has been accustomed to. He wants none of your 
 foreign kickshaws, frogs, and snails in fricassees, or sea 
 slug, or bird’s nest soup, or horse flesh steak. It is true 
 he has gradually adventured upon, and now appre¬ 
 ciates, a few select foreign delicacies. Real lively turtle 
 and caviar, reindeer tongue, an imitation Indian curry, 
 and such like, have become luxuries; and, probably, 
 under the mysterious manipulations of Gunter, Soyer, 
 and other distinguished chefs de cuisine, some other fo¬ 
 reign delicacies have found, or may yet find, their way 
 upon English tables. 
 
CURIOSITIES OE FOOD. 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 !i 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 They will probably displace ere long the four 
 standard Scotch dishes, a haggis, a sheep’s head, tripe, 
 and black puddings, or the common dishes of the De¬ 
 vonshire peasant and Cornish fisherman, parsley and 
 squab pies, in which fish, apples, onions, and pork are 
 incongruously blended. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth and her ladies breakfasted on meat, 
 bread, and strong ale. Our modern ladies take tea or 
 coffee, and thin slices of toast or bread. The Esqui¬ 
 maux drink train oil, and the Cossacks koumis, an ardent 
 spirit made from mares’ milk. The inhabitants of 
 France and Germany eat much more largely than we 
 do of vegetable diet; and drink, at all times of the day, 
 their acid wines. In Devonshire and Herefordshire, 
 cyder is the common beverage, and in the Highlands 
 of Scotland, oatmeal porridge is, in a great measure, 
 the food, and whiskey the drink of the inhabitants. 
 The Irish peasant lives, or used to do, chiefly on po¬ 
 tatoes, and most of the Hindoos of the maritime pro¬ 
 vinces on rice. 
 
 Yet all this variety, and much more, is digested, 
 yields nutriment, and promotes growth; affording un¬ 
 deniable evidence that man is really omnivorous, that 
 he can be supported by great varieties of food. 
 
 A recent writer speaking of human diet says, ‘ it is a 
 remarkable circumstance, that man alone is provided 
 with a case of instruments adapted to the mastication of 
 all substances,— teeth to cut, and pierce, and champ, 
 and grind ; a gastric solvent too, capable of contending 
 with any thing and every thing, raw substances and 
 cooked, ripe and rotten,-—-nothing comes amiss to him.’ 
 
 If animals could speak, as iEsop and other fabulists 
 make them seem to do, they would declare man to be 
 
8 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 the most voracious animal in existence. There is 
 scarcely any living thing that flies in the air, swims in 
 the sea, or moves on the land, that is not made to 
 minister to his appetite in some region or other. 
 
 Other creatures are, generally, restricted to one sort 
 of provender at most. They are carnivorous or gramini¬ 
 vorous, piscivorous, or something ivorous; but man is the 
 universal eater. He pounces with the tiger upon the kid, 
 with the hawk upon the dove, with the cormorant upon 
 the herring, and with the small bird upon the insect 
 and grub. He goes halves with the bee in the honey 
 cell, but turns upon his partner and cheats him out of 
 his share of the produce. He grubs up the root with 
 the sow, devours the fruit with the earwig, and demo¬ 
 lishes the leaves with the caterpillar; for all these several 
 parts of different vegetables furnish him with food. 
 
 Life itself will not hinder his appetite, nor decay 
 nauseate his palate; for he will as soon devour a lively 
 young oyster as demolish the fungous produce of a 
 humid field. This propensity is, indeed, easily abused. 
 Viands of such incongruous nature and heterogeneous 
 substance, are sometimes collected, as to make an out¬ 
 rageous amalgamation, so that an alderman at a city 
 feast might make one shudder; but this is too curious 
 an investigation, it is the abuse of abundance too, and 
 we know that abuse is the origin of all evil. The fact 
 should lead us to another point of appreciation of good¬ 
 ness and beneficence. The adaptation of external na¬ 
 ture to man has often been insisted on; the adaptation 
 of man to all circumstances, states, and conditions, is 
 carrying out the idea. The inferior animals are tied 
 down, even by the narrowness of their animal necessities, 
 to a small range of existence; but man can seldom be 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 9 
 
 j placed in any circumstance in which his universal ap- 
 I petite cannot be appeased. From the naked savage 
 i snatching a berry from the thorn, to the well-clad, highly 
 j civilized denizen of the court, surrounded by every 
 |! comfort, every luxury; from the tired traveller, who 
 ! opens his wallet and produces his oaten cake beside the 
 I welling lymph which is to slake his thirst, to the pursy 
 r justice, ‘ in fair round belly with capon lined,’ who 
 I spreads the damask napkin on his knees, tucks his toes 
 ] under the table, and revels in calapash and calapee,— 
 I what an infinite diversity of circumstances ! 
 j Man, with all his natural and artificial necessities, all 
 i his social and domestic dependencies,^—more dependent, 
 indeed, upon his fellows than the fowls of the air, 
 1 ■ from the grand exuberance of nature, and his remark- 
 j able adaptation to it in the point alluded to, finds sub- 
 I sistence under circumstances in which other animals 
 i might starve. 
 
 Perhaps we might properly urge the advice of a 
 ' recent writer.—‘ Make use of every material possi¬ 
 ble for food, remembering that there are chemical 
 j affinities and properties by which nutriment may be ex- 
 ' tracted from almost every organic substance, the greatest 
 art being in proper cooking. Make soup of eA ery kind 
 of flesh, fish, and leguminosse.—Every thing adds to its 
 , strength and flavour.’ 
 
 ! Man eats to satisfy his hunger, and to supply warmth 
 to the body; but the lover of good things, who finds a 
 j pleasure in eating, may also be told that there is a 
 * beautiful structure of nerve work spread out on the 
 ; tongue, which carries upwards to the brain messages 
 j from the nice things in the mouth. 
 
 Moderation in food is, however, one of the great 
 
10 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 essentials to health. Sydney Smith, in a letter to Lord 
 Murray, tells him that, having ascertained the weight 
 of food that he could live upon, so as to preserve health 
 and strength, and what he had lived upon, he found 
 that between ten and seventy years of age, he had eaten 
 and drunk forty-four one-horse wagon loads of meat and 
 drink more than would have preserved him in life and 
 health, and that the value of this mass of nourishment 
 was about .£7,000. 
 
 Sir John Ross tells us that an Esquimaux will eat 
 twenty pounds of flesh and oil daily. But the most 
 marvellous account of gormandizing powers is that 
 published by Captain Cochrane, who in his Narrative 
 of a Pedestrian Journey through Russia and Siberian 
 Tartary, says, that the Russian Admiral, Saritcheff, was 
 told that one of the Yakut! consumed in twenty-four 
 hours, ‘ the hind quarter of a large ox, twenty pounds of 
 fat, and a proportionate quantity of melted butter for his 
 drink.’ The Admiral, to test the truth of the state¬ 
 ment, gave him ' a thick porridge of rice, boiled down 
 with three pounds of butter, weighing together twenty- 
 eight pounds; and although the glutton had already 
 breakfasted, yet did he sit down to it with great eager¬ 
 ness, and consumed the whole without stirring from the 
 spot; and, except that his stomach betrayed more than 
 ordinary fulness, he showed no sign of inconvenience 
 or injury !’ The traveller I have just quoted also 
 states, that he has repeatedly seen a Yakut, or Ton- 
 gouse, devour forty pounds of meat a day; and he adds, 
 
 ‘ I have seen three of these gluttons consume a rein¬ 
 deer at one meal.’ 
 
 It has been well remarked by Dr. Dieffenbach, in the 
 Transactions of the Ethnological Society, that the 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 11 
 
 labours of modern chemistry have thrown a new and 
 most interesting light on the food of the various races 
 of men, or inhabitants of parts of the* glohe which 
 are widely different from each other in their geographi¬ 
 cal and climatological relations. The substances which 
 serve as food, or the quantity which is taken, appear 
 to the superficial observer often of a most extraordinary 
 nature, because they are apparently so heterogeneous from 
 I what we are accustomed to ; so that travellers relating 
 such facts, do not withhold their astonishment or repro- 
 I bation. 
 
 But it has been demonstrated, that the general use 
 of certain articles, for instance, tea and coffee, betel-nut, 
 tobacco, and wine, depends upon the presence in those 
 substances of elements which are often identical, and 
 which are necessary to the maintenance of the animal 
 economy, more or less, according to the presence or 
 absence of other elements in the food, the different 
 ; occupation, mode of living, and so on. These points 
 [have been well illustrated and explained in the Che- 
 \mistry of Common Life, of the late Professor Johnston. 
 iThe fact of the Esquimaux consuming large quantities 
 of train oil and blubber ceases to be astonishing, when 
 ,we reflect that these highly carbonized substances serve 
 ;to furnish fuel for his increased respiration. 
 
 In one word, it is necessary in the present state of 
 chemical and physiological science, to collect analyses 
 of all the substances which are consumed by a par¬ 
 ticular race, either as food or drink, or by an habitual 
 custom, as so called matters of luxury, or as medi¬ 
 cine. The ethnologist has the great merit of working 
 here hand in hand with chemists and physiologists, and 
 fills up in this manner a most important chapter in the 
 
12 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 natural history of man; as it shows how instinct and 
 necessity have led him to adopt different customs, and 
 to make use «f different articles of consumption in dif¬ 
 ferent climates. 
 
 Among the ordinary domestic animals, there is little of 
 novelty in the food they supply to man. But I may 
 notice in passing, before proceeding to an investigation 
 of unusual or extraordinary articles of consumption, 
 a few things that may not be generally known. 
 
 Jerked beef, or iasajo, as it is termed in Cuba, is 
 imported to the extent of 200 to 350 thousand quintals 
 a year into that island, for feeding the slaves on the 
 plantations. 
 
 That imported from Buenos Ayres and Monte Video 
 is preferred for consumption on the sugar estates, to 
 that which is received from Rio Grande, Venezuela, 
 Campeachy, and the United States, it being more sub¬ 
 stantial, coming in larger and thicker pieces, better cured 
 and salted, and also of handsomer appearance. The 
 class imported from Venezuela and Campeachy, comes 
 in thin pieces called rebenque, which is not generally 
 liked, and only bought in small parcels, for consumption 
 in the city of Havana. The beef which is cured in 
 the River Plate, from December to May, or in summer, 
 is preferred in Cuba, by reason of its being more nutritive 
 than that which is cured in the other or winter months; 
 the colour is yellowish, and it keeps a longer time. 
 
 In South America, the jerked beef is called charqui, 
 and when salted, and smoked or dried in the sun, sesina. 
 The commerce is very large in this species of provision. 
 
 The mode of preparing it in Chili is as follows :— 
 When the horned cattle are sufficiently fat, or rather at the 
 killing season, which is about the months of February 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 13 
 
 and Marcli, from 500 to 1000, according to the size of 
 1; the farm, are slaughtered. The whole of the fat is 
 [ separated from the meat and melted, forming a kind of 
 I lard, called grasa, which is employed for domestic pur- 
 I poses. The tallow is also kept separate, and the meat 
 I is jerked. This process is performed by cutting the 
 [ fleshy substance into slices of about a quarter-of-an- 
 j inch thick, leaving out all the bones. The natives are 
 so dexterous at this work that they will cut the whole of 
 i a leg, or any other large part of a bullock, into one 
 I uniformly thin piece. 
 
 The meat thus cut is either dipped into a very strong 
 i solution of salt and water, or rubbed over with a small 
 ; quantity of fine salt. Whichever mode is adopted, the 
 i whole of the jerked meat is put on the hide, and 
 rolled up for ten or twelve hours, or until the following 
 ; morning. It is then hung on lines or poles to dry in 
 the sun, which being accomplished, it is made into 
 i bundles, lashed with thongs of fresh hide, forming a kind 
 ' of network, and is ready for market. In this operation it 
 I loses about one-third of its original weight. The dried 
 t meat, or charqui, finds immediate sale at Lima, Arica, 
 
 ; Guayaquil, Panama, and other places. About 6000 quin¬ 
 tals of charqui, with a proportionate quantity of tallow 
 ; and fat (grasa) are shipped from Talcahuana to Lima 
 i alone. Besides the large quantity consumed in Chili, it 
 furnishes a great part of the food of the slaves in Brazil, 
 the negroes in some of the est India Islands, and 
 , seamen, being the general substitute for salt beef and 
 ; pork. The grasa and tallow are also readily sold through- 
 I out South America, and are of more value than the meat. 
 I The slaughtering season is as much a time of diver- 
 I sion for the inhabitants of that country as a sheep 
 
 
14 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 shearing is in England. The females too are all busied 
 cutting up the fat, frying it for gra&a, and selecting 
 some of the finer meat for presents and home consump¬ 
 tion. The tongue is the only part of the head that 
 is eaten, the remainder being left to rot.* Dried 
 meat enters largely into consumption in several other 
 countries. 
 
 In the Cape Colony dried meat is called hiltonge. In 
 the East, especially ill Siam, the dried sinews of animals 
 are considered a great delicacy; and dried elephant’s 
 flesh we shall find is stored up for food, under the name 
 of pastoormah. Beef is preserved in Asia Minor with 
 garlic and pepper, and dried in the sun for winter food. 
 It is prepared in Wallachia and Moldavia, and largely 
 shipped from Varna in the Black Sea. Besides pro¬ 
 viding all Anatolia, Aleppo, and Damascus, 6000 cwt. 
 or more is yearly sent from Kaissariah to Constan¬ 
 tinople. Hung beef from Germany is well known at 
 our tables. 
 
 Portable and concentrated animal food is of great 
 consequence to explorers and travellers, and therefore it 
 may be well to allude here to the article pemmican, 
 which is so much used by arctic travellers and the Hud¬ 
 son’s Bay Company’s traders. This is meat of any 
 kind dried and pounded, and saturated with fat. There 
 is as much nourishment in one pound of pemmican as in 
 four pounds of ordinary meat. It may be eaten as it 
 is, or partially cooked, and has a pleasant taste. Some¬ 
 times it is mixed with a sufficient quantity of Indian 
 meal and water to cause it to adhere, and then fried or 
 stewed. 
 
 * Stevenson’s Twenty Years’ Residence in South America. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 15 
 
 k 
 
 I The North American Indians dry their venison by 
 I exposing thin slices tcf the heat of the suu, on a 
 stage, under which a small fire is kept, more for the 
 I purpose of driving away the flies than for promoting 
 I exsiccation; and then they pound it between two stones 
 on a bison hide. In this process the pounded meat is 
 \ contaminated by a greater or smaller admixture of hair 
 1 and other impurities. 
 
 The fat, which is generally the suet of the bison, is 
 added by the traders, who purchase it separately from 
 ' the natives, and they complete the process by sewing 
 up the pemmican in a bag of undressed hide, with the 
 hairy side outwards. Each of these bags weighs 90 lbs., 
 and obtains from the Canadian voyageurs the designation 
 ’ of ‘ un taureau.’ A superior pemmican is produced by 
 mixing finely powdered meat, sifted from impurities, 
 i with marrow fat, and the dried fruit of the Amilanchier. 
 
 Sir John Richardson having been employed by go¬ 
 vernment to prepare pemmican on a large scale, at the 
 Victualling Yard, Gosport, for the use of the different 
 arctic expeditions, it will be interesting to describe the 
 process he adopted, as given in his Arctic Searching 
 Expedition, or a Journal of a Boat Voyage, &c .— 
 
 ‘ The round or buttock of beef of the best quality 
 having been cut into thin steaks, from which the fat 
 and membraneous parts were pared away, was dried in 
 a malt kiln, over an oak fire, until its moisture was 
 entirely dissipated, and the fibre of the meat became 
 friable. It was then ground in a malt mill, when it 
 resembled finely grated meat. Being next mixed with 
 nearly an equal weight of melted beef suet or lard, the pre¬ 
 paration of plain pemmican was complete; but to render it 
 more agreeable to the unaccustomed palate, a proper- 
 
16 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 tion of the best Zante currants was added to part of it, 
 and part of it was sweetened \vith sugar. Both these 
 kinds were much approved of in the sequel by the 
 consumers, but more especially that to which the sugar 
 had been added. After the ingredients were well in¬ 
 corporated by stirring, they w’ere transferred to tin 
 canisters, capable of containing 85 lbs. each; and 
 having been firmly rammed down and allowed to con¬ 
 tract further by cooling, the air was completely expelled 
 and excluded by filling the canister to the brim with 
 melted lard, through a small hole left in the end, which 
 was then covered with a piece of tin and soldered up. 
 
 ‘ As the meat in drying loses more than three-fourths 
 of its original weight, the quantity required was consi¬ 
 derable, being 35,651 lbs. (reduced by drying to about 
 8000 lbs.) ; and the sudden abstraction of more than one 
 thousand rounds of beef, from Leadenhall Market, occa¬ 
 sioned speculation among the dealers, and a rise in the 
 price of a penny per pound, with an equally sudden fall 
 when the extra demand was found to be very tem¬ 
 porary.’ 
 
 We import about 13 or 14 tons of gelatine a year 
 from France, besides what is made at home, and the 
 greater part of what passes under this name is, I believe, 
 used for food. The Americans, some years ago, tried 
 to pass off upon us isinglass made from fish bones, but it 
 would not go down. 
 
 Gelatine of all kinds has usually been considered 
 wholesome and nourishing; and while few object to 
 cow-heel or calf’s foot jelly, very many are possibly 
 unaware of the sources of much of the gelatine vended 
 in shapes so beautifully transparent, but which is made 
 from bones and hide clippings, and parchment shavings. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 17 
 
 It is said that a pair of lady’s gloves have ere now made 
 a ragout; and there is a hiatus in the parchment spe¬ 
 cifications at the Patent Office, caused by an unlucky 
 boy, who changed them away for tarts, in order that 
 they might be converted into jellies. 
 
 The dust of the ivory turner in working up elephants’ 
 tusks forms an excellent material for jellies, and is com¬ 
 monly sold for this purpose, at about 6c?. per lb. 
 
 M. Payen has recently been at pains to disprove the 
 vulgar notion that bones make good soup. The cele¬ 
 brated Gelatine Commission, some years ago, declared, 
 as the results of many experiments, that gelatine was 
 not nutritious; and this result has been repeated in 
 almost every text-book of physiology as conclusive, and 
 is adopted by M. Payen, who tests it in another series 
 of experiments. He boiled in one pot a portion of 
 beef completely divested of bone, and in another the 
 bone taken from the beef, with only a little salt. After 
 five hours’ slow boiling, the liquid from the beef was 
 perfectly limpid, and of a light amber colour, leaving 
 that aroma and delicate taste known to belong to good 
 beef tea. The liquid from the bones was whitish-gray, 
 troubled and opaque, having a very slight odour, and a 
 not agreeable taste. Nothing could be more opposed 
 than the two soups thus produced. In another experi¬ 
 ment, he repeated this process with the addition of 
 some vegetables, and even some drops of caramel. The 
 beef-soup here maintained its delicious aroma, agree¬ 
 ably combined with that of the vegetables; its limpidity 
 was the same, but its colour of course stronger. The 
 bone-soup had a dominant odour of vegetables, but its 
 troubled and opaque aspect made it very unappetising. 
 From these experiments M. Payen concludes that the 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 prejudice in favour of the addition of bones to the soup 
 is a prejudice, and that, in fact, bones are not at all 
 nutritious. 
 
 Liebig also, in his Letters on Chemistry, pp. 424 and 
 425, says;—' It has now been proved by the most con¬ 
 vincing experiments, that gelatine, which by itself is 
 tasteless, and when eaten excites nausea, possesses no nutri¬ 
 tive value; that even when accompanied by the savoury 
 constituents of flesh, it is not capable of supporting the 
 vital process, and when added to the usual diet as a 
 substitute for plastic matter, does not increase, but on 
 the contrary diminishes the nutritive value of the food, 
 which it renders insufficient in quantity and inferior in 
 quality ; and that its use is hurtful rather than benefi¬ 
 cial, because it does not, like the non-nitrogenous sub¬ 
 stances provided by nature for respiration, disappear in 
 the body without leaving a residue, but overloads with 
 nitrogenous products, the presence of which disturbs 
 and impedes the organic processes.’ And he further 
 observes, that ‘ the only difference between this and 
 joiner’s glue is its greater price.’ Jellies no doubt 
 were considered most nutritious during the Peninsular 
 war, but we have learned many things since then, of 
 which our poor soldiers ought to have the benefit. 
 
 Portable soup is prepared in a very simple manner. 
 The meat is boiled, and the scum taken off as it rises, 
 until the soup possesses the requisite flavour. ‘ It is then 
 suffered to cool, in order that the fat may be separated. 
 In the next place it is mixed with the whites of five or 
 six eggs, and slightly boiled—this operation serves to 
 clarify the liquid, by the removal of opaque particles, 
 which unite with the white of egg, at the time it be¬ 
 comes solid by the heat, and are consequently removed 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 19 
 
 along with it. The liquor is then to be strained through 
 flannel, and evaporated on the water bath, to the con¬ 
 sistence of a very thick paste, after which it is spread 
 rather thin upon a smooth stone, then cut into cakes, 
 and lastly dried in a stove, until it becomes brittle. 
 These cakes may be kept four or five years, if defended 
 from moisture. When intended to be used, nothing 
 more is required to be done than to dissolve a suffi¬ 
 cient quantity in boiling water.’* 
 
 For some years past there have been imported into 
 the Continent rather large quantities of dried meat from 
 the southern countries of America, where it is known 
 under the name of assayo. It gives a soup nearly 
 similar to that of fresh meat. Another sort of food 
 I which is prepared in Texas, the meat-hiscuit, is gene- 
 1 rally used in the American navy; but, although greatly 
 I appreciated at the Great Exhibition of London, it has 
 ' not yet entered into general use in Europe. It is made 
 i of boiled beef free from grease, the liquor of which is 
 ' evaporated to the consistency of syrup, and this is 
 mixed with wheaten flour in sufficient proportion to 
 j form a solid paste. This paste is then spread out by 
 i a rolling pin, is pierced with a number of little holes, 
 i is cut into the ordinary dimensions of sea biscuits, and 
 ' then baked and properly dried. The biscuit is eaten 
 ' dry, or may be broken, boiled in twenty or thirty times 
 I its weight in water, for from twenty-five to thirty 
 I minutes, and then seasoned with salt or other things. 
 
 I The following is the process of manufacturing this 
 
 There are four wooden caldrons or tubs for boiling 
 j the meat and evaporating the liquid or broth—the two 
 * Hooper’s Medical Dictionary. 
 
20 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 for boiling tbe meat, bolding 2,300 gallons, will each 
 boil 7,000 lbs. of meat in twelve to sixteen hours. The 
 other two, for evaporating, will contain some 1,400 
 gallons each. All the tubs are heated or boiled by 
 steam passing through long coiled iron pipes, supplied 
 at pleasure, either from the escape steam from the en¬ 
 gine, or direct from the boiler. 
 
 When the meat is so far boiled or macerated, that 
 the liquid or broth contains the entire nutriment, the 
 meaty, or solid portions are separated by a simple 
 process of filtering, so that the broth goes into the eva¬ 
 porator pure and free from fibrous matter. It is then 
 evaporated to a degree of consistency resembling the 
 golden or Stewart’s sugar house syrup, its uniform 
 density being determined by a liquid or syrup gauge. 
 Two pounds of this syrup or extract contains the nu¬ 
 triment of some eleven pounds of meat (including its 
 usual proportion of bone) as first put into the caldron. 
 This is then mixed with the best and finest flour, 
 kneaded and made into biscuit by means of machines. 
 The biscuit is baked upon pans in an oven so con¬ 
 structed as to produce an uniform firmness. The 
 proportion is as two pounds of extract are to three 
 pounds of flour, but by baking, the five pounds of dough 
 is reduced to four pounds of biscuit, and this will make 
 wbat the inventor claims—the nutriment of over five 
 pounds of meat in one pound of bread, which contains, 
 besides, over ten ounces of flour. 
 
 The biscuit resembles in appearance a light coloured 
 sugar-cake. It is packed in air-tight casks or tin can¬ 
 isters of different sizes, part of the biscuit being pul¬ 
 verized by grinding in a mill for the purpose, and then 
 packed with the whole biscuit. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 21 
 
 In discussing the extension of our resources of animal 
 food, it is strange to notice that while we eat the blood 
 of pigs and fowls, we throw aside as waste the blood of 
 oxen, sheep, goats, calves, &c. Now blood contains all 
 j the principles out of which the tissues are formed, 
 j and must, one would therefore imagine, be eminently 
 I nutritious. Why prejudice has excluded these, while 
 i admitting the blood of pigs, is an anomaly which I 
 cannot understand. 
 
 In France, where there are not, as in America, large 
 I quantities of animals which are killed simply for the 
 I sake of. their hides, it would be impossible to prepare or 
 I supply at a low price either the assayo or the meat bis- 
 
 i cuit; but the idea of using the blood of animals killed, 
 ; which blood is at present wasted without profit, or, at 
 ’ best, is used as manure, might have occurred to some 
 I one. M. Brocchieri has conceived this idea. In treat- 
 j ing the blood of our slaughter-houses by means which 
 I he has invented, and uniting to flour of the best quality, 
 ' the albumen and fibrine which he extracts from it—he 
 
 makes bread and biscuits which are easily preserved, and 
 I which may be employed to make very nutritious soups. 
 
 I At the Great Exhibition, in 1851, he produced hon- 
 \ hons made of the blood of the ox, cow, sheep, and hog; 
 
 I biscuits and patties of the blood of the bull, and deli- 
 ! cacies made of calves’ blood. I have specimens of these 
 j; preserved in my private museum, although I have not 
 
 ii ventured to taste them. 
 
 j Generally speaking in England, we do not do much 
 I with the blood of animals, at least, in the shape of food—■ 
 
 * unless it be in those strings of black-puddings, with 
 tempting little bits of fat stuck in them, which stare us 
 in the face in some shops. 
 
 
92 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 But M. Broccliieri has attempted to utilize the nutri¬ 
 tious principles of the blood of animals killed for food, 
 by reducing it to a concentrated and dried state, for 
 preservation during long periods. The first step is to 
 prepare a liquid, considered innocuous and antiseptic 
 by the inventor, by which various bloods are kept fluid 
 and apparently fresh. Samples of these were shown, 
 and the series of specimens illustrated the solid parts 
 forming the crassamentum or clot, in a dried and semi¬ 
 crystalline state. These solid constituents, including 
 the gelatine, albumen, and fibrine are next produced, 
 combined with small proportions of flour, in the form 
 of light, dry masses, like loaves, cakes, or biscuits. 
 These are inodorous, almost flavourless, and may be 
 made the bases of highly nutritious soups. They are 
 very uniform in composition, containing half the nitro¬ 
 gen of dried blood, or forty-four per cent, of dry flesh, 
 the equivalent of double the nutritive value of ordinary 
 butcher’s meat. Both the bull’s and calf’s blood gave 
 6‘6 per cent, of nitrogen, equal to forty-three per 
 cent, of flesh-forming principles. Combined with sugar, 
 the cakes have been made into bon-hons. 
 
 The evidence, as to the value of the process, in pre¬ 
 serving the samples in an undecomposed state, is now 
 satisfactorily arrived at. It was stated in 1851, that 
 the preparations had been advantageously employed in 
 long voyages. The samples I have in my collection 
 have now been kept seven years, and have not shown 
 any tendency to decay. Thus proving that the first 
 attempt has been successful, in rendering available for 
 food, and portable in form, the otherwise wasted blood 
 of cattle. 
 
 This notice of blood recalls to my recollection a 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 23 
 
 laughable story told in a French work, of the life of an 
 unfortunate pig. 
 
 ‘ A French cure, exiled to a deserted part of our 
 forests —and who, the whole year, except on a few rare 
 occasions, lived only on fruit and vegetables—hit upon 
 a most admirable expedient for providing an animal re* 
 past to set before the cures of the neighbourhood, when 
 one or the other, two or three times during the year, 
 ventured into those dreadful solitudes, with a view of 
 assuring himself with his own eyes that his unfortunate 
 colleague had not yet died of hunger. The curb in 
 question possessed a pig, his whole fortune: and you 
 will see the manner in which he used it. Immediately 
 the bell announced a visitor, and that his cook had shown 
 his clerical friend into the parlour, the master of the 
 house, drawing himself up majestically, said to his 
 housekeeper : ‘ Brigitte, let there be a good dinner for 
 myself and my friend.’ Brigitte, although she knew 
 there were only stale crusts and dried peas in her lar¬ 
 der, seemed in no degree embarrassed by this order; 
 she summoned to her assistance ‘ Toby the Carrot,’ 
 so called because his head was as red as that of a native 
 of West Galloway, and leaving the house together, they 
 both went in search of the pig. This, after a short 
 skirmish, was caught by Brigitte and her carroty assis¬ 
 tant ; and, notwithstanding his cries, his grunts, his 
 gestures of despair, and supplication, the inhuman cook, 
 seizing his head, opened a large vein in his throat, and 
 relieved him of two pounds of blood; this, with the ad¬ 
 dition of garlic, shalots, mint, wild thyme, and parsley, 
 was converted into a most savoury and delicious black¬ 
 pudding for the curb and his friend, and being served 
 to their reverences smoking hot on the summit of a 
 
24 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 pyramid of yellow cabbage, figured admirably as a 
 small Vesuvius and a centre disli. The surgical opera¬ 
 tion over, Brigitte, whose qualifications as a seamstress 
 were superior, darned up the hole in the neck of the 
 unfortunate animal: and as he was then turned loose 
 until a fresh supply of black-puddings should be re¬ 
 quired for a similar occasion, this wretched pig was 
 never happy. How could he be so ? Like Damocles of 
 Syracuse, he lived in a state of perpetual fever; terror 
 seized him directly he heard the cure s bell, and seeing 
 in imagination the uplifted knife already about to glide 
 into his bosom, he invariably took to his heels before 
 Brigitte was half-way to the door to answer it. If, as 
 usual, the peal announced a diner-out, Brigitte and 
 Gold-button were soon on his track, calling him by the 
 most tender epithets, and promising that he should 
 have something nice for his supper—skim-milk, &c., 
 —but the pig with his painful experience was not 
 such a fool as to believe them. Hidden behind an old 
 cask, some fagots, or lying in a deep ditch, he remained 
 silent as the grave, and kept himself close as long as 
 possible. Discovered, however, he was sure to be at 
 last, when he would rush into the garden, and, running 
 up and down like a mad creature, upset everything in 
 his way. For several minutes it was a regular steeple¬ 
 chase—across the beds, now over the turnips, then 
 through the gooseberry-bushes—in short, he was here, 
 there, and everywhere; but, in spite of all his various 
 stratagems to escape the fatal incision, the poor pig 
 always finished by being seized, tied, thrown on the 
 ground, and bled: the vein was then once more cleverly 
 sewn up, and the inhuman operators quietly retired 
 from the scene to make the cure’s far-famed black- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 25 
 
 pudding. Half-dead upon the spot where he was phle¬ 
 botomized, the wretched animal was left to reflect under 
 the shade of a tree on the cruelty of man, on their 
 barbarous appetites; cursing with all his heart the 
 poverty of Morvinian curates, their conceited hospi¬ 
 tality, of which he was the victim, and their brutal 
 affection for pig’s blood.’ 
 
 Sir George Simpson, speaking of some of the 
 northern tribes of Indians in America, says, the flexi¬ 
 bility of their stomachs is surprising. At one time they 
 will gorge themselves with food, and are then prepared 
 to go without any for several days, if necessary. 
 
 Enter their tents; sit there if you can for a whole 
 day, and not for an instant will you find the fire un¬ 
 occupied by persons of all ages cooking. When not 
 hunting or travelling, they are in fact always eating. 
 Now it is a little roast, a partridge or rabbit perhaps; 
 now a tit-bit, broiled under the ashes; anon a portly 
 kettle, well filled with venison, swings over the fire; 
 then comes a choice dish of curdled blood, followed by 
 the sinews and marrow-bones of deer’s legs, singed on 
 : the embers. And so the grand business of life goes 
 unceasingly round, interrupted only by sleep. 
 
 Dining within the arctic circle, when such a thing as 
 dinner is to be had, is a much more serious matter than 
 when one undergoes that pleasing ceremony at a first-rate 
 eating house, hotel, or club. 
 
 In arctic banquets, the cheerful glass is often frozen 
 to the lip, or the too ardent reveller splinters a tooth in 
 attempting to gnaw through a lump of soup. ^'\e, in 
 these temperate climes, have neveE had the pleasure of 
 eating ship’s rum, or chewing brandy and water. It is 
 not only necessary to ‘ first catch your fish,’ but also 
 
26 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 essential to thaw it; and there is no chance of the fish 
 being limber, although it is not unusual for heat to 
 bring them to life after they have been frozen stiff a 
 couple of days. In the arctic circle even the very mus- 
 quitoes, which, by the way, are frightfully large and 
 numerous, become torpid with the intense cold, and are 
 frozen into hard masses, which the heat of the sun, or 
 fire, may restore to animation. 
 
 Dr. Sutherland, in his voyage in Baffin’s Bay, says— 
 ‘ It was necessary to be very careful with our drinking 
 cups. Tin never suited, for it always adhered to the 
 lips, and took a portion of the skin along with it. A 
 dog attempting to lick a little fat from an iron shovel 
 stuck fast to it, and dragged it by means of his tongue, 
 until by a sudden effort, he got clear, leaving several 
 inches of the skin and adjacent tissue on the cold metal. 
 One of the seamen, endeavouring to change the size of 
 the eye of the splice in his tack-rope, put the marling 
 spike, after the true sailor fashion, into his mouth ; the 
 result was that he lost a great portion of his lips and 
 tongue.’ 
 
 We hear frequent jokes of the partiality of the Eussians 
 for tallow candles, and, like all inhabitants of the polar 
 regions, the Esquimaux are very fond of fat, the physio¬ 
 logy of their craving for fat is now known to everybody. 
 My esteemed friend, the late Mr. Hooper, one of the offi¬ 
 cers of II.M.S. Plover, in his account of his residence on 
 the shores of Arctic America, states, that ‘ one of the 
 ladies who visited them was presented, as a jest, with a 
 small tallow candle, called a purser’s dip. It was, not¬ 
 withstanding, a very pleasant joke to the damsel, who 
 deliberately munched it up with evident relish, and 
 finally, drew the wick between her set teeth to clean off 
 any remaining morsels of fat.’ 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 27 
 
 He gives also in detail, the history of a Tuski repast 
 of the most sumptuous nature, to which he and his 
 companions were invited, and I must find room for 
 some portion of it. 
 
 ‘ First was brought in, on a huge wooden tray, a 
 number of small fish, uncooked, but intensely frozen. 
 At these all the natives set to work, and we essayed, 
 somewhat ruefully it must be confessed, to follow their 
 example ; but, being all unused to such gastronomic pro¬ 
 cess, found ourselves, as might be expected, rather at a 
 loss how to commence. From this dilemma, however, 
 our host speedily extricated us, by practical demonstra¬ 
 tion of the correct mode of action; and, under his cer¬ 
 tainly very able tuition, we shortly became more expert. 
 But, alas! a new difficulty was soon presented; our na¬ 
 tive companions, we presume, either made a hasty bolt 
 I of each morsel, or had, perhaps, a relish for the flavour 
 of the viands now under consideration. Not so our- 
 ' selves'—it was sadly repugnant to our palates ; for, aided 
 by the newly-acquired knowledge that the fish were in 
 the same condition as when taken from the water, 
 
 I uncleaned and unemhowelled, we speedily discovered 
 > that we could neither bolt nor retain the fragments, 
 which, by the primitive aid of teeth and nails, we had 
 rashly detached for our piscatorial share. It was to no 
 purpose that our host pressed us to ‘ fall to we could 
 not manage the consumption of this favourite prepara¬ 
 tion (or rather lack thereof), and succeeded with diffi¬ 
 culty in evading his earnest solicitations. The next 
 course was a mess of green stuff, looking as if carefully 
 chopped up, and this was also hard frozen. To it was 
 , added a lump of blubber, which the lady presiding, who 
 did all the carving, dexterously cut into slices with a 
 
28 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 knife like a cheesemonger’s, and apportioned out at dif¬ 
 ferent quarters of the huge tray before mentioned, which 
 was used throughout the meal, together with a modicum 
 of the grass-like stuff, to the company; the only dis¬ 
 tinction in favour of the strangers and guests of higk 
 degree being, that their slices were cut much thinner 
 than for the rest. We tasted this compound, and . . . 
 we didn’t like it; at this no one will wonder—the 
 blubber speaks for itself; and the other stuff, which really 
 was not very unpalatable, we discovered in after-times 
 to be the unruminated food of reindeer which had been 
 slaughtered—at least, so we were told; but I am not 
 quite clear on this point. Our dislike to the dish had 
 no offensive effect upon our host, who only seemed to be 
 astonished at our strange want of taste, and, with the 
 rest of the guests, soon cleared the board ; the managing 
 dame putting the finishing stroke by a rapid sweep of 
 her not too scrupulously clean fingers over the dish, by 
 way of clearing off the fragments to prepare for the 
 reception of the next delicacy. After this interesting 
 operation she conveyed her digits to her mouth, and, 
 engulfing them for a brief period, withdrew them, 
 quite in apple pie order once more. The board was 
 now again replenished, this time with viands less re¬ 
 pellent to our unnurtured tastes. Boiled seal and wal¬ 
 rus flesh appeared, and our hospitable friends were 
 greatly relieved when they beheld us assist in the con¬ 
 sumption of these items, which, being utterly devoid of 
 flavour, were distasteful only from their extreme tough¬ 
 ness and mode of presentation; but we did not, of 
 course, desire to appear too singular or squeamish. 
 Next came a portion of whale’s flesh, or rather whale’s 
 skin. This was perfectly ebony in hue, and we dis- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 99 
 
 covered some apprehensions respecting its fitness as an 
 article of food; but our fears were groundless. It was 
 cut and re-cut crosswise into diminutive cubes; ventur¬ 
 ing upon one of wbicb we were agreeably surprised to 
 find it possessing a cocoa-nut flavour, like wbicb it also 
 cut, ‘ very short; ’ indeed, so much astonished were we 
 on this occasion, that we had consumed a very con¬ 
 siderable number of these cubes, and with great relish 
 too, before we recovered from our wonder. The dish 
 was ever afterwards a favourite with me. On its disap¬ 
 pearance, a very limited quantity of boiled reindeer 
 meat, fresh and fat, was served up, to which we did 
 ample justice; then came portions of the gum of the 
 whale, in which the ends of the bone lay still embedded ; 
 and I do not hesitate to declare that this was perfectly 
 delicious, its flavour being, as nearly as I can find a 
 parallel, like that of cream cheese. This, which the 
 Tuski call their sugar, was the wind-up to the repast and 
 j ourselves, and we were fain to admit that, after the rather 
 I unpleasant auspices with which our feast commenced, 
 the finale was by no means to be contemned.’ 
 
 A merchant at a banquet to which he was invited 
 i with several respectable Greenlanders, counted the fol- 
 ; lowing dishes;—Dried herrings ; dried seal’s flesh ; the 
 i same boiled; half-raw, or putrid seal’s flesh, called 
 , Mikiak; boiled auks; part of a whale’s tail in a half- 
 , putrid state, which was considered as a principal dish; 
 
 dried salmon; dried reindeer venison; preserves of 
 1 crow-berries mixed with the chyle from the maw of the 
 i reindeer; and lastly, the same enriched with train oil. 
 
 ' Dr. Kane, enumerating arctic delicacies, says, ‘ Our 
 I journeys have taught us the wisdom of the Esquimaux 
 j appetite, and there are few among us who do not relish 
 
30 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 a slice of raw blubber or a cbunk of frozen walrus-beef. 
 The liver of a walrus (awuktanuk), eaten with little 
 slices of his fat—of a verity it is a delicious morsel. 
 Fire would ruin the curt, pithy expression of vitality 
 which belongs to its uncooked juices. Charles Lamb’s 
 roast pig was nothing to awuktanuk. I wonder that 
 raw beef is not eaten at home. Deprived of extra¬ 
 neous fibre, it is neither indigestible nor difficult to 
 masticate. With acids and condiments, it makes a 
 salad which an educated palate cannot help relishing; 
 and as a powerful and condensed heat-making and anti¬ 
 scorbutic food, it has no rival. I make this last broad 
 assertion after carefully testing its truth. The natives 
 of South Greenland prepare themselves for a long 
 journey in the cold by a course of frozen seal. At 
 Upernavik they do the same with the narwhal, which 
 is thought more heat-making than the seal; while the 
 bear, to use their own expression, is ‘ stronger travel 
 than all.’ In Smith’s Sound, where the use of raw 
 meat seems almost inevitable from the modes of living 
 of the people, walrus holds the first rank. Certainly 
 this pachyderm, whose finely-condensed tissue and de¬ 
 licately-permeating fat — (oh ! call it not blubber) — 
 assimilate it to the ox, is beyond all others, and is the 
 very best fuel a man can swallow. It became our 
 constant companion whenever we could get it” and a 
 frozen liver upon our sledge was valued far above the 
 same weight of pemmican.’ 
 
 Mr. Augustus Petermann, in a paper upon Animal 
 Life in the Arctic Regions, read before the Royal Geo¬ 
 graphical Society, thus enumerates the food resources:— 
 
 ‘ Though several classes of the animal creation, as 
 for example, the reptiles, are entirely wanting in this 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 31 
 
 region, those of the mammals, birds, and fishes, at 
 least, bear comparison both as to number and size with 
 those of the Tropics : the lion, the elephant, the hippo¬ 
 potamus, and others not being more notable in the latter 
 respect than the polar bear, the musk ox, the walrus, 
 and, above all, the whale. Besides these, there are the 
 j moose, the reindeer, the wolf, the polar hare, the seal, and 
 various smaller quadrupeds. The birds consist chiefly 
 j of an immense number of aquatic birds. Of fishes, the 
 j salmon, salmon trout, and herring, are the principal, the 
 ■ latter especially crowding in such myriads as to surpass 
 I everything of that kind found in tropical regions. 
 
 I ‘ Nearly all these animals furnish wholesome food for 
 ' men. They are, with few exceptions, distributed over 
 ( the entire regions : their number, however, or the rela¬ 
 tive intensity of the individuals, is very different in 
 j different parts. Thus, on the American side, we find 
 the animals decreasing in number from east to west, 
 j On, the shores of Davis’ Straits, in Baffin’s Bay, Lan- 
 i caster Sound, Regent Inlet, &c., much less in number 
 J are met with than in Boothia Felix, and Parry groups. 
 
 1 The abundance of animal life in Melville Island and 
 j Victoria Channel, is probably not surpassed in any other 
 ; part on the American side. Proceeding westward to the 
 ' Russian possessions, we find considerable numbers of 
 animals-all round and within the sea of Kamtschatka, 
 as also to the north of Behring’s Straits. The yearly 
 I produce of the Russian Fur Company, in America, is 
 immense, and formerly it was much greater. Pribylon, 
 j! when he discovered the small islands named after 
 I him, collected, within two years, 2,000 skins of sea 
 otters, 40,000 sea bears, (ursine seals,) 6,000 dark sea 
 foxes, and 1,000 walrus-teeth. Ltitke, in his Voyage 
 
32 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Round the World, mentions tliat, in the year 1803, 
 800,000 skins of the ursine seal alone were accumu¬ 
 lated in Unataski, one of the depots of the Russian 
 Fur Company, 700,000 of which were thrown into the 
 sea, partly because they were badly prepared, and 
 partly to keep up the prices. But in no other part of 
 the arctic zoological region is animal life so abundant 
 as in the northern parts of Siberia, especially between 
 the Rivers Kolyma and Lena. 
 
 ‘ The first animals that make their appearafnce after 
 the dreary winter, are large flights of swans, geese, 
 ducks, and snipes; these are killed by old and young. 
 Fish also begin to be taken in nets and baskets placed 
 under the ice. 
 
 ‘ In June, however, when the river opens, the fish 
 pour in in immense numbers. At the beginning of this 
 century, several thousand geese were sometimes killed 
 in one day at the mouth of the River Kolyma. About 
 twenty years later, when Admiral Wrangel visited 
 those regions, the numbers had somewhat decreased, 
 and it was then called a good season when 1,000 geese, 
 5,000 ducks, and 200 swans were killed at that place. 
 The reindeer chase forms the next occupation for the 
 inhabitants. About the same time, the shoals of her¬ 
 rings begin to ascend the rivers, and the multitudes of 
 these fish are often such that, in three or four days, 
 40,000 may be taken with a single net. 
 
 ‘ On the banks of the River Indejiska the number of 
 swans and geese resorting there in the moulting season, 
 is said to be much greater even than on the River 
 Kolyma.’ 
 
 The choicest dish of the Greenlanders is the flesh 
 of the reindeer. But as those animals have now be- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 33 
 
 come extremely scarce, and several of them are soon 
 consumed by a hunting party, they are indebted to the 
 sea for their permanent sustenance, seals, fish, and sea- 
 fowl. Hares and partridges’are in no great estimation 
 as delicacies. The head and fins of the seal are pre¬ 
 served under the grass in summer, and in winter a wliole 
 seal is frequently buried in the snow. The flesh, half 
 frozen, half putrid, in which state the Greenlanders 
 term it mikiak, is eaten with the keenest appetite. 
 The ribs are dried in the air and laid up in store. The 
 remaining parts of the seal, as well as birds and small 
 fishes, are eaten, well boiled or stewed with a small 
 quantity of sea-water. On the capture of a seal, the 
 wound is immediately stopped up to preserve the 
 blood, which is rolled into balls like forcemeat. 
 
 The intestines of small animals are eaten without 
 any further preparation than that of pressing out the 
 contents between the fingers. 
 
 They set a great value on what they find in the 
 reindeer’s maw, making it into a dish which they call 
 Nerukak (the eatable), and send presents of it to their 
 friends. The entrails of the rypeu, mixed with fresh 
 train oil and berries, compose another mess which they 
 consider as a consummate delicacy. Their preserves 
 for winter are composed of fresh, rotten and half-hatched 
 eggs, crake berries, and angelica, thrown together into 
 a sack of seal skin, filled up with train oil. They like¬ 
 wise suck out the fat from the skins of sea-fowls; and, 
 in dressing seal skins, they scrape off the grease which 
 could not well be separated in the skinning, to make a 
 kind of pancake. 
 
 In the second voyage of Sir John Ross to the arctic 
 regions, it is related of the steward, that he purchased 
 
 D 
 
 I 
 
34 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 a sledge of the Esquimaux, and on examining it, it was 
 found to be made of salmon, with skins sewed over 
 them; but the cross pieces were the leg bones of the 
 reindeer. It was not an* erroneous conjecture of some 
 of the crew, that when these poor creatures are driven 
 to extremity for food, they turn to and make a dainty 
 meal of their sledges, as, with the exception of the 
 reindeer bones, the whole of them is eatable. When 
 we refer to the description which the late Sir John 
 Franklin gives of the different articles of food by which 
 he and his party were maintained, the component parts 
 of the sledge of an Esquimaux would, under circum¬ 
 stances of extreme want, he considered a real dainty. 
 
 There cannot be any comparison between a meal of 
 tripe de roche and the stinking marrow of a reindeer 
 bone, and a piece of dried salmon, which by its ex¬ 
 posure to the frost has been kept from putridity ; indeed, 
 the epicures amongst the Esquimaux do not hesitate to 
 declare, that the flavor of the salmon is rather enhanced 
 by its long keeping, on the same principle we suppose 
 that the flavour of game of this country rises in the 
 estimation of the epicure in proportion as the bird or 
 animal approaches to putridity. At all events, it must 
 be a novel and curious exhibition, to observe a party of 
 Esquimaux cutting up a sledge, and carving out pieces 
 of salmon, according to their respective tastes, and 
 seasoning them with some of the oil extracted from 
 the blubber of the whale. The latter condiment is to 
 the Esquimaux what Burgess’ anchovy is to the citizen 
 of London; and instances are not rare, in which an 
 Esquimaux has been known to devour four pounds of 
 seal flesh, or of salmon, w'ell soaked in wLale oil, at one 
 meal, with about half-a-gallon of water as the beverage. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 35 
 
 Much of the animal food comes frozen to the markets 
 of St. Petersburg. The sledges which bring it are 
 used as stalls to sell it. The matting is thrown sside, 
 and the poultry and frozen' carcases are arranged 
 so as to attract buyers. Whole sledge loads of snow- 
 white hares find their way to the market. The little 
 animals are usually frozen in a running position, with 
 their ears pointed, and their legs stretched out before 
 and behind, and when placed on the ground, look at a 
 first glance as if they were in the act of escaping from 
 the hunter. 
 
 Bear’s flesh is also sometimes offered for sale in the 
 market, and here and there may be seen a frozen rein¬ 
 deer lying in the snow, by the side of a booth, its 
 hairy snout stretched forth upon the ground, its knees 
 doubled up under its body, and its antlers rising majes¬ 
 tically into the air. It looks as if on our approaching 
 it, it would spring up and dash away once more in search 
 of its native forests. 
 
 The mighty elk is likewise no rare guest in this 
 market, where it patiently presents its antlers as a 
 * perch for the pigeons that are fluttering about, till, 
 little by little, the axe and the saw have left no frag- 
 ^ ment of the stately animal, but every part of the carcase 
 i has gone its way into the kitchens of the wealthy. 
 
 The geese are cut up, and the heads, necks, legs, and 
 carcases sold separately by the dozen, or half dozen, 
 
 ' strung upon small cords. Those who cannot afford to 
 dine on the breast of a goose, purchase a string of 
 1 frozen heads, or a few dozen of webbed feet, to boil 
 , down into soup. The frozen oxen, calves, and goats, 
 stand around in rows. Sucking pigs are a favourite de¬ 
 licacy with the Russians. Hundreds of these, in their 
 
 I D 2 
 
36 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 frozen state, are seen ranged about tbe sledges, mingled 
 with large frozen hogs. 
 
 The bones and meat being all rendered equally hard 
 by the frost, the animals are sawn up into a number of 
 slices, of an inch or two in thickness, and by this opera¬ 
 tion a quantity of animal sawdiist is scattered on the 
 snow, and afterwards gathered up by poor children, 
 who haunt the market for that purpose. Fish, which 
 is offered for sale, is sawn and sold in the same frozen 
 condition.* 
 
 ‘If one is to judge from the restaurants at Moscow,’ 
 writes a correspondent of the Times, ‘ there is no better 
 place in the world to come to in order to try the 
 temper. The best of them is dear and bad beyond 
 comparison, and the only things good are the wine and 
 the bread. It must be admitted that the latter is ex¬ 
 cellent, light, sweet, white, and wholesome, and our 
 London bakers would do well if they came to Moscow 
 for an apprenticeship in the art of making bread. It is 
 very hard to have to pay 1?. for cabbage soup, du 
 cTieval, a bit of bad fish, one stewed pear, and a bottle of 
 light French wine; but it is harder still to wait for 
 twenty minutes between every dish, while leaden-eyed 
 waiters are staring at you with a mixture of contempt 
 and-compassion because of your ignorance of the Rus¬ 
 sian tongue. Tired, cross, and dyspeptic, the stranger 
 seeks a Russian dining room where the arts of French 
 cookery have never been employed to render bad meat 
 still worse. There, amid the odours of tobacco—for a 
 Russian not being able to smoke in the streets makes 
 up for it cJiez ?m-—you resign yourself to an unknown 
 
 * Kohl’s Russia, and McGregor’s Continental Tariffs. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 37 
 
 bill of fare and the caprices of your bearded attendant. 
 It is fair to say of the said waiter, that he is clad in a 
 imilk-white and scrupulously clean robe, which descends 
 in easy folds from his neck to his heels, so that he looks 
 like a very high priest of the deity of gastronomy, and 
 that you need not be as uneasy about his fingers and 
 hands as you have good cause to be at the Russo-French 
 restaurants. First you will be presented with a huge 
 bowl of cabbage soup, a kind pot-au-feu, which must 
 be eaten, however, with several odd adjuncts, such as 
 cakes stuffed with chopped vegetables, a dish of guelots, 
 chopped fat, fried brown and crisp, and lastly a large 
 ewer full of sour milk. Then comes a vol-au-vent of 
 fowl and toad-stools. Next, if you are alive, porosenok, 
 or a boiled sucking pig, with tart sauce; then a very 
 nasty little fish, much prized in Moscow, and called 
 sterlet; a fid of roast beef and a dish of birds about the 
 size of pigeons, called guillemots; a compote of fruit 
 closes the meal. I have forgotten to say how it begins. 
 Before dinner a tray is laid out with caviare, raw salt 
 herrings, raw ham and sardines, bottles of brandy, 
 vodka, anisette, and doppel ktimmel, a sweet spirit with 
 a flavour of mint. It is de rigueur to eat some of this, 
 and as the caviare is generally good, it is the best part 
 of the dinner.’ 
 
 The Governor of Cape Coast Castle, in his official 
 report to the Colonial Office, in 1856, speaking of the 
 food and cooking in the interior, remarks :—‘ An officer 
 of government, who has been about two years here, 
 says, that he reckons he has eaten, during that time, 
 700 fowls, it being difficult at out-stations to cater in 
 anything else but fowls. 
 
 ‘ In cooking, the natives seem to have almost a homeo- 
 
38 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 pathic prepossession for trituration. They pound and 
 grind by hand labour, between stones, their maize, and 
 bake it; so with their yams, and, I believe, cassada; 
 they pound also their plantains and make soup of them. 
 
 ‘ Fish with a strong flavour and snails are favorites. 
 The latter grow to a large, I had almost said formida¬ 
 ble, size. I have in my possession the shell of one 
 which I found buried about a foot in the ground, 
 within a few yards of Government house, and which 
 measures in length about five inches, and in circum¬ 
 ference, in the widest part, about seven inches. A 
 collection of these snails was once sent to me as a 
 compliment, but I need hardly say, that I cannot speak 
 of their taste from experience, though I do not know 
 why I should not as well as I can of land crabs, which, 
 when properly cooked, are, I think, general favorites 
 with us. On the subject of cooking, I may observe, 
 that the country cooked dishes (if of materials of a nature, 
 and in a state, admitted in the category of our edibles) 
 brought to table in the black native-made earthen pots 
 in which they are cooked on the fire, are almost 
 without exception favorites with the Europeans.’ 
 
 The African Bushmen, who have few or no cattle, 
 live upon what they can get. Hunger compels them 
 to eat every thing, roots, bulbs, wild garlic, the core of 
 aloes, the gum of acacias, berries, the larvae of ants, 
 lizards, locusts, and grasshoppers—all are devoured by 
 these poor wanderers of the desert. Nothing comes 
 amiss to them. 
 
 The principal diet of the Kaffir is milk, which he 
 eats rather than drinks in a sour and curdled state. 
 One good meal a day, taken in the evening, consisting 
 of the curdled milk and a little millet, is almost all that 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 39 
 
 he requires, and with this he is strong, vigorous, and 
 robust, proving that large quantities of animal food are 
 by no means necessary for the sustenance of the human 
 frame. 
 
 Singularly enough a Kaffir, like a Jew, will never 
 touch pork. To him it is unclean, though why he 
 thinks so I suspect he cannot tell. Fish is likewise 
 abstained from by him, as it is said to have been by the 
 Egyptian priesthood. Yet with these antipathies he 
 will eat the flesh of an ox, cooked or raw, when he can 
 obtain it, not excepting portions of the animal from which 
 one would imagine he would turn away with disgust. 
 
 To such tribes as tha Shangalla negroes, occupying 
 the wild tracts bordering on Abyssinia, roots are their 
 daily food, and locusts and lizards their luxuries. 
 
 The Indians of Brazil do not reject any kind of food, 
 and devour it almost without being cooked; rats and 
 other small _vermin, snakes, and alligators, are all 
 accepted. 
 
 The aborigines of Australia live chiefly on the 
 native animals they can procure—the kangaroo, the 
 w'allaby, bandicoot, kangaroo rat, opossum, and wombat; 
 every bird and bird’s egg that can be procured; and in 
 the case of tribes near the sea, cray-fish, and shell-fish, 
 form the staple article of their diet. 
 
 Under the influence of Christianity, the fish, flesh, or 
 fowl, which the Pacific Islanders previously regarded 
 as incarnations of their gods, are now eaten without 
 suspicion or alarm. One, for instance, saw his god in 
 the eel, another in the shark, another in the turtle, an¬ 
 other in the dog, another in the owl, another in the 
 lizard ; and so on throughout all the fish of the sea, and 
 birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. In 
 
40 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 some of tlie sliell-fish, even, gods were supposed to be 
 present. A man would eat freely of what was regarded 
 as the incarnation of the god of another man, but the in¬ 
 carnation of his own particular god he would consider 
 it death to injure or to eat. The god was supposed to 
 avenge the insult by taking up his abode in that per¬ 
 son’s body, and causing to generate diseases. 
 
 The Sonthal, or lowlander of Bengal, being unfettered 
 by caste, eats without scruple his cow or buffalo beef, 
 his kids, poultry, pork, or pigeons, and is not over par¬ 
 ticular as to whether the animals have been slain, have 
 died a natural death, or have been torn by wild animals. 
 When the more substantial good things of life, such as 
 meat and poultry are scarce, he does not refuse to eat 
 snakes, ants, frogs, and field rats. 
 
 In Eastern Tibet regular meals are not in vogue; the 
 members of a family do not assemble to dine together, 
 but ‘ eat when they’re hungry, drink when they’re dry.’ 
 ‘ We remember,’ says a writer in Blackwood, ‘ to have 
 heard a graphic description of the Tibetan cuisine, from 
 a humorous shikaree, or native Nimrod of our Himalayan 
 provinces. The Bhoteea folk (he said) have a detest¬ 
 able way of eating. They take a large cooking pot full 
 of water, and put in it meat, bread, rice, and what not, 
 and set it on the fire, where it is always a-simmering. 
 When hungry, they go and fish out a cupful of whatever 
 comes uppermost, perhaps, six or seven times a day. 
 Strangers are served in the same way. If a man gets 
 hold of a bone, he picks it, wipes his hands on his dress, 
 and chucks it back into the pot. So with all crumbs 
 and scraps, back they go into the pot, and thus the 
 never-ending still-beginning mess stews on.’ 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 41 
 
 If we visit Biirmah, we find there a rather indiscri¬ 
 minate use of all that can satiate the appetite, without 
 much regard to selection. Immense quantities of pressed 
 fish are prepared, called gnapee, which constitutes a main 
 article of their diet. In some cases the fish is washed 
 and pounded, and this description generally consists 
 of prawns. In the coarser sorts the pieces of fish are 
 entire, half putrid, half piclded. They are all fetid 
 and offensive to Europeans. 
 
 A kind of red ant is eaten fried, or with their dried fish, 
 and a worm, which in the lower provinces of Burmah 
 is found in the heart of a shrub, is considered such a 
 delicacy, that every month a great quantity is sent to 
 the capital to be served up at the table of the emperor. 
 It is eaten either fried or roasted. 
 
 According to Sir John Bowring, the Chinese have no 
 prejudices whatever as regards food; they eat anything 
 and everything from which they can derive nutrition. 
 Dogs, especially puppies, are habitually sold as food. 
 In the butchers’ shops large dogs skinned and hanging 
 with their viscera, may be seen by the side of pigs and 
 goats. Even to the flesh of monkeys and snakes they 
 have no objection. 
 
 The sea slug is an aristocratic and costly delicacy, 
 which is never wanting, any more than the edible birds- 
 nests, at a feast where honour is intended to be done to 
 the guests. These birds-nests are worth twice their 
 weight in silver. They are glutinous compositions 
 formed by a kind of swallow, in vast clusters, found in 
 Java, Sumatra, and the rocky islets of the Indian Ar¬ 
 chipelago. Dried sharks’ fins and fish maws are also 
 highly prized. 
 
42 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 But while the rich fare sumptuously, the mass of the 
 poor subsist on the veriest garbage. The heads of 
 fowls, their entrails and fat, with every scrap of di¬ 
 gestible animal matter, earth-worms, sea reptiles of all 
 kinds, mice, and other vermin are greedily devoured. 
 Lots of black frogs, in half dozens, tied together, are 
 exposed for sale in shallow troughs of water. The 
 hind-quarters of a horse will be seen hung up in a 
 butcher’s shop, with the recommendation of a whole 
 leg attached. 
 
 Unhatched ducks and chickens are a favorite dish. 
 Nor do the early stages of putrefaction create any dis¬ 
 gust. Eotten eggs are by no means condemned to 
 perdition. Fish is the more acceptable when it has a 
 strong fragrance and flavour to give more gusto to the 
 rice, which forms the two meals of the population, 
 morning and evening. In the shops, fat pork chops 
 will be found dried and varnished to the colour of 
 mahogany, suspended with dry pickled ducks’ gizzards, 
 and strings of sausages cured by exposure to tlie sun. 
 
 In Flong Kong, rice with salt fish and fat pork 
 is the principal article of Chinese diet; and for drink, 
 tea and hot samshew, a spirit distilled from rice, and 
 very unpalatable to Europeans. 
 
 Nearly all the beasts of the forest are eaten by the 
 Dyaks of Borneo ; even monkeys, alligators (if small), 
 snakes, and other reptiles are esteemed. Like the 
 French, they regard frogs as a delicate dish, and bestow 
 considerable pains in procuring them. 
 
 The Greenlanders, although they do not usually eat 
 their meat raw, have a superstitious custom, on every 
 capture, of cutting out a piece of the raw flesh and 
 drinking the warm blood. And the woman who skins 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 43 
 
 the seal, gives a couple of pieces of the fat to each of 
 the female spectators. 
 
 An European writer states, that he frequently followed 
 the example of the Greenlanders in the chase, and 
 assuaged his hunger by eating a piece of raw reindeer’s 
 flesh; nor did he find it very hard of digestion, but 
 it satisfied his appetite much less than cooked meat. 
 The inhabitants of the high table-lands of Abys¬ 
 sinia, are also accustomed to eat raw flesh—the climate 
 being as cold as that of the northern parts of Scot¬ 
 land. My friend, Mr. C. Johnston, in his travels in 
 that country, thus puts in a plea for the practice by the 
 Abyssinians. 
 
 In a country but poorly wooded, the chief supply of 
 fuel being the dung of cattle, an instinctive feeling, 
 dependent upon the pleasures of a state of warmth, has 
 taught the Abyssinians that the flesh of animals eaten 
 raw, is a source of great physical enjoyment, by the 
 cordial and warming effects upon the system produced 
 by its digestion, and to which I am convinced bon vivants 
 more civilized than the Abyssinians would resort, if 
 placed in their situation. 
 
 Travellers who have witnessed their hrunde feasts, 
 can attest the intoxicating effects of this kind of food, 
 and they must have been astonished at the immense 
 quantities that can be eaten in the raw state, compared 
 to that when the meat is cooked, and at the insensibility 
 which it sometimes produces. 
 
 Eating raw meat, which among the Esquimaux is for 
 the most part an absolute necessity, by the Abyssinians 
 is considered a luxury, or in fact, as a kind of dissipa¬ 
 tion ; for eating it in that state is only indulged in by 
 them at festivals, and it is then taken as a means of 
 
44 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 enjoyment, and is not more barbarous or disgusting 
 than getting tipsy upon strong drinks.* 
 
 Another writer on ‘Life in Abyssinia,’ thus describes 
 the native mode of eating meat.—‘ There is usually a 
 piece of meat to every five or six persons, among whom 
 arises some show of ceremony as to which of them shall 
 first help himself; this being at length decided, the per¬ 
 son chosen takes -hold of the meat with his left hand, 
 and with his sword or knife cuts a strip a foot or fifteen 
 inches long, from the part which appears the nicest 
 and tenderest. The others then help themselves in 
 like manner. If I should fail in describing the scene 
 which now follows, I must request the aid of the 
 reader’s imagination. Let him picture to himself thirty 
 or forty Abyssinians, stripped to their waists, squatting 
 round the low tables, each with his sword, Imife, or 
 ^ shotel’ in his hand, some eating, some helping them¬ 
 selves, and some waiting their turn, but all bearing in 
 their features the expression of that fierce gluttony 
 which one attributes more to the lion or leopard than 
 to the race of Adam. The imagination may be much 
 assisted by the idea of the lumps of raw pink and blue 
 flesh they are gloating over. But I have yet to describe 
 how they eat the strip of meat which I have just made 
 one of the party cut off. A quantity of ‘ diUikh ’ or 
 ‘ aou-a-z6 ’ being laid on his bread, he dips one end of 
 the meat into it, and then, seizing it between his teeth, 
 while he holds the other end in his left hand, he cuts a 
 bit off close to his lips by an upward stroke of his sword, 
 only just avoiding the tip of his nose, and so on till he 
 has finished the whole strip.’ 
 
 ♦ Johnston’s Travels in Southern Abyssinia, vol. 2, p. 226. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 45 
 
 Australian delicacies are somewhat different to our 
 own. The flying-fox (Pteropus), an animal of the 
 hat family, which makes sad havoc at night among the 
 fruit trees of the colonists, is in return shot down with¬ 
 out mercy. Their flesh is delicate, and they are almost 
 invariably very fat, but owing to the demoniac appear¬ 
 ance of their black leathery wings, and to the prejudice 
 which this appearance excites, they are seldom eaten by 
 the settlers. Travellers in the wilderness, however, 
 are frequently indebted for a hearty meal to their suc¬ 
 cess in bringing dowm these creatures. 
 
 The burrowing wombat, or native pig, which feeds 
 chiefly on roots, is not deemed had food. When divested 
 of its fur and tough skin, its flesh, although red and 
 coarse in appearance, resembles that of a pig in flavour, 
 and is usually cooked by the colonists like fresh pork 
 would be. The flesh of the porcupine ant-eater some¬ 
 what resembles that of a young sucking pig, and is 
 highly esteemed. 
 
 There are several other small quadrupeds, including 
 a burrowing or prairie-rat, which, at particular seasons, 
 and in certain localities in Australia, constitute the chief 
 animal food of the natives. The flesh of the little 
 short-legged bandicoot is very white and delicate. 
 Cooked like a rabbit, it furnishes the sportsman’s table 
 with a splendid dish. 
 
 Among quadrupeds, besides the ordinary domestic fed 
 or wild animals commonly eaten as food, we find apes 
 and monkeys, the spider monkey, the marmozet, hats, 
 hedgehogs, bears, racoons, badgers, and dogs; many of 
 the carnivorous animals, as foxes, lions and tigers, the 
 puma, &c., are also eaten. Then again we have the 
 seal and the walrus. 
 
46 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 QUADRUMANA. 
 
 African epicures esteem as one of their greatest deli¬ 
 cacies a tender young monkey, highly seasoned and 
 spiced, and baked in a jar set in the earth, with a fire 
 over it, in gipsy fashion. Monkeys are commonly sold 
 with parrots and the paca, in the markets at Rio 
 Janeiro. The Indians, many negroes, and some whites, 
 in Trinidad, eat of the flesh of the great red monkey, 
 and say it is delicious. This, however, seems a semi¬ 
 cannibal kind of repast—for it is the most vociferous 
 and untameable of the Simian tribe. 
 
 Several species of monkey are used as food by the 
 aboriginal inhabitants of the Malayan peninsula. As 
 all kinds of monkeys are very destructive to his rice 
 fields, the Dyak of Borneo is equally their enemy; and, 
 as this people esteem their flesh as an article of food, 
 no opportunity of destroying them is lost. 
 
 Mr. Hugh Low says, he once saw some Dyaks 
 roasting a monkey, but did not stay to observe 
 whether they did not boil it afterwards, as they gene¬ 
 rally partially roast these animals to free them from 
 the hair. 
 
 Monkeys are eaten in Ceylon by some of the natives, 
 and the Africans on the Gold Coast eat them, according 
 to the report of Governor Connor, in his Dispatch to the 
 Colonial Office, March 2, 1857.— Reports on Colonial 
 Possessions, transmitted with the Blue Book, for the 
 year 1856. 
 
 In South America monkeys are ordinarily killed as 
 game by the natives, for the sake of their flesh; but 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 47 
 
 the appearance of these animals is so revolting to Euro¬ 
 peans, that they can seldom force themselves to partake 
 of such fare. 
 
 Mr. Wallace (Travels on the Amazon) says, ‘ having 
 often heard how good monkey was, I had it cut up 
 and fried for breakfast; the meat somewhat resembled 
 rabbit, without any peculiar or unpleasant flavour.’ The 
 manner in which these animals are roasted by the 
 natives, as described by Humboldt, further contributes 
 to render their appearance disgusting. 
 
 ‘ A little grating or lattice of very hard wood is 
 formed, and raised a foot from the ground. The mon¬ 
 key is skinned, and bent into a sitting posture, the head 
 generally resting on the arms, which are meagre and 
 long; but sometimes these are crossed behind the 
 back. When it is tied on the grating, a very clear fire 
 is kindled below ; the monkey, enveloped in smoke and 
 flame, is broiled and blackened at the same time. 
 Roasted monkeys, particularly those that have a round 
 head, display a hideous resemblance to a child; the 
 Europeans, therefore, who are obliged to feed on them, 
 prefer separating the head and hands, and serve only 
 the rest of the animal at their tables. The flesh of 
 monkeys is so dry and lean, that M. Bonpland has pre¬ 
 served, in his collection at Paris, an arm and hand, 
 which had been broiled over the fire at Esmeralda, and 
 no smell arises from them after a number of years.’ 
 
 Sir Robert Schomburgk, in the Journal of his expe¬ 
 dition to the Upper Corentyne, and interior of Guiana, 
 when suffering the pangs of hunger, reports that at last 
 their Indian hunter arrived, with heavy step, carrying 
 on his shoulder a large, black, female spider monkey. 
 
48 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ I glanced,’ lie observes, ‘ at Mr. Goodall, whose 
 countenance depicted disappointment and disgust, but 
 which sad necessity, and the large vacuum that two 
 ounces of farinha must have left in his stomach, induced 
 him to get the better of. He watched the preparations 
 as the Indians proceeded step by step, first singeing off 
 the hair from this human-like form, and then placing it 
 in an upright position, with the arms crossed; when, 
 the skin looking white now the hair was off, the sight 
 proved too much for him, and I myself felt something 
 like disgust at the meal before us. The sound of a 
 heavy body falling on the ground drew my attention to 
 a different direction, and to my great joy, I beheld a 
 fine young forest deer, over which young Ammon stood, 
 leaning on his gun with proud satisfaction. This was 
 indeed, a happy turn in our affairs. 
 
 ‘I have tasted the smaller kind of monkeys several times, 
 but have never partaken of one which approached so 
 nearly to the human form as this. The Indians were 
 less scrupulous.’ 
 
 The ateles, as well indeed as all other American 
 quadrnmanes, are esteemed as an article of food by the 
 native Indians; and even Europeans, whom curiosity or 
 necessity has induced to taste it, report their flesh to be 
 white, juicy, and agreeable. Nor is it without being 
 strongly disposed to question the nature of the act, 
 that European sportsmen, unaccustomed to shooting 
 monkeys, witness for the first time the dying struggles 
 of these animals; without uttering a complaint, they 
 silently watch the blood as it flows from the wound, 
 from time to time turning their eyes upon the sports¬ 
 man with an expression of reproach, which cannot be 
 misinterpreted. Some travellers even go so far as to 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 49 
 
 assert that the companions of the wounded individual 
 will not only assist him to climb beyond the reach of 
 further danger, but will even chew leaves and apply 
 them to the wound, for the purpose of stopping the 
 hemorrhage. 
 
 One of the spider monkeys, the marimonda {Ateles 
 helzehuth, Desm.), is termed aru by the Indians of the 
 Rio Guiana, and is a favourite article of food with the 
 natives of the borders of the Cassiquiare, the higher 
 Orinoco, and other rivers, and its boiled limbs are com¬ 
 monly to be seen in their huts. 
 
 The howling monkeys {Mycetes), which are of 
 larger size, and fatter than some of the other species, 
 are in great request with the Indians as food. Mr. 
 Gosse states that the flavour of their flesh is like that of 
 kid. The Aturian Indians, as well as those of Esmeralda, 
 eat many kinds of monkeys at certain seasons of the year, 
 and especially the couxio, or jacketed monkey [Pithecia 
 sagulati, Traill). 
 
 Mr. Grant in his Uistory of Brazil states, that apes 
 : and monkeys are esteemed good food by the natives. 
 
 - The negroes and natives of New Granada, according 
 1 to Bonnycastle, also eat the monkey, 
 i To prepare this dish, the body is scalded in order to 
 remove the hair, and after this operation has been per¬ 
 formed, it has the exact appearance of a young dead 
 child, and is so disgusting, that no one, excepting those 
 I pressed by hunger, could partake of the repast. It is 
 not at all improbable that many savage nations who 
 i have been accused of cannibalism, have been very un¬ 
 justly charged with it, for, according to Ulloa, the ap- 
 ! pearance of the monkey of Panama, when ready to be 
 cooked, is precisely that of a human body. 
 
 ' E 
 
50 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 CHEIROPTEEA, OR HAND-WINGED 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 The fox monkey or flying lemur [Galeopithecus 
 volans) diffuses a rank disagreeable odour, yet the flesh 
 is eaten by the natives of the islands of the Indian 
 Archipelago. 
 
 The Dutch, when in the island of Mauritius are said to 
 have been fond of the flesh of hats, preferring it to the 
 finest game, but I have never heard the opinion corro¬ 
 borated there by others. The Indians of Malabar and 
 other parts of the East Indies, are said to eat the flesh 
 of bats. 
 
 The flesh of most bats is eaten in the Eastern Archi¬ 
 pelago, and by some esteemed, being compared to that 
 of hare or partridge in flavour. The flesh of the 
 largest and most common, the black-bellied roussette 
 (Pterojms eduUs, Geoff.), has a musky odour, but is 
 esteemed by the natives. They catch them in bags at 
 the end of a pole. 
 
 Fancy a great frightful animal like a weasel, with 
 wmgs two feet in length, being served up at table. Still 
 they must be palatable, since one species has thus been 
 named by naturalists, ‘the eatable’ bat. The flesh is 
 stated to be white, delicate, and remarkably tender, and 
 is regarded by the inhabitants of Timor as a dainty. 
 The body is ten inches long, covered with close and 
 shining black hair, and the extended wings are about 
 four feet. 
 
CUBIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 51 
 
 CARNIVORA. 
 
 Carnivorous animals,—the terrible wild hunters of the 
 forests and deserts,—are themselves preyed upon by 
 man. 
 
 The low Arabs do not object to the flesh of the 
 hyena, although the smell of the carcase is so rank and 
 offensive, that even dogs leave it with disgust, yet their 
 own voracious kindred obligingly gobble them up. 
 
 Even that pestilential animal the pole-cat, or skunk, 
 falls a prey to the voracity of hungry men. When 
 care is taken not to soil the carcase with any of the 
 strong smelling fluid exuded by the animal, the meat is 
 considered by the natives of North America to be ex¬ 
 cellent food. They eat foxes in Italy, where they are 
 sold dear, and thought fit for the table of a cardinal. 
 Mr. Kennedy, a recent voyager to the arctic regions, 
 speaks of the delicacy of a fox pie, which was pro¬ 
 nounced by competent authorities in his mess to be 
 equal to rabbit; but then he honestly admits, that there 
 were others to whom it suggested r;ncomfortable remi¬ 
 niscences of dead cats, and who generally preferred the 
 opposite side of the table, when the dish made its ap¬ 
 pearance. This repugnance is even shared by the brute 
 creation, for although Esquimaux dogs may kill a fox, 
 they will not eat him. This is the more extraordinary, 
 as they are the most voracious and dirty-feeding animals 
 known ; nothing they can possibly get at being safe. 
 Buffalo robes, seal skins, their own harness, even boots, 
 shoes, clothes, and dish cloths are sure to be destroyed. 
 
 The prairie wolf is eaten by the Indians of North 
 America. The flesh of the sloth is devoured with 
 
 E 2 
 
53 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 great avidity by the natives of Demerara; and that of 
 the lion by the Hottentots, while a tribe of Arabs 
 between Tunis and Algeria, according to Blumenbacb, 
 live almost entirely upon its flesh. 
 
 The natives of the Malay Peninsula eat the flesh of 
 the tiger, believing it to be a sovereign specific for all 
 diseases, besides imparting to him who partakes of it 
 the courage and sagacity of the animal. 
 
 Some people have ventured to eat the cujuacura or 
 American panther, and say it is very delicate food ; and 
 the flesh of the wild cat of Louisiana is said to be good 
 to eat. 
 
 The flesh of the cougar or puma (Felis con color), a 
 fierce carnivorous animal, is eaten in Central America, 
 and is said to be agreeable food. The injunction of St. 
 Paul, ‘ to eat what is set before us, and ask no questions 
 for conscience sake,’ would hardly be a safe maxim in 
 Central America, at an entertainment given ‘ under the 
 greenwood tree ’ by the ‘ Ancient Foresters ’ of Hon¬ 
 duras. The sylvan dainties would not be composed 
 of precisely the same materials as a petit dine at the 
 Trois Frerez, or the Cafe de Paris. 
 
 Mr. Darwin, in his Journal of a Naturalist, tells us 
 that ‘ once at supper, from something which was said, I 
 was suddenly struck with horror at thinking I was eating 
 one of the favourite dishes of the country, namely, a 
 half formed calf, long before its proper time of birth. 
 It turned out to be puma; the meat is very white, and 
 remarkably like veal in taste. Dr. Shaw was laughed 
 at for stating that the flesh of the lion is in great 
 esteem, having no small affinity with veal, both in 
 colour, taste, and flavour. Such certainly is the case 
 with the puma. The Gauchos differ in their opinion. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 53 
 
 whether the jaguar is good eating, but are unanimous 
 in saying that cat is excellent.’ 
 
 Mr. Wallace, when travelling up the Amazon, writes— 
 ‘ Several jaguars were killed, as Mr. C— pays about 
 8s. each for their skins. One day we had some steaks at 
 the table, and found the meat very white and without 
 any bad taste. It appears evident to me that the com¬ 
 mon idea of the food of an animal determining the 
 quality of its meat, is quite erroneous. Domestic 
 poultry and pigs are the most unclean animals in their 
 food, yet their flesh is most highly esteemed, while rats 
 and squirrels, which eat only vegetable food, are in 
 general disrepute. Carnivorous fish are not less deli¬ 
 cate eating than herbivorous ones, and there appears no 
 reason why some carnivorous animals should not furnish 
 wholesome and palatable food.’ 
 
 Bears’ paws were long reckoned a great delicacy 
 in Germany, for some authors tell us, that after being 
 salted and smoked, they were reserved for the tables of 
 princes. In North America, bears’ flesh was formerly 
 considered equal to pork, the meat having a flavour 
 between beef and pork; and the young cubs were ac¬ 
 counted the finest eating in the world. Dr. Brooke, in 
 his Natural History, adds—‘ Most of the planters prefer 
 bears’ flesh to beef, veal, pork, and mutton. The fat is as 
 white as snow, and extremely sweet and wholesome, for 
 if a man drinks a quart of it at a time, when melted, it 
 will never rise on his stomach ! It is of very great use 
 for the frying of fish and other things, and is greatly 
 preferred to butter.’ 
 
 Tastes have naturally altered since this was written, 
 nearly a century ago, and it would be somewhat diffi¬ 
 cult to carry on the sport of bear hunting on the 
 
54 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 extensive scale then practised, when we are told 500 
 hears were killed in two of the counties in Virginia in 
 one winter. 
 
 The Indians seem to have shared largely in the 
 sport and spoils of the chase, for at their subsequent 
 feast, the largest hear was served up as the first course, 
 and they ‘ roasted him whole, entrails, skin and all, in 
 the same manner as they would barbecue a hog.’ 
 
 As the paws of the bear were held to be the most 
 delicious morsels about him, so the head was thought 
 to be the worst, and always thrown away; but the 
 tongue and hams are still in repute. 
 
 The white bear is eaten by the Esquimaux and the 
 Danes of Greenland ; and when young, and cooked 
 after the manner of beef steaks, is by no means to be 
 despised, although rather insipid; the fat, however, 
 ought to be avoided, as unpleasant to the palate. 
 
 The flesh of the badger (^Taxus vulgaris, Desm.) is 
 said to be good eating, and to taste like that of a boar. 
 The omnivorous and thrifty Chinese eat it, as indeed 
 they do that of the flesh of most animals, and consider 
 its hams a very great dainty. 
 
 Many nations consider the flesh of the dog excellent. 
 The Greeks ate it; and Hippocrates was convinced that 
 it was a light and wholesome food. The common 
 people of Rome also ate it. The Turks and some of 
 the Asiatic citizens would thank any one who would 
 rid the thoroughfares of the tribes of dogs which 
 infest the streets and courts; and there is a reward 
 given for their slaughter. Fine feasts might be made 
 of them by those who liked them, while the skins would 
 come in for dog-skin gloves. Many of the South Sea 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 55 
 
 islanders fatten dogs for eating, but these live wholly 
 on vegetable food. 
 
 The domestic dog of China is uniformly one variety, 
 about the size of a moderate spaniel, of a pale yellow, 
 and occasionally a black colour, with coarse bristly hair 
 on the back, sharp upright ears, and peaked head, 
 not imlike a fox’s, with a tail curled over the rump. 
 
 In China, the dog is fattened for the table, and the 
 flesh of dogs is as much liked by them as mutton is by 
 us; being exposed for sale by their butchers, and in 
 their cook-shops. 
 
 At Canton, the hind quarters of dogs are seen hang¬ 
 ing up in the most prominent parts of the shops 
 exposed for sale. They are considered by the Chinese 
 as a most dainty food, and are consumed by both rich 
 and poor. 
 
 The breeds common in that country are apparently 
 peculiar to itself, and they are objects of more attention 
 to their owners than elsewhere in Asia. The Celestials, 
 perhaps, having an eye to their tender haunches, which 
 bad treatment would toughen and spoil.* 
 
 The Africans of Zanzibar hold a stew of puppies, 
 as amongst us in the days of Charles the Second, as a 
 dish fit for a monarch. 
 
 The Australian native dog or dingo, in aspect and 
 colour resembling a fox, is hunted down by the colo¬ 
 nists owing to its depredations among the flocks. The 
 flesh even of this animal is eaten by the blacks. The 
 aborigines are often driven for subsistence to the most 
 wretched food, as snakes and other reptiles, grubs, 
 lizards, and the larv^ of the white ant. When they 
 
 * McMicking’s 3Ianila and the Philippines. 
 
56 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 do obtain better food, they prepare it with more care 
 than might be expected. In cooking fish, they wrap 
 it in soft bark and place it in hot ashes. By this pro¬ 
 cess an acid from the bark is communicated to the fish, 
 which gives it a most agreeable flavour. 
 
 A traveller in the Sandwich Islands, relating his 
 experience, says,— ‘Near every place at table was a 
 fine young dog, the flesh of which was, declared to be 
 excellent by all who partook of it. To my palate its 
 taste was what I can imagine would result from min¬ 
 gling the flavour of pig and lamb; and I did not hesitate 
 to make my dinner of it, in spite of some qualms at the 
 first mouthful. I must confess, when I reflected that 
 the puppy now trussed up before us, might have been 
 the afi'ectionate and frolicsome companion of some Ha¬ 
 waiian fair—they all have pet pigs or puppies—I felt 
 as if dog-eating were only a low grade of cannibalism. 
 What eat poor Ponto ?— 
 
 ‘ The poor dog, io life the firmest friend, 
 
 The first to welcome, foremost to defend; 
 
 Whose honest heart is still his master’s own; 
 
 Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone. 
 Unhonoured falls, unnoticed all his worth— 
 
 Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth.’ 
 
 ‘ However, the edible dog is not one of your common 
 curs, but a dainty animal, fed exclusively on vegetables, 
 chiefly taro (a root), in the form of poe (dough), and 
 at the age of two years is considered a dish wherewith 
 to regale royalty. Indeed, the Sandwich Island mon¬ 
 arch, I suspect, would be always well satisfied to see it 
 before him, in spite of the assertion of Dr. Kidd, that 
 ‘ it is worthy of consideration that the flesh of those 
 animals, of whose living services we stand hourly in 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 57 
 
 need, as the horse and the dog, are so unpalatable, that 
 we are not tempted to eat them unless in cases of dreadful 
 necessity.’ The doctor probably never assisted at a na¬ 
 tive luaii or feast, or associated with the trappers upon 
 the prairies of the Far West.’* 
 
 Mr. John Dunn, in his History of the Oregon Ter¬ 
 ritory, tells a story of a Canadian cook, who, wishing 
 to do honour to a dear and respected friend, whom he 
 had been dining with on board his ship, studied long 
 what he could get good enough to set before him, and 
 at last bethought him of dog, which is, or was, a fa¬ 
 vourite dish among Canadian voyageurs or boatmen. 
 
 At the banquet the old boatswain ate heartily of it, as 
 did the cook. After he had done, the cook enquired how 
 he had enjoyed his dinner. He sad it was beautiful. He 
 then asked him whether he knew what he had been 
 dining on ? He said he supposed from a goat. 
 
 ‘ Yes/ says the cook, ' you have been eating from a 
 goat with von long tail, that don’t like grass or heather.’ 
 
 ‘ How is that ? ’ inquired the boatswain. 
 
 ‘ Vy yo^ see,’ replied the cook, ‘ it was my best dog 
 you have dined from.’ 
 
 The old boatswain stormed and swore ; and then ran 
 as fast as possible to the vessel to get a little rum for 
 his stomach. He vowed that he never again wished to 
 dine with a Canadian cook, or eat pet dogs. 
 
 Brooke, in his Natural History of Quadrupeds, 
 tells us, that ‘ in the southern coast of Africa, there 
 are dogs that neither bark nor bite like ours, and they 
 are of all kinds of colours. Their flesh is eaten by the 
 negroes, who are very fond of all sorts of dogs’ flesh. 
 
 * Ruschenberger’s Voyage Bound the World, vol. 2. p. 337. 
 
58 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and will give one of their country cows for a large 
 mastiff. I do not know what part of Africa this re¬ 
 fers to. 
 
 In old medical works we are told, that the flesh of a 
 fox, either hoiled or roasted, was said to be good for 
 consumption; but I do not think it is often prescribed 
 or used for that purpose now. 
 
 MAESUPIALIA, OR POUCHED ANIMALS. 
 
 The kangaroo is par excellence the wild game of 
 Australia, and coursing it gives active employment to 
 its pursuers. The flesh of all the several species is 
 good. The fore-quarters, indeed, of the forester, the 
 largest of the family, an animal which frequently 
 weighs 200 lbs., are somewhat inferior, and are usually 
 given to the dogs; but from the hind-quarters some 
 fine steaks may be cut. When cooked in the same 
 manner, they are very little inferior to venison collops. 
 
 The brush kangaroo [Macrop>us coeruleus) is a very 
 fleet active animal, sometimes of about 20 lbs. weight, 
 having fur of a silver grey colour, with a white stripe 
 on each side of its face. 
 
 The flesh of the larger kangaroo, as well as that of 
 the wallaby, a smaller animal, averaging about 12 or 
 14 lbs., is often hashed, and with a little seasoning and 
 skill in preparation, it is excellent. The wallaby is 
 commonly stewed for soup. 
 
 The best part of the kangaroo is its tail. Talk of 
 ox-tail soup, ye metropolitan gourmands ! Commend 
 us to the superb kangaroo-tail soup of Australia, made 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 59 
 
 from the tail weighing some 10 or 12 lbs., if a full- 
 grown forester. 
 
 The pademelon, a smaller species of kangaroo, weighs 
 about 9 or 10 lbs., and when cooked like a hare, 
 affords a dish with which the most fastidious gourmand 
 might be satisfied. 
 
 The following is the native mode of cdoking a kan¬ 
 garoo steak :—It is placed in a scooped out stone, 
 which is readily found in the streams, and pressed 
 down by heavy stones on the top of it; the heat is 
 applied beneath and round the first top stone ; at the 
 critical moment the stones are quickly removed, and 
 the steak appears in its most savoury state. 
 
 The aborigines of Australia always roast their food; 
 they have no means of boiling, except when they pro¬ 
 cure the service of an old European saucepan or tin pot. 
 ' It is a very remarkable fact ’ fremarks Mr. Moore) ‘in the 
 history of mankind, that a people should be found now 
 to exist, without any means of heating water, or cook¬ 
 ing liquid food; or, in short, without any culinary 
 utensil or device of any sort. The only mode of cooking 
 was to put the food into tbe fire, or roast it in the em¬ 
 bers or hot ashes ; small fish or frogs being sometimes 
 first wrapped in a piece of paper-tree bark. Such was 
 their state when Europeans first came among them. 
 They are now extremely fond of soup and tea.’ 
 
 A native will not eat tainted meat, although he can¬ 
 not be said to be very nice in his food, according to our 
 ideas. Their meat is cooked almost as soon as killed, 
 and eaten immediately. 
 
 The parts of the kangaroo most esteemed for eating 
 are the loins and the tail, which abound in gelatine, 
 and furnish an excellent and nourishing soup; the hind 
 
60 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 legs are coarse, and usually fall to the share of the 
 dogs. The natives (if they can be said to have a choice) 
 give a preference to the head. The flesh of the full- 
 grown animal may be compared to lean beef, and that 
 of the young to veal; they are destitute of fat,, if we 
 except a little being occasionally seen between the 
 muscles and integuments of the tail. The colonial 
 dish, called a steamer, consists of the flesh of the animal 
 dressed, with slices of ham. The liver when cooked 
 is crisp and dry, and is considered a substitute for 
 bread; but I cannot coincide in this opinion. 
 
 The goto, or long bag of kangaroo skin, about two 
 feet deep, and a foot and a half broad, carried by the 
 native females in Australia, is the common receptacle 
 for every small article which the wife or husband may 
 require or take a fancy to, whatever its nature or con¬ 
 dition may be. Fish just caught, or dry bread, frogs, 
 roots, and clay, are all mingled together. 
 
 Mr. George Bennett (IFa/icferfnp's in New South 
 Wales) thus speaks of Australian native cookery:— 
 
 ‘ After wet weather they track game with much fa¬ 
 cility ; and from the late rains the hunting expeditions 
 had been very successful; game was, therefore, very 
 abundant at the camp, which consisted of opossums, 
 flying squirrels, bandicoots, snakes, &c. 
 
 ‘ One of the opossums among the game was a female, 
 which had two large-sized young ones in her pouch; 
 these delicate morsels were at this time broiling, un¬ 
 skinned and undrawn, upon the fire, whilst the old 
 mother was lying yet unflayed in the basket. 
 
 ‘ It was amusing to see with what rapidity and ex¬ 
 pertness the animals were skinned and embowelled by 
 the blacks. The offal was thrown to the dogs; biit, as 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 61 
 
 siicli a waste on the part of the natives does not often 
 take place, we can only presume it is when game, as it 
 was at present, is very ahundant. The dogs are usu¬ 
 ally in poor condition, from getting a very precarious 
 supply of provender. The liver being extracted, and 
 I gall-bladder removed, a stick was thrust through the 
 i animal, which was either thrown upon the ashes to 
 j broil, or placed upon a wooden spit before the fire to 
 roast. Whether the food was removed from the fire 
 I cooked, or only half dressed, depended entirely on the 
 j state of their appetites. The flesh of the animals at 
 i this time preparing for dinner, by our tawny friends, 
 appeared delicate, and was no doubt excellent eating, 
 
 ' as the diet of the animals was in most instances vege¬ 
 table.’ 
 
 Another traveller in the Bush thus describes the 
 aboriginal practices and ■ food : — ‘ We had scarcely 
 j finished the snake, when Tomboor-rowa and little 
 ’ Sydney returned again. They had been more success¬ 
 ful this time, having shot two wallabies or brush kan¬ 
 garoos and another carpet-snake of six feet in length. 
 !, A bundle of rotten branches was instantly gathered and 
 j thrown upon the expiring embers of our former fire, and 
 !; both the wallabies and the snake were thrown into the 
 flame. One of the wallabies had been a female, and as 
 it lay dead on the grass, a young one, four or five inches 
 long, crept out of its pouch. I took up the little crea¬ 
 ture, and, presenting it to the pouch, it crept in again. 
 Having turned round, however, for a minute or two, 
 Gnunnumbah had taken it up and tlirown it alive into 
 the fire; for, when I happened to look towards tlie 
 fire, I saw it in the flames in the agony of death. In 
 a minute or two the young wallaby being sufficiently 
 
62 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 done, Gnunnumbah drew it out of the fire with a stick, 
 and eat its hind-quarters without further preparation, 
 throwing the rest of it away. 
 
 ‘ It is the etiquette among the black natives for the 
 person who takes the game to conduct the cooking of it. 
 As soon, therefore, as the skins of the wallabies had 
 become stiff and distended from the expansion of the 
 gases in the cavity of their bodies, Tomboor-rowa and 
 Sydney each pulled one of them from the fire, and 
 scraping off the singed hair roughly with the hand, cut 
 up the belly and pulled out the entrails. They then 
 cleaned out the entrails, not very carefully by any 
 means, rubbing them roughly on the grass or on the 
 bushes, and then threw them again upon the fire. 
 When they considered them sufficiently done, the two 
 eat them, a considerable quantity of their original con¬ 
 tents remaining to serve as a sort of condiment or 
 sauce. The tails and lower limbs of the two wallabies, 
 when the latter were supposed to be done enough, 
 were twisted off and eaten by the other two natives 
 (from one of whom I got one of the vertebrjB of the 
 tail and found it delicious ); the rest of the carcases, 
 with the large snaked being packed up in a number of 
 the Sydney Herald, to serve as a mess for the whole 
 camp at Brisbane. The black fellows were evidently 
 quite delighted with the excursion ; and, on our return 
 to the Settlement, they asked Mr. Wade if he was not 
 going again to-morrow.’ 
 
 The kangaroo rat, an animal nearly as large as a 
 wild rabbit, is tolerably abundant, and very good eat¬ 
 ing, when cooked in the same manner. The natives 
 take them by driving a spear into the nest, sometimes 
 transfixing two at once, or by jumping upon the nest, 
 which is formed of leaves and grass upon the ground. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 63 
 
 It is less sought for than its larger relatives, 
 except by thorough hushmen, owing to the prejudice 
 excited by the unfortunate name which has been be¬ 
 stowed upon it. Those who have once tried it usually 
 become fond of it; and to the sawyers and splitters 
 j these animals yield many a fresh meal, during their 
 ! sojourn amidst the heavily timbered flats and ranges of 
 Victoria and New South Wales. The animal is not of 
 the rat species, but a perfect kangaroo in miniature. 
 
 The flesh of the phalangers is of delicate flavor. 
 
 ' The large grey opossum (^Flialangista vulpina) forms 
 a great resource for food to the natives of Australia, 
 who climb the tallest trees in search of them, and take 
 : them from the hollow branches. The flesh is very good, 
 though not much used by the settlers, the carcase being 
 thrown to the dogs, while the sportsman contents him- 
 ^ self with the skin. 
 
 The common opossum (Didelphi/s Virginiana) is 
 eaten in some of the states and territories of America; 
 
 I it is very much like a large rat, and is classed among 
 j the ‘ vermin’ by the Americans. Their flesh is, how- 
 j ever, white and well-tasted; but their ugly tail puts 
 j one out of conceit with the fare. 
 
 j The wombat, a bear-like marsupial quadruped of 
 Australia, (the Phascolomys wombat,') is eaten in 
 New South Whales and other parts of the Australian 
 Continent. In size it often equals a sheep, some of the 
 ! largest weighing 140 lbs.; and the flesh is said by 
 some to be not unlike venison, and by others to re¬ 
 semble lean mutton. As it is of such considerable size, 
 attaining the length of three feet, it has been suggested 
 that it might be worth naturalizing here. 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
64 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 EODENTIA. 
 
 Passing now to the rodents or gnawing animals, we 
 find that the large grey squirrel (Sciurus cinereus. 
 Desm.) is very good eating. The flesh of the squirrel 
 is much valued by the Dyaks, and it will, doubtless, 
 hereafter be prized for the table of Europeans. 
 
 The marmot (Ai'ctom^s Marmotta), in its fat state, 
 when it first retires to its winter quarters, is in very 
 good condition, and is then killed and eaten in great 
 numbers, although we may affect to despise it. 
 
 The mouse, to the Esquimaux epicures, is a real honne 
 bouche, and if they can catch half-a-dozen at a time, 
 they run a piece of horn or twig through them, in the 
 same manner as the London poulterers prepare larks 
 for the table; and without stopping to skin them, or di¬ 
 vest them of their entrails, broil them over the fire; and 
 although some of the mice may have belonged to the 
 aborigines of the race, yet so strong is the mastication 
 of the natives, that the bones of the animal yield to its 
 power as easily as the bones of a rabbit would to a shark. 
 
 There is a very large species of rat spoken of as found 
 in the island of Martinique, nearly four times the size of 
 the ordinary rat. It is black on the back, with a white 
 belly, and is called, locally, the piloris or musk rat, as it 
 perfumes the air around. The inhabitants eat them; but 
 then they are obliged, after they are skinned, to expose 
 them a' whole night to the air; and they likewise throw 
 away the first water they are boiled in, because it smells 
 so strongly of musk. 
 
 The flesh of the musk rat is not bad, except in rutting 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 65 
 
 time, for then it is impossible to deprive it of the musky 
 1 smell and flavour. 
 
 I So fat and sleek do the rats become in the West 
 ! Indies, from feeding on the sugar cane in the cane fields, 
 j that some of the negroes find them an object of value, 
 I and, with the addition of peppers and similar spiceries, 
 prepare from them a delicate fricassee not to be sur¬ 
 passed by a dish of French frogs. 
 
 There is a professional rat-catcher employed on each 
 sugar plantation, and he is paid so much a dozen for 
 the tails he brings in to the overseer. Father Labat 
 j' tells us that he made his hunters bring the whole rat to 
 him, for if the heads or tails only came, the bodies were 
 eaten by the negroes, which he wished to prevent, as 
 he thought that this food brought on consumption ! 
 The health of the negroes was then a matter of moment, 
 considering the money value at which they were esti¬ 
 mated and sold. A rat hunt in a cane field affords 
 glorious sport. In cutting down the canes, one small 
 patch is reserved standing, into which all the rats con¬ 
 gregate, and the negroes, surrounding the preserve, with 
 their clubs and bill-hooks speedily despatch the rats, 
 and many are soon skinned and cooked. 
 
 The negroes in Brazil, too, eat every rat which they 
 can catch; and I do not see why they should not be well- 
 tasted and wholesome meat, seeing that their food is en¬ 
 tirely vegetable, and that they are clean, sleek, and 
 plump. The Australian aborigines eat mice and rats 
 whenever they can catch them. 
 
 Scinde is so infested with rats, that the price of grain 
 has risen 25 per cent, from the destruction caused to the 
 standing crops by them. The government commis¬ 
 sioner has recently issued a proclamation granting head- 
 i p ’ 
 
66 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 money on all rats and mice killed in the province. The 
 rate is to be 3c?. a dozen, the slayer having the privilege 
 of keeping the body and presenting the tail. 
 
 In China, rat soup is considered equal to ox-tail soup, 
 and a dozen fine rats will realize two dollars, or eight 
 or nine shillings. 
 
 Besides the attractions of the gold-fields for the Chi¬ 
 nese, California is so abundantly supplied with rats, that 
 they can live like Celestial emperors, and pay very little 
 for their board. The rats of California exceed the rats 
 of the older American States, just as nature on that 
 side of the continent exceeds in bountifulness of mineral 
 wealth. The California rats are incredibly large, highly 
 flavoured, and very abundant. The most refined 
 Chinese in California have no hesitation in publicly ex¬ 
 pressing their opinion of ‘ them rats.’ Their professed 
 cooks, we are told, serve up rats’ brains in a much su¬ 
 perior style to the Roman dish of nightingales’ and pea¬ 
 cocks’ tongues. The sauce used is garlic, aromatic 
 seeds, and camphor. 
 
 Chinese dishes and Chinese cooking have lately been 
 popularly described by the fluent pen of Mr. Wingrove 
 Cooke, the Times' correspondent in China, but he has 
 by no means exhausted the subject. Chinese eating 
 saloons have been opened in California and Australia, 
 for the accommodation of the Celestials who now throng 
 the gold-diggings, despite the heavy poll-tax to which 
 they have been subjected. 
 
 Mr. Albert Smith, writing home from China, August 
 22, 1858, his first impressions, says ;— 
 
 ‘ The filth they eat in the eating houses far surpasses 
 that cooked at that old trattoria at Genoa. It consists 
 for the most part of rats, bats, snails, bad eggs, and 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 07 
 
 hideous fish, dried in the most frightful attitudes. Some 
 of the restaurateurs carry their cook-shops about with 
 them on long poles, with the kitchen at one end, and 
 the salle-a-manger at the other. These are celebrated 
 for a soup made, I should think, from large caterpillars 
 boiled in a thin gravy, with onions.’ 
 
 The following is an extract from the bill of fare of 
 
 one of the San Francisco eating houses— 
 
 Grimalkin steaks 
 Bow-wow soup 
 Roasted bow-wow 
 Bow-wow pie 
 Stews ratified 
 The latter dish is rather dubious. 
 
 25 cents. 
 
 12 „ 
 
 18 „ 
 
 6 „ 
 
 6 „ 
 
 What is meant bv 
 
 stews rat-ified ? Can it be another name for rat pie ? 
 Give us light, but no pie. 
 
 The San Francisco Whig furnishes the following de¬ 
 scription of a Chinese feast in that city : — ‘ We were 
 yesterday invited, with three other gentlemen, to partake 
 of a dinner a la Chinese. At three o’clock we were waited 
 upon by our hosts, Keychong, and his partner in Sacra- 
 mento-street, Peter Anderson, now a naturalized citizen 
 of the United States, and Acou, and escorted to the 
 crack Chinese restaurant in Dupont-street, called Hong- 
 fo-la, where a circular table was set out in fine style:— 
 
 ‘Course No. 1.—Tea, hung-yos (burnt almonds), ton- 
 kens (dry ginger), sung-wos (preserved orange). 
 
 ‘ Course No 2.—Won-fo (a dish oblivious to us, and 
 not mentioned in the cookery-book). 
 
 ‘ No. 3.—Ton-song (ditto likewise). 
 
 ‘ No. 4.—Tap-fan (another quien sahe). 
 
 ‘ No. 5.—Ko-yo (a conglomerate of fish, flesh, and fowl). 
 
 ‘ No. 0.—Suei-chon (a species of fish ball). 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ Here a kind of liquor was introduced, served up in 
 small cups, holding about a thimbleful, which polite¬ 
 ness required we should empty between every course, 
 first touching cups and salaaming. 
 
 ‘ No. 7.—Beche-le-mer (a dried sea-slug, resembling 
 India rubber, worth one dollar per pound). 
 
 ‘No. 8—Moisum. (Have some?) 
 
 ‘ No. 9.—Su- Yum (small balls, as bills of lading re¬ 
 mark, ‘ contents unknown ’). 
 
 ‘ No. 10.—Hoisuigo (a kind of dried oyster). 
 
 ‘No. 11. —Songhai (China lobster). 
 
 ‘ No. 12.—Chung-so (small ducks in oil). 
 
 ‘ No. 13.—Tong-chou (mushrooms, worth three dol¬ 
 lars per pound. 
 
 ‘ No. 14.'—Sum-yoi (birds’ nests, worth 60 dollars 
 per pound. 
 
 ‘ And some ten or twelve more courses, consisting of 
 stewed acorns, chestnuts, sausages, dried ducks, stuffed 
 oysters, shrimps, periwinkles, and ending with tea— 
 each course being served up with small china bowls and 
 plates, in the handiest and neatest manner; and we 
 have dined in many a crack restaurant, where it would 
 be a decided improvement to copy from our Chinese 
 friends. The most difficult feat for us was the handling 
 of the chop sticks, which mode of carrying to the mouth 
 is a practical illustration of the old proverb, ‘ many a 
 slip ’twixt the cup and lip.’ We came away, after a 
 three hours’ sitting, fully convinced that a China dinner 
 is a very costly and elaborate affair, worthy the atten¬ 
 tion of epicures. From this time, henceforth, we are in 
 the field for China, against any insinuations on the 
 question of diet a la rat, which we pronounce a tale of 
 untruth. We beg leave to return thanks to our host. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 69 
 
 Keychong, for his elegant entertainment, which one 
 conversant with the Chinese bill of fare informs ns, must 
 have cost over 100 dollars. Vive la China ! ’ 
 
 JMr. Cooke, in his graphic letters from China, speaks 
 of the fatness and fertility of the rats of our colony of 
 Hong Kong. He adds : ‘ When Minutius, the dictator, 
 was swearing Flaminius in as his Master of the Horse, we 
 are told by Plutarch that a rat chanced to squeak, and 
 the superstitious people compelled both officers to resign 
 their posts. Office would be held with great uncer- 
 I tainty in Hong Kong if a similar superstition prevailed. 
 
 I Sir John Bowring has just been swearing in General 
 1 Ashburnham as member of the Colonial Council, and if 
 the rats were silent, they showed unusual modesty. 
 They have forced themselves, however, into a state 
 paper. Two hundred rats are destroyed every night in 
 the gaol. Each morning the Chinese prisoners see, 
 with tearful eyes and watering mouths, a pile of these 
 delicacies cast out in waste. It is as if Christian 
 prisoners were to see scores of white sucking pigs tossed 
 forth to the dogs by Mahommedan gaolers. At last 
 they could refrain no longer. Daring the punishment 
 i of tail-cutting, which follows any infraction of prison 
 discipline, they first attempted to abstract the delicacies. 
 Foiled in this, they took the more manly course. They 
 indited a petition in good Chinese, proving from Con¬ 
 fucius that it is sinful to cast away the food of man, and 
 praying that the meat might be handed over to them to 
 cook and eat. This is a fact, and if General Thompson 
 i doubts it, I recommend him to move for a copy of the 
 correspondence.’ 
 
 A new article of traffic is about to be introduced into 
 ' the China market from India, namely, salted rats! 
 
70 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The genius with whom the idea originated, it would ap¬ 
 pear, is sanguine; so much so, that he considers himself 
 ‘ on the fair road to fortune.’ The speculation deserves 
 success, if for nothing else than its originality. I have 
 not, as yet however, observed the price that rules in 
 Whampoa and Hong Kong nor the commodity quoted in 
 any of the merchants’ circulars, though it will, doubtless, 
 soon find its place in them as a regular article of import. 
 
 A correspondent of the Calcutta Citizen, writing from 
 Kurrachee, the chief town of the before mentioned rat 
 infested province of Scinde, declares that he is deter¬ 
 mined to export 120,000 salted rats to China. The 
 Chinese eat rats, and he thinks they may sell. He 
 says;—‘ I have to pay one pice a dozen, and the gut¬ 
 ting, salting, pressing, and packing in casks, raises the 
 price to six pice a dozen (about three farthings), and if 
 I succeed in obtaining anything like the price that rules 
 in Whampoa and Canton for corn-grown rats, my for¬ 
 tune is made, or rather, I will be on the fair road to it, 
 and will open a fine field of enterprise to Scinde.’ 
 
 Eats may enter into consumption in other quarters, 
 and among other people, than those named, when we 
 find such an advertisement as the following in a recent 
 daily paper at Sydney :— 
 
 ‘ Eats ! Eats ! Eats !—To-night at 8 o’clock, rat¬ 
 tling sport; 200 rats to be entered at G. W. Parker’s 
 Family Hotel.’ 
 
 Query.—What ultimately becomes of these rats, and 
 who are the persons who locate and take their meals at 
 this ‘Family Hotel?’ Probably they are of the rough 
 lot whose stomachs are remarkably strong. 
 
 Some classes of the Malabars are very fond of the 
 bandicoot, or pig rat (Perameles nasuta, Geoff. Desm.), 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 71 
 
 which measures about fourteen inches in length from 
 head to tail, the tail being nearly as long as the body. 
 They are much sought after by the coolies, on the 
 coffee estates in Ceylon, who eat them roasted. They 
 also eat the coffee rat [Golunda Ellioti of Gray), 
 roasted or fried in oil, which is much smaller, the head 
 and body only measuring about four or five inches. 
 These animals are migratory, and commit great damages 
 on the coffee tree, as many as a thousand having been 
 killed in a day on one estate. The planters offer a re¬ 
 ward for the destruction of these rodents, which brings 
 grist to the mill in two ways to the coolies who hunt or 
 entrap them, namely, in money and food. 
 
 The fat dormouse [Myoxus glis, Desm.) is used for 
 food in Italy, as it was by the ancient Romans, who 
 fattened them for the table in receptacles called Gliraria. 
 
 Dr. Rae, in his last arctic exploring expedition, states, 
 that the principal food of his party was geese, partridges, 
 and lemmings [ArvicoJa Hudsonia). These little animals 
 were migrating northward, and were so numerous that 
 their dogs, as they trotted on, killed as many as sup¬ 
 ported them all, without any other food. 
 
 There is another singular little animal, termed by 
 naturalists the vaulting rat, or jerboa. On an Aus¬ 
 tralian species, the Dipus Mitchelli, the natives of the 
 country between Lake Torrens and the Great Creek, 
 in Australia seem chiefly to subsist. It is a little 
 larger than a mouse, and the hind legs are similar to 
 those of the kangaroo. 
 
 Captain Sturt and his exploring party once witnessed 
 a curious scene. They came to a native who had been 
 eating jerboas, and after they met him they saw him eat 
 one hundred of them. His mode of cooking was quite 
 
74 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 in his imagination, his arms relaxed, when off hopped 
 the rabbit, and squatting at a goodly distance, he eyed 
 his late owner with cool composure. The negro knew 
 there was an end of the stew, and summoning up all his 
 philosophy, he thus addressed the rabbit, at the same 
 time shaking his fist at him, ‘ You long-eared, white- 
 whiskered rascal, you not so berry fat arter all.’ 
 
 I need not here touch upon hare soup, jugged hare, 
 or roasted hare, from the flesh of our own rodent; but 
 the Arctic hare [Lepus glacialis) differs considerably 
 from the English in the colour and quality of its flesh, 
 being less dry, whiter, and more delicately tasted; it 
 may be dressed in any way. When in good condition 
 it weighs upwards of 10 lbs. 
 
 The capybara, or water hog (^HydrocJioerus capyhara), 
 an ugly-looking, tailless rodent, the largest of the 
 family, is hunted for its flesh in South America, and 
 is said to be remarkably good eating. It grows to the 
 size of a hog two years old. 
 
 The flesh of the guinea pig {Cavia cohay a, Desm.) 
 is eaten in South America, and is said to be not unlike 
 pork. When he is dressed for the table his skin is 
 not taken off as in other animals, but the hair is 
 scalded and scraped off in the same manner as it is 
 in a hog. 
 
 The white and tender flesh of the agouti (^Dasy- 
 procta Acuti, llesm.), when fat and well dressed, is by 
 no means unpalatable food, but very delicate and 
 digestible. It is met with in Brazil, Guiana, and 
 in Trinidad. The manner of dressing them in the 
 Y est Indies used to be to roast them with a pudding 
 in their bellies. Their skin is white, as well as the 
 flesh. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 75 
 
 ; The flesh of the brown paca [Coelogenus suhniger, 
 I Desm.), a nearly allied animal, is generally very fat, 
 I and also accounted a'great delicacy in Brazil. 
 
 Another South American rodent, the bizcacha, or 
 viscascha (Lagostomus trichodactglus), is eaten for food. 
 It somewhat resembles a rabbit, but has larger gnawing 
 
 i teeth, and a long tail. The flesh, when cooked, is 
 ^ very white and good. 
 
 '! 
 
 ii —_ 
 
 .1 
 
 I EDENTATA, OR TOOTHLESS ANIMALS. 
 
 ! 
 
 1 Wallace, in his travels on the Amazon, tells us that 
 the Indians stewed a sloth for their dinner, and as they 
 ^ considered the meat a great delicacy, he tasted it, and 
 found it tender and very palatable, 
 j Among other extraordinary animals for which Aus- 
 * tralia is proverbial, is the Echidna hgstrix, or native 
 , porcupine, which is eaten by the aborigines, who 
 i declare it to be ‘ cobbong budgeree (very good), and, 
 like pig, very fat.’ Europeans who have eaten of them 
 i confirm this opinion, and observe that they taste similar 
 I to a sucking pig. There appear to be two species of 
 this animal, the spiny echidna and the bristly echidna; 
 the first attains a large size, equalling the ordinary 
 hedgehog. It has the external coating and general ap¬ 
 pearance of the porcupine, with the mouth and peculiar 
 generic character of the ant-eater. 
 
 ^ The flesh of the great ant-eater {Mgrmecophaga 
 ' juhata, Linn.) is esteemed a delicacy by the Indians 
 and negro slaves in Brazil, and, though black and of a 
 . strong musky flavour, is sometimes even met with at 
 ^ the tables of Europeans. 
 
76 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 The armadillo, remarkable for its laminated shell, 
 when baked in its scaly coat is a good treat, the flesh 
 being considered delicate eating, somewhat like a rabbit 
 in taste and colour. The flesh of the large twelve¬ 
 handed Brazilian one (Dasypus Tatouay') is said to be 
 the best of all. In South America there are several 
 species of armadillo, all of which are used for food 
 when met with. 
 
 Mr. Gosse states, that this animal feeds upon soft 
 ground fruits and roots, and also on carrion, whenever 
 it can find it; and a large proportion of the sustenance 
 of this, as well as of other species, is derived from the 
 numberless wild cattle which are caught and slaugh¬ 
 tered on the Pampas for the sake of their hides and 
 tallow, the carcases being left as valueless to decay, or 
 to become the prey of wild animals. Notwithstanding 
 the filthy nature of their food, the armadillos, being 
 very fat, are eagerly sought for by the inhabitants of 
 European descent, as well as by the Indians. The 
 animal is roasted in its shell, and is esteemed one of 
 the greatest delicacies of the country; the flesh is said 
 to resemble that of a sucking pig. 
 
 PACHYDERMATA, OR THICK-SKINNED 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 What do our African brethren consider tit-bits ? 
 Ask Gordon Gumming. He will enumerate a list longer 
 than you can remember. Study his ‘ Adventures,’ and 
 you will become learned in the mystery of African cu¬ 
 linary operations. What are sheep’s-trotters and insipid 
 boiled calves’ feet compared to baked elephants’ paws ? 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 77 
 
 Listen to his description of the whole art and mystery 
 of the process of preparing them ;— 
 
 ‘ The four feet are amputated at the fetlock joint, and 
 the trunk, which at the base is about two feet in thick¬ 
 ness, is cut into convenient lengths. Trunk and feet 
 i are then baked, preparatory to their removal to head- 
 1 quarters. The manner in which this is done is as 
 i follows :—A party, provided with sharp-pointed sticks, 
 dig a hole in the ground for each foot and a portion of 
 I the trunk. These holes are about two feet deep and a 
 i yard in width; the excavated earth is embanked around 
 the margin of the holes. This work being completed, 
 
 ' they next collect an immense quantity of dry branches 
 and trunks of trees, of which there is always a profusion 
 scattered around, having been broken by the elephants 
 in former years. These they pile above the holes to the 
 height of eight or nine feet, and then set fire to the heap. 
 \Yhen these strong fires have burnt down, and the whole 
 of the wood is reduced to ashes, the holes and the sur- 
 ‘ rounding earth are heated to a high degree. Ten or 
 twelve men then stand round the pit and take out the 
 ■ ashes with a pole about sixteen feet in length, having a 
 . hook at the end. They relieve one another in quick 
 succession, each man running in and raking the ashes for 
 a few seconds, and then pitching the pole to his com¬ 
 rade, and retreating, since the heat is so intense that it 
 is scarcely to be endured. When all the ashes are thus 
 raked out beyond the surrounding bank of earth, each 
 elephant's foot and portion of the trunk is lifted by two 
 athletic men, standing side by side, who place it on their 
 shoulders, and, approaching the pit together, they heave 
 it into it. The long pole is now again resumed, and 
 with it they shove in the heated bank of earth upon the 
 
76 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The armadillo, remarkable for its laminated shell, 
 when baked in its scaly coat is a good treat, the flesh 
 being considered delicate eating, somewhat like a rabbit 
 in taste and colour. The flesh of the large twelve- 
 banded Brazilian one (Dasypus Tatouay') is said to be 
 the best of all. In South America there are several 
 species of armadillo, all of which are used for food 
 when met with. 
 
 Mr. Gosse states, that this animal feeds upon soft 
 ground fruits and roots, and also on carrion, whenever 
 it can find it; and a large proportion of the sustenance 
 of this, as well as of other species, is derived from the 
 numberless wild cattle which are caught and slaugh¬ 
 tered on the Pampas for the sake of their hides and 
 tallow, the carcases being left as valueless to decay, or 
 to become the prey of wild animals. Notwithstanding 
 the filthy nature of their food, the armadillos, being 
 very fat, are eagerly sought for by the inhabitants of 
 European descent, as well as by the Indians. The 
 animal is roasted in its shell, and is esteemed one of 
 the greatest delicacies of the country; the flesh is said 
 to resemble that of a sucking pig. 
 
 PAOHYDERMATA, OR THICK-SKINNED 
 ANIMALS. 
 
 What do our African brethren consider tit-bits ? 
 Ask Gordon Gumming. He will enumerate a list longer 
 than you can remember. Study his ‘ Adventures,’ and 
 you will become learned in the mystery of African cu¬ 
 linary operations. What are sheep’s-trotters and insipid 
 boiled calves’ feet compared to baked elephants’ paws ? 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 77 
 
 Listen to Lis description of tlie whole art and mystery 
 of the process of preparing them ;— 
 
 ‘ The four feet are amputated at the fetlock joint, and 
 I the trunk, which at the base is about two feet in thick- 
 ! ness, is cut into convenient lengths. Trunk and feet 
 I are then baked, preparatory to their removal to head- 
 ' quarters. The manner in which this is done is as 
 ^ follows :—A party, provided with sharp-pointed sticks, 
 dig a hole in the ground for each foot and a portion of 
 I the trunk. These holes are about two feet deep and a 
 j yard in width; the excavated earth is embanked around 
 ;| the margin of the holes. This work being completed, 
 
 ; they next collect an immense quantity of dry branches 
 ; and trunks of trees, of which there is always a profusion 
 i scattered around, having been broken by the elephants 
 j in former years. These they pile above the holes to the 
 j height of eight or nine feet, and then set fire to the heap. 
 
 ' When these strong fires have burnt down, and the whole 
 ! of the wood is reduced to ashes, the holes and the sur- 
 rounding earth are heated to a high degree. Ten or 
 ' twelve men then stand round the pit and take out the 
 ! ashes with a pole about sixteen feet in length, having a 
 ' hook at the end. They relieve one another in quick 
 succession, each man running in and raking the ashes for 
 : a few seconds, and then pitching the pole to his com- 
 j rade, and retreating, since the heat is so intense that it 
 I is scarcely to be endured. When all the ashes are thus 
 ! raked out beyond the surrounding bank of earth, each 
 j elephant’s foot and portion of the trunk is lifted by two 
 ; athletic men, standing side by side, who place it on their 
 ’ shoulders, and, approaching the pit together, they heave 
 I it into it. The long pole is now again resumed, and 
 ' with it they shove in the heated bank of earth upon the 
 
78 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 foot, shoving and raking until it is completely buried in 
 the earth. The hot embers, of which there is always a 
 great supply, are then raked into a heap above the foot, 
 and another bonfire is kindled over each, which is 
 allowed to burn down and die a natural death; by 
 which time the enormous foot or trunk will be found to 
 be equally baked throughout its inmost parts. When 
 the foot is supposed to be ready, it is taken out of the 
 ground with pointed sticks, and is first well beaten, and 
 then scraped with an assagai, whereby adhering par¬ 
 ticles of sand are got rid of. The outside is then pared 
 off, and it is transfixed with a sharp stake for facility of 
 carriage. The feet thus cooked are excellent, as is 
 also the trunk, which very much resembles buffalo’s 
 tongue.’ 
 
 Elephants’ petit(?) toes, pickled in strong toddy vine¬ 
 gar and cayenne pepper, are considered in Ceylon an 
 Apician luxury. As soon as it is known that an elephant 
 has been killed in Africa, every man in the neighbour¬ 
 hood sets off with his knife and basket for the place, and 
 takes home as much of the carcase as he can manage to 
 carry. The flesh is not only eaten when fresh, but is 
 dried and kept for months, and is then highly esteemed. 
 
 The manner in which the elephant is cut up is thus 
 described by the author and sportsman I have already 
 quoted ;—‘ The rough outer skin is first removed, in 
 large sheets, from the side which lies uppermost. 
 Several coats of an under skin are then met with. The 
 skin is of a tough and pliant nature, and is used by the 
 natives for making water-bags, in which they convey 
 supplies of water from the nearest vey, or fountain 
 (which is often ten miles distant), to the elephant. They 
 remove this inner skin with caution, taking care not to 
 
CUBIOSITIKS OF FOOD. 
 
 79 
 
 I cut it with the assagai; and it is formed into water bags 
 by gathering the corners and edges, and transfixing the 
 whole on a pointed wand. The flesh is then removed in 
 enormous sheets from the ribs, when the hatchets come 
 into play, with which they chop through and remove 
 individually each colossal rib. The bowels are thus laid 
 bare ; and in the removal of these the leading men take 
 a lively interest and active part, for it is throughout and 
 ' around the bowels that the fat of the elephant is mainly 
 ! found. There are few things which a Bechuana prizes 
 , so highly as fat of any description; they will go an 
 ! amazing distance for a small portion of it. They use it 
 principally in cooking their sun-dried biltongue, and 
 they also eat it with their corn. The fat of the elephant 
 , lies in extensive layers and sheets in his inside, and the 
 ? quantity which is obtained from a full-grown bull, in 
 high condition, is very great. Before it can be obtained, the 
 greater part of the bowels must be removed. To accom- 
 ; plish this, several men eventually enter the immense cavity 
 of his inside, where they continue mining away with their 
 1 assagais, and handing the fat to their comrades outside 
 till all is bare. While this is transpiring with the sides 
 i and bowels, other parties are equally active in removing 
 I the skin and flesh from the remaining parts of the carcase, 
 i ‘ In Northern Cachar, India, the flesh of the elephant is 
 t generally eaten. The Kookies encamp in the neighbour- 
 ! hood of the carcase until they have entirely consumed 
 it, or are driven away by the effluvia of decomposition, 
 i Portions of the flesh that they cannot immediately eat are 
 ) dried and smoked to be kept for future consumption. 
 
 : ‘ Fat of any kind is a complete godsend to the 
 
 ; Bechuana and other tribes of Southern Africa; and the 
 ? slaughter of an elephant affords them a rich harvest 
 
 •i 
 
 1 
 
 ! 
 
80 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 in disembowelling the carcase, and mining their way 
 into the interior of the huge cavity to remove the im¬ 
 mense layers furnished by such a large animal if in good 
 condition.’ 
 
 Gu-lton, the African traveller, in his hints for bush 
 cooking, tells us ;— 
 
 ‘ The dish called beatee is handy to make. It is a kind 
 of haggis made with blood, a good quantity of fat shred 
 small, some of the tenderest of the flesh, together with 
 the heart and lungs of the animal, cut or torn into small 
 shivers, all of which is put into the stomach and roasted, 
 by being suspended before the fire with a string. Care 
 must be taken that it does not get too much heat at 
 first, or it will burst. It is a most delicious morsel, 
 even without pepper, salt, or any seasoning.’ 
 
 In all the large rivers of Southern Africa, and espe¬ 
 cially towards the mouths, the hippopotami abound. 
 The colonists give them the name of sea-cows. The 
 capture of one of these huge beasts, weighing, as they 
 sometimes do, as much as four or five large oxen, is an im¬ 
 mense prize to the hungry Bushman or Koranna, as the 
 flesh is by no , means unpalatable; and the fat, with 
 which these animals are always covered, is considered 
 delicious. When salted it is called zee-koe speck, is very 
 much like excellent fat bacon, and is greatly prized by 
 the Butch colonists, not only for the table, but for the 
 reputed medicinal qualities which are attributed to it. 
 In Abyssinia, hippopotamus meat is commonly eaten. 
 
 The hog is one of those animals that are doomed to 
 clear the earth of refuse and filth, and that convert 
 the most nauseous offal into the nicest nutriment in its 
 flesh. It has not altogether been unaptly compared to 
 a miser, who is useless and rapacious in his life, but at 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 81 
 
 his death becomes of public use by the very effects of 
 his sordid manners. During his life he renders little 
 service to mankind, except in removing that filth which 
 other animals reject. 
 
 A delicate sucking pig, a Bath chap, or a good 
 I rasher of bacon are, however, tit-bits not to be despised. 
 
 Lord Brougham hoped to see the day when every 
 man in the United Kingdom would read Bacon. ‘ It 
 would be much better to the purpose,’ said Cobbett, 
 
 I ‘ if his lordship would use his influence that every man 
 ; in the kingdom could eat bacon.’ 
 
 In British India, only Europeans and the low 
 ; Hindoos eat pork, but wild hogs are very abundant, 
 and afford good sport to the himter. The avoidance 
 : of pork arises as much from religious scruples as the 
 deep-rooted aversion to the domestic swine all must 
 imbibe who have only seen it in the East, where it is a 
 j tall, gaunt, half famished, and half ferocious-looking 
 j brute, which performs the office of scavenger. 
 
 The legend which ascribes to the eating of human 
 ' flesh the origin of one of the most loathsome of diseases, 
 j scarce offers a more horrible picture to the imagination 
 * than is presented by a letter recently published in the 
 ; Cejlon Examiner. The beautiful islands of Mauritius 
 ‘ and Bourbon are largely supplied with pork from Patna, 
 
 } a province of Hindostan that has been over-run by the 
 cholera. Both there and at Calcutta the bodies of the 
 ' natives are consigned to the Ganges, instead of being 
 ] interred. . ‘ Let any person,’ says the writer in the 
 Ceylon paper, ‘ at daybreak start from the gates of 
 ’ Government House, Calcutta, and, whether his walk 
 I will be to the banks of the river or to the banks of 
 ; the canals which on three sides surround the city, he 
 
 G 
 
83 
 
 CTJEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 will see pigs feeding on the dead bodies of the natives 
 that have been thrown there during the night. During 
 the day the river police clear away and sink all that re¬ 
 mains of the bodies. Bad as is the metropolis of India 
 it is nothing compared to Patna. Hundreds upon hun¬ 
 dreds of human corpses are there strewed along the 
 strand ; and fattening, ghoule-like, upon these are 
 droves upon droves of swine. These swine are 
 slaughtered, cut up, and salted into hams, bacon, 
 and pickled pork, and then despatched to Calcutta. 
 
 , . . The great market for this poisonous swine 
 
 produce is the Mauritius and Bourbon, where it is 
 foisted on the inhabitants as the produce of Europe. 
 Moreover, as these swine are sold in Calcutta at 3s. 
 or 4s. each carcase, it is stated that the inferior class 
 of homeward-bound vessels are provisioned with them, 
 and thus this human-fed pork is introduced into Europe 
 and America.’ 
 
 Pork-eaters may believe as much of the following 
 remarks as they please. ‘It is said that the Jews, 
 Turks, Arabians, and all those who observe the precept 
 of avoiding blood and swine’s flesh, are infinitely more 
 free from disease than Christians ; more especially do 
 they escape those opprobria of the medical art, gout, 
 scrofula, consumption, and madness. The Turks eat 
 gi'eat quantities of honey and pastry, and much sugar; 
 they also eat largely, and are indolent, and yet do not 
 sulfer from dyspepsia as Christians do. The swine-fed 
 natives of Christendom suffer greater devastation from 
 a tubercular disease of the bowels (dysentery) than from 
 any other cause. Those persons who abstain from 
 swine’s flesh and blood are infinitely more healthy and 
 free from humors, glandular diseases, dyspepsia, and 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 83 
 
 consumption ; while in those districts, and among those 
 classes, of men, where the pig makes the chief article of 
 diet, tubercle in all its forms of eruptions, sore legs, bad 
 eyes, abscesses, must prevail.’ 
 
 These are the remarks of an American journalist, 
 which, however, have not, I conceive, the shadow of 
 foundation. 
 
 ‘ It appears somewhat singular,’ remarks Mr. Richard¬ 
 son, in his history of the pig, ‘ that the flesh of the hog 
 I was prohibited in the ceremonial of the Jewish law; 
 j the same prohibition being afterwards borrowed by 
 Mahomet, and introduced into the Koran.’ Great 
 difference of opinion prevails as to the cause of this 
 prohibition; some alleging that this food was unsuited 
 1 to the land inhabited by the Jews. As, however, the 
 ‘ kinds of food to be eaten and rejected—doubtless to 
 prevent that luxurious epicurism unsuited to a growing 
 j and prosperous nation—were to have a limit, this limit 
 was fixed by two distinctive marks : they must ‘ divide 
 the hoof, and chew the cud;’ that principle of re- 
 ' striction admitting only a limited range to the food 
 permitted. The pig, the horse, and the camel were 
 excluded. It was only in a state of low nationality, or 
 in times of great degeneracy, that the Jew ever tasted 
 pork. 
 
 The food of the hog varies in different localities, and 
 , probably materially influences the flavour of the meat. 
 
 1 In the River Plata provinces they feed them on mutton. 
 After describing the purchase—8,000 at eighteen-pence 
 per dozen (?)—by a Mr. M. Handy, a traveller adds, 
 
 ' ‘ As soon as the sheep became fattened on his own 
 i lands, he killed about a thousand, sold the fleeces at 
 five shillings per dozen, and with the mutton he fed a 
 ! G 2 
 
84 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 herd of swine. Mentioning this fact to a large party 
 of Europeans, at the dinner table of Lord Howden, 
 when in Buenos Ayres, my statement was received with 
 a murmur of scepticism; but I offered to accompany 
 the incredulous to the pastures, where the remainder of 
 the sheep were then feeding.’— [Two Thousand Miles' 
 Ride through the Argentine Provinces.) But the Yankees 
 heat this, according to a late American paper. In North 
 America they generally feed them on maize, but in 
 some of the States, apples form a principal portion of 
 their food, and the ‘apple sauce’ thus becomes incorpo¬ 
 rated with the flesh. A gentleman travelling down East, 
 overtook a farmer dragging a lean, wretched-looking, 
 horned sheep along the road. ‘ Where are you going 
 with that miserable animal ?’ asked the traveller. ‘ I 
 am taking him to the mutton mill, to have him ground 
 over,’ said the farmer, ‘ The mutton mill ? I never 
 heard of such a thiug. I will go with you and witness 
 the process.' They arrived at the mill; the sheep was 
 thrown alive into the hopper, and almost immediately 
 disappeared. They descended to a lower apartment, 
 and, in a few moments, there was ejected from a spout 
 in the ceiling four quarters of excellent mutton, two 
 sides of morocco leather, a wool hat of the first quality, 
 a sheep’s head handsomely dressed, and two elegantly- 
 carved powder horns,’ 
 
 In America they speak of hogs as other countries do 
 of their sugar, coffee, and general exportable staple 
 crops; and even when packed and cured tliey occasionally 
 compute the produce by the acre. Thus, the Louisville 
 Courier stated recently, that there were five or six 
 acres of barrelled pork piled up three tiers high, in 
 open lots, and not less than six acres more not packed, 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 85 
 
 which would make eighteen acres of barrels if laid side 
 by side, exclusive of lard in barrels, and pork bulked 
 down in the curing houses, sheds, &c. Besides the 
 above slaughtered hogs, there were five or six acres 
 more of live hogs in pens, waiting their destiny. 
 
 In the Western States pork is the great idea, and 
 the largest owner of pigs is the hero of the prairie. 
 What coal has been to England, wheat to the Nile or 
 the Danube, coffee to Ceylon, gold to California and 
 Victoria, and sheep to the Cape and Australia, pork 
 has been to the West in America. 
 
 The phrase, ‘ Going the whole hog,’ must have 
 originated in Ohio, for there they use up the entire car¬ 
 cases of about three-quarters of a million of pigs, and 
 the inhabitants are the most ‘ hoggish’ community of the 
 entire Union. What crocodiles were in Egypt, what 
 cows are in Bengal, or storks in Holland, pigs are in 
 Cincinnati, with this trifling difference, their sacredness 
 of character lasts but as long as their mortal coil; and 
 this is abbreviated without ceremony, and from the most 
 worldly motives. In life, the pig is free, is honored; 
 he ranges the streets, he reposes in thoroughfares, he 
 walks beneath your horse’s legs, or your own; he is 
 everywhere respected ; but let the thread of his existence 
 be severed, and—shade of Mahomet !—what a change I 
 They think in Cincinnati of nothing but making the 
 most of him. 
 
 Historically, socially, gastronomically, the pig demands 
 our careful attention. The connection with commerce, 
 with the cuisine, and even with the great interest of fire 
 insurance, have all made him an object of particular 
 regard. In the early days of the Celestial Empire—as 
 we learn from the veracious writings of the witty and 
 
86 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 voracious essayist, Charles Lamb—a wealthy Chinaman 
 was so unfortunate as to have his dwelling destroyed by 
 fire. Prowling around the smoking ruins, and seeking 
 to save some of his valuables which the conflagration 
 might have spared, his hand came in contact with the 
 smoking remains of a poor pig which had perished in 
 the flames; instantly, smarting with the pain, he carried 
 his hand to his mouth, when a peculiar flavour greeted 
 his palate, such as the gods (Chinese ones I mean, of 
 course,) might in vain have sighed for. Pegardless of 
 pain he applied himself once more, and drew forth from 
 the smoking cinders the remains of the pig. Carefully 
 brushing off the ashes, he regaled himself with the 
 feast before him, but closely preserved the secret he had 
 learned. In a few .short months, however, the taste for 
 roast pig came back so strong, that John Chinaman’s 
 house was burned down again, and again was a pig 
 found in the ashes. This was repeated so often that the 
 neighbours grew suspicious, and watched until they 
 ascertained that the reason for the conflagration was the 
 feast that invariably followed. Once out, the secret 
 spread like wildfire; every hill-top shone with the 
 flames of a burning habitation—every valley was 
 blackened with the ashes of a homestead; but roast pig 
 was dearer to a Chinaman than home or honour, and 
 still the work of destruction went on. Alarmed at a 
 course which bid fair to ruin every insurance office in 
 the empire, the directors petitioned in a body to the 
 General Court of China, for the passing of an Act that 
 should arrest the evil and avert their threatened ruin; 
 and a careful examination of the revised statutes of 
 China would probably show stringent resolutions 
 
CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 87 
 
 against the crime of burning houses for the sake of 
 roasting pigs. 
 
 Since the invention of the modern cooking stove, how¬ 
 ever, although incendiarism has decreased only in a 
 slight degree, still it has ceased to he attributed to this 
 cause, and a juicy crackling is no longer suggestive of 
 fallen rafters, or a houseless family. 
 
 ‘ There is an old adage, ‘ Give a dog a bad name, and 
 his ruin is accomplished.' Such may be true of the 
 canine race; hut the noble family of animals of which 
 I am treating, furnishes a striking illustration that the 
 proverb applies not to their numbers. A goose, it is 
 said, saved lordly Eome by its cackling; and had not 
 their list of Divinities just then been full, a grateful 
 people would have found for him a sedgy pool and 
 quiet nest in Olympus. How did the ancestors of that 
 same people repay the pig for a service scarcely less 
 important ? 
 
 ‘ The veriest smatterer in the classics knows, that, 
 when from flaming Troy ‘ Hijneas the great Anchises 
 bore,’ seeking in strange lands a new home for his con¬ 
 quered people, a white sow, attended by thirty white 
 little pigs, pure as herself, pointed out to him the scene 
 of his future empire. But what did he and his people 
 do for the pig in return ? Did they load him with 
 honours ? Did they cherish him with corn ? Did they 
 treat him with respect? No! with black ingratitude, 
 which still merits the indignation of every admirer of 
 the pig, they affixed to the animal the appellation of 
 Porous; and ‘poor cuss’ the pig would have been to 
 the present day, had not the Latin tongue long since 
 ceased to be the language of the world. But, ‘ poor 
 
88 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 cuss’ he is no longer, when in Worcester county he 
 spurns his classic name, and, adopting the vernacular, 
 he ‘ grows the whole hog,’ that he may ‘ pork us,’ in 
 return for the care which we bestow upon him. 
 
 ‘ For the sake of our farmers, who are anxious to 
 make a profit from pig-raising, it is greatly to be 
 regretted that the thirty-at-a-litter breed has dis¬ 
 appeared from the face of the earth. Breeding swine 
 with such a rate of increase must be almost as pro¬ 
 fitable as ‘ shaving’ notes at two per cent, per month; 
 hut still the impression is irresistibly forced upon us, 
 that, in a family so numerous, those who came last to 
 dinner, at least in their infant days, would not have 
 gained flesh very rapidly. Indeed, in such a family it 
 would seem almost impossible to dispense with the ser¬ 
 vices of a wet nurse, in order to bring up profitably the 
 rising generation. 
 
 ‘ The course of the pig, like that of the Star of 
 Empire, has ever tended westward. From China we 
 trace him to Italy, the gloomy mountains of the Hartz, 
 the broad plains of Westphalia, the fertile valleys of 
 France, and to the waving forests of ‘ Merrie England;’ 
 all have known him since the days when their bold 
 barons and hungry retainers sat down to feast on the 
 juicy chine of the wild boar, and the savoury haunch of 
 venison. In green Erin, piggy has been an important 
 member of society; true, he has shared his master’s 
 meal, and basked in the comfortable warmth of his 
 cabin; but, like a ‘ gintleman’ as he is, he has ever paid 
 the ‘ rint;’ and St. Patrick, in the plenitude of his 
 power and influence, never saw the day he could have 
 banished him from that ‘ gem of the ocean.’ 
 
 ‘ When the pig first crossed to this western world 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 89 
 
 remains in doubt. Whether he came with the Pilgrims, 
 pressing with the foot of a pioneer the Blarney-stone of 
 New England, and scanning with fearless eye the cheer¬ 
 less prospect before him, or whether, regardless of liberty 
 of conscience, and careful only of his own comfort, he 
 waited till the first trials and toils of a new settlement 
 had been met and overcome, we have no record; enough 
 for us that he is here; how or where he came concerns 
 us not. He is among us and of us. From souse to 
 sausage we have loved him; from ham to harslet we 
 have honoured him; from chine to chops we have 
 cherished him. The care we have shown him has been 
 repaid a bund red-fold. He has loaded our tables, and 
 lighted our fire-sides, and smiling plenty has followed 
 in his steps, where hungry famine w'ould have stalked 
 in his absence. 
 
 ‘ But still further towards the setting sun has been the 
 arena of the pig’s greatest triumphs ; there have been 
 the fields of his widest influence. Beneath the vast 
 forests of Ohio, raining to the ground their yearly har¬ 
 vests of mast—through her broad corn-fields, stretching 
 as far as the eye can see, he has roamed, and fed, and 
 fattened. From him, and the commercial interests he 
 has mainly contributed to establish, has grown a mighty 
 State, scarcely second to any in this confederacy; from 
 his ashes has arisen a new order in society—the ‘ Bris- 
 tleocracy of the great West.’ 
 
 ‘ A broad levee bustling with business, lofty and spa¬ 
 cious stores and slaughter-houses, crowded pens, and a 
 river bearing on its bosom steamboats in fleets—all 
 attest the interest which the pig has exerted on the 
 agricultural and commercial interests of the great State 
 of Ohio. He has filled the coffers of her bankers, and 
 
90 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 has bought the silks which cover her belles. He has 
 built the beautiful palaces which adorn the ‘ Queen City 
 of the West,’ and feeds the princely luxury of those 
 who inhabit them. There he is almost an object of 
 worship, and his position is considered as about equiva¬ 
 lent to a patent of nobility. Fancy dimly paints the 
 picture, when a few years hence, the wealthy pork mer¬ 
 chant, who justly boasts his numerous quarterings, shall, 
 in the true spirit of heraldry, paint on the pannel of his 
 carriage, and on the escutcheon over his door-way, a 
 lustrous shield, bearing in brilliant colours a single pig, 
 his bristles all rampant, his tail closely curlant, and his 
 mouth widely opant, till the lions, the griffins, and the 
 unicorns of the Old World shall fade into insignificance 
 before the heraldic devices of the New.’*" 
 
 ‘Your Spanish pig, w'ho, by the way, is a no less im¬ 
 portant character in his country than is his cousin in 
 Ireland, is not raised for the vulgar purpose of being 
 fried to lard, or salted down to pork. He has, in fact, 
 no more fat than he has hair on him. He is a long-legged, 
 long-snouted, and long-tailed fellow, and would have 
 been described by Plato as an animal without hairs. 
 But though the pickings on his ribs be small, they are 
 sweet. The Spaniard rolls the morsels under his tongue 
 as he does his easily-besetting sins. It is nut-fed 
 flesh ; and has the flavour of acorns. This taste is as 
 much prized in the roasted joint as that of the skin in 
 the sherry. Pig is game in Spain. The porker does 
 not live there in the chimney corner, and sit in the best 
 arm-chair, as in Paddy’s cabin ; but he roams the fields, 
 and goes a-nutting with the boys and girls. He eats 
 
 * A Paper on Swine, read before the Worcester (Massachu¬ 
 setts) Agrieultural Society. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 01 
 
 grass, as tliere are no cows to eat it; and would milk 
 tile goats, doubtless, if they would let him. He 
 evidently knows more than the same animal in other 
 countries; and is, in consequence, more willing to 
 he driven. He will squeal when he feels the knife, hut 
 for no other reason. Nor is his squeal the same as that 
 heard at the North. There are more vowel sounds in 
 it. It is also less through the nose than in New Eng¬ 
 land; and has some gutturals even farther down the 
 throat than those of a Dutchman. Your wild boar is a 
 monster compared with him. The flesh of the latter is 
 to that of the former as the crisp hrown of roast pig is 
 to the tanned hide in your riding saddle. Accordingly, 
 to refuse pork at a Spanish table is to pronounce your¬ 
 self ‘ of the circumcision and should you decline a cut 
 of a particularly nice ham, you would he set down as no 
 better than a heathen. However, you never would do it 
 —particularly after having read this essay. I assure you 
 that when you may have eaten up all the chickens which 
 were stowed away in your saddle bags, you cannot do 
 better than to attack your landlord’s roast pig—provided 
 you can get it. Only it may cost you dear in the 
 reckoning, as it is thought a dish to set before the king. 
 You may like pork, or you may not; but one thing is 
 certain, it is the only meat in the Peninsula which has 
 juices in it. Mutton may have a very little ; and shoidd 
 you travel far in the country, you would see the day 
 when you would be glad of a leg of it. But the beef is 
 dry as ‘ whittlings.’ An entire joint of roast beef 
 would kill a man as effectually as a joist of timber. 
 Whoever should undertake to live on Spanish beef a 
 twelvemonth, would become at the end of that time 
 what he was, in fact, at the beginning—wooden- 
 
99 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 headed. Make up your mind, therefore, to eat the meat 
 of the uncircumcised, if you have any thought of going 
 to Spain. You will often have to take your choice 
 between that and nothing; and my word for it, ’tis 
 much preferable. For the land is leaner far than pork; 
 and happy is that traveller, who, when he is reduced to 
 pickings, can find a spare-rib to work upon. Fore¬ 
 warned—forearmed.^!'’ 
 
 Pork is the great food of the Brazilian people. It is 
 prepared and eaten, according to Dr, Walshe, in a 
 peculiar manner. When the pig is killed, the butcher 
 dexterously scoops out the bones and muscular flesh, 
 leaving behind only the covering of fat. In this state 
 it is salted, folded up, and sent in great quantities to 
 Rio, where it is called toucinho. All the stores and 
 vendas are full of it, and it is used commonly for 
 culinary purposes, and forms an ingredient in every 
 Brazilian article of cookery. 
 
 The flesh of the peccary (after cutting away the fetid 
 orifice on its back) and of the wild or musk hog, both 
 known under the Indian appellation of quanco in 
 Trinidad, is much preferable to that of the domestic 
 swine. 
 
 The flesh of the rhinoceros is eaten in Abyssinia, 
 and by some of the Dutch settlers in the Cape Colony, 
 and is in high esteem. The flesh of the hippopotamus 
 used also to be eaten on the east coast of Africa, roasted 
 or boiled, and fetched a high price as a delicacy. The 
 fat was used in making puddings, instead of butter. The 
 Portuguese settlers were permitted by the priests to eat 
 the flesh of this animal in Lent, passing it off as Jish 
 
 * Putnam’s Monthly Magazine, 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 93 
 
 from its amphibious habits, and hence their consciences 
 were at ease. 
 
 The flesh of the tapir, when roasted, closely resem¬ 
 bles beef, especially if it be young; and that of the 
 water hare is also considered excellent food, being 
 white and delicate, and much of the same flavour as 
 that of the tapir. 
 
 HORSE-FLESH. 
 
 At Paris, where all eccentricities are found, and even 
 encouraged, one of the latest gastronomic innovations is 
 the use of horse-flesh. The French are always adding to 
 their dietetic regimen by introducing new articles of 
 food. This social phenomenon of making the horse con¬ 
 tribute to the nourishment of the human race, is not 
 altogether new. The ancient Germans and Scandina¬ 
 vians had a marked liking for horse-flesh. The nomade 
 tribes of Northern Asia make horse-flesh their favorite 
 food. It has long been authorized and publicly sold in 
 Copenhagen. 
 
 With the high riding prices of butcher’s meat, what 
 think you, gentlemen and housekeepers, of horse-flesh as 
 a substitute for beef and mutton ? Are you innocently 
 ignorant of the French treatise of that eminent naturalist 
 and professor of zoology, M. St. Hilaire, upon horse for 
 food? Banquets of horse-flesh are at present the rage 
 in Paris, Toulouse, and Berlin. The veterinary schools 
 there pronounce horse-bone soup preferable beyond 
 measure to the old-fashioned beef-bone liquid, and 
 much more economical. 
 
94 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Horse-flesh steak without sauce, and cold, is cited as 
 a morsel superior to the finest game that flies ! and 
 cut, too, from a horse nearly a quarter of a century 
 old ; one of the labouring cavalry kind who pranced at 
 the sound of the trumpet, and snuffed the battle from 
 afar off, little dreaming he was doomed to steaks, soup, 
 and washing-day hashes. Horse-flesh pie, too, eaten 
 cold, is a dainty now at Berlin and Toulouse, and boiled 
 horse, recliaujffe, has usurped the place of ragouts and 
 secondary dishes I What a theme, hippophology, to 
 write upon. We shall soon hear in our city dining 
 rooms, ‘ A piece o’ horse, my kingdom for a piece of 
 horse!’ ‘ W^aiter ! a cut from the fore-shoulder, well 
 done.’ ‘ A horse sandwich and ale, and the morning 
 paper.’ Our witty friend Punch had its horse-laugh 
 recently upon the subject of the sensation this move¬ 
 ment has created in equestrian circles. 
 
 A Frenchman, observes a recent writer, was one day 
 remonstrating against the contempt expressed by 
 Englishmen for French beef, the inferiority of which 
 he would not admit. ‘ I have been two times in 
 England,’ said he, ‘ but I nevere find the beef so 
 sup^rieur to ours. I find it vary convenient that they 
 bring it you on leetle pieces of stick for one penny, but 
 I do not find the beef sup6rieur.’ ‘ Good gracious I ’ 
 exclaimed the Englishman, ‘ you have been eating cats’ 
 meat for beef.’ What this Frenchman did in the inno¬ 
 cence of his heart, his countrymen now do, it seems, 
 with malice prepense. 
 
 And a Frenchman of considerable reputation, in a 
 letter on alimentary substances, and especially upon the 
 flesh of the horse, calls upon the whole world to put 
 aside, what he considers, an ancient and absurd pre- 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 95 
 
 judice, and to realize at home that famons sentence in 
 the geography we used to read at school, which, under 
 the head of Norway, informed us ‘horse-flesh is publicly 
 sold in the markets.’ 
 
 ‘ M. Isidore St. Hilaire is very serious. He does not 
 merely advocate the fillet of horse-flesh—the mare soup 
 and fricasseed colt—in sarcastic allusion to the practice of 
 Parisian restaurants. He comes gravely forward, with 
 chapters of scientific evidence and argument, to contend 
 that, while animal food is absolutely necessary to the 
 proper nourishment of the human race, millions of 
 Frenchmen eat no animal food, and every year millions 
 , of pounds of excellent meat are wasted. He knows 
 how the cause he advocates lends itself to ridicule—he 
 knows how difficult it has always been to get rid of a 
 , prejudice—he knows the fate of innovators; hut, though 
 a Frenchman, he braves ridicule, brings a heavy bat¬ 
 tery of facts to destroy what he deems a prejudice, and 
 1 is already experiencing some of the triumph which 
 follows a hard-won victory. For seven years he has 
 been advocating the desirableness of eating horse-flesh— 
 for seven or eight years he has been collecting evidence 
 and gaining converts—and now he feels strong enough 
 i to appeal to the European public in a small volume.* 
 i ‘ Since then, Germany has had its ‘ Banquets of Horse¬ 
 flesh ’ for the wits to ridicule—public feastings at which 
 ‘ cats’ meat ’ was served in various forms, as soup, as 
 boiiilli, as fillet, as cutlet; and all the feasters left the 
 1 table converted hippophagists. In 1841, horse-flesh was 
 adopted at Ochsenhausen and Wurtemburg, w’hcre it is 
 
 * Lettres sur les Substances Alimentaires, et particulierement sur 
 la Viande de Cheval. Par M. Isidore GeofFroy St. Hilaire. 
 Paris, 1856. 
 
96 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 now publicly sold under the surveillance of the police. 
 Every week five or six horses are brought to market. 
 At the Lake of Constance, a large quantity of this meat 
 is also sold. In 1842, a banq\iet of 150 persons in¬ 
 augurated its public Tise at Konigsbaden, near Stutt- 
 gard. In 1846, the police of Baden authorized its 
 public sale, and Schaffhausen followed in the same 
 year. In 1847, at Detmold and at Weimar, public 
 horse-flesh banquets were held with great eclat —in 
 Karlsbad (Bohemia) and its environs, the new beef 
 came into general use—and at Zittau, 200 horses are 
 eaten annually. At Ling, after one of these banquets, 
 the police permitted the sale of horse-flesh, which is 
 now general in Austria, Bohemia, Saxony, Hanover, 
 Switzerland, and Belgium. The innovation made rapid 
 converts. In 1853, Berlin had no less than five abat¬ 
 toirs, where 150 horses were killed and sold. At 
 Vienna, in 1853, there w^as a riot to prevent one of 
 these banquets; but in 1854, such progress had been 
 made, that 32,000 pounds weight were sold in fifteen 
 days, and at least 10,000 of the inhabitants habitually 
 ate horse-flesh.’ And now Parisian banquets of horse¬ 
 flesh are common. 
 
 These facts are at all events curious. Think of the 
 prejudices to be overcome, and think how unreasoning 
 is the stomach! 
 
 Young horses are too valuable to be brought to the 
 shambles, unless killed by accident. But our worn-out 
 hacks, of which 250 or 300 die or are killed weekly in 
 the metropolis,—old horses used up, are capable, we 
 are assured, of furnishing good meat. An old horse, 
 which had done diity for twenty-five years, was the 
 substance of a learned gastronomic feast at Paris. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 97 
 
 M. St. Hilaire, the champion of this new addition to 
 our food resources, reasons in this fashion :—‘ Horse¬ 
 flesh has long been regarded as of a sweetish disagreeable 
 taste, very tough, and not to he eaten without difficulty. 
 So many different facts are opposed to this prejudice, that 
 it is impossible not to recognize its slight foundation. 
 The free or wild horse is hunted as game in all parts 
 of the world where it exists—Asia, Africa, and Ame¬ 
 rica—and formerly, and perhaps even now, in Europe. 
 The domestic horse itself is made use of as alimentary 
 as well as auxiliary—in some cases altogether alimentary 
 ' —in Africa, America, Asia, and in some parts of Europe. 
 
 ‘ Its flesh is relished by people the most different in 
 their manner of life, and of races the most diverse, 
 negro, Mongol, Malay, American, Caucasian. It was 
 much esteemed up to the eighth century among the 
 ancestors of some of the greatest nations of Western 
 Europe, who had it in general use, and gave it up with 
 regret. Soldiers to whom it has been served out, and 
 people in towns who have bought it in markets, have 
 ; frequently taken it for beef. Still more often, and 
 indeed habitually, it has been sold in restaurants, even 
 in the best, as venison, and without the customers ever 
 suspecting the fraud or complaining of it. 
 
 ; ‘ And further, if horse-flesh has been often accepted 
 
 I as good under a false name, it has also been pronounced 
 
 ! good by those who, to judge of its qualities, have siib- 
 mitted it to careful experiment, and by all who have 
 ji tasted it in a proper condition, that is, when taken from 
 ; a sound and rested horse, and kept sufficiently long. 
 } It is then excellent roasted; and if it be not so accepta- 
 Iji hie as houilli, it is precisely because it furnishes one of 
 i the best soups—perhaps the best that is known. 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ It is good also, as experiments prove made by my¬ 
 self as well as others, when taken from old horses not 
 fattened, whose age was IG, 19, 20, and even 23 years, 
 animals thought w’orth no more than a few francs beyond 
 the value of their skin. 
 
 • This is a capital fact, since it shows the possibility of 
 utilizing a second time, for their flesh, horses which 
 have already been utilized up to old age for their 
 strength; and, consequently, of obtaining a further and 
 almost gratuitous profit at the end of their life, after 
 they had well nigh paid the cost of their rearing and 
 keep by their labour.’ 
 
 Let us see what additional evidence M. St. Hilaire 
 has to adduce. First, he appeals to his long experience 
 at the Jardin des Plantes, where the greater part of 
 the carnivora are habitually fed on horse -flesh, which 
 keeps them healthy in spite of many unfavourable con¬ 
 ditions. But this will not carry much weight with it. 
 Our digestion is not quite so good as that of a lion. 
 The condor has been known to eat, with satisfaction, 
 food which Mrs. Brown would find little to her taste. 
 No dietetic rule for men can be deduced from the diges¬ 
 tions of tigers. We prefer the experience of human 
 stomachs. Fortunately this is not wanting, and M. St. 
 Hilaire collects an imposing mass of evidence. Huzard, 
 the celebrated veterinary surgeon, records, that during 
 the revolution, the population of Paris was for six months 
 dieted with horse-flesh, without any ill effects. Some 
 complaints, indeed, were made when it was found that 
 the heef came from horses; but, in spite of prejudice 
 and the terrors such a discovery may have raised, no 
 single case of illness was attributed to the food. Larrey, 
 the great army surgeon, declares that on very many oc- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 99 
 
 casions duringtlie campaigns, lie administeredliorse-flesh 
 to the soldiers, and to the soldiers sick in the hospital; and 
 instead of finding it injurious, it powerfully contributed 
 to the convalescence of the sick, and drove away a scor¬ 
 butic epidemic which attacked the men. The testimony 
 of Parent Duchatelet is also quoted to the same effect. 
 M. St. Hilaire feels himself abundantly authorized to 
 declare that horse-flesh, far from being unwholesome, is 
 one of the most nutritious and wholesome of alimentary 
 substances ; and, to support this declaration, he adduces 
 the testimony of historians and travellers, showing how 
 whole tribes and nations have habitually eaten and 
 highly esteemed it. 
 
 Having thus, as he considers, satisfactorily settled 
 the question of wholesomeness, M. St. Hilaire proceeds 
 to deal with the question of agreeableness. Is whole¬ 
 some horse-flesh agreeable enough to tempt men, not 
 starving, to eat it? It is, of course, of little use that 
 historians and travellers tell of hippophagists—it is 
 nothing to the purpose that soldiers in a campaign, or 
 citizens during a siege, have eaten horses with con¬ 
 siderable relish. Under such circumstances, one’s old 
 shoe is not to be despised as a piece de re'sistance • and 
 one’s grandmother may be a toothsome morsel. The 
 real point to be settled in the European mind is this 
 —apart from all conditions which must bias the judg¬ 
 ment, is horse-flesh pleasant to the taste ? M. St.TIilaire 
 cites the evidence of eminent men who, having eaten it 
 knowing what it was, pronounced it excellent—all de¬ 
 claring that it was better than cow-beef, and some that 
 there was little difference between it and ox-beef. 
 
 But perhaps the reader, having eaten German beef, 
 has a not ill-grounded suspicion that horse-flesh might 
 
 H 2 
 
109 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and Scottish officers and nobility who had the honour to 
 dine with the Monseignenr, upon the rendition, could 
 not tell what the devil any one of them were made 
 upon at all.’ M. St. Hilaire discusses at great length 
 many other objections, with which we need not here 
 trouble oimselves. But the taste is spreading and the 
 advocates increasing. The public use of horse-flesh as 
 human food is spoken of approvingly in Blackwood. 
 
 The Nev) York Tribune thus endorses the fanatical 
 idea of the French savans, (more properly ravens,) as 
 to the propriety of eating horse-flesh :— 
 
 ‘ In the horse we have an animal which is much 
 cleaner in its habits than the hog, herbivorous like 
 the ox or sheep, whose flesh is rich in nitrogen, and as 
 pleasant to the taste as that of either of the above- 
 named animals. What prevents horse-flesh from being 
 found on our tables? Nothing but a popular prejudice, 
 which recent investigations in Paris show is entirely 
 without any foundation whatever. 
 
 ‘ 8,000 horses die, it is said, in New York annually, 
 or about 22 per day ’ (a great exaggeration no doubt) ; 
 ‘but instead of fetching 17 or 18 dollars to press the 
 carcase for grease, and to feed the hogs on to make 
 pork for export, the prices will be greatly enhanced 
 for meat for home consumption.’ 
 
 Thus writes the Paris correspondent of the Indepen- 
 dance Beige :—‘ You know what interest is attached to¬ 
 day—and very naturally so—to all questions relating to 
 the public food. In connexion therewith, I have to 
 mention a fact which is both curious and odd; it is, 
 that there is being formed in Paris a society of econo¬ 
 mists, naturalists, and hardy gourmands, having for 
 aim the introduction of horse-flesh into the category of 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. • 
 
 103 
 
 butchers’ meat. It may perhaps be said, that this so¬ 
 cial phenomenon is not altogether new. Ten years ago, 
 Jiippophagy made some noise in Germany, and, if I 
 remember right, a society of eaters of the horse was 
 formed, and attempted a public festival, at which all the 
 meat should be of that quadruped, but were interrupted 
 by the public, who, feeling their prejudices wounded, 
 broke the tables to pieces. At Paris, where all eccentri¬ 
 cities are found, and even encouraged, there is nothing 
 of that kind to fear. Accordingly, hippophagy pro¬ 
 gresses. Do not consider this an exaggeration. The 
 last number of the Revue des Coiirs Publics will prove 
 to you, by means of a summary, that M. Geoffroy de 
 St. Hilaire has made the subject the theme of one of 
 his recent lectures, and that the learned professor was 
 greatly applauded. I should add that his auditors 
 included economists, agriculturists, and heads of bene¬ 
 volent institutions. When the orator concluded by 
 saying that the day was come when the horse ought to 
 contribute to the nourishment of the human race, as 
 well as the ox, the sheep, and the pig, a hundred 
 voices cried in chorus, ‘Oui! oui! treshien!' This 
 question, strange at first sight, has been raised, and it 
 will not sleep again. I predict that it will have not 
 only numerous adherents, but eloquent fanatics. As a 
 commencement, many of the auditors wished to cat 
 horse soup, horse steaks, and the same flesh under other 
 forms.’ At the time at which I write, dissertations 
 are made, brochures written, the regulations of a hip- 
 pophagic society drawn up, and the establishment of horse 
 shambles demanded. In 1832, M. Alphonse Karr, 
 mocking the extreme zeal of the society for protection, 
 exclaimed — ‘Philanthropists! the horse has carried 
 
102 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and Scottish officers and nobility who had the hononr to 
 dine with the Monseignenr, npon the rendition, conld 
 not tell what the devil any one of them were made 
 npon at all.’ M. St. Hilaire discusses at great length 
 many other objections, with which we need not here 
 trouble ourselves. Bnt the taste is spreading and the 
 advocates increasing. The public use ol horse-flesh as 
 human food is spoken of approvingly in Blackwood. 
 
 The Nev) York Tribune thus endorses the fanatical 
 idea of the French savans, (more properly ravens,) as 
 to the propriety of eating horse-flesh ;— 
 
 ‘ In the horse we have an animal which is much 
 cleaner in its habits than the hog, herbivorous like 
 the ox or sheep, whose flesh is rich in nitrogen, and as 
 pleasant to the taste as that of either of the above- 
 named animals. What prevents horse-flesh from being 
 found on our tables? Nothing but a popular prejudice, 
 which recent investigations in Paris show is entirely 
 without any foundation whatever. 
 
 ‘8,000 horses die, it is said, in New York annually, 
 or about 22 per day ’ (a great exaggeration no doubt); 
 ‘but instead of fetching 17 or 18 dollars to press the 
 carcase for grease, and to feed the hogs on to make 
 pork for export, the prices will be greatly enhanced 
 for meat for home consumption.’ 
 
 Thus writes the Paris correspondent of the Indepen- 
 dance Beige You know what interest is attached to¬ 
 day—and very naturally so—to all questions relating to 
 the public food. In connexion therewith, I have to 
 mention a fact which is both curious and odd; it is, 
 that there is being formed in Paris a society of econo¬ 
 mists, naturalists, and hardy gourmands, having for 
 aim the introduction of horse-flesh into the category of 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. * 
 
 103 
 
 butchers’ meat. It may perhaps be said, that this so¬ 
 cial phenomenon is not altogether new. Ten years ago, 
 hippophagy made some noise in Germany, and, if I 
 remember right, a society of eaters of the horse was 
 formed, and attempted a public festival, at which all the 
 meat should be of that quadruped, but were interrupted 
 by the public, who, feeling their prejudices wounded, 
 broke the tables to pieces. At Paris, where all eccentri¬ 
 cities are found, and even encouraged, there is nothing 
 of that kind to fear. Accordingly, hippophagy jiro- 
 gresses. Do not consider this an exaggeration. The 
 last number of the Revue des Cours Publics will prove 
 to you, by means of a summary, that M. Geoffrey de 
 St. Hilaire has made the subject the theme of one of 
 his recent lectures, and that the learned professor was 
 greatly applauded. I should add that his auditors 
 included economists, agriculturists, and heads of bene¬ 
 volent institutions. When the orator concluded by 
 saying that the day was come when the horse ought to 
 contribute to the nourishment of the human race, as 
 well as the ox, the sheep, and the pig, a hundred 
 voices cried in chorus, ‘ Oui ! oui ! tres hieni’ This 
 question, strange at first sight, has been raised, and it 
 will not sleep again. I predict that it will have not 
 only numerous adherents, but eloquent fanatics. As a 
 commencement, many of the auditors wished to eat 
 horse soup, horse steaks, and the same flesh under other 
 forms.’ At the time at which I write, dissertations 
 are made, brochures written, the regulations of a hip- 
 pophagic society drawn up, and the establishment of horse 
 shambles demanded. In 1832, M. Alphonse Karr, 
 mocking the extreme zeal of the society for protection, 
 exclaimed — ‘ Philanthropists ! the horse has carried 
 
104 
 
 * CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 man long enough; it is now for man to carry the 
 horse! ’ 
 
 There is very little douht that horse-flesh, besides 
 its application for ‘ cats’ meat,’ enters, even now, largely 
 into surreptitious use in certain quarters in this country 
 as food for bipeds. Thus, a Blackburn paper tells us 
 that ‘ on Monday last Mr. Laverty seized and confis¬ 
 cated the carcase of a horse. The animal had been 
 stuck and bled, and was taken very near to the premises 
 of a noted brawn and black-pudding maker. We un¬ 
 derstand that horse-flesh is used in this town by a 
 certain vender and manufacturer of brawn.’ 
 
 Hoffman and Burns, makers and venders of horse- 
 meat sausages, at Philadelphia, were recently tried, 
 convicted, and sentenced to eighteen months’ imprison¬ 
 ment. Apro^jos of sausages, judging from the following 
 anecdote, home-made ones are the more attractive. 
 
 ‘ A minister in one of our orthodox churches, while 
 on his way to preach a funeral Sermon in the country, 
 called to see one of his members, an old widow lady, 
 who lived near the road he was travelling. The old 
 lady had just been making sausages, and she felt proud 
 of them—they were so plump, round, and sweet. Of 
 course she insisted on her minister taking some of the 
 links home to his family. He objected on account of 
 not having his portmanteau along with him. This ob¬ 
 jection was soon over-nded, and the old lady, after 
 wrapping them in a rag, carefully placed a bundle in 
 either pocket of the preacher’s capacious great coat. 
 Thus equipped, he started for the funeral. 
 
 ‘ bile attending to the solemn ceremonies of the 
 grave, some hungry dogs scented the sausages, and 
 were not long in tracking them to the pockets of the 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 105 
 
 good man’s over-coat. Of course this was a great 
 annoyance, and he was several times under the neces¬ 
 sity of kicking these whelps away. The obsequies at 
 the grave completed, the minister and congregation 
 I re-passed to the church, where the funeral discourse 
 was to he preached. 
 
 ‘ After the sermon was finished, the minister halted 
 j to make some remarks to his congregation, when a 
 brother who wished to have an appointment given out, 
 ascended the steps of the pulpit, and gave the minis¬ 
 ter’s coat a hitch to get his attention. The divine, 
 thinking it a dog having designs upon his pocket, 
 raised his foot, gave a sudden kick, and sent the good 
 I brother sprawling down the steps! 
 
 ‘You will excuse me, brethren and sisters,’ said the 
 minister, confusedly, and without looking at the work 
 j he had just done, ‘for I could not avoid it—I have 
 ! sausages in my pocket, and that dog has been trying to 
 grab them ever since I came upon the premises ! ’ 
 
 The reader may judge of the effect such an an- 
 i nouncement would have at a funeral. Tears of sorrow 
 I were suddenly exchanged for smiles of merriment, 
 j Mr. Eichardson, officer of the Local Board of Health 
 j of Newton Heath, near Manchester, gave the fol- 
 ; lowing evidence before Mr. Scholefield’s Committee 
 on Adulteration, before whom I was also examined as 
 ; a witness. 
 
 I ‘We have in Newton five knackers’ yards, and there 
 ; is only one in Manchester. The reason is, that they 
 have so much toleration in Newton; and it has been a 
 ' great source of profit to them, because they have the 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 * Germantown Emporium, 
 
106 
 
 CUBIOSTTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 means of selling the best portions of the horse-flesh to 
 mix with the potted meats. 
 
 ‘ I can say for a fact, that the tongues of horses 
 particularly, and the best portions, such as the hind 
 quarters of horses, are generally sold to mix with 
 collared brawn, or pigs’ heads, as they are called with 
 us, and for sausages and polonies. I understand, also, 
 from those who have been in the habit of making them, 
 that horse-flesh materially assists the making of sausages; 
 It is a hard fibrin, and it mixes better, and keeps them 
 hard, and they last longer in the shop window before 
 they are sold, because otherwise the sausages run to 
 water, and become soft and pulpy. I believe horse¬ 
 flesh also materially assists German sausages ; it keeps 
 them hard.’ 
 
 The instinct of the dog, the cat, and the rat, are so 
 well known that one anecdote will suffice to illustrate 
 the three. A terrier and a tom cat were pursuing a 
 large rat down a street. The rat was almost caught, 
 when it dodged suddenly and ran into a sausage shop. 
 The cat and dog stopped convulsively at the door ; and, 
 looking at the sausages, hung their heads, and slunk 
 away terror-stricken. 
 
 But in other quarters than England, unwholesome 
 and infected meat is vended, for a year or two ago the 
 editor of the Madras Athenaum thus wrote :— 
 
 ‘ We question whether since the days of Pelops a 
 more filthy dish was ever offered to human beings, than 
 those which are daily served up to the European in¬ 
 habitants of Madras. With respect to the state of our 
 market, we have never seen a more disgusting recep¬ 
 tacle of all kinds of abominations than that market 
 presents. 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 107 
 
 ‘ A lazar house it seemed, wherein were laid 
 Numbers of all diseased.’ 
 
 ‘ Unfortunate beings in the worst stages of leprosy, 
 naked, and covered all over with the livid spots of that 
 hideous disease, standing at the stalls, handling the 
 meat, and talking with the butchers, is a sight as com¬ 
 mon as it is horrible. As for the small-pox, that is 
 almost too abundant to allow of any cases being parti¬ 
 cularly noticed. It is very conspicuous on the native, 
 on account of the pustules being white. The only dis¬ 
 ease bearing any resemblance to it is the itch. We 
 have ourselves observed a dirty fellow, with his hands 
 covered all over with one of these nauseous eruptions, 
 coolly walking down the whole length of a set of stalls, 
 and clapping those abominable hands, in a lazy manner, 
 upon every piece of meat within his reach. Faugh! 
 The very thought smells. When we were last there, 
 the place swarmed with pariah dogs, the effect of which 
 was to render the stench and filth accumulated round 
 the stalls perfectly unbearable. We are aware the sub¬ 
 ject is a nasty one, but at the risk of spoiling the break¬ 
 fast of Brown, Jones, or Robinson, as they take up our 
 damp sheet this morning, w'e make the evil conspicuous, 
 and bring it plainly into notice, that measures may be 
 taken to sink it into oblivion ever after. If one could 
 jest upon such a subject, one might say, that the mar¬ 
 ket of Madras is as much the morning lounge of the 
 filthiest wretches in the place, as the stables of Taylor 
 and Co. are the morning rendezvous of the rank and 
 fashion, who there do congregate, to look at the Aus¬ 
 tralians and Arabs ushered to their notice under the 
 winning smile of the worthy head partner. Is not the 
 
108 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 thought horrible, too, that the fairer part of the crea¬ 
 tion, who should he fed on 
 
 ‘ Sugar and spice 
 
 ‘ And all that’s nice, 
 
 are offered such filthy and infected stuff? 
 
 ‘ We should also recommend attention being called to 
 the practice, which we are afraid prevails, of ‘ blow¬ 
 ing the meat,’ to give it a good appearance. This is a 
 cognizable offence, and butchers have, on occasion, most 
 deservedly received a dozen or two for it; but the in¬ 
 ducement to make their meat look tempting by filling 
 it with breath, not quite so ‘ fragrant as the flower of 
 Amrou,’ is too profitable, we fear, to be disregarded 
 upon the vague and distant contingency of a flogging 
 or a fine. If the functionaries who are employed to 
 superintend the market are insufficient in number, it 
 woidd surely be poor economy not to increase them. 
 If they are inattentive and remiss, discharge them. It 
 would be pennywise, indeed, for a few paltry rupees a 
 month, to allow a Secretary to Government, or a Mem¬ 
 ber of Council, whose wisdom and experience have been 
 purchased at an immense cost to the country, to be 
 poisoned, which at present they are liable to be, by in¬ 
 fected meat. 
 
 ‘If by calling attention to the subject, some improve¬ 
 ment is made, our object will be attained. We will 
 gladly run the chance of spoiling a few dinners. Jones 
 of the club, as he takes the cover off one of Maltby’s 
 best entrees, may for once think of the leprous hand 
 that has handled it; Brown may fancy for once he vdll 
 catch small-pox from his beef-steak; Robinson may think 
 of the dog licking the leg of mutton from which his 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 109 
 
 whack is taken, and all may heartily anathematise the 
 Atheiiceum for telling them the truth, but we will cheer¬ 
 fully put up with their wry faces and abuse, if the 
 necessary reform we advocate be attained,’ 
 
 Sam Slick, in his truthlul, but satirical vein, alludes 
 to the disguises of fashionable cookery.—‘ Veal’ (he says) 
 ‘ to be good, must look like anything else but veal. You 
 mustn t know it when you see it, or it’s vulgar; mutton 
 must be incog, too; beef must have a mask on; any 
 thin that looks solid, take a spoon to; any thin’ that 
 looks light, cut with a knife; if a thing looks like fish, 
 you take your oath it is flesh; and if it seems rael flesh, 
 it’s only disguised, for it’s sure to be fish; nothin’ 
 must be nateral natur is out of fashion here. This is 
 ^ ountry ; everything is done by ma¬ 
 
 chinery, and that that aint, must be made to look like 
 it; and I must say, the dinner machinery is perfect.’ 
 
 If horses are eaten, why not donkeys ? The animal is 
 more rare, and hence it would be the greater delicacy. 
 The Greeks ate donkeys, and we must suppose they 
 had their reasons for it. Has any modern stomach in 
 Europe been courageous enough, knowingly, to try it ? 
 
 The flesh of the common ass, though never eaten by 
 us, is esteemed a delicacy in some countries, particu¬ 
 larly in Tartary. The northern climate, pasturage, and 
 freedom may have some effect on the flesh. 
 
 Travellers affirm that dogs’ flesh, which with us is 
 intolerable, is one of the most savoury meats, when 
 the animal has been kept for some time in the warm, 
 tropical regions. This cannot, however, apply to the 
 brutish pariah dogs that infest the streets of Madras, 
 Constantinople, and other eastern towns. 
 
 The Roman peasants found the flesh of the ass pala- 
 
110 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 table, and the celebrated Maecenas having tested it, intro¬ 
 duced it to the tables of the great and rich, but the 
 fashion of eating it lasted no longer than his life. Galen 
 compares the flesh of the ass to that of the stag. It is 
 said to he eaten plentifully in the low eating-houses of 
 Paris, under the denomination of veal. The flesh of 
 the wild ass is eaten by the Tartars, and is said to be 
 very delicate and good, hut when Idlled in a tame state, 
 it is hard and unfit for food. 
 
 The wild ass, called Koulan by the Persians, is still 
 common in many parts of Central Asia, from the 48° of 
 North latitude to the confines of India. The Persians 
 and Tartars hold its flesh in high esteem, and hunt it 
 in preference to all other descriptions of game. Olea- 
 rius assures us, that he saw no fewer than 32 wild 
 asses slain in one day, by the Shah of Persia and his 
 court, the bodies of which were sent to the royal 
 kitchens at Ispahan; and we know from Martial, that 
 the epicures of Rome held the flesh of the Onager, 
 or wild ass, in the same estimation as we do venison. 
 
 Cum tener est Onager, solaque lalisio matre 
 Pascitur; hoc iiifans, eed breve nomen habet. 
 
 [Martial, xiii. 97.] 
 
 From a passage in Pliny (lib. viii., c. 44), it would 
 appear, that the Onager inhabited Africa; and that the 
 most delicate and best flavoured lalisiones, or fat foals, 
 were brought from that continent to the Roman markets. 
 Leo Africanus repeats the same story of wild asses be¬ 
 ing found in Africa, but no traveller has since met with 
 them ; and, as far as we at present know, the species is 
 confined to Asia, 
 
 The quaggas (^Asinus Quagga) are often hunted in 
 Africa by the Dutch for their skins, of which they make 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Ill 
 
 ; large bags to bold their grain, and by the Hottentots 
 j and other natives, who are very fond of their flesh. 
 
 ; Lieutenant Moodie [Ten Years in South Af rica) says, 
 
 ‘ Being one morning at the house of a 'neighbouring 
 i farmer who had just shot one of these aniinals, I re¬ 
 quested that he would have a piece of the flesh cooked 
 I for my breakfast. His ‘frow’ expressed some disgust 
 at my proposal, but ordered a small bit to be grilled, 
 
 ' with butter and pepper. I did not find it at all unpalk-' 
 table, and certainly it was better than horse-flesh, 'to 
 which I had been treated in the hospital at Bergen-' 
 op-Zoom in 1814, when lying wounded there, after the 
 unfortunate failure of that well-planned attack.’ 
 
 EUMINANTIA. 
 
 ' The ruminants furnish, as is well known, the largest 
 portion of our animal food, being consumed by man alike 
 in civilized or unsettled countries. The domestic ani¬ 
 mals require little notice at our hands. There are, 
 
 ; however, some whose flesh is eaten in different coun¬ 
 tries that are less familiar. Thus the bison and musk- 
 I ox of North America, the reindeer of Greenland and 
 ' Northern Europe—the various antelopes, the gnu, the 
 giraffe, and the camel of Africa, and the alpaca tribe 
 of South America, supply much of the animal food of 
 the people in the districts where they are common. 
 
 The flesh of the camel is dry and hard, but not un- 
 j palatable. Heliogabalus had camels’ flesh and camels’ 
 feet served up at his banquets. In Barbary, the tongues 
 are salted and smoked for exportation to Italy and other 
 countries, and they form a very good dish. The flesh 
 
113 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 is little esteemed by the Tartars, but they use the bump 
 cut into slices, which, dissolved in tea, serves the pur¬ 
 pose of butter. 
 
 The flesh of the Axis deer (Cervus axis, or Axis 
 maculata) is not much esteemed in Ceylon, having little 
 fat upon it, and being very dry. The India samver, 
 or musk deer, is eaten there. 
 
 The flesh of the great moose deer or elk, of North 
 America, the carcase of which weighs 1,000 or 1,200 lbs., 
 is as valuable for food as beef, but from its immense 
 size, much of the flesh is usually left in the forest. 
 
 It is more relished by the Indians and persons 
 resident in the fur countries, than that of any other 
 animal,' and bears a greater resemblance in its flavour 
 to beef than to venison. It is said that the external fat 
 is soft like that of a breast of mutton, and when put 
 into a bladder is as fine as marrow. 
 
 The flesh of the caribboo, a smaller animal, rarely 
 exceeding 400 lbs., is less palatable than moose venison. 
 Nor is the flesh of the red or Virginian deer much 
 better, although the venison dried is very good. 
 
 Venison is not ‘ meat ’ in the parlance of the back¬ 
 woodsman ; that term, as Sam Slick tells us, is reserved 
 par excellence for pork; and he is frequently too indo¬ 
 lent or too much occupied otherwise, to hunt, although 
 deer tracks may be seen in every direction around the 
 scene of his daily rail-splitting operations. He considers 
 it cheaper to buy venison of the Indians, when there 
 are any Indians in the locality. But venison has some 
 solid value even in those parts, and if salted and smoked, 
 would be entitled to a place among the articles of 
 household thrift. 
 
 Of the Arctic quadrupeds, the reindeer {Cervus 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 113 
 
 tarandus) is most valuable, its flesh being juicy, nutri¬ 
 tious, and well-flavoured, and easy of digestion. They 
 abound in Greenland, and are tolerably numerous in 
 Melville Island. 
 
 In Sweden, roast reindeer steaks and game are 
 dressed in a manner preferable to that which prevails 
 with us. The flesh is first perforated, and little bits of 
 lard inserted; and, after being baked in an oven, it is 
 served in a quantity of white sauce. 
 
 The flesh of the young giraffe is said to be good 
 eating. The Hottentots hunt the animal principally on 
 account of its marrow, which, as a delicacy, they set a 
 high value on. 
 
 The Hottentots have a curious mode of cooking their 
 antelope venison, which renders it, however, exceed¬ 
 ingly palatable. After stewing the meat in a very 
 small quantity of water, they take it out of the pot and 
 pound it between turn stones until reduced to the con¬ 
 sistency of pap, when they mix it with a considerable 
 quantity of sheep’s fat, and then stew it for a short 
 time longer. This is an excellent way of preparing 
 dry flesh of any kind. 
 
 ‘On one occasion’ (says Lieut. Moodie), ‘after I had 
 taken out my share of this mess, the Hottentots added 
 a larger quantity of fat to it to please their own palates ; 
 and one of them ate so heartily of the greasy mixture, 
 that he became seriously unwell, but recovered by 
 chewing dry roots of the sweet-scented flag (Calamus 
 aromaticus). This plant is very much used by the 
 Hutch for stomach complaints, and they generally 
 cultivate some of it in wet places in their gardens.’ 
 
 The eland of Africa (Boselaphus Oreas) is the largest 
 of the antelope tribe, its size being indicated by its 
 
 I 
 
114 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 generic name. Tlie bulls attain to the height of nine¬ 
 teen hands at the shoulder, and frequently exceed 
 1,000 lbs. in weight. It fattens readily on the most 
 meagre herbage of the desert, and to the delicious, 
 tender, juicy, and wholesome nature of its flesh every 
 hunter will bear witness, who has regaled himself on the 
 steaks broiled in the homely style of South African 
 cookery, with some of the usual condiments or spices to 
 give them an unnatural relish. The flesh has a peculiar 
 sweetness, and is tender and fit for use the moment 
 the animal is killed. 
 
 It 13 hunted with avidity, on account of the delicacy 
 of its flesh, but is very rarely found within the limits of 
 the Cape Colony, having been driven beyond the 
 Orange River by the progress of colonization. 
 
 The hartebeest, an antelope of the size of the Scotch 
 red deer, though now rather rare, is much prized by the 
 African sportsman. It is also called caama by the 
 Dutch farmers, and is a favourite object of pursuit with 
 both natives and colonists. The flesh is rather dry, but 
 of a fine grain, more nearly resembling the beef of the 
 ox than that of any other antelope, except, perhaps, the 
 so-called eland or elk of the colonists [A. areas, Pallas), 
 and it has a high game flavour which makes it univer¬ 
 sally esteemed. 
 
 The meat of the sassaby {A. Iwiata, Burchell), a rare 
 species, is tender and well tasted. The flesh of the ourebi 
 of Southern Africa [A. scoparia, Schreber), though dry 
 and destitute of fat, is esteemed one of the best venisons 
 of the country. 
 
 The flesh of the bosh-bok, or bush goat, as its colonial 
 name implies (A. si/lvatiea, Sparrrnan), makes good 
 venison, that of the breast being particularly esteemed. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 115 
 
 I 
 
 j The flesh of the rheehok (^1. capreolus, Lichstenstein) 
 is dry and insipid, and relished less than that of any other 
 j of the numerous Cape antelopes. The bush antelope {A. 
 
 S silviculfrix, Afzelius) affords excellent venison, and 
 is much sought after on that account. The flesh of the 
 J ahu (J. subgutturosa, Guldenstaedt) is excellent, and 
 ' of an agreeable taste. That of the gnu of South 
 !•' Africa is in great repute both among the natives and 
 Dutch settlers. Though the meat has a wildish flavour, 
 it is more juicy than that of most of the antelope 
 tribe, and very much like beef. 
 
 : The flesh of the alpaca and guanaco is sold in the 
 
 public shambles of Peru, Chili, &c. 
 
 Sheep’s milk is a common beverage in Toorkistan, 
 where the sheep are milked regularly three times a day. 
 j Goats are very scarce; cows not to be seen; but the 
 sheep’s milk affords nourishment in various forms, of 
 which the most common is a kind (ft" sour cheese, being 
 little better than curdled milk and salt. 
 
 1 If we think ox tails a delicacy, Australians (as we 
 have seen) like kangaroo tails, and the Cape colonists 
 have fat sheep’s tails requiring a barrow or a cart on 
 ■ which to support them. The broad fat tail, which often 
 i composes one-third of the weight of the animal, is en- 
 i tirely composed of a substance betwixt marrow and fat, 
 ( which serves very often for culinary purposes instead 
 of butter; and being cut into small pieces, makes an 
 i ingredient in various dishes. 
 
 1 The dried flesh of the argali, or wild sheep, is in 
 ! Kamtschatka an article of commerce. 
 
 The domestic goat’s flesh is not in much favour any- 
 I where, although that of a young kid, three or four mouths 
 old, is very tender and delicate. Some of the goats are 
 
116 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 eaten in the Cape Colony, but the flesh is generally lean 
 and tough. The Malabar goat is a delicate animal, that 
 browzes on the rocks. It is more sought after than any 
 game in Ceylon, for, contrary to the general nature of 
 the goat, its flesh is tender and excellent when broiled. 
 
 Bison beef, especially that of the female, is rather 
 coarser grained than that of the domestic ox, but is con¬ 
 sidered by hunters and travellers as superior in tender¬ 
 ness and flavour. The hump, which is highly celebrated 
 for its richness and delicacy, is said, when properly 
 cooked, to resemble marrow. The flesh of the buffalo, 
 as it is misnamed, is the principal, sometimes the only, 
 food of numerous tribes of North American Indians. 
 It is eaten fresh on the prairies during the hunt, and 
 dried in their winter villages. 
 
 The musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus) is of much im¬ 
 portance from its size and palatable rich meat. It 
 has occasionally fuftiished a rich meal to arctic ex¬ 
 plorers. When they are hit, the flesh is well flavoured, 
 but smells strongly of musk. 
 
 CETACEA. 
 
 The flesh of the manatus is white and delicate, and 
 tastes like young pork eaten fresh or salted, while the 
 fat forms excellent lard. The cured flesh keeps long 
 without corruption, and it will continue good several 
 weeks, even in the hot climate of which it is a native, 
 when other meat would not resist putrefaction for as 
 many days. The fibres and the lean part of the flesh 
 are like beef, but more red; it takes a very long time 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 117 
 
 I boiling. The fat of the young one is like pork, and can 
 j scarcely be distinguished from it, while the lean eats 
 j like veal. The fat, which lies between the entrails and 
 ' skin has a pleasant smell, and tastes like the oil of sweet 
 almonds. It makes an admirable substitute for butter, 
 
 ' and does not turn rancid in the sun. The fat of the 
 I tail is of a firmer consistence, and when boiled is more 
 |1 delicate than the other. 
 
 Manatees, or sea calves, are found in certain parts of 
 British Honduras in great numbers. They are, according 
 to my friend. Chief Justice Temple, frequently caught 
 and brought to the market of Belize, where they are 
 snapped up with the greatest avidity. He states the 
 flesh to be white and delicate, something between pork 
 and veal. The tail, which is very fat, is most esteemed. 
 This caudal luxury is generally soused or pickled. I 
 do not, myself, fancy the flesh of this brute, for it is so 
 inhumanly human—it reminds one so much of a mermaid, 
 or of one of the fifty daughters of Nereus, that to eat it 
 ■ seems to me to be an approximation to cannibalism. It 
 appears horrible to chew and swallow the flesh of an 
 animal which holds its young (it has never more than 
 one at a litter) to its breast, which is formed exactly 
 like that of a woman, with paws resembling human 
 I: hands. But these notions would be considered highly 
 fantastic by those who masticate a monkey with the 
 greatest relish, partake with gusto of rattlesnake soup, 
 and voraciously devour an alligator stew. The mana- 
 tus is commonly found in shallow water, at the mouths 
 of rivers, where it feeds upon the marine herbage which 
 ‘ there grows in great luxuriance. It has no teeth, but 
 two thick, smooth, hard, unserrated bones run from one 
 r side of the mouth to the other. I am inclined to think • 
 
118 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 tliat these bones might be used as a substitute for 
 ivory.* 
 
 Mr. P. H. Gosse, in his interesting little manual on 
 the Natural History of the Mammalia, remarks :— 
 
 ‘ From personal experience we can confirm Hernan¬ 
 dez’s statement of the excellence of the flesh of the 
 manatee; he truly compares it to well fatted pork, of 
 pleasant flavour. The pursuit of it, on this account, 
 has rendered it scarce in many localities, where it was 
 formerly numerous; in the vicinity of Cayenne, it was 
 at one time so common, that a large boat might he filled 
 with them in a day, and the flesh was sold at ^d. per 
 pound. About the middle of the last century it fetched, 
 at Port Royal in Jamaica, 15c?. cm’rency per pound.’ 
 
 The tongue of the sea-lion (Phoca juhata) is very 
 good eating, and some seamen prefer it to that of an ox 
 or calf. Thus Dr. Pernetty ( Voyage to the Falkland 
 Islands) says,—‘For a trial we cut off the tip of the 
 tongue hanging out of the mouth of one of these lions 
 which was just killed. About sixteen or eighteen of us 
 ate each a pretty large piece, and we all thought it so 
 good that we regretted we could not eat more of it. 
 
 ‘It is said that their flesh is not absolutely disagree¬ 
 able. I have not tasted it, but the oil which is ex¬ 
 tracted from their grease is of great use. This oil is 
 extracted in two ways; either by cutting the fat in 
 pieces and melting it in large caldrons upon the fire, 
 or by cutting it in the same manner upon hurdles or 
 pieces of board, and exposing them to the sun, or only 
 to the air. This grease dissolves of itself and runs into 
 vessels placed underneath to receive it. Some of our 
 
 * Journal of the Society of Arts, vol. 2., p. 105. 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 119 
 
 seamen pretended that this last sort of oil, when it is 
 fresh, is very good for kitchen uses. It is preferred to 
 that of the whale; is always clear, and leaves no sedi¬ 
 ment.’ 
 
 Walrus meat is strong, coarse, and of a game-like 
 flavour. Seal flesh is exceedingly oily, and not very 
 palatable; but by practice, residents in the northern 
 regions learn to relish both exceedingly. 
 
 The large tongue, the heart, and liver of the walrus 
 (Trichecus rosmarus),iii'e often eaten by whalers for want 
 of better fresh provisions, and are passably good. 
 
 Commodore Anson’s party killed many sea-lions for 
 food, using, particularly, the. hearts and tongues, which 
 they thought excellent eating, and preferable even to 
 those of bullocks. The flesh of the female sea-bear 
 (Phoca ursina, Lin.) they found very delicate, having 
 the taste of lamb; while that of the cub could scarcely 
 be distinguished from roasted pig. 
 
 Sir Ed\Vard Parry was once asked, at a dinner where 
 Lord Erskine was present, what he and his crew had 
 lived upon when they were frozen in in the Polar Seas. 
 Parry said they lived upon seals. ‘ A very good living, 
 too,’ exclaimed the Chancellor, ‘if you keep them long 
 enough.’ 
 
 One of the ordinary acts of hospitality and civility 
 on the part of the Esquimaux ladies, is to take a bird, 
 or piece of seal-flesh, chew it up very nicely, and hand 
 it to the visitor, who is expected to be overcome with 
 gratitude, and finish the operation of chewing and digest¬ 
 ing the delicate morsel. 
 
 The carcase and blubber of the whale at Bahia, in 
 Brazil, are reduced to food by the poor. 
 
 To most of the rude littoral tribes of Northern Asia 
 
120 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and America, the whale and seal furnish, not only food 
 and clothing, but many other usetul materials. The 
 Esi][uimaux will eat the raw' flesh of the whale with the 
 same apparent relish, when newly killed, or after it has 
 been buried in the ground for several months. 
 
 The whales on the coasts of Japan not only afford 
 oil in great abundance, but their flesh, which is there 
 considered very wdiolesome and nutritious, is largely 
 consumed. No part of them, indeed, is thrown aw’ay; 
 all is made available to some useful purpose or another. 
 The skin, which is generally black, the flesh, which is red 
 and looks like coarse beef, the intestines and all the in¬ 
 ward parts, besides the fat or blubber, wdiich is boiled 
 into oil, and the bone, wdiich is converted into innumer¬ 
 able uses,—all is made available to purposes of profit. 
 
 Both sperm and black whales abound on the coast of 
 Western Australia Sometimes a dead whale is thrown 
 on the shore, and affords luxurious living to the natives. 
 They do not, however, eat the shark. 
 
 The natives of New Zealand, wdien short of food, 
 will not scruple to eat the flesh of the whale, when 
 caught in their vicinity. 
 
 The deep has many food dainties as well as the land, 
 as we shall shortly have to notice, and among these 
 is the porpoise, which the reader may probably have 
 seen dashing up our rivers, or, during a long voyage, 
 disporting itself amid the briny waves, and rolling 
 gracefully near the sides of the ship. This sea pig 
 sometimes serves for a feast. When caught, it is cut 
 into steaks, dried, and put into the ship's coppers, with 
 a quantum suf. of spices and condiments which nearly 
 overpower the oily taste. The steaks turn blackish on 
 being exposed to the air, but this is ‘a matter of 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD.' 
 
 121 
 
 nothing’ to those 'w^hose daily diet is usually limited to 
 hard biscuits and salt junk. Landsmen may question 
 the niceness of the palate ■which partakes of this dainty, 
 hut the old adage holds true everywhere, ‘ de gustibus 
 non disputandum.’ There is no disputing about tastes. 
 
 According to ancient records, salted porpoises were 
 formerly used for food in this country. 
 
 In the olden times, when glass window^s were con¬ 
 sidered an effeminate luxury, and rushes supplied the 
 place of carpets, the flesh of the porpoise constituted 
 one of the standard delicacies of a public feast. It was 
 occasionally served up at the tables of the old English 
 nobility as a sumptuous article of food, and eaten 
 with a sauce composed of sugar, vinegar, and crumbs of 
 fine bread. But tastes have altered, and even sailors 
 will scarcely touch the flesh now'. M. de Bouganville, 
 in his voyage to the Falkland Islands, writes—‘ We 
 had some of the porpoise served up at dinner the day 
 it was taken, which several others at the table besides 
 myself thought by no means so ill-tasted as it is 
 generally said to be.’ 
 
 Porpoises are rather dangerous enemies to the shoals 
 of fish. A porpoise, before taking in a barrel of 
 herrings for its dinner, will often whet its appetite 
 with a cod’s head and shoulders, leaving the tail part 
 for some poor fisherman. 
 
123 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 BIRDS. 
 
 Leaving now our passing survey of the food supplies 
 derived from animals, we come next to birds, and, in the 
 first order, we do not find that any are eaten, at least, 
 as far as my knowledge extends; indeed, these car¬ 
 nivorous birds, from their habits and their food, would 
 not be very tempting. This, however, as we have seen 
 in the case of predatory animals, is no safe criterion to 
 judge from. Probably, the man who would feast on the 
 flesh of a lion, or a polecat, would have a stomach 
 strong enough to digest slices of a John Crow carrion 
 vulture, an eagle, or a hawk. 
 
 In the order of Insessores, or perching birds, I may 
 mention first— 
 
 The becafico, or fig-eater {Sylvia hortensis), a bird 
 about the size of a linnet, which is highly prized by the 
 Italians for the delicacy of its flesh, particularly in 
 autumn, when it is in excellent condition for the table. 
 
 There is a curious food product obtained, (not exactly, 
 however, from the bird,) which is in high repute in 
 China; and that is the edible nest of a species of swal¬ 
 low extensively obtained in some of the islands of the 
 Eastern Archipelago. 
 
 These nests are attached to the sides of rocks like those 
 of our martin and swallow to walls, and look like so many 
 watch-pockets. The eggs are white, with a slight pinkish 
 tinge, and are generally two in number. The nests are 
 either white, red, or black, and the natives maintain 
 that these are built by three distinct species, with a 
 white, red, and black breast, but this is erroneous. The 
 Malays assert frequently, moreover, that the nests are 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 123 
 
 formed from the bodies of certain sea snakes, but the 
 food is, without doubt, insects. The subjoined ac¬ 
 counts furnish the most detailed information known 
 respecting the collection and trade in these birds- 
 nests. 
 
 The following description of the birdsnests’ rocks, in 
 the district of Karang Bollong, on the southerly sea- 
 coast of Java, is given in the first volume of the Journal 
 of the Indian Archipelago, published at Singapore. 
 
 ‘ The gathering of these nests takes place three times 
 a year—in the end of April, the middle of August, and 
 in December. The yearly produce is commonly between 
 50 and 60 piculs of 133g lbs. The business of collection 
 is opened with great ceremony by the natives. By the 
 assistance of ladders and stages made of rattan, the col¬ 
 lectors descend the rocks and cliffs, provided with the 
 requisite bags to contain the nests, which are taken 
 from the wall by the hand, and those which are on the 
 roof by an iron hook made fast to a long bamboo. The 
 birds feed upon different kinds of bloodless insects, 
 hovering above the stagnant waters, for wdiich their 
 wide open beak is very useful. They form their nests 
 by vomiting the strongest and best fragments of the 
 food which they have eaten. The nests are weighed 
 and packed in hampers (of 25 catties each), and labelled 
 with the net weight, mark of the overseer, &c., and 
 then further preserved and secured with strips of bark, 
 leaves, and matting. 
 
 ‘ The edible birdsnests, which owe their celebrity 
 only to the whimsical luxury of the Chinese, are brought 
 principally from Java and Sumatra, though they are 
 found on most of the rocky islets of the Indian Archi¬ 
 pelago. The nest is the habitation of a small swallow, 
 
124 
 
 CURTOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 named (from the circumstance of having an edible 
 house) Ilirundo escuhnla. They are composed of a 
 mucilaginous substance, but as yet they have never 
 been analyzed with sufficient accuracy to show the 
 constituents. Externally, they resemble ill-concocted, 
 fibrous isinglass, and are of a white colour, inclining to 
 red. Their thickness is little more than that of a silver 
 spoon, and the weight from a quarter to half an ounce. 
 When dry they are brittle and wrinkled; the size is 
 nearly that of a goose’s egg. Those that are dry, 
 white, and clean, are the most valuable. They are 
 packed in bundles, with split rattans run through them 
 to preserve the shape. Those procured after the young 
 are fledged, are not saleable in China. The quality of 
 the nest varies according to the situation and extent of 
 the caves, and the time at which they are taken. If 
 procured before the young are fledged, the nests are of 
 the best kind; if they contain eggs only, they are still 
 valuable; but if the young are in the nests, or have 
 left them, the whole are then nearly worthless, being 
 dark-coloured, streaked with blood, and intermixed 
 with feathers and dirt. These nests are procurable 
 twice every year; the best are found in deep, damp 
 caves, which, if not injured, will continue to produce 
 indefinitely. It was once thought that the caves near, 
 the sea-coast wmre the most productive; but some of 
 the most profitable yet found are situated 50 miles in 
 the interior. This fact seems to be against the opinion 
 that the nests are composed of the spawn of fish, or of 
 beche-de-mer. The method of procuring these nests is 
 not unattended with danger. Some of the caves are so 
 precipitous, that no one but those accustomed to the 
 employment from their youth can obtain the nests, being 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 125 
 
 only approachable by a perpendicular descent of many 
 hundred feet, by ladders of bamboo and rattan, over 
 a sea rolling violently against the rocks. When the 
 mouth of the cave is attained, the perilous task of taking 
 the nests must often be performed by torchlight, by 
 penetrating into recesses of the rock ; where the slight¬ 
 est slip would be instantly fatal to the adventurers, who 
 see nothing below them but the turbulent surf, making 
 its way into the chasms of the rock—such is the price 
 paid to gratify luxury. After the nests are obtained, 
 they are separated from feathers and dirt, are carefully 
 dried and packed, and are then fit lor the market. The 
 Chinese, who are the only people that purchase them 
 for their own use, bring them in junks to this market, 
 where they command extravagant prices; the best, or 
 white kind, often being worth four thousand dollars per 
 picul (a Chinese weight, e(pial to lbs. avoirdupois), 
 which is nearly twice their weight in silver. The mid¬ 
 dling kind is worth from twelve to eighteen hundred, 
 and the worst, or those jirocured after fledging, one 
 hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars per picul. 
 The majority of the best kind are sent to Pekin, for the 
 use of the court. It appears, therefore, that thi^ curi¬ 
 ous dish is only an article of expensive luxury amongst 
 the Chinese; the Japanese do not use it at all, and 
 how the former people acquired the habit of indulging 
 in it, is only less singular than their persevering in it. 
 They consider the edible birdsnest as a great stimu¬ 
 lant, tonic, and aphrodisiac, but its best quality, perhap.s, 
 is its being perfectly harmless. The labour bestowed 
 to render it fit for the table is enormous ; every feather, 
 stick, or impurity of any kind is carefully removed; 
 and then, after undergoing many washings and prepa- 
 
126 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 rations, it is made into a soft, delicious jelly. The sale 
 of birdsnests is a monopoly with all the governments 
 in whose dominions tliey are found. About two hun¬ 
 dred and fifty thousand piculs, of the value of one 
 million four hundred thousand dollars, are annually 
 brought to Canton. These come from the islands of 
 Java, Sumatra, hlacassar, and those of the Sooloo group. 
 Java alone sends about thirty thousand pounds, mostly of 
 the first quality, estimated at seventy thousand dollars.’* 
 Mr. J. H. Moor, in his notices of the Indian Ar¬ 
 chipelago, published at Singapore some years ago, 
 states, that ‘ one of the principal and most valuable 
 articles of exportation is the edible birdsnests, white 
 and black. These are found in much greater abundance 
 in and about the Coti, more than any other part 
 of Borneo, or from what we at present know on the 
 siibject, all parts put together. On the western coast 
 they are scarcely known to exist; about Banjermassin 
 and Bagottan there are none ; at Bataliching and Passier 
 they are found in considerable quantities. At Browe 
 there is abundance of the black kind of a very superior 
 quality, but little of the white. At Seboo, and all the 
 parts to the north of Borneo, we know there is none, as 
 I have seen many letters from different Rajahs of those 
 countries averring the fact, and begging the Sultan of 
 Coti to exchange his edible nests for their most valua¬ 
 ble commodities, and at his own price. Nor ought this 
 to create surprise, when we consider, not only the large 
 consumption of this article by the Cambojans, who almost 
 exclusively inhabit some of the largest Sooloo Islands, 
 
 * Berncastle’s Voyage to China. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 127 
 
 and the northern parts of Borneo, but the amazing 
 demand on the whole coast of Cambodia, particularly of 
 ! Cochin China, the principal inhabitants of which coun- 
 i tries are as partial to this luxury as their more northern 
 ' neisihbours—the Chinese. There are in Coti and ad- 
 jacent [tyak countries perliaps eighty known places, or 
 
 * what the natives term holes, which produce the white 
 nests. I have seen the names of forty-three. There 
 can, however, be no doubt there are many more likewise 
 known to the Dyaks, who keep the knowledge to them¬ 
 selves, lest the Bugis should dispossess them, which 
 they know from experience is invariably the case. 
 
 ‘ According to the accounts of the Sultan, rendered 
 by Saib Abdulla, the bandarree in 1834 yielded 
 134 piculs. The usual price in money to the Coti 
 I traders is 23 reals per catty from the Dyaks, and 25 
 ' in barter. The black nests may be procured in great 
 abundance. The best kinds come from Cinculeram 
 and Baley Papang. The latter mountain alone yields 
 
 * 230 piculs (of 113^ lbs.). Cinculeram gives nearly 
 as much. There are several other parts of Coti which 
 
 ' produce them, besides the quantity brought down by the 
 Dyaks. Last year, 130 piculs paid duty to the Sultan ; 
 
 ■ these left the large Coti river. Those from Cinculeram 
 and Bongan were taken to Browe and Seboo. The 
 bandarree’s book averages the annual weight of those 
 collected in the lower part of Coti at 820 piculs (about 
 1,025 cwts.) 
 
 ' ‘ The Pangeran Sierpa and the Sultan say they could 
 
 j collect 2,700 piculs of black nests, if the bandarree and 
 i capella-campong would behave honestly. The Sultan, 
 
 ' however, seldom gets any account of what is sent to 
 
198 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Browe, Sel)oo, and the Sooloo Islands, the quality of 
 which is far superior to any sent to European ports.’ 
 
 The exports of birdsnests from Java, between 1823 
 and 1832, averaged about 250 piculs a year; in 1832, 
 322 piculs; but of late years the exports have not 
 averaired half that amount: and in 1853 and 1854 there 
 were only about 35 or 40 piculs shipped. 
 
 Ill the third order, Scansores, there are very few 
 edible birds. 
 
 In the mountain of Tumeriquiri, in the government 
 of Oumana, is the immense cavern of Guacharo, famous 
 among the Indians. It serves as a habitation for 
 millions of nocturnal birds (Steatornis caripensis, a new 
 species of the C<iprimn/gis, of Linnasus), whose fat 
 yields the oil of Guacharo. 
 
 Once a year, near midsummer, this cavern is entered 
 by the Indians. Armed with poles, they ransack the 
 greater part of the nests, while the old birds hover over 
 the heads of the robbers as if to defend their brood, 
 uttering horrible cries. The young which fall down 
 are opened on the spot. The peritoneum is found 
 loaded with fat, and a layer of the same substance 
 reaches from the abdomen to the vent, forming a kind of 
 cushion between the hind legs. Humboldt remarks 
 that this quantity of fat in frugivorous animals, not ex¬ 
 posed to the light, and exerting but little muscular 
 motion, brings to mind what has been long observed in 
 the fattening of geese and oxen. ‘ It is well known,’ he 
 adds, ‘ how favourable darkness and repose are to this 
 process.’ 
 
 At the period above mentioned, which is generally 
 known at Carissa by the designation of ‘ the oil harvest,’ 
 huts are built by the Indians, with palm leaves, near 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 129 
 
 I the entrance and even in the very porch of the cavern. 
 
 I There the fat of the young birds just killed is melted in 
 * clay pots, over a brushwood fire, and this fat is named 
 butter or oil of the Guacharo. It is half liquid, trans¬ 
 parent, inodorous, and so pure that it will keep above 
 a year without turning rancid.* 
 
 I There is a curious bird met with in caves in the West 
 ■ India Islands—as at Dominica, and the gulf of Paria, 
 the diablotin or goat-sucker, which, if eaten when taken 
 from the nest, is pronounced by epicures unrivalled; 
 and the flesh is also considered a delicacy when salted. 
 
 It has received its popular cognomen from its ugliness, 
 j but I have not been able to trace its scientific name. 
 
 The bird is nearly the size of a duck, and web¬ 
 footed, with a big round head and crooked bill like a 
 \ hawk, and large full eyes like an owl ; the head, part of 
 j the neck, and chief feathers of the wing and tail, are 
 black, while the other parts of its body are covered with 
 { a fine milk-white down; the whole appearance being 
 very singular. The diablotin only leaves its haunts at 
 ’ night time, flying with hideous screams like the owl, 
 ’ which it resembles in its dislike to day-light. The 
 i nests are made in holes in the mountains. When the 
 ' palms are in fruit, the bird becomes one lump of fat. 
 
 I The hideous appearance of the bird and the strong scent 
 once got over, it is said to be a delicious morsel. 
 
 We have our delicate tit-bits in spitted larks, and as 
 : manv as four thousand dozen have been known to be 
 
 V 
 
 ' taken in the neighbourhood of Dunstable between Sep- 
 I tember and February. What the number sold in our 
 i metropolitan markets is annually, it is impossible to 
 
 i * Bonnycastle’s South America. 
 
 K 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
130 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 say. But larks are taken in mucli larger numbers in 
 Germany, where there is an excise upon them, which 
 has yielded as much as £1,000 a year in Leipsic—the 
 larks of which place are famous all over Germany as 
 being of a most delicate flavour. 
 
 In the Italian markets, besides carrion crows, strings 
 of thrushes, larks, and even robin redbreasts are sold. 
 
 Young rooks, when skinned and made into pies are 
 much esteemed by some persons, but they are very 
 coarse eating. 
 
 One of the most delicious birds is the rice-bunting 
 of South Carolina {Bolichonyx oryzivorus). 
 
 The rice-bunting migrates over the continent of 
 America, from Labrador to Mexico, and over the great 
 Antilles, appearing in the southern extremity of the 
 United States about the end of March. Towards the 
 middle and close of August, they enter New York, and 
 Pennsylvania on their way to the south. There, along 
 the shores of the large rivers lined with floating fields 
 of wild rice, they find abundant subsistence, grow fat, 
 and their flesh becomes little inferior in flavour to that 
 of the European ortolan, on which account the reed, or 
 rice birds, as they are then called, are shot in great num¬ 
 bers. When the cool nights in October commence, they 
 move still farther south, till they reach the islands of 
 Jamaica and Cuba in prodigious numbers to feed on the 
 seeds of the guinea grass. Epicures compare the plump 
 and juicy flesh of this delicacy to the ortolan. 
 
 On the shores of the Mediterranean there are feathered 
 delicacies in the shape of the quail and the ortolan. 
 Thousands of ortolans used to be shipped from the 
 island of Cyprus, packed in casks of 300 or 400, pre¬ 
 pared with spice and vinegar. A^dien specially fattened 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 131 
 
 i for the table, they are regarded as most delicious; but, 
 being merely lumps of fat, are so rich as soon to satiate 
 ' the appetite of even a professed gourmand. In the 
 West India Islands and the Southern States of America, 
 the rice-bunting, as we have seen, takes its place, and is, 
 occasionally, found in prodigious numbers, and greatly 
 esteemed. 
 
 The bluish flesh of the toucan, notwithstanding ,it 3 
 enormous and unsightly beak, is a wholesome and deli-( 
 ' cate meat; and there are no birds that give the Trinidad 
 i;i epicure a more delicious morsel. It is one of the most 
 i omnivorous of birds, and its powers of digestion and 
 impunity to poisons are remarkable. 
 
 Parrot pie is said to be pretty good; at least, it may 
 be so when other animal food is scarce. 
 
 Among the gallinaceous fowls, large numbers con¬ 
 tribute to the food delicacies of man. Some, like the 
 turkey, peacock, &c., of considerable size; others, as the 
 pigeon tribe, form smaller tit-bits. 
 
 The game birds, the pheasant, partridge, grouse, &c., 
 and the quail, guinea fowl, and jungle fowl, are bagged 
 whenever they can be obtained by the sportsman. 
 
 ' The peacock enkakyll ‘ was one of the famous dishes 
 at the costly royal banquets of old, and the receipt for 
 dressing it is thus given :— 
 
 ‘ Take and flay off the skin with the feathers, tail, and 
 the neck and head thereon; then take the skin and all 
 the feathers and lay it on the table abroad, and strew 
 thereon ground cumin; then take the peacock and 
 ' roast him, and baste him with raw yolks of eggs; and 
 when he is roasted, take him off and let him cool awhile, 
 then take him and sew him in his skin, and gild his 
 ' comb, and so serve him forth with the last course.’ 
 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP POOD. 
 
 As far as my own experience goes, with all the bast¬ 
 ing and sauces, the peacock is, at best, a dry and tough 
 eating bird. 
 
 The domestic fowls and the tame turkey require no 
 notice here, there being nothing curious about them, 
 however delicate eating they may be when properly 
 fattened and brought to table; but there is a species of 
 wild turkey' found in New Granada, weighing from 12 
 to 16 lbs., and called the iowanen, which is described by 
 Mr. W. Purdie of Trinidad as the most delicate article 
 of food he ever tasted. 
 
 Dear as fowls, ducks, and eggs comparatively are, 
 they meet, as every one knows, with a ready sale. 
 When we find our imports of eggs, chiefly from France, 
 amount to about 130,000,000 a year, besides our nomi¬ 
 nal ‘ new laid,’ or home produce,—when we learn that 
 the foreign poultry we receive (mixed up with not a 
 few Ostend rabbits) is valued at 39,000?., and that 
 Ireland supplies us with about 150,000,000 of eggs, we 
 begin to perceive that fowls, ducks, geese, and turkeys 
 must be a profitable investment to some persons, and 
 the capital of about 4,000,000?. we lay out on these 
 various products serves to gladden the heart of many 
 a poultry breeder. 
 
 There are sent to market about nine or ten million 
 head of poidtry in a year to supply the whole popu¬ 
 lation of the United Kingdom, shipping and all, which 
 is not more than one-third of a fowl to each person 
 annually. Now, were every one to have a fowl as part 
 food once a month, it would require 330,000,000 more 
 fowls or other poultry than are at present sold. 
 
 I copy the following from what I believe to be the 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 133 
 
 first fixed tariff of provisions, in the City of London, 
 about the second year of Edward I. (1272.) The 
 people had at that time great cause to complain of the 
 exorbitant prices demanded of them for provisions, 
 by hucksters and dealers, and a fixed price was found 
 necessary by the Mayor:— 
 
 The best hen .... 
 
 three half-pence 
 
 Pullet. 
 
 three half-pence 
 
 Capon . 
 
 two pence 
 
 Goose. 
 
 five pence 
 
 Wild goose. 
 
 four pence 
 
 Pigeons, three for . . . 
 
 one penny 
 
 Mallard, three for . . . 
 
 a half-penny 
 
 Plover. 
 
 one penny 
 
 Partridge. 
 
 three half-pence 
 
 Larks, per dozen . . . 
 
 one penny half-penny 
 
 Pheasant. 
 
 four pence 
 
 Heron. 
 
 six pence 
 
 Swan. 
 
 three shillings 
 
 Crane . 
 
 three shillings, and by 
 
 a subsequent Act. . 
 
 one shilling 
 
 The best peacock . . . 
 
 one penny 
 
 The best coney, with sldn 
 
 four pence 
 
 Ditto, without skin . . 
 
 three pence 
 
 The best hare, with skin . 
 
 three pence half-penny 
 
 The best lamb, from 
 
 
 Christmas to Lent . . 
 
 six pence 
 
 At other times of the year 
 
 four pence. 
 
 In the time of Edward II., 1313, eggs were 20 a 
 i penny, and pigeons sold at three for a penny. 
 
 It is curious, even to notice the London prices of 
 
 1 
 
 
134 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 poultry, two or three centuries ago, although regard 
 must of course he had to the difference in the value of 
 money now and then. 
 
 Sir James Hawes, during his mayoralty, in the year 
 1575, fixed the following prices within the City of 
 London':— 
 
 s. d. 
 
 Blackbirds, per dozen.0 10 
 
 The best capon, large and fat.18 
 
 Ditto, second best, being fat.14 
 
 The best green goose, until Whitsuntide . 0 8 
 
 Ditto ditto, after WTiitsuntide.0 10 
 
 Ditto, in winter, being fat.12 
 
 Pigeons, per dozen.14 
 
 Chickens, the largest, each.0 4 
 
 Ditto, second sort.0 3 
 
 The best coney rabbit, from and after the 
 
 summer.0 5 
 
 Eggs, four.0 1 
 
 Cygnets, fat until Allhalloweentide, each . 6 0 
 
 Ditto, from then to Shrovetide .... 7 0 
 
 Cranes, the best, each.6 0 
 
 The best heron, pheasant, shoveller (duck), 
 
 and bittern, each.2 6 
 
 Turkey-cock, fat and large.3 0 
 
 Turkey chicken, fat and large.14 
 
 Woodcocks, each.0 6 
 
 Snipes, each.0 2-| 
 
 Hens, being fat and the best, each ... 0 9 
 
 Ditto, second sort.0 7 
 
 Green plovers, fat.0 4 
 
 The best wild mallard.0 6 
 
 Teals, each.0 3 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 135 
 
 At a feast given at Ely House, by tbe serjeants-at- 
 law, November, 1531, (23rd of Henry VIII.) on the 
 occasion of making eleven new serjeants, open house 
 was kept for five successive days. On the fourth day. 
 King Henry, his Queen, the Foreign Ambassadors, the 
 Judges, and Lord Mayor and Aldermen, were feasted, 
 as also numerous guests, knights, and gentlemen. 
 Stow particularizes the following articles and prices, 
 in order to furnish data for computing the relative 
 
 value of money at different periods ;— 
 
 s. d. 
 
 Great beeves, from the shamldes (twenty- 
 
 four) each.23 8 
 
 One carcase of an ox ■ .24 0 
 
 Fat muttons (one hundred), each.... 2 10 
 
 Great veals (fifty-one), each.4 8 
 
 Porks (thirty-four), each.3 8 
 
 Figs (ninety-one), each.0 6 
 
 Capons of Greece (of one poulterer, for they 
 
 had three) ten dozen, each capon ..18 
 Capons of Kent (nine dozen and six), each 1 0 
 
 Capons, coarse (nineteen dozen), each ..10 
 Cocks of grouse (seven dozen and nine), each 
 
 cock.0 8 
 
 Cocks, coarse (fourteen dozen and eight) . 0 3 
 
 Pullets, the best, each.0 21- 
 
 Other pullets, each.0 2 
 
 Pigeons (thirty-seven dozen), at per dozen 0 10 
 
 Swans (twenty-four dozen).no price 
 
 Larks (340 dozen), per dozen.0 6 
 
 The consumption of liq^uids, pastry, and trifles, can 
 easily be guessed at. 
 
136 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Here is an ancient receipt for making a Christmas 
 game pie, found in the hooks of the Salter’s Company, 
 which is presumed to have often furnished an annual 
 treat to the members in the olden times; and when made 
 after this receipt, by the Company’s cook in modern 
 days, has been found to be excellent. 
 
 ‘ For to make a mooste choyce paaste of Gamys to be 
 etin at ye Feste of Chrystemasse. 
 
 ‘ (17th Richard II., A.D. 1394.) 
 
 ‘ Take Fesaunt, Haare, and Chykenne, or Capounne, 
 of eche oone; wh ij. Partruchis, ij. Pygeonnes, and ij. 
 Conynggys; and smyte hem on peces and pyke dene 
 awaye p’fro {therefrom) alle p® (the) boonys p* {that) 
 ye maye, and p’wt (therewith) do hem ynto a Foyle (a 
 shield or case) of gode paste, made craftily ynne p® 
 lykenes of a byrde’s bodye, w* p®lyuours and hertys, ij. 
 kydneis of shepe and farcys (seasonings or forced meats) 
 and eyren (eggs) made ynto balles. Caste p’to (thereto) 
 poudre of pepyr, salte, spyce, eyseU,* and funges 
 (mushrooms) pykled; and panne (then) take p® boonys 
 and let hem seethe ynne a pot to make a gode brolhe p’ 
 for (for it) and do y'^ ynto p® foyle of paste and close 
 hit uppe faste, and bake y’^ wel, and so s’ue (serve) f 
 forthe: wt p® hede of oone of p® byrdes, stucke at p® 
 oone ende of p® foyle, and a grete tayle at p® op’ and 
 dyvers of hys longe fedyrs sette ynne connynglye aUe 
 aboute hym.’ 
 
 Marrow bones seem to have been in favour at an early 
 
 * Strong vinegar, veignia, or possibly catsup. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 137 
 
 date. 2,000 marrow bones were among tlie requisites 
 for tlie Goldsmiths’ Company’s feast, on St. Dunstan’s 
 day, 1449. 
 
 In the reign of Edward VI., 1548, a time of plague 
 and scarcity, the Idng thought it prudent to fix the 
 price of cattle, &c., sold in the several seasons of the 
 year :— 
 
 £ S. 6?. 
 
 The best fat ox, from Midsummer to 
 
 Michaelmas, at.2 5 0 
 
 One of inferior sort.18 0 
 
 The best fat ox, from Hallowmas to 
 
 Christmas.2 6 8 
 
 One of inferior sort.1 19 8 
 
 The best fat ox, from Christmas to 
 
 Shrovetide.2 8 4 
 
 One of inferior sort.2 6 8 
 
 The best fat wether, from shearing time 
 
 to Michaelmas.0 4 0 
 
 One of ditto, shorn . 
 
 0 
 
 3 
 
 0 
 
 The best fat ewe. 
 
 0 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 One ditto, shorn. 
 
 The best fat wether, from Michaelmas 
 
 0 
 
 2 
 
 0 
 
 to Shrovetide. 
 
 0 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 One ditto, shorn . *. 
 
 0 
 
 3 
 
 0 
 
 Essex barrelled butter, per pound . . 
 
 All sorts of other barrelled butter, per 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 Of 
 
 pound. 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 oj 
 
 Essex cheese, per pound. 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 Of 
 
 All other sorts. 
 
 0 
 
 0 
 
 
 We are not quite such prodigious devourers of eggs 
 as our French neighbours, having a greater amount 
 
138 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 of meat or solid animal food to fall back upon, and fewer 
 fast days. Another reason is, that we cannot, like the 
 French, get them so fresh and cheap; but as an alimen¬ 
 tary substance, eggs are always in demand at a ratio 
 proportionate to the prices at which they can be ob¬ 
 tained. In Paris the consumption of eggs is at least 
 175 per annum to every head of the population ; in the 
 departments it is more than double that amount; eggs 
 entering into almost every article of food, and butchers’ 
 meat being scarce and dear. If we only use, in London, 
 half the number of eggs the Parisians do, there must be 
 a sale of about 173 millions a year; and the consump¬ 
 tion throughout the kingdom would be fully 2,000 mil¬ 
 lions. Although smaller in size, and not equal to a 
 new-laid egg, the French eggs arrive in pretty good 
 condition, and, if sold off quickly, are well adapted for 
 ordinary cnlinary purposes. Few are wasted, for even 
 when not very fresh, they are sold for frying fish, and 
 to the lower class of confectioners for pastry. Fried 
 eggs, boiled eggs chopped up with salad, egg sauce for 
 fish, &c,, eggs for puddings, for omelets, and pan¬ 
 cakes, all contribute to the sale. Omelets, sweet or fla¬ 
 voured with herbs, are much less patronized in this 
 country than they are in France. 
 
 The sixty wholesale egg merchants and salesmen 
 in the metropolis, whose itinerant carts are kept con¬ 
 stantly occupied in distributing their brittle ware, might 
 probably enlighten us as to the extent and increasing 
 character of the trade, and the remunerative nature of 
 the profits. Pail ways and steamers bring up large 
 crates, and carefnlly packed boxes of eggs, for the rav¬ 
 enous maws of young and old, who fatten on this 
 dainty and easily digested food. The various city 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 139 
 
 markets dispose of two millions of fowls, one million of 
 game birds, half a million of ducks, and about one hun¬ 
 dred and fifty thousand turkeys, every year. But even 
 if we doubled this supply, what would it be among the 
 three million souls of the great metropolis requiring 
 daily food. 
 
 Ireland and the continent contribute largely to our 
 supply of poultry and eggs. Immense pens of poultry, 
 purchased in the Irish market, are shipped by the 
 steamers to Glasgow and Liverpool. Commerce owes 
 much to the influence of steam, but agriculture is no 
 less indebted to the same power. Taking everything 
 into account, and examining all the advantages derived 
 by cheap and rapid transit, the manufacturer of food is 
 quite as much indebted to the steam-ship and the loco¬ 
 motive as the manufacturer of clothing. 
 
 There is no difficulty whatever in testing eggs; they 
 are mostly examined by a candle. Another way to tell 
 good eggs is to put them in a pail of water, and if they 
 are good they will lie on their sides, always; if bad, 
 they will stand on their small ends, the large ends 
 always uppermost, unless they have been shaken con¬ 
 siderably, when they will stand either end up. There¬ 
 fore, a bad egg can be told by the way it rests in water 
 —always end up, never on its side. Any egg that lies 
 flat is good to eat, and can be depended upon. 
 
 An ordinary mode is to take them into a room 
 moderately dark and hold them between the eye and a 
 candle or lamp. If the egg be good—that is, if the 
 albumen is still unaffected—the light will shine through 
 with a reddish glow; while, if affected, it will be 
 opaque, or dark. 
 
 In Fulton and Washington market, New York, a man 
 
140 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 may be seen testing eggs at almost any time of tbe year. 
 He has a tallow candle placed under a counter or desk, 
 and taking up the eggs, three in each hand, passes them 
 rapidly before the candle, and deposits them in another 
 box. His practised eye quickly perceives the least want 
 of clearness in the eggs, and suspicious ones are re¬ 
 examined and thrown away, or passed into a ‘ doubtful ’ 
 box. The process is so rapid that eggs are inspected 
 perfectly at the rate of 100 to 200 per minute, or as fast 
 as they can be shifted from one box to another, six at 
 a time. 
 
 The preservation of eggs for use on ship board has 
 always occupied a large share of attention. They have 
 been usually smeared with oil or grease, and packed in 
 bran or sawdust. A plan recommended by M. Appert 
 for preserving eggs is to put them in a jar with bran, to 
 prevent their breaking; cork and hermetically seal the 
 jar ; and put it into a vessel of water, heated to 200 de¬ 
 grees Fahrenheit, or 12 degrees below boiling. The 
 vessel with water being taken from the fire, the water 
 must cool till the finger may be borne in it; then 
 remove the jar. The eggs may then be taken out, and 
 will keep for six months. 
 
 Salted ducks’ eggs are an article in great demand in 
 some parts of the East, for transport by the trading 
 junks. The Malays salt them as they do their meat; 
 but the Chinese mix a red unctuous earth with the brine, 
 which no doubt stops the pores of the shell, and pre¬ 
 serves them better. They are put into this mixture at 
 night, and taken out during the day to be dried in the 
 sun, which is, in fact, a half roasting process in a 
 tropical climate. 
 
 Pickled eggs, while they constitute a somewhat novel 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 141 
 
 feature in the catalogue of condiments, are at the same 
 time particularly relishing. "W hen eggs are plentiful, 
 farmers’ wives, in some localities, take four to six dozen 
 of such as are newly laid, and boil them hard; then, 
 divesting them of the shells, they place them in large- 
 mouthed earthen jars, and pour upon them scalded 
 vinegar, w^ell seasoned with whole pepper, allspice, 
 ginger, and a few cloves of garlic. When this pickle 
 is cold, the jars are closed, and the eggs are fit for use 
 in a month afterwards. Eggs thus treated are held in 
 high esteem by all the farm-house epicures. 
 
 Fowls’ eggs, variously coloured, and having flowers 
 and other matters upon them, formed by the colouring 
 matter being picked off so as to expose the white shell 
 of the egg, are a part of all the Malay entertainments 
 in Borneo. The eggs eaten by the Dyaks are frequently 
 nearly hatched when taken from the nest, as they enjoy 
 them just as well as when fresh. 
 
 An article called ‘ condensed egg ’ is now sold in the 
 shops. It consists of the whole substance of the fresh 
 uncooked egg, very delicately and finely granulated by 
 patent processes, after the watery particles, which the 
 egg naturally contains, have been completely exhausted 
 and withdrawn, without further alteration of its con¬ 
 stituents. It contains all the nutritious properties of 
 the egg in its natural state, and must be valuable to 
 shipmasters, emigrants, and others. One ounce of it is 
 said to be equal to three eggs. 
 
 The ancient Eomans, though not great beef-eaters, 
 were particular as to poultry. Dr. Daubeny, in his 
 Lectures on Roman Husbandry, says—‘ The ancient 
 Romans had large preserves, not only of poultry and 
 pigeons, but even of thrushes and quails enclosed in 
 
142 
 
 CUEIOSITIBS OP FOOD. 
 
 pens which, were called ‘ ornithones,’ from which they 
 could draw their supply for the table at pleasure. We 
 are told, indeed, of two sorts of ornithones, the one 
 merely aviaries stocked with birds for the amusement 
 of the proprietor ; the other kind, constructed with a 
 view to profit, which were often of vast extent, to 
 supply the demands of the Roman market for such 
 articles of luxury. In the Sabine country particularly, 
 we read of extensive pens, filled with birds for the 
 latter purpose. For thrushes alone there were large 
 rooms provided, each capable of holding several thou¬ 
 sand birds. As they were put in to be fattened, the 
 place had only just light enough to enable the birds to 
 see their food, but there was a good supply of fresh 
 water accessible. And I may remark that, whilst 
 nothing is said by the Roman writers about the fatten¬ 
 ing of oxen and sheep, particular directions are given 
 for fattening poultry and other birds—a strong addi¬ 
 tional argument of the little importance they attached 
 to the larger animals as articles of food.’ 
 
 The following may he enumerated as the sportsman’s 
 game in Jamaica :— 
 
 1. The pintado, or wild guinea fowl (JSFumida Mele- 
 agris), a bird now domesticated in our poultry-yards. 
 In its wild state the flesh is considered by many 
 persons to equal that of the pheasant. 
 
 2. The quail [Perdix coturnix). 
 
 3. Wild pigeons, namely, ring-tail, bald-pate, pea- 
 dove, white-breast, white-wing, mountain-witch, ground 
 dove, and red-legged partridge. 
 
 4. {Scolopax gallinago). 
 
 5. W^ild duck, or mallard (Anas boschas). 
 
 6. Gray, or Gadwall duck (Anas strepera). 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 143 
 
 7. The common teal [Anas crecca), the flesh of which 
 was so much prized by the Roman epicures, and is still 
 in request for the table. 
 
 8. Widgeon {Anas Penelope). 
 
 9. Gray and ring plover {Charadrius minor, and 
 Maticula). 
 
 If we are out shooting in Canada we may easily add 
 to our mess the rufiied grouse (Tetrao umbellus), 
 although these, like many other birds, are partridges 
 with the settlers—this variety being termed the birch 
 partridge. Another species, the spruce partridge of 
 the colonists {T. Canadensis), is less palatable, for, 
 unfortunately, it has a habit of feeding upon laurel 
 leaves. But here is something to make amends—a fine 
 Esquimaux curlew, as large as an English partridge, 
 and a mud-sucker, id est snipe. 
 
 Let me note a Canadian receipt for cooking a partridge, 
 which may be useful to sportsmen and travellers:— 
 
 ‘ Expedition is the maxim of all sylvan cookery, and 
 as plucking the feathers of a partridge would be too 
 great a tax on the time and patience of the voyageur, 
 the method most in vogue is to run your hunting knife 
 round his throat and ancles and down his breast, when, 
 taking a leg in each hand, and pressing your thumb 
 into his back, you pop him out of his skin, as you 
 would a pea from its pod. Then make a spread-eagle 
 I of him on a forked twig, the other extremity of which is 
 I thrust into the ground, and after wrapping a rasher of 
 { bacon around his neck and under his wings, as ladies 
 i wear a scarf, you incline him to the fire, turning the 
 j spit in the ground, and you will have a result such as 
 li Soyer might be proud of. When your other avocations 
 1 will not afford time even for the skinning process, an 
 
144 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 alternative mode is to make a paste of askes and water, and 
 roll up your bird therein, with the feathers, and all the ap¬ 
 purtenances thereof, and thrust the performance in the 
 fire. In due time, on breaking the cemented shell (which is 
 like a sugared almond), the feathers, skin, &c., adhere to 
 it, and then you have the pure kernel of poultry within.’ 
 
 The red-legged partridge is common in the Greek 
 islands, on the continent of Asia, and in the southern 
 countries of Europe. In some of the Cyclades, where 
 the inhabitants are too poor to expend money on powder, 
 they chase the birds on foot, till they are so wearied, as 
 to be easily taken with the hand. 
 
 Of all the European birds, the quail (Cotumix 
 vulgaris) is the most remarkable, on account of the 
 vast numbers which congregate on the shores of the 
 Mediterranean in the spring, coming from Asia Minor 
 and Northern Africa, to avoid the excessive heat. For 
 a few weeks in the month of April, when they first begin 
 to arrive in Sicily, everybody is a sportsman. Arriv¬ 
 ing always in the night, although not a quail could be 
 seen the evening before, the report of guns the next 
 morning, in all directions, attests their number and the 
 havoc that has begun upon them. Such prodigious 
 numbers have appeared on the western coasts of the 
 kingdom of Naples, that a hundred thousand have been 
 taken in a day, within the space of four or five miles. 
 
 The flesh of the turtle dove is considered much supe¬ 
 rior to that of the wild pigeon. 
 
 The passenger (^Columhamigratoria) of Ame¬ 
 
 rica, is a very large and well flavoured variety, being 
 16 inches long, and 24 inches in the spread of its wings; 
 its hue chiefly slate-colour. They migrate at certain 
 seasons in millions, and feed on acorns and fresh mast. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 145 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 They travel in the morning and evening, and repose 
 about mid-day in the forests. Their passage, whether 
 in spring or autumn, lasts from 15 to 20 days, after 
 which they are met with in the centre of the United 
 States. The Indians often watch the roosting places of 
 these birds, and knocking them on the head in the 
 night, bring them away by thousands. They preserve 
 the oil or fat, which they use instead of butter. There 
 was formerly scarcely any little Indian xdllage in the 
 interior, where a hundred gallons of this oil might not 
 at any time be purchased. 
 
 These pigeons spread over the whole of North Ame¬ 
 rica, abounding round Hudson’s Bay, where they remain 
 tiU December. They arrive in the fur countries in the 
 latter end of May, and depart in October. They are 
 met with as far south as the Gulf of Mexico, but do 
 not extend their range westward of the Kocky Moun¬ 
 tains. Stray passenger pigeons have been taken both in 
 Norway and in Kussia; and this bird has foxmd a place in 
 the British fauna, from a solitary bird having been shot 
 in Westhall, Fifeshire, on the 31 st December, 1825. 
 Like other pigeons, this genus makes a slender platform 
 nest of sticks and straws, but, unlike other pigeons, pro¬ 
 lific as it is, it lays but one egg. The female builds the 
 nest, the male bird fetches the materials. The time of 
 incubation is 16 days, and the male relieves the female 
 in sitting during that period. The immense number 
 of these birds baffles all computation. Those eminent 
 ornithologists, Wilson and Audubon, describe flocks seen 
 by them to contain respectively from thousands of mil¬ 
 lions to upwards of a billion in each, the daily food re- 
 qiiired to sustain which would be at least 60,000 bushels; 
 and the New York Evening Post informs us that, on 
 
 L 
 
14G 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 one day, seven tons of tliese pigeons were broiiglit into 
 the New York market by the Erie railroad. 
 
 In their breeding places, herds of hogs are fed on the 
 young pigeons or ‘ squabs,’ which are also melted down 
 by the settlers, as a substitute for butter or lard. The 
 felling a single tree often produces 200 squabs, nearly 
 as large as the old ones, and almost one mass of fat. 
 When the flocks of full grown pigeons enter a district, 
 clap-nets and guns are in great requisition. Pennant, 
 in his Arctic Zoology, says. Sir William Johnstone told 
 him, that at one shot, he brought down with a blunder¬ 
 buss above a hundred and twenty pigeons. Wagon 
 loads of them are poured into the towns, and sold as 
 cheap as a half-penny up to two-pence the dozen. The 
 flesh tastes like the common wild blue pigeon, but is, 
 if anything, better flavoured. Why (it has been asked) 
 could not this large pigeon, whose migratory habits are 
 principally caused by search for food, be introduced 
 into this country as a tame variety, or by crossing with 
 our native breeds enlarge the size; or, in the same way 
 as fresh mutton was sent from Australia, be sent in 
 casks potted in their own fat, to supply us with cheap 
 pigeon pies? And the same with a cross with the large 
 Texan rabbit, or the wild American turkey, the latter 
 being far superior in size and appearance to its degene¬ 
 rate descendant, the tame turkey, sometimes as much 
 as four feet in length, and five feet from wing to wing ? 
 The canvas-back ducks of America are there boasted 
 of exceedingly as a delicacy, yet, although a great 
 variety of useless water-fowl has been introduced 
 merely as an ornament to the ponds and streams of our 
 gentry, no attempt has been made to bring this kind to 
 our farm-yards and tables; and even if it was found 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 147 
 
 impossible to tame the pure breed, a cross with our 
 own might be effected. In the capercailzie, or cock of 
 the wood, a bird of the grouse species, but nearly as 
 large as a turkey, once indigenous to Scotland, but now 
 only found in the north of Europe, and in the bustard, 
 the largest European land-bird, the cock weighing from 
 25 to 27 lbs., we have examples of two fowls well worth 
 the trial of domesticating by the amateur or intelligent 
 agriculturist, a trial which, if successful, would proba¬ 
 bly repay quite as well as competition about the colour 
 of a feather, or the shortness of a tail, and in time would 
 be the means of affording a constant, certain, and mo¬ 
 derately-priced supply, which is never the case while 
 animals remain in a wild or half-wild state. 
 
 Although the forests of New Zealand are not thickly 
 inhabited by the feathered tribes, there are many birds 
 to be met with. Among others are the following, which 
 are excellent eating.—The wild pigeon, which is very 
 large and common; the parrot or ka-ka; and the tui or 
 mocking bird, which is about the size of the English 
 black-bird, and of the same colour, but with two 
 bunches of white feathers under the neck—his notes are 
 I few, but very melodious, resembling the tinkling of 
 small bells, which harmonize together as they are 
 delivered. The bronze-winged pigeon of Australia is 
 most delicate eating. It abounds in summer, when the 
 acacia seeds are ripe. 
 
148 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 GRALLATORES. 
 
 From the order of grallatores, waders or stilt-birds, 
 we find many which yield choice dainties, whether it 
 he the ostrich or emu for their eggs, the bustard and 
 bittern, the flamingo for its tongue, the plover, dotterel, 
 curlew, snipe, woodcock, rail, &c., for the table. 
 
 An ostrich egg is considered as equal in its contents 
 to 24 of the domestic hen. When taken fresh from the 
 nest, they are very palatable, and are wholesome, though 
 somewhat heavy food. The Lest mode of cooking them 
 is that practised by the Hottentots, who place one end 
 of the egg in the hot ashes, and making a small orifice 
 at the other, keep stirring the contents with a stick till 
 they are sufficiently roasted ; and thus, with a season¬ 
 ing of salt and pepper, you have a very nice omelet. 
 The nest sometimes contains as many as 24 eggs, and 
 the difficulty the sportsman has is how.to carry away 
 his spoil. The usual plan is to denude himself of his 
 upper or lower garments, and, tying up the orifices of 
 leg-holes or arm-holes, to make an impromptu sack, in 
 w'hich he can bear away his prize. If he leaves them, 
 he will he sure to find on his return that the ostrich.has 
 broken the eggs, because they have been disturbed. 
 
 The eggs of the emu of South America are large, 
 and, although the food which they afford is coarse, it is 
 not unpalatable. 
 
 The emu, or New Holland cassowary, is becoming 
 rarer as settlements advance. The same remark applies 
 also to the kangaroo and other animals against whom a 
 war of extermination seems to have been declared. 
 
 The emu is easily domesticated when taken young, 
 and becomes very famihar with, and attached to, the 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 149 
 
 dogs, wHcli generally leads to the death of a tame one. 
 A full-grown one, when erect, stands seven feet high. 
 The natives creep on them and spear them. The eggs 
 are of a tea green colour, with a watered appearance 
 on the surface. There is a singularity in the growth 
 of the feathers—two of them spring from one quiU. 
 The bird is principally valued for its oil. The skin of 
 a full-grown bird produces six or seven quarts of oil, 
 clear, and of a beautiful bright yellow colour. The 
 method of extracting or ‘ trying ’ out the oil is to pluck 
 the feathers, cut the skin into pieces, and boil it; but 
 the aborigines prefer the flesh with the skin upon it, 
 regarding it as the Esquimaux do the flesh of whales and 
 seals, as a highly luscious treat. The flesh is eaten by 
 Europeans, and preferred by some to the kangaroo ; the 
 rump part is considered as delicate as fowl; the legs 
 coarser, like beef, but still tender. 
 
 Bustards are plentiful in many parts of the Cape 
 Colony, and the smaller sorts, called koerhans, are ap¬ 
 proachable in a bush country; but the larger kinds, 
 called paws, are a great prize, as they are found on 
 plains, and are generally shot with ball. In Australia, 
 the bustard is called, coloniaUy, the wild turkey. It 
 is a fine large bird, frequently weighing 12 to 15 lbs., 
 and extending full six feet, from tip to tip of the wings. 
 There it is declared excellent for eating, but its flesh is 
 much too gamey for ordinary palates. 
 
 Don Pernetty, in his Historical Journal of the 
 Voyage to the Falkland Islands, under the command of 
 M. de Bouganville, says, they found the bustard ‘ ex¬ 
 quisite either boiled, roasted, or fricasseed. It appeared 
 from the account we kept that we ate 1,600. It is, 
 indeed, hardly to be conceived that the ship’s company 
 of our two frigates, consisting of a hundred and fifty 
 
150 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 men, all in perfect health and with good stomachs, 
 should have found a quantity of these birds sufficient 
 for their subsistence during a stay of more than two 
 months, within a tract of country not exceeding three 
 leagues.’ 
 
 But they also tried other descriptions of feathered 
 game. The wild ducks were found, in general, to 
 have the taste of mussels. Of a kind of grey goose, 
 weighing about 19 or 20' lbs., it is reported: ‘ Its 
 flesh was oily, had a disagreeable smell and a fenny 
 taste; but it was eaten by the ships’ companies when 
 no bustards were given them.’ 
 
 The clucking hen of Jamaica {Ardea scolopacea), on 
 the authority of Browne and Robinson, is looked upon 
 as the best wild fowl in the country, although the latter 
 writer tells us it feeds upon snakes, toads, and lizards, 
 as well as wood snails and gully crabs. The flavour is, 
 however, represented to be remarkably fine—a com¬ 
 pound of ham, partridge, and pigeon. The flesh is of a 
 peculiarly close and compact texture, and very tender. 
 
 The mangrove hen (Rallus Virginianm), indigenous 
 to the watery marshes of Jamaica, greatly resembles the 
 dappled grey variety of the common fowl. At the pullet 
 age, the young birds are run down, when feeding on the 
 mud, with great facility. At this time, I have found 
 them to be delicious eating. Persons, on whose taste 
 reliance may be placed, say that, though a plover be 
 undoubtedly a fine bird for the table, and the sanderling 
 a great delicacy, the young mangrove hen exceeds both, 
 as it combines all their peculiarity of flavour with the 
 fleshiness of the quail. This is no small commendation. 
 But much depends upon your cuhinier ; if he is a good 
 artiste —a man of undoubted talents, it matters little 
 what the materials be. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 151 
 
 j The Rallus crex is another esteemed dainty of no 
 I ordinary kind, and a most delicious bird, 
 j In the reign of Henry the Eighth, the bittern was 
 I held in great esteem at the tables of the great. Its 
 
 flesh has much the flavour of hare, and is far from 
 being unpleasant. 
 
 Snipe of all lands, from the ‘ teeterer,’ that hovers 
 about the edge of the surf, to the jack snipe {Scolopax 
 gallinula), half-brother to the woodcock, are in high 
 esteem for the table. The ‘ green ’ sportsman finds 
 these birds the most perplexing of all feathered game 
 when on the wing. Their catter-cornered, worm-fence 
 line of flight renders them very difficult to hit, until 
 long practice has rendered the marksman’s eye familiar 
 with their erratic movements. Some sportsmen take 
 them at an angle; others after they have made their 
 tack; and others, again, seem to blaze away at them 
 without any particular aim, and yet always bring down 
 their bird. The yellow-legged snipe is in America 
 considered the best species for the table. They should 
 be larded and roasted in Inmches of three, and served 
 in gravy made from their own unctuous drippings. 
 There are few side-dishes more popular with epicures 
 than snipe on toast. Some cooks stuff them with a 
 composition of bread crumbs and egg, highly seasoned ; 
 but, in my opinion, they are far better without this 
 kind of ‘ trimmings.’ 
 
 While the trail of the woodcock is a choice morsel 
 with the English epicure, the inhabitants of the North of 
 Europe, to whose forests the woodcpcks retire in the 
 summer, never eat the birds, esteeming their flesh un¬ 
 wholesome, from the circumstance of their having no 
 crops. But they are particularly fond of the eggs, 
 which the boors offer for sale in large quantities in the 
 
152 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 principal markets, and this contributes, possibly, to 
 make the birds so scarce. 
 
 The semi-palmated snipe, better known by its com¬ 
 mon sobriquet of ‘ pill-will-willet,’ the loud shrill note 
 which it emits, is at certain periods of the year esteemed 
 an excellent bird in America. It ought to be served 
 up in the mode that snipes usually are, and for these 
 delicious viands it is esteemed a tolerable substitute 
 when in good order. 
 
 Dampier, nearly two centuries ago, speaking of 
 the flamingo, says : ‘ Their flesh is lean and black, but 
 not ill-tasted. They have large tongues, and near the 
 root of them a piece of fat, which is accounted a great 
 dainty.’ 
 
 The flamingo was much esteemed by the Komans at 
 their sumptuous entertainments. Their flesh is thought 
 tolerably good food, aud the tongue was looked upon by 
 the ancients as among the most delicate of all eatables. 
 Pliny, Martial, and many other writers, speak of it in 
 the highest terms of commendation. Many who have 
 tried it, consider the flesh extremely rich, much like 
 that of the wild duck, but with a strong fishy taste. 
 The tongue is certainly delicate, but scarcely worthy 
 the high encomiums bestowed on it by the ancients. 
 
 During the surveying expedition of Captain Owen, 
 on the east coast of Africa, the sailors used to shoot 
 hundreds of these beautiful birds for the purpose of 
 making a dish of the tongues alone. The remainder of 
 the bird—in imitation of the Roman epicures—being 
 thrown away. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 153 
 
 NATATORES. 
 
 The Natatores, or swimming birds, supply us with 
 very choice food. Even many of the coarse sea fowl are 
 not rejected by voyagers. 
 
 The Chinese shoot sea-gulls in large numbers, which 
 add to their stock of food. A man is constantly engaged 
 in the bay of San Francisco, California, shooting sea-gulls, 
 which he sells to the Chinese at the rate of 25 cents each. 
 The Sa7i Francisco Evening News says,—‘ This bird is a 
 slow and steady mover, of large size, and flies at a conve¬ 
 nient distance over the head of the sportsman. The man 
 in the skiff was armed with a double-barrelled shot gun, 
 both barrels of which he would load, and taking a dead 
 gull would throw it high in the air and allow it to fall 
 at some distance from the boat. This would naturally 
 attract a flock of gulls, and as they made their slow 
 circuit around the spot, the gunner raised his piece and 
 generally succeeded in bringing down a bird for both 
 barrels. He would then re-load as fast as possible, 
 and if a gull was in range, another shot was fired and 
 another trophy won.’ 
 
 The flesh of sea-fowl is generally too rancid to find 
 much favour with fastidious palates. Sailors indeed 
 eat the livers and hearts of the penguins, which are ex¬ 
 ceedingly palatable, but the black flesh of the body is 
 rank and oily, and has rather a perfumed taste. Some 
 voyagers, however, tell us, that eaten in ragouts, they 
 are good as that made from a hare. 
 
 The young puffins, having gorged themselves with 
 sprats and Crustacea, when pickled with spices, are by 
 some considered dainties, and they are, occasionally, 
 potted in the North. But when it has attained its ugly 
 
154 
 
 CTJEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 full developed bill, like a short, thick plough coulter, 
 this bird does not look very prepossessing. Besides 
 making use of them for food, some of the islanders use 
 them for fire-wood. They split them open, dry them, 
 and then burn them feathers and all. 
 
 There is a species of puffin, the Pujffinus urinatrix 
 or P. hrevicaudis, popularly termed the mutton-bird by 
 Tasmanian colonists, tvhich is met with on some of the 
 New Zealand islands. It forms the principal food 
 for the native inhabitants of Foveaux Straits, and by 
 them is called the titi. It is a sea bird of black colour,* 
 in its usual condition smaller than the common duck. 
 Like all sea birds it has thin, slender legs, with webbed 
 feet: the wings are long, with many joints, I forget 
 how many; the bill is a little hooked at the point. 
 They are generally in large flocks, covering the ocean 
 as far as the eye can reach; sometimes flying all in the 
 same direction, at other times crossing through each 
 other like swai’ming bees. They breed on the small 
 uninhabited islands scattered round the coasts of Stew¬ 
 art’s Island. These islands have a loose, dry, peatish 
 soil, on a stony bottom. Their being exposed to the 
 stormy winds, loaded with the salt spray of the sea, 
 prevents the growth of a forest, except patches of 
 stunted bushes intermixed with a sort of soft, light 
 green fern. The loose soil is perforated with number¬ 
 less birdholes, like a piece of worm-eaten wood, running 
 from two to four feet underOTound in a horizontal di- 
 
 O 
 
 rection, at the farthest end of which is the nest. Each 
 female lays only one egg, which is nearly as big as a 
 goose egg, on which they sit—it is believed male and 
 female alternately — many weeks. The young bird is 
 
 * Query.—The dusky petrel. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 155 
 
 full grown in tlie month of April, which corresponds to 
 October in Europe. At that time, almost all the in¬ 
 habitants of Foveaux Straits, old and young—the infirm 
 only excepted—repair to the Titi Islands, and take the 
 young birds out of their nests, which amount to many 
 thousands, and a great many still escape. They put a 
 stick in the hole to feel where the bird is, which 
 generally betrays itself by biting the stick. If the hole 
 is so long that the bird cannot be reached by the hand, a 
 hole is dug over it, the bird taken out and killed by 
 breaking its head, and the broken hole covered with 
 rubbish and earth, so that it may be used again the next 
 year. Afterwards the birds are plucked, and, to clean 
 the skin from the hairy down, it is moistened and held 
 over the fire, when it is easily wiped quite clean. Then 
 the neck, wings, and legs are cut off, the breast is opened, 
 the entrails are taken out, and the body is laid flat, 
 either to be salted or to be boiled in its own fat, and 
 preserved in air-tight kelp bags. Though it cannot he 
 said that the young birds suffer, they being killed so 
 quickly, yet it might seem cruel to rob the parents of 
 their young ones on so large a scale, and one would 
 fancy a great deal of fluttering and screaming of the old 
 ones, bewailing the bereavement of their offspring. But 
 that is not the case. None of the old birds make their 
 appearance in the day-time. They are all out at sea, 
 and come only to their nests in the evening when it gets 
 dark, and are off again at day-break. But yet it would 
 seem the parents would be distressed at finding their 
 nests robbed. Not so. It would seem as if Providence 
 had ordered it so that man should go and take the 
 young birds for his food without hurting the feelings 
 of the parents. When the young birds are full grown, 
 then they are neglected by their parents, in order to 
 
156 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 starve them to get thin, else they would never he able 
 to fly for the heaviness of their fat. It seems that at 
 the time when they are taken by men, they are already 
 forsaken by the old birds; and those that are not taken 
 are compelled by hunger, when they have been starved 
 thin and light, to leave their holes and go to sea. The 
 old birds are tough and lean, but the young ones, which 
 are nearly twice as big, contain, when the legs, wings, 
 neck, and entrails are taken off, three-fourths of pure 
 white fat, and one-fourth of red meat and tender bones. 
 The flavour is rather fishy, but, if once used to it, not 
 bad'at all, only rather too fat. They eat best when 
 salted and smoked a little, and then boiled a short time, 
 and afterwards eaten cold. If properly salted, they 
 might make an article of trade, like herrings in 
 Europe. The fat when clean is quite white, and looks 
 just like goose fat, but the taste is rather oily; however, 
 it may be used for a good many other purposes than for 
 food. It burns very well on small shallow tin lamps, 
 which get warmed by the light and melt the fat. The 
 feathers are very soft, and would make excellent beds if 
 they could be cured of the oily smell, which it is likely 
 they can. 
 
 The following remarks on the articles of food found 
 in the arctic regions are by one of the officers of the 
 Assistance :— 
 
 ' To the feathered tribe we are chiefly indebted, and 
 foremost in the list for flavour and delicacy of fibre 
 stand the ptarmigan (Lagopus mutiis) and the willow 
 grouse (Tetrao saliceti). The flesh is dark-coloured, 
 and has somewhat the flavour of the hare. These may 
 be used in pie, stewed, boiled, or roast, at pleasure, and 
 are easily shot. Next in gustatory joys, the small birds 
 rank, a kind of snipe, and a curlew sandpiper; both 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 157 
 
 are, however, rarely met with, and do not repay the 
 trouble of procuring them. 
 
 ‘ The brent goose (Amer torquatus) is excellent 
 eating, and its flesh is free from fishy taste. Then 
 follow the little auk or rotge (Alca alle), the dovekey, 
 or black guillemot {(Iria grylle), the loon, or thick¬ 
 billed guillemot [Uria Brunnichii). The first two 
 are better baked with a crust, and the last makes, with 
 spices and wine, a soup but little inferior to that of 
 English hare. All these are found together in flocks, 
 but the easiest method of obtaining them is either to 
 shoot them at the cliffs where they breed, or as they fly 
 to and fro from their feeding ground. 
 
 ‘ The ducks now come upon the table, and are placed 
 in the following order by most Polar epicures. The 
 long-tailed duck {Fuliluga glacialis), the king duck 
 {Anas spectahilis), and the eider duck {A. mollissima). 
 They require to be skinned before roasting or boiling, 
 and are then eatable, but are always more or less fishy. 
 
 ‘ The divers are by some thought superior for the 
 table to the ducks, but the difference is very slight. 
 The red-throated diver was most frequently seen, but 
 few were shot; and of the great northern divers 
 (Colymbus glacialis) none were brought to table, two 
 only having been seen. Some of the gulls were eaten, 
 and pronounced equal to the other sea birds; they 
 were the kittiwake, the tern, and the herring or 
 silver gull. 
 
 ‘ The denizens of the sea have fallen little under 
 our notice, and they may be dismissed with the remark, 
 that curried narwhal’s skin can be tolerated, hut not 
 recommended. Some fresh-water fish were caught, and 
 proved to be very good; they are said to he a kind of 
 trout.’ 
 
158 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The eggs of sea-fowl, although much eaten on the 
 coasts, are seldom brought to market for consumption in 
 oiir large English towns, and yet they form a consi¬ 
 derable article of traffic in several parts of the world, 
 and are procured in immense quantities about the lands 
 near the North and South Poles. 
 
 The precipitous cliffs of England are occasionally 
 searched for the eggs of the razor-billed auk, which 
 are esteemed a delicacy, for salads especially. 
 
 A correspondent at San Francisco informs me that 
 an important trade is carried on in that city in the eggs 
 of sea birds. He states, that the Farallones de los 
 Frayles, a group of rocky islets, lying a little more 
 than twenty miles west of the entrance to the Bay of 
 San Francisco, are the resort of innumerable sea-fowl, 
 known by the fishermen as ‘ murres.’ These islands are 
 almost inaccessible, and, with a single exception, are 
 uninhabited. They, therefore, very naturally afford a 
 resort for great multitudes of birds. Some time since 
 a company was organized in San Francisco for the 
 purpose of bringing the eggs of the murres to market. 
 An imperfect idea of the numbers of these birds may 
 be formed from the fact, that this company sold in that 
 city the last season (a period of less than two months, 
 July and parts of June and August) more than five 
 hundred thousand eggs ! All these were gathered on a 
 single one of these islands; and, in the opinion of the 
 eggers, not more than one egg in six of those deposited 
 on that island was gathered. My correspondent in¬ 
 forms me that he was told by those familiar with the 
 islands that all the eggs brought in were laid by birds 
 of a single kind. Yet they exhibit astonishing varia¬ 
 tions in size, in form, and in colouring. There is no 
 reason to suppose that he was misinformed in regard to 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 159 
 
 these eggs being deposited by a single species. The 
 men could have bad no motive for deception, and 
 similar facts are observable on the Labrador coast and 
 in the islands north of Scotland. Besides, the writer 
 ascertained from other sources, that all the eggs 
 brought to the market were obtained from a limited 
 portion of the island, known as the Great Farallone— 
 called the Rookery, where a single species swarm in 
 myriads, and where no other kind of bird is found. 
 Naturalists, who have received specimens of these 
 birds, pronounce them to be the thick-billed or Brunnich’s 
 guillemot, or murre, of Labrador and Northern Europe. 
 The eggs are three and a half inches in length, and are 
 esteemed a great delicacy. 
 
 There is a small island off the Cape of Good Hope, 
 named Dassen Island, about six miles from the main¬ 
 land, which is one and a half mile long by one broad, 
 
 I from which 24,000 eggs of penguins and gulls are 
 'i collected every fortnight, and sold at Cape Town for a 
 half-penny each. 
 
 The late Lieut. Ruxton, R.N., speaking of the 
 Island of Ichaboe, on the Western Coast of Africa, 
 says, ‘ Notwithstanding that the island had been occu¬ 
 pied for nearly two years, during which time thousands 
 upon thousands of penguins had been wantonly des¬ 
 troyed, on the cessation of work these birds again 
 flocked to their old haunts, where they had again com¬ 
 menced laying their eggs. The rocks round the island 
 are literally covered with penguins, cormorants, and 
 j albatrosses. The former, wedged together in a dense 
 i phalanx, have no more dread of man than ducks in a 
 poultry-yard, although they have met with such perse- 
 t cution on the island ; and any number might be taken 
 j: by the hand without any difflculty. The sailors eat the 
 
160 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 livers and hearts, which are exceedingly palatable, hut 
 the flesh of the body is rank and oily.’ * 
 
 Captain Morrell, also writing of Ichaboe {Nautical 
 Magazine, vol. 13, p. 374), tells us, ‘ Eggs may be ob¬ 
 tained here in great quantities. In the months of 
 October and November this island is literally covered 
 with jackass-penguins and gannets, which convene here 
 for the purpose of laying and incubation. The nests 
 of the gannets are formed like those of the albatross, but 
 are not so much elevated; while the jackass-penguins 
 lay their eggs in holes in the ground from twelve to 
 thirty inches in depth, which they guard with the 
 strictest vigilance. They frequently lay three or four 
 eggs, but the gannet seldom lays more than two.’ 
 
 A correspondent, writing from Tristan d’Acunha, in 
 September, gives an account of his adventures in taking 
 penguins’ eggs. ‘ This is now the time for penguins’ 
 eggs. They get great numbers of them. There are 
 two rookeries, as they call them; one on the east, and 
 one on the west, of us. To the one on the west, they 
 go over land, beyond Elephant Bay. I went there last 
 year, when I saw the great sea elephant and the pen¬ 
 guins for the first time. But this year I have been 
 disappointed, the weather has been so unsettled. But 
 yesterday was a fine day, and they were going in the 
 boat to the other, to which they can go only by water; 
 so I went with them. It was a good day, and we 
 landed easily, though it is a very bad beach. Fancy 
 the scene—a long, very narrow strip of land, at the 
 foot of a great rock, covered with the thick tussac grass, 
 far higher than my head; the whole place swarming 
 with these penguins—pretty to look at, but the most 
 
 * Nautical Magazine, vol. 15, p. o. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 161 
 
 ungainly creatures in their movements that I ever saw ? 
 They stand almost upright. The breast is glossy 
 white, the rest is gray. A couple of tufts of those 
 pretty yellow feathers, of which I sent home a few, 
 adorn each side of the head and give them a very lively 
 appearance. They have no wings, hut instead, a couple 
 of flippers, as they call them, like arms, which they use 
 about as gracefully as Punch does his. And then the 
 way in which they hop along I Talk of the motion of 
 a frog! it is elegance itself compared with them. 
 Altogether, they are the most interesting, curious 
 things in Tristan. They are about as big, and twice as 
 noisy, as a duck. Fancy going into the midst of thick 
 grass higher than your head, with thousands of them 
 round you, all croaking out in a harsh, loud, quick 
 note, ‘ Cover up! cover up!’ and then kicking them 
 right and left, quickly, taking care they do not get 
 hold of you,—seizing their great eggs, till you have 
 got some hundreds of them in your bosom. The men 
 wear a large shirt, tied round their waist, so as to form 
 a large loose bag in front, and so pop them in as fast 
 as they can pick them up. The men will gather two or 
 three hundred in this way, and the boys from one to 
 two; and from the other rookery carry them the whole 
 way home—no little load. The eggs vary much in 
 size, from a large hen’s egg to a goose’s. They mostly 
 lay two at once. Their nests are sometimes close 
 together, so you can soon pick up a lot. They stand 
 in pairs, each couple at their nest to defend it, and some 
 will not give up till they have been kicked away two or 
 three times. They can give a good sharp bite, if they 
 get hold of you. The men found me a spot where the 
 eggs were very thick, and very little tussac, and though 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 I was a new hand at the work, and therefore obliged to 
 look sharp to escape a bite, I managed to collect more 
 than a hundred of them in a short time. Fancy what 
 work, to stand amid hundreds of the birds, all screaming 
 round you, so as almost to deafen you, tumbling them 
 here and there, and picking up their eggs as fast as 
 you can gather them! It is really amusing sport. I 
 must remind you the kicking them over with our soft 
 moccasins (shoes) does not hurt them in the least, and 
 the next day they will have just as many eggs. 
 
 ‘ Six of the men went round in the boat. We were 
 there about four hours, and gathered about four thou¬ 
 sand—pretty near a boat’s load ; and could have got 
 more if we had chosen. It was a pleasant day, and we 
 had a good row back.’ 
 
 An interesting account which recently appeared in a 
 Jamaica paper, respecting egg gathering, is also worth 
 quoting. 
 
 The annual egg gathering visit, which the boatmen 
 of Port Poyal make to the Pedro Keys, we may set 
 down as a remnant of Indian life. In the work en¬ 
 titled The Discovery of America hy Christopher 
 Columbus, compiled from his papers hy his son Don 
 Ferdinand, we are informed, that on the 13th of Novem¬ 
 ber, 1492, the discovery squadron weighing from the 
 Rio de Mares, Cuba, stood to the eastward, to search 
 for the island called Bohio by the Indians, and coming 
 to an anchor among some high raised islets on the 
 coast, found them to he places visited hy the Indians 
 at certain seasons of the year, for supplies of fish and 
 birds. ‘ The islands,’ Columbus says, ‘ were not in¬ 
 habited, but there were seen the remains of many fires 
 which had been made by the fishermen; for it after¬ 
 wards appeared that the people were in use to go over 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 163 
 
 in great numbers in tbeir canoes to these islands, and 
 to a great number of other uninhabited islets in these 
 seas, to live upon fish, which they catch in great abun- 
 ! dance, and upon birds and crabs, and other things 
 which they find on the land. The Indians follow this 
 employment of fishing and bird-catching according to 
 I the seasons, sometimes in one island sometimes in an¬ 
 other, as a person changes his diet, when weary of 
 living on one kind of food.’ * 
 
 ‘ From the lighthouse on the Port Eoyal palisades to 
 ; Portland in Vere, a line encloses a system of coast 
 i islands, reefs, banks, and shoals colonized by numerous 
 birds and fishes. Each kind has its own locality. 
 Pelican Key and Pigeon Island never interchange in¬ 
 habitants, and the bank that gives the king-fish fur¬ 
 nishes neither the snapper nor the grouper. Southward 
 I from Portland, at a distance of some few leagues, the 
 great Pedro bank is reached, stretching near 100 miles. 
 ’ There are islets at each extremity, but the group that 
 I attracts the egg gatherers every year, are the Keys, 
 distinguished as the Pedros, at its eastern end. We 
 shall loiter a little to describe a living world there that 
 must have been a great attraction to the aboriginal 
 Indians, in those periodical junketings that came under 
 the notice of Columbus. 
 
 ‘ The Port Eoyal boats bound for the egg harvest, 
 bring to, at the outermost of the Portland Keys, and 
 start at midnight from there, to gain with a favourable 
 breeze in 14 or 15 hours the shelter of the Pedros, and 
 to be snug at anchor long before sundown. The vessels 
 in their voyage steer for a single rock in fathomless 
 water, the Isla Sola of the Spanish maps. It rises 
 
 * Part II. Buff. Hist. ch. 1. sec. 5. 
 
 M 2 
 
 A 
 
164 
 
 CtTRIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 about 30 or 40 feet out of the sea like a castle in 
 ruins, over which the surf breaks fiercely; and in 
 about five or six hours after making it, they anchor 
 within what are properly called the Keys. 
 
 ‘ There are numerous outlying rocks just above and 
 beneath the water, between the Pedro shoal and the 
 open sea, on which the winds and the currents roll 
 a heavy surf. The spots properly called the islands 
 are seven in number, and vary from forty to some three 
 or four acres in size. They are upthrown masses of 
 broken coral and shell cemented by calcareous sand, 
 washed upon rocky ledges above the sea. The breakers 
 shift with the shifting winds, rolling these fragmentary 
 deposits on before them. By the regularity of their 
 change of action, they have done the work of accumu¬ 
 lation pretty equally on all sides: they have raised a 
 wall all round the islands, and left the centres hollow. 
 
 ‘ From time to time storms of unusual violence have 
 carried the heaped-up coral and sand suddenly, and in 
 thick layers, over portions of the islands where the 
 dung of the sea birds had accumulated for years, and 
 these irruptions have made intermediate deposits of 
 animal matter and cemented rock. It is evident from 
 the prevalence of this succession of deposits within the 
 hollow centres of the islets, that the sea has washed in 
 the fragmentary materials of the outer margins, by a 
 more than ordinary rise of the waters, and laid them in 
 pretty equal strata at distant intervals of time, so that 
 the centres have risen in height as the sea walls have 
 been built and cemented up. The animal deposits, 
 which may be characterized as loosely cohering urate 
 of lime, are sometimes found two feet beneath the strata 
 of cemented coral and shells, and run about an inch or 
 an inch and a half thick. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 1G5 
 
 ' Immediately within the islands, the waters shoal, 
 and make a hank called the Vibora by the Spaniards. 
 It runs to the Cascabel rock, 90 odd miles westward, 
 bristled with reefs and sunken rocks, having a depth of 
 from 7 to 17 fathoms. Easterly winds, that is, the 
 trade winds, veering southward and northward, for de¬ 
 terminate portions of the year, roll constant billows 
 over it. Westerly breezes, varying northerly and 
 southerly, bring tremendous gales and heavy swells. 
 The rough agency of all these movements has heaped 
 up the sands, and the corals, and shells, cementing 
 them into rock, and giving the island an elevation of 
 from 15 to 20 feet. 
 
 ‘ The vegetation on these islands is stunted surianas, 
 among whose tough and twisted branches the birds 
 find nestling places. To these lonely islets resort 
 thousands and tens of thousands of sea-fowl. As soon 
 as visitors land, myriads of birds are upon the wing 
 in all directions. Some flocks rise in circling flight 
 high up into the air, and descending again in. the same 
 dense numbers as they rose, settle in more remote 
 places ; others break away hurriedly, and fly in a wide 
 sweep far around, but return again hastily to the rocks 
 they had quitted, reconciled to bear with the distur¬ 
 bance. The turmoil and hubbub of the thousands of 
 birds thus suddenly put upon the wing, overpower for 
 a moment the roar of the breakers, and darken the 
 air like the sudden passing of a cloud. 
 
 ‘ The constant inhabitants of the rocks are several 
 species of the booby, gannets, terns, gulls, and petrels 
 —and the frigate pelican. The frigate-birds preserve 
 their predilection for rapine amid the teeming plenty 
 of the waters, and subsist by pillaging the gulls and 
 gannets. The migratory visitors are ducks, herons, 
 
166 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 plovers, snipes, sandpipers, curlews, and ibises, with 
 the several falcons that follow them. In the autumnal 
 movement of these birds towards the equatorial re¬ 
 gions, they would be found steering from north 
 to south, but at the time when the egg gatherers 
 visit the islets, they are seen coming from the south, 
 just resting and departing north. The successive 
 months of March, April, and May, are those of the 
 egg harvest. 
 
 ‘ The Keys are open to all adventurers, but the egg 
 gathering is regulated by a custom which recognises 
 the first coming vessel as commanding for the season. 
 The second vessel in seniority is called the Commo¬ 
 dore, the first being styled the Admiral. They have 
 a code of laws, to which, in a spirit of honourable 
 compliance, all are expected to show obedience; and in 
 case of any infraction of the obligations thus volun¬ 
 tarily imposed upon themselves, a jury selected from 
 the several vessels tries complaints, and with due for¬ 
 mality inflicts punishment for offences. 
 
 ‘ The south-west is the principal of the Pedro Keys. 
 The stay of the birds that resort there to breed is pro¬ 
 longed by the successive loss of the eggs they lay. 
 Each loss is a stimulus to a fresh act of pairing; a 
 new lot of eggs being the result, possibly in number 
 equal to the former lot, but probably less, as the latter 
 deposits are a forced produetion, at the expense of the 
 vigour of the bird, without any additional strength to 
 the constitution by the increased nourishment of food, 
 the process by which domesticated birds, in changing 
 their habits, are led to lay a continuance of eggs for a 
 long season. The egg gatherers are careful observers 
 of the progress of incubation, and take only the eggs 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 167 
 
 they know to be fresh laid. These are a part of the 
 regulations they require to be observed, or the constant 
 depredations committed on the birds would fatally thin 
 their numbers. 
 
 ‘ Without going into the discussion of naturalists, 
 who see in the different colours of eggs a certain rela¬ 
 tion to circumstances favourable to concealment, it may 
 be observed that the blotched egg, laid by the Hydroche- 
 lidon fuliginosa, properly distinguished as the egg-hird, 
 is found among sticks and dried leaves of the suriana, 
 whilst the white eggs of the boobies and petrels 
 are deposited in hollows of the coral rocks, amid sand 
 and challiy dung. There is one curious coincidence 
 between the eggs of the noddy. Sterna stolida, and 
 the peculiarities of the nest, that must not, however, 
 be unremarked. The elaborate pile of sticks slightly 
 hollowed, in which they deposit their eggs, is always 
 embellished with broken sea shells, speckled and 
 spotted like the eggs. Audubon records the same 
 occurrence in the nests of the noddy terns he inspected 
 in the Florida Keys. The obvious suggestion for this 
 curious prevalence of instinct is deceptiveness, arising 
 from similarity between the egg shell and the sea shell. 
 The nests are pillaged by what is called the laughing 
 gull (the Larus atricilla, not the ridibundus) ; the 
 numerous empty shells lying among the rocks being 
 always set down to the predatory visits of the laughing 
 gull. 
 
 ‘ South-west Key, and the other sandy islets around 
 it, are beside, annually resorted to by the fishermen 
 in the turtling season for a different harvest of eggs. 
 The turtles {CJielone midas) visit these shoals to deposit 
 their eggs in the dry sand, and leave them to the fos- 
 
168 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 tering influence of the sun. They repeat their layings 
 thrice, at the interval of two or three weeks, laying a 
 hundred at a time. Some experience is necessary to 
 trace the place of deposit, for the eggs are always laid 
 in the night; but few of them escape the detection of 
 the turtler.’ 
 
 Geese are reared in large numbers in Alsace, the 
 livers of which are used in making the famous Stras- 
 hurg pies. In Denmark, geese and ducks are salted 
 down for winter use. 
 
 In Greenland, the snow goose affords great sub¬ 
 sistence to the natives, and the feathers are an article of 
 commerce. Each family will kill thousands in a season; 
 these, after being plucked and gutted, are flung in 
 heaps into holes dug for that purpose, and are covered 
 only with earth. The mould presses, and forms over 
 them an arch; and whenever the family have occasion 
 to open one of these magazines, they find their pro¬ 
 visions perfectly sweet and good. 
 
 In Captain Sir John Ross’s Arctic Voyage to Regent 
 Inlet, it is recorded, that when they discovered that 
 the wild geese had begun to lay on the margin of the 
 lakes, their eggs formed a dainty and wholesome re¬ 
 past. ‘ The eggs on being weighed were found on an 
 average to he 4-1 ounces—of a dingy white, faintly 
 speckled. The discovery of a goose’s nest, where the 
 process of incubation had not begun, was regarded by 
 them in the light of a treasure. To the natives, how¬ 
 ever, it appeared to he a matter of very trifling import 
 whether the egg were freshly laid, or whether it were 
 within a few days of being hatched. Half-a-dozen eggs 
 beaten up with the young ones, in all stages of their 
 growth, from the first development of the form to the 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 169 
 
 complete formation of the foetus, proved to the natives 
 what a dish of callipash and callipee is to the gourman- 
 dizing alderman; nor were they very particular as to 
 the embryos being wholly divested of the shells, for 
 the latter appeared to be nearly of the same use as 
 beans to the food of a horse, to force him to masticate 
 the oats more thoroughly.’ 
 
 The cygnet, or young of the swan, was formerly 
 much esteemed; at Norwich they were fattened for the 
 corporation. The flesh of the old birds is hard and ill 
 tasted. 
 
 The pintail [Anas acuta) is a very choice bird—the 
 very ‘ ring tail ’ of the duck tribe. They are un¬ 
 doubtedly a recherche morceau, for, being essentially 
 grain feeders, they have no fishy flavour. 
 
 Widgeon and teal are in great favour when in good 
 condition. 
 
 I!' 
 
 i: 
 
 I REPTILIA. 
 
 We find various reptiles, Chelonian, Saurian, and 
 ij Ophidian, still forming articles of food in many quarters 
 j' of the world, and some so repulsive in their appearance, 
 that it seems difficult to conceive how they could first 
 
 I have been tasted. 
 
 In the class Reptima, we have in the first order Che~ 
 Ionia or tortoises, comprising the following which are 
 4 used as food ;—1, severiil of the terrestrial tortoises, 
 • genus Testudo} 2, some of the marsh tortoises or 
 Emydes, the chelodina, matamata, &c.; 3, the cryptopus 
 j or river tortoise; and 4, the marine tortoises or turtles. 
 
 i 
 
170 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 In the second order Sauria or lizards, we find— 
 1, crocodiles and alligators contributing to the suste¬ 
 nance of man; 2, several of the iguarians. 
 
 In the third order, Ophidia or serpents, the rattle¬ 
 snake, boas and pythons, and several other snakes. 
 
 In the fourth order. Amphibia, some of the edible 
 and tree frogs. 
 
 We know not, observes a recent writer, why the 
 flesh of the vegetable-feeding tortoises should not be 
 adopted, as well as that of the green turtle, among the 
 various articles which are in request for the table. 
 There is much in habit and association of ideas; and 
 though persons who would not refuse turtle might 
 turn from tortoise with disgust, they may rest assured 
 that in Sicily and Italy these land tortoises are sold 
 in the markets, principally for being made into soup, 
 which dish is more esteemed than the flesh prepared in 
 any other way. 
 
 The flesh of a tortoise, called the matamata by the 
 aborigines of Cayenne [Chelys matamata, Dumeril, 
 C. fimbriata, Spix), is said to be highly esteemed in 
 various parts of Guiana. 
 
 There is a great variety of land tortoises in Trini¬ 
 dad and some of the other West Indian Islands, which 
 in general are as delicious as the best green turtle. 
 
 The eggs of the close tortoise (Testudo clausa) of 
 North America, are reckoned a delicacy, and are about 
 the size of pigeons’ eggs. 
 
 The gopher tortoise {Testudo Carolina, of Leconte) 
 occasionally makes considerable depredations in the 
 potato fields of the farmer, and in gardens and other 
 cultivated grounds, but its flesh is excellent, and hence 
 it is sought after for the table. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 171 
 
 The flesh of the Carolina terrapin or box tortoise 
 {Cistudo Carolina) is occasionally eaten, but it is held 
 in low estimation; the eggs, however, which are about 
 as large as those of a pigeon, are accounted excellent, 
 and are much sought after. 
 
 The flesh of the European box tortoise {Cistudo 
 Europcea), though not very delicate, is nevertheless 
 eaten on the Continent; it is said, however, to he 
 greatly improved by feeding the animals for some 
 time on grains, bran, and other vegetable aliment. 
 The salt water terrapin {Emys concentrica), which is 
 found both in North and South America, is in great 
 request, its flesh being highly esteemed as a delicacy for 
 the table, especially at the close of the summer, when the 
 animals have returned to their winter dormitory. They 
 are then fat, and considered as a luxury. 
 
 The eggs of the terrapin are not provided with a 
 hard shell, but a skin like that purest of all parch¬ 
 ments, parchment just before it receives the ink of law 
 upon it. 
 
 The general method of killing these animals is a 
 most barbarous one. They are laid upon their backs, 
 either close to the fire, or upon the red wood-ashes, 
 until the thick shell becomes so hot to the animal 
 within that he desperately stretches out both legs and 
 neck, in the vainest of endeavours to extricate himself 
 from the walls of his burning house. The tender¬ 
 hearted cook watches his opportunity, and when it is 
 evident that, in ordinary phrase, the poor terrapin 
 ‘ cannot contain itself,’ or in other words, will no longer 
 draw back his head into such a living furnace—the knife 
 descends, and the head is cut away. The late Mr. 
 Charles Hooton told me, that he had seen such heads 
 
179 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 at least half-an-hour after being cut off, attempt, on 
 being touclied, to bite with sufficient force to take the 
 piece out of the finger During this time the eyes 
 will occasionally open, though generally they remain 
 shut. 
 
 The flesh of the Indian Cryptopus, a river or fluviatile 
 tortoise [Cryptopus grano&us, Bibr., Testudo scabra, 
 Latr.) is eaten in Pondicherry and Coromandel, where it 
 lives in large sheets of fresh water or lagoons. 
 
 The flesh of the soft tortoise of America [Trionyx 
 ferox, Cuvier), which inhabit the rivers of Carolina and 
 Georgia, is eaten. 
 
 The curious New Holland tortoise {Chelodina lon- 
 gicoUis), first described by Shaw, which, as far as 
 the head and neck is concerned, reminds one rather 
 of a snake than a tortoise, is abundant in some of 
 ther lakes of Western Australia, and is considered by 
 the natives a great treat, as are also the snakes and 
 lizards. 
 
 Chief Justice Temple, of Honduras, from whose 
 lively and interesting letters to the Society of Arts I 
 have already quoted, says—‘Another article which 
 might be preserved and exported, and which would, I 
 have little doubt, be highly prized by epicures in Eng¬ 
 land, is the liver of the hiccatee. The hiccatee is the 
 fresh water turtle or tortoise, and is, I believe, altogether 
 unknown in Europe. It never approaches anything 
 like the size of the large turtles. The weight of the 
 hiccatee seldom exceeds 20 lbs. It has not got fins like 
 a turtle, or to be more correct, the sea tortoise, but 
 round, webbed-feet, each having five claws, like those of 
 a duck. It is made for the land, therefore, as well as 
 the water. It does not, however, make the former its 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 173 
 
 home, and its feet are evidently intended merely to 
 enable it, when one pool becomes dry, to travel in 
 search of another. The hiccatee is generally caught in 
 the dry season, when going across the country in pur¬ 
 suit of water. The feet when dressed are gelatinous, 
 but the flesh is dry and fibrous. It is, however, the 
 liver which renders this species of tortoise so highly 
 estimable. It is a dark olive colour, and immensely 
 large. If this were preserved in oil with truffles, it 
 would be considered far superior to the goose’s liver of 
 which the -pate de foie gras is made.’ 
 
 The following way of effectually shooting a turtle 
 may be interesting to the sporting world generally, 
 and aldermen in particular. ‘ The soft-shell turtle is 
 found throughout the south, and abounds in the rivers 
 and bayous of Louisiana, where they are esteemed a 
 delicacy. They are so shy as to elude the various in¬ 
 ventions which are adopted to capture them; the rifle 
 has, therefore, been resorted to; and, though easily 
 killed by a fair marksman, when he finds them sunning 
 themselves on the floating or projecting trunk of some 
 old tree, he still often fails to secure his prize, since they 
 drop into the bayous, are swept down into the current, 
 and scarcely, if ever, secured. To remedy this, a gen¬ 
 tleman of Louisiana adopted the following method suc¬ 
 cessfully. He cut a piece of wood, one inch long, and 
 rounded it so as to fit easily in his rifle; around the 
 middle, crosswise, he cut a small groove, so as to secure 
 to it a twine some six or seven inches long; at the other 
 end of this string he attached the ball, by passing the 
 string through a bore in the ball, and then knotting the 
 end of the string. The ball is first inserted in the 
 rifle; the string and wood follow, and all are rammed 
 
174 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 down. The turtle is now shot, and as the ball passes 
 through the turtle, it enters the tree or log some one or 
 two inches; the piece of wood, being too light to enter 
 the shell of the turtle, is left suspended. So that, at a 
 single shot, the game is killed, strung, and hung up.’ 
 Of course, this is from an American paper. 
 
 The flesh of the land tortoise is largely used for food, 
 both fresh and when salted, in the Gallipagos Archi¬ 
 pelago and other islands of the Pacific; and a beautifully 
 clear oil is prepared from their fat. They are eaten in 
 Australia by the aborigines ; and in Russia, on the shores 
 of the Mediterranean, and some parts of Germany, are 
 fattened for the table, and are esteemed a great delicacy. 
 Wallace, in his journeys up the Amazon, says he found 
 the land tortoise for dinner as good as turtle. 
 
 Captain Dampier, when he visited the Gallipagos, in 
 1684, records ‘ That there is no place in the world so much 
 stored with guanoes and land tortoises as these isles. 
 The first are fat and of an extraordinary size, and ex¬ 
 ceeding tame; and the land tortoises so numerous, that 
 some hundred men may subsist on them for a consider¬ 
 able time, being very fat, and as pleasant food as a 
 pullet, and of such bigness that one of them weighs 150 
 or 200 lbs.; and are from two feet to two feet six 
 inches over the belly; whereas, in any other places, I 
 never met with any above 30 lbs. weight, though I have 
 heard them say that at St. Lawrence or Madagascar 
 there are also very large ones.’ 
 
 Wafer, another old voyager, when at these islands, 
 salted the flesh of the land tortoise for use on ship¬ 
 board, and fried the fat and converted it into lard or oil, 
 of which they secured 60 large jars. 
 
 Tortoises of an immense size are found on many 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 175 
 
 of the islands of the Pacific. Mr. Lawson, a vice- 
 governor of the Gallipagos Archipelago, states that he 
 has seen several so large that it required six or eight 
 1 men to lift them from the ground ; and that some had 
 I afforded as much as 200 Ihs. of meat. Dr. Darwin 
 remarks: ‘ I was always amused when overtaking 
 one of these great monsters, as it was quietly pacing 
 along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it 
 - would draw in its head and legs, and, uttering a deep 
 hiss, fall to the ground with a heavy sound, as if struck 
 dead. I frequently got on their backs, and then giving 
 I a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would 
 rise up and walk away ; but I found it very diffi¬ 
 cult to keep my balance. The flesh of this animal is 
 largely employed, both fresh and salted; and a beauti¬ 
 fully clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise 
 is caught, the man makes a slit in the skin near its 
 I tail, so as to see inside its body, whether the fat under 
 ‘ the dorsal plate is thick. If it is not, the animal is 
 liberated; and it is said to recover soon from this 
 strange operation. 
 
 In chasing the turtle, a man standing ready in the 
 bow of the boat dashes through the water upon the 
 turtle’s back; then clinging with both hands by the 
 '■ shell of its neck, he is carried away till the animal be- 
 1 comes exhausted and is secured. In the Chagos 
 I Archipelago, the natives, by a horrible process, take the 
 ( shell from the back of the living turtle. It is covered 
 1 with burning charcoal, which causes the outer shell to 
 ^ curl upwards; it is then forced off with a knife, and he- 
 1 fore it becomes cold flattened between two boards, 
 i After this barbarous process, the animal is suffered to 
 1 regain its native element, where, after a certain time, a 
 
176 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 new shell is formed; it is, however, too thin to be of 
 any service, and the animal always appears languishing 
 and sickly. 
 
 Dampier, in 1684, speaks of three or four kinds of 
 land tortoises being eaten in the West Indies. ‘ One,’ 
 he says, ‘ is called by the Spaniards Hackatee, which 
 keep most in fresh-water ponds ; they have small legs 
 and long necks, and flat feet, and commonly weigh be¬ 
 twixt ten and fifteen pounds. The second sort they call 
 Tenopen (terrapin ?), much less than the former, and 
 something rounder ; but for the rest not unlike them, 
 except that the shell on their backs is naturally 
 coloured with a curious carved work. Both sorts afford 
 very good meat, and these last delight in low marshy 
 places, and are in vast numbers at the Isle of Pines, 
 near Cuba, among the woods.’ 
 
 Turtle would seem to have been first introduced in 
 England, as an article of food, about the middle of the 17th 
 century, for a record in the Gentleman's Magazine, under 
 date August 31, 1753, shows that it was then a rarity. 
 
 ‘ A turtle, weighing 350 lbs., was ate at the King’s Arms 
 tavern, Pall Mall; the mouth of an oven was taken down 
 to admit the part to be baked.’ The locality for eating 
 them now has been transferred principally to the city; 
 and the Ship and Turtle, the London Tavern, Birch’s 
 (in Cornhill), and the Guildhall or Mansion-house, are 
 perhaps the largest depots of consumption. Steam 
 communication has greatly increased the imports, which 
 amount to about 15,000 in the year, weighing from one 
 quarter to three hundred weight, and valued at, proba¬ 
 bly, £8,000. Not that all these shielded animals can be 
 called ' lively ’ turtle, for the voyage has very often a 
 damaging effect upon them. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 177 
 
 Tiirtling is mucli resorted to by the inhabitants of 
 ! Grand Cayman, 160 miles north-west from Jamaica. The 
 I turtle are now chiefly caught on the Mosquito coast, or on 
 
 j the South Keys of Cuba, and sold either in Jamaica or 
 I to homeward-bound vessels. Formerly, these valuable 
 I animals were abundant at Grand Cayman itself, but the 
 very reprehensible practice which has prevailed there, 
 for some years past of making use of large quantities 
 I of their eggs deposited on the shore, has almost 
 
 j frightened them entirely away. 
 
 J In an account of Jamaica, published in 1683, we find 
 the following statement respecting turtle hunting and 
 ► other articles of food :— 
 
 j ‘ Tortoise are taken much on this coast, but chiefly 
 I at the island of Caymanos, thirty leagues to the west of 
 
 ' this island, whither the vessels go May, June, and 
 
 ; July, to load of their flesh, that they pickle in bulk, and 
 
 i take them in that season when they come on shore to 
 
 ! lay their eggs, which they do, and cover them with 
 
 ■ sand, that hatches them; and then by instinct they 
 
 • crawl to the sea, where they live, and feed on weed 
 
 I that grows in the bottom or floats. In many rivers and 
 
 ; ponds of Jamaica, there is vast numbers of crocodiles or 
 
 , allegators, that is an amphibious creature, and breeds an 
 
 i egg, hatch’d by the sun in the sand. A tortoise egg 
 
 is just like the yolk of a hen egg, of which she lays near 
 j a peck at a time ; but the allegator but a few, and are 
 
 j like a turkey’s. Their flesh is not good j they are vora- 
 
 Burprise, but seldom or never hurt any man. 
 
 ‘ Here’s an Indian coney, called racoon, that is good 
 meat; V)ut of a distasteful shape, being something like 
 an overgrown rat. The snakes in this island are not at 
 
178 
 
 CUEIOSTTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 all hurtful, but were eaten by the Indians as regular as 
 the guanaes are by the Spaniards; it is but small, and of 
 the shape of an allegator,and the flesh is sweet and tender.’ 
 
 I was told a story not long ago of a distinguished 
 American politician from the rural districts, who came 
 to New York, and resolved to give a splendid dinner to 
 some of his party friends. In order to make sure that 
 everything should he of the very best quality, he went 
 to the market himself, and bought first a turtle. After 
 taking great pains to select one of the finest specimens 
 in the lot, and ordering it to be sent home, he said to 
 the tradesman, by way of making it quite right, ‘ This 
 is a right down genuine turtle, aint it?’ 
 
 ‘ Oh, certainly,’ was the reply, ‘ one of the very best.’ 
 
 ‘ Because,’ he added, ‘ although I ain’t been in the 
 city long, I ain’t to be humbugged ; it won’t do for you 
 to try to put off any of your confounded mock turtles 
 on me !’ 
 
 The turtle dealer stood astounded at his customer’s 
 sharpness. 
 
 Sir James E. Alexander calls Ascension ‘the head 
 quarters of the finest turtle in the world,’ and his account 
 of the operations connected with turtling in that locality 
 is so interesting that I must copy it. 
 
 ‘ We walked down to the turtle ponds, two large en¬ 
 closures near the sea, which flowed in and out through 
 a breakwater of large stones. A gallows was erected 
 between the two ponds, where the turtle are slaughtered 
 for shipping, by suspending them by the hind flippers 
 and then cutting their throats. About 300 turtle of 
 four and five hundred pounds each lay on the sand or 
 swam about in the ponds—a sight to set an alderman 
 mad with delight! 
 
CUBIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 179 
 
 j ‘ In the hot weather of January, February, March, and 
 I April, the females land at night, and waddling over the 
 sands in the various bays of the island, far above high- 
 water mark,—for by a pole in the ponds, the tide only 
 rises here four feet,—they scrape up, by alternate scoops 
 of their flippers, a hole deep enough to cover their 
 i bodies. Into this they get, sighing heavdly, and de- 
 
 i posit from 150 to 200 eggs, cover them up, leaving 
 
 them to the sun to hatch; and then waddle again to¬ 
 wards the sea. Two stout hands are, meanwhile, on the 
 look out, watching the movements of the unfortunate 
 1 turtle; and, running up to her after the completion of her 
 i task, one seizes a fore flipper and dexterously shoves it 
 under her belly to serve as a purchase; whilst the other, 
 f avoiding a stroke w^hich might lame him, cants the 
 
 ' turtle over on her back, where she lies helpless. From 
 fifteen to thirty are thus turned in a night; and 600 
 had been so captured in the season of 1834. 
 
 ■ ‘ In the bays, when the surf of heavy rollers prevents 
 the boats being beached to take on board the turtle when 
 caught, they are hauled out to them by ropes. 
 
 ! No ships’ crews are now allowed to turn turtle, w’hich 
 
 ■ is converted into a government monopoly ; and £2 10s. 
 
 I is the fixed price for each. Strange to say, from 
 
 the time that the young turtle, the size of a dollar, 
 are observed scuttling down to the water, they are 
 < never seen again here until they are four or five hun- 
 i dred pounds weight; and how long they take to at- 
 ^ tain this great size, and where they spend the inter- 
 ( mediate time, is as yet a mystery. I was surprised to 
 1 hear that turtle are kept in the ponds for a year and 
 t upwards without a morsel of food of any kind. They 
 I sometimes deposit their eggs in the sand, on the sides of 
 
 ■ N 2 
 
180 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD- 
 
 the ponds ; and in due time the little animals are allowed 
 to make their escape to the sea. 
 
 ‘One old female called ‘Nelson,’ because one of her 
 flippers had been carried off by a shark, was kept, out 
 of respect, for two or three years in the ponds. She 
 contrived, however, one night to crawl round the en¬ 
 closure and make her escape; but she was turned next 
 year in Clarence Bay. Another turtle was also turned 
 there a short time since, on the back of which was carved 
 the name of a mate of a British vessel, who had bought it 
 and sailed with it three weeks before ; it is probable that, 
 imagining it to be dead, he had thrown it overboard. 
 
 ‘ The best way to send home turtle from Ascension is, 
 to head them up in a sealed cask, and have the water 
 changed daily by the bung hole and a cork. Turtle, 
 though the extremes of heat and cold are equally inju¬ 
 rious to them, should always arrive in hot weather in 
 England. Thus, an unfortunate captain, on one occasion, 
 took from Ascension 200 turtle, and timing his arrival 
 badly, brought only four alive to Bristol!’ 
 
 Humboldt, in his Personal Narrative, speaks of the 
 expertness of the jaguars of South America, who turn 
 the turtle on the beach and devour them at their ease, 
 emptying the double armour of the arraus,by theintrodue- 
 tion of their supple paws, with greater ingenuity than the 
 most skilful naturalist could do. They also eat the eggs. 
 
 The eggs are of a globular shape, with a soft semi¬ 
 transparent calcareous shell. These are much prized 
 whenever they can be procured as articles of food, both 
 by natives and Europeans. A native will consume 
 in Brazil as many as twenty or thirty eggs at one 
 meal, and an European sometimes eats a dozen for 
 breakfast. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 181 
 
 Scarcely a thirtieth of the nninher of young turtles, 
 even if the eggs are all hatched, reach the sea, or live 
 after they have gained that element. Birds, and beasts, 
 and alligators, and rapacious fishes, all prey upon them. 
 
 The flesh of the female is held in the greatest esti¬ 
 mation, and it is considered to be in perfection at the 
 time she is about depositing her eggs. The flesh, the 
 eggs, and certain portions of the intestines, are often 
 salted and barrelled for shipment to a distance. The 
 eggs of the turtle, although oily, are very savory, and 
 make an excellent omelet. The shell does not harden, 
 but is leathery; and the white never coagulates, but is 
 thrown away and the yolk only eaten. The Indians 
 of Brazil frequently eat the eggs raw, mixed with their 
 cassava farinha. 
 
 Captain William Dampier, in his voyages, tells us, the 
 flesh of the hawk’s-bill turtle is eaten. ‘The flesh’ (he 
 remarks) ‘ is but indiff’erent, yet somewhat better than 
 that of the loggerhead. Those taken betwixt the Sam- 
 bellas and Portobello, make those that eat their flesh 
 vomit and purge vehemently. The flesh however dif¬ 
 fers according to their food, for those that feed upon 
 moss among the rocks have a much yellower fat and 
 flesh, and are not so well tasted as those that feed upon 
 grass.’ 
 
 Soon after the fall of the waters of the Orinoco, which 
 begins in February, millions of turtle deposit their eggs 
 among the sand, and the Indians obtain a rich harvest 
 of food. From the eggs they procure a rich oil termed 
 ‘ mantega^ which is preserved in pots. A good deal 
 is sent down the Amazon, fully to the value of £2,000, 
 and several thousand persons are occupied in its pre¬ 
 paration. 
 
182 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The eggs are not very large, but about the size of a 
 bantam’s egg. The stratum of eggs in the sand is as¬ 
 certained by a pole thrust in, the mean depth being 
 about three feet, and the harvest of eggs is estimated 
 like the produce of a Avell cultivated acre; an acre, 
 accurately measured, of 120 feet long, and 30 wide, 
 having been known to yield 100 jars of oil. The eggs, 
 when collected, are thrown into long troughs of water, 
 and being broken and stirred with shovels, they remain 
 exposed to the sun till the yolk, the oily part, is col¬ 
 lected on the surface, and has time to inspissate; as fast as 
 this oily part is collected on the surface of the water, 
 it is taken off and boiled over a quick fire. This ani¬ 
 mal oil, or tortoise grease, when prepared, is limpid, 
 inodorous, and scarcely yellow. It is used, not merely 
 to burn in lamps, but in dressing victuals, to which it 
 imparts no disagreeable taste. It is not easy, however, 
 to produce oil of turtle’s eggs quite pure. It has gene¬ 
 rally a putrid smell, owing to the mixture of addled 
 eggs. The total gathering of the three shores, between 
 the junction of the Orinoco with the Apure, where the 
 collection of eggs is annually made, is 5,000 jars, and 
 it takes about 5,000 eggs to furnish one jar of oil. 
 
 In the Comarca of the Rio Nigro, the value of the 
 turtle oil imported in 1840 was 6,000 dollars ; and from 
 the small town of Barra, on the Amazon, in 1850, turtle 
 oil of the value of 1818 dollars was sent. It is filled in 
 pots, of which 1628 were made in Santarrem, a mile 
 above the mouth of the Tapajos. 
 
 Turtle oil is employed for various purposes. In some 
 of the West India islands, it is used when fresh in the 
 place of butter, or salad oil, and also for lamps. 
 
 The eggs of most of the species are excellent, being 
 
CUKIOSJTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 183 
 
 both nutritive and agreeable to the taste; those of the 
 green turtle are especially fine. The white, or albumi¬ 
 nous portion, does not, however, harden on boiling. 
 
 The large tree lizard, popidarly termed the guana, 
 [Iguana tuberculata, Laur. Syn. 49) is certainly not 
 very attractive in appearance, and yet by most persons 
 its flesh is highly esteemed, being reckoned as delicate 
 as chicken, and but little inferior to turtle in flavour. 
 
 It is about three feet long, from the head to the ex¬ 
 tremity of the tail, and covered with a soft skin of a 
 bluish green colour on the back and legs; on the sides 
 and belly, nearly white. It has a pouch of loose skin 
 under its throat, of a light green; eyes black; and 
 claws, of which there are three or flve on each foot, 
 sharply pointed. A fringed skin, or kind of mane, 
 runs along from the head to the tail, which it erects 
 when irritated, and will then snap hold of anything 
 with great tenacity; but it is perfectly harmless if un¬ 
 disturbed. The bite is painful, but is not dangerous. 
 
 This ugly-looking tree lizard, which looks like an 
 alligator in miniature, is considered a great delicacy 
 in most tropical countries. However white and tender 
 the flesh may be when cooked, when one of its fore 
 paws happens to stick up in the dish, it reminds one 
 too much of the allegator to eat it with any great 
 relish. 
 
 I know no animal, or rather reptile, whose appearance 
 is so little calculated to tempt man to eat of its flesh; 
 and yet, despite the repugnance that residts from its looks, 
 neither Ude nor Soyer could have compounded any 
 dish that would compare to the delicacy of a well- 
 dressed iguana. 
 
 'VN e all know that the turtle is most delicious, yet 
 
184 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 did we see it for the first time, we might call it with 
 the rustic ‘a great sea toad.’ The appearance of the 
 turtle does not carry a letter of recommendation to the 
 kitchen; accordingly, his introduction to the Lord 
 Mayor’s table was rather tardy, and we learn from Sir 
 Hans Sloane that, at the beginning of the last century, 
 turtle was only eaten in Jamaica by the poor. 
 
 The poet Gay hath sung, that he must have been a 
 bold man who first swallowed an oyster : 
 
 ‘ The man had sure a palate covered o’er 
 With steel or brass, that ou the rocky shore 
 First ope’d the oozy oyster’s pearly coat, 
 
 And risked the living morsel down his throat.’ 
 
 Yet neither turtle nor oyster looks so repugnant, yet 
 tastes so delicious, as an iguana. 
 
 Although often roasted or fricasseed, a frequent native 
 mode of cooking the iguana is to boil it, taking out the 
 leaves of fat, which are melted and clarified, and put 
 into a calabash or dish, into which they dip the flesh of 
 the guana as they eat it. 
 
 It was long before the Spaniards could conquer their 
 repugnance to the guana, the favourite delicacy of the 
 Indians, but which the former regarded with disgust 
 as a species of serpent. They found it however to be 
 highly palatable and delicate, and from that time for¬ 
 ward, the guana was held in repute among Spanish 
 epicures. The story is thus related by Peter Martyn:— 
 
 ‘ These serpentes are like unto crocodiles, saving in 
 bygness; they call them guanas. Unto that day none 
 of oure men durste adventure to taste of them, by 
 reason of they’re horrible deformitie and lothsomnes. 
 Yet the Adelantado being entysed by the pleasantnes 
 of the king’s sister Anacaona, determined to taste the 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 185 
 
 serpentes. But when he felte the flesh thereof to he so 
 delycate to his tongue, he fell to amayne without al 
 feare. The which thynge his companions perceiving, 
 were not behynde hym in greedynesse : insomuche that 
 they had now none other talke than of the sweetnesse 
 of these serpentes, which they affirm to be of more 
 pleasant taste than eyther our phesantes or partriches.’ 
 
 Pierre Labat gives a minute account of the mode of 
 catching this reptile, and if the reader has no objection 
 to accompany the good father ii la cTiasse, he may 
 participate in the diversion as follows : — ‘ We were 
 attended,’ says he, ‘by a negro who carried a long 
 rod; at one end of which was a piece of whipcord 
 with a running knot. After beating the bushes for 
 some time, the negro discovered our game basking in 
 the sun on the dry limb of a tree. Hereupon he began 
 whistling with all his might, to which the guana was 
 wonderfully attentive, stretching out his neck, and 
 turning his head as if to enjoy it more fully. The 
 negro now approached, still whistling, and advancing 
 his rod gently, began tickling with the end of it the 
 sides and throat of the guana, who seemed mightily 
 pleased with the operation, for he turned on his back 
 and stretched himself out like a cat before the fire, and 
 at length fell fairly asleep; which the negro perceiving, 
 dexterously slipt the noose over his head, and with a 
 jerk brought him to the ground; and good sport it 
 afi’orded to see the creature swell like a turkey-cock 
 at finding himself entrapped. We caught others in the 
 same way, and kept one of them alive seven or eight 
 days; but,’ continues the reverend historian, ‘ it grieved 
 me to the heart to find that he thereby lost much 
 delicious fat.’ 
 
186 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Guanas are very large and plentiful on the outlying 
 cays and islands of the Bahamas. They are hunted 
 with a small kind of hound, and if taken alive, the 
 mouth is sewed up with twine, and they keep alive 
 a month or six weeks without food. Nassau, New Pro¬ 
 vidence, the capital is chiefly supplied from these islands 
 with the guana. 
 
 There are several varieties of this reptile in Australia, 
 but that which is most common is from four to six feet 
 in length, and from about a foot and a half to two feet 
 across the broadest part of the back, with a rough dark 
 skin, enlivened by yellow spots. Although perfectly 
 harmless, as far as the human race are concerned, this 
 huge lizard is a terrible foe to the smaller quadrupeds 
 —opossums, bandicoots, kangaroo-rats, &c.,—on which 
 it preys. It is very destructive also among hen roosts, 
 and often takes up its quarters in the vicinity of a farm¬ 
 house for the convenience of supping, on the hens and 
 their eggs. 
 
 The guana is much sought for and esteemed by the 
 blacks as an article of food, and is frequently presented 
 as a great delicacy to the young ‘ gins.’ By the settlers 
 it is not often eaten, owing to tbe natural feeling of dis¬ 
 like which is created by its form and habits. Those, 
 however, who do not entertain these feelings, or are 
 able to overcome them, find the flesh of the creature 
 really excellent. It is not unlike that of a rabbit, 
 to which, in flavour, it is fully equal, and eats best 
 when stewed or curried. 
 
 The guana usually lives in trees, and, on the approach 
 of man, it invariably makes off with great alacrity, 
 scrambling rapidly up the nearest trunk; but it is easily 
 brought down by a shot. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 187 
 
 Captain Keppel tells us, ‘ ttat wliile out on a shoot¬ 
 ing excursion at Port Essington, he observed a native 
 plucking the feathers off a goose; while so employed 
 his eye caught the tip-end of the tail of an iguana, an 
 animal of the lizard kind, about four feet long, which 
 was creeping up the opposite side of a tree ; he tossed 
 the goose, without further preparation, on to the fire, 
 and ascended the tree as easily as Jack would run up 
 the well-rattled rigging of a man-of-war. He almost 
 immediately returned with the poor animal struggling 
 in his scientific grasp. It was the work of a minute to 
 secure it to a stick of about the same length as itself to 
 prevent its running away, when it was made to change 
 places with the goose, which, being warm through, was 
 considered to be sufficiently done. The whole goose he 
 devoured, making no bones, but spitting out the feathers. 
 Then came the iguana’s turn, which, although less ten¬ 
 der, was not the less relished. It appeared to require 
 great muscular strength to detach the flesh from the 
 skin. The operation being finished, he lay down to 
 sleep. His wife, having sprinkled him with dirt to 
 keep the flies off, was proceeding to eat the skin of the 
 iguana, when the arrival of some more geese offered her 
 a more satisfactory repast.’ 
 
 The iguana is, I believe, the Talagowa of the natives 
 of Ceylon —le Monitor ierre&tre d'Egypte of M. Cuvier. 
 The Indian monitor {Monitor draccena, Gray) is 
 found in great abundance in all the maritime provinces 
 of Ceylon. The natives are partial to its flesh. Dr, 
 Kelaart states that he once tasted some excellent soup 
 made from a tender guana, which was not unlike 
 hare soup. At Trincomalee they are hunted down by 
 dogs, and sold in the market for Gc?. each. They feed 
 
188 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 on the smaller reptiles and insects, and measure, when 
 large, four feet five inches. Despite its repulsive ap¬ 
 pearance, the iguana is eagerly hunted for food by the 
 natives of Africa, Australia, America, and Asia. 
 
 The eggs of the guana are another article deserving 
 the attention of gourmands. One of these lizards 
 sometimes contains as many as four-score eggs. These 
 are about the size of a pigeon’s egg, with a very soft 
 shell, which contains only a very small quantity of 
 the albumen. The yolk, unlike that of other eggs, 
 does not become hard and dry when boiled, but is soft 
 and melting as marrow. 
 
 It would be a refreshing sight to see Alderman A., 
 or Sheriff B., or any other civic dignitary who has 
 gone the round of all the dishes which native and 
 foreign skill have been able to produce, and to whom 
 a new combination would convey as much delight as a 
 black tulip or a blue dahlia would to a horticulturist, 
 partaking for the first time of pate de foie gras de 
 Vhiccatee, or a dish of the eggs of the iguana garnished 
 with anchovies. The inhabitants of some of the Pacific 
 islands esteem the large oval eggs of the lizards as 
 food. 
 
 The meat of the AmiblyryncTius subcristatus, another 
 lizard, when cooked, is white, and by those whose sto¬ 
 machs rise above all prejudices it is relished as very 
 good. Humboldt has remarked, that in intertropical 
 South America, all lizards which inhabit dry regions 
 are esteemed delicacies for the table. 
 
 There are an almost innumerable variety of lizards, 
 properly so called, in all parts of the colony of New 
 South Wales, and the whole of the larger kinds are 
 used for food by the blacks, although but very rarely 
 
CUBTOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 189 
 
 eaten by the settlers. Those who have eaten them, 
 state that their flesh resembles that of a fowl. The 
 dragon lizard, or as it is sometimes called, the frilled 
 lizard, is the most remarkable, being provided with 
 a large frill, which it has the power of extending 
 suddenly, and in a rather startling manner, when 
 attacked or alarmed; it is usually about a foot and a 
 half or two feet long. The Jew lizards are dark 
 coloured, with a dewlapped and puffy appearance about 
 the throat and neck, varying in size, but seldom ex¬ 
 ceeding two feet in length. The scaly lizards are 
 fierce looking, although harmless, reptiles, with a spotted 
 scaly hide, generally about a foot long, and remarkable 
 for having small round club-shaped tails. They are 
 easily domesticated, but as their appearance is far from 
 attractive, they are seldom made pets of. The large 
 spiny-backed rock lizard resembles a guana, the 
 only material points of difference being that it has a 
 heavy dewlap beneath its chin, and a row of spines 
 along the back from the head to the tail. The flat¬ 
 tailed lizard, called by the natives the Rock Scorpion, is 
 imagined by them to be venomous, although in reality 
 it is perfectly harmless; it is nocturnal in its habits, 
 and possesses to a peculiar extent the singular power, 
 which is more or less vested in all the lizard family, of 
 leaving its tail in the hands of any one who attempts to 
 capture it by laying hold of that appendage, and 
 of making off apparently scatheless. The sleeping 
 lizard is in body, as well as in its sluggish habits, 
 exactly like the terrible death adder, from which it is 
 only to be distinguished by its short feet. 
 
 Many of the lizard family are believed by the settlers 
 to be venomous, but such is not the case; I believe 
 
190 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 in fact that no four-footed reptile has yet been dis¬ 
 covered which is possessed of venom. 
 
 A remarkable power possessed by the guana, and 
 perhaps by others of the lizard family, is its power of 
 resisting the poison, ordinarily most destructive to 
 animal life,—prussic acid. A middling sized guana 
 took a small bottle of prussic acid, and seemed rather 
 to have been exhilarated by it than otherwise; it was 
 killed, however, by a dose of arsenic and spirits of 
 wine. 
 
 There is a large, ugly, amphibious lizard, about 
 three feet long, met with in Guiana, known as the 
 Salempenta, or El Mateo, which is thought (parti¬ 
 cularly by the Indians) good eating, the flesh being 
 white and tender. It is, however, much more ugly 
 in appearance than the guana. 
 
 Occasionally large lizards of other kinds, two or three 
 feet in length, are brought to the Rio market, and they 
 are said to be excellent eating. 
 
 In the reign of Cheops, as an Egyptian gentleman 
 curious in poultry, and famous even there for his success 
 in producing strange birds, was walking by the river 
 Nile, he met with an egg, which, from its appearance, 
 he thought promised results out of the common way; 
 so, picking it up, he took it home, and gave directions 
 for hatching it. But some time after, on visiting his 
 poultry yard, he found that all his pets had disappeared, 
 a few feathers only lying scattered about, whilst a fear¬ 
 ful animal rushed upon him open-mouthed. The fact 
 was, he had hatched a crocodile. 
 
 Mr. Joseph, in his History of Trinidad, tells us, 
 that he has eaten the eggs of the cayman or alligator, 
 (without knowing what eggs they were), and found 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 191 
 
 them good. In form and taste they much resemble 
 the eggs of the domestic hen. 
 
 Dr. Buckland, the distinguished geologist, one day 
 gave a dinner, after dissecting a Mississippi alligator, hav¬ 
 ing asked a good many of the most distinguished of his 
 classes to dine with him. His house and his establish¬ 
 ment were in good style and taste. His guests con¬ 
 gregated. The dinner-table looked splendid, with 
 glass, china, and plate, and the meal commenced with 
 excellent soup. ‘ How do you like the soup ? ’ asked 
 the doctor, after having finished his own plate, address¬ 
 ing a famous gourmand of the day. ‘ Very good, in¬ 
 deed,’ answered the other; ‘ turtle, is it not ? I only ask 
 because I do not find any green fat.’ The doctor shook 
 his head. ‘ I think it has something of a musky taste,’ 
 said another; not unpleasant, but peculiar.’ ‘ All alliga¬ 
 tors have,’ replied Buckland ; ‘ the cayman particularly 
 
 so. The fellow whom I dissected this morning-’ 
 
 At this stage there was a general rout of the whole 
 guests. Every one turned pale. Half-a-dozen started 
 up from the table; two or three ran out of the room; 
 and only those W’ho had stout stomachs remained to the 
 close of an excellent entertainment. ‘ See what ima¬ 
 gination is ! ’ said Buckland. ‘ If I had told them it 
 was turtle, or tarrapen, or birdsnest soup, salt-water 
 amphibia or fresh, or the gluten of a fish, or the maw 
 of a sea bird, they would have pronounced it excellent, 
 and their digestion been none the worse. Such is pre¬ 
 judice.’ ‘ But was it really an alligator?’ asked a lady. 
 
 ‘ As good a calf’s head as ever wore a coronet,’ answered 
 Buckland. 
 
 The Australian crocodile is more closely allied to the 
 
192 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 gavial of India {Gavialu gangeticus), but is now often 
 termed, like the American species, an alligator. It is 
 large and formidable ; one captured by Captain Stokes, 
 in the Victoria River, and described in his published 
 journal, was fifteen feet long, and some have been taken 
 still larger than this. Like all animals of its class, the 
 Australian crocodile is a much more formidable enemy 
 in the water than on shore; but even in the latter posi¬ 
 tion, it is by no means to be despised, for it progresses 
 with tolerable speed; and, although it seldom or never 
 attacks a man openly when out of its own proper ele¬ 
 ment, still it is believed to have a strong liking for 
 human flesh, when that delicacy can safely be obtained. 
 One of these creatures paid a visit to a seaman, who 
 was asleep in his hammock on shore after a hard day’s 
 labour, and being unable to get conveniently at the 
 man, it managed to drag off and carry away the 
 blanket which covered him; the sailor at first charged 
 his comrade with having made him the subject of a 
 practical joke, but the foot-prints of the huge reptile, 
 and the discovery of the abstracted blanket in the 
 water, soon showed him the real character of his noc¬ 
 turnal visitant. 
 
 The flesh of the crocodile is white and delicate, re¬ 
 sembling veal. It was a favourite dish among the Port 
 Essington settlers, and among the seamen employed in 
 the surveys of the northern coast and rivers of Australia. 
 It is frequently pursued and killed for food by the abo¬ 
 rigines of that part of the country: the plan which 
 they adopt is to hunt it into some blind creek, when 
 the reptile, finding itself closely pressed, and no water 
 near, usually forces its head, and perhaps the upper part 
 
CTJBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 193 
 
 of its body in some sand-bole, fancying that it has, by 
 80 doing, concealed itself from its pursuers. In this 
 position it is despatched with comparative ease. The 
 crocodile makes a terrible noise by snapping its jaws, 
 particularly when in pain, or when it is annoyed by the 
 buzzing about its mouth and eyes of the mosquitoes or 
 other insects, which are found in myriads among the 
 swamps, creeks, and shallow waters, where it abides; 
 this snapping noise is often a startling sound to ex¬ 
 plorers encamping near waters frequented by the 
 monster. 
 
 The aboriginal tribes far to the southward of the 
 localities in which the crocodile has its habitation, have 
 an imperfect knowledge of the animal; stories of its 
 voracity and fierceness have probably been recounted at 
 the friendly meetings of the tribes, and these stories 
 have in the same manner passed across the continent, 
 changed and magnified with each new relation, until on 
 reaching the coast tribes of the south, the crocodile 
 became a nondescript animal of most terrible form, 
 frightening the blacks and puzzling the whites under 
 the name of the Bunyip. 
 
 In Dongola, at the present day, the crocodile is 
 caught for the sake of its flesh, which is regarded as a 
 delicacy. The flesh and fat are eaten by the Berbers, 
 who consider them excellent. Both parts, however, 
 have a smell of musk so strong that few strangers can 
 eat crocodiles’ flesh without violent sickness following. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Haensel, in his Letters on the Nicohar 
 Islands, tells us that ‘ part of the flesh of the crocodile, 
 or cayman, is good and wholesome when well cooked. 
 It tastes somew'hat like pork, for which I took it, and 
 ate it with much relish, when I first came to Nancau- 
 
 o 
 
194 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 wery, till, on inquiry, finding it to be tbe flesb of a 
 beast so disgusting and horrible in its appearance and 
 habits, I felt a loathing, which I could never overcome; 
 but it is eaten by both natives and Europeans.’ The 
 aboriginal natives of Trinidad considered a broiled 
 slice of alligator as a dainty morsel; and Mr. Joseph, 
 the historian, records having tasted it, and found it 
 very palatable. Tastes in this, as in other matters, 
 differ. 
 
 Mr. Henry Koster, in his Travels in Brazil, says— 
 ‘ I have been much blamed by my friends for not 
 having eaten of the flesh of the alligator, and, indeed, 
 I felt a little ashamed of my squeamishness when I was 
 shown by one friend a passage in a French writer, 
 whose name I forget, in which he speaks favourably of 
 this flesh. However, if the advocate for experimental 
 eating had seen an alligator cut into slices, he would, I 
 think, have turned from the sight as quickly as I did.’ 
 The Indians of South America eat these creatures, but 
 none of the negroes will touch them. 
 
 Dr. Madden, in his Travels in Egypt, appears to 
 have experimentalized on the saurians as food— 
 
 ‘ I got’ (he says) ‘ a small portion of a young crocodile, 
 six feet long, broiled, to ascertain its taste. The flavour 
 a good deal resembles that of a lobster, and, though 
 somewhat tough, it might certainly be considered very 
 excellent food.’ 
 
 The spectacled cayman [Alligator sderops) is known 
 under the name of yacare, or jacquare, in South America. 
 Azara, the naturalist, tells us that the eggs of this animal 
 are white, rough, and as large as those of a goose ; they 
 are deposited, to the number of sixty, in the sand, and 
 covered with dried grass. The Indians of Paraguay, 
 
CUBIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 195 
 
 and other districts, esteem them as food, and also relish 
 the white and savoury flesh of this alligator, although 
 it is dry and coarse. Cayman is the Spanish word for 
 alligator, and, according to Walker, alligator is the 
 name chiefly used for the crocodile in America, 
 
 Mr, W'allace thus describes an alligator hunt, as pur¬ 
 sued on the lakes in hlexiana, an island lying off the 
 mouth of the Amazon :—‘ A number of negroes went into 
 the water with long poles, driving the animals to the 
 side, where others awaited them with harpoons and lassos. 
 Sometimes, the lasso was at once thrown over their 
 heads, or, if first harpooned, a lasso was then secured to 
 them, either over the head or the tail, and they were 
 easily dragged to the shore by the united force of ten 
 or twelve men. Another lasso was fixed, if necessary, 
 so as to fasten them at both ends; and, on being pulled 
 out of the water, a negro cautiously approached with an 
 axe, and cut a deep gash across the root of the tail, ren¬ 
 dering this formidable weapon useless; another blow 
 across the neck disabled the head; and the animal was 
 then left,,and pursuit of another commenced, which was 
 speedily reduced to the same condition. 
 
 ‘ Sometimes the cord would break, or the harpoon 
 1 get loose, and the negroes had often to wade into the 
 , water among the ferocious animals in a very hazardous 
 manner. They were from ten to eighteen feet long, 
 sometimes even twenty, with enormous mis-shapen 
 heads and fearful rows of long, sharp teeth. WTen a 
 I number were out on the land, dead or dying, they were 
 I cut open, and the fat, which accumulates in considerable 
 I quantities about the intestines, was taken out, and made 
 t up into packets in the skins of the smaller ones, taken 
 t off for the purpose. After killing twelve or fifteen, the 
 
196 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 overseer and liis party went off to another lake at a 
 short distance, where the alligators were more plentiful, 
 and by night had killed nearly fifty. The next day 
 they killed twenty or thirty more, and got out the fat 
 from the others. In some of these lakes 100 alli¬ 
 gators have been killed in a few days; in the Amazon 
 or Para rivers it would be difficult to kill as many in 
 a year. The fat is boiled down into oil and burned in 
 lamps. It has rather a disagreeable smell, but not 
 worse than train-oil.’ 
 
 The flesh of the land alligator, as it is termed by the 
 Malays (the Hydrosaurus salvator), which occasionally 
 attains the length of five or six feet, makes, it is said, 
 good eating, and is much esteemed by the natives for 
 its supposed restorative and invigorating properties. 
 At Manila, these creatures are regularly sold in the 
 markets, and fetch a good price; the dried skin is 
 readily bought by the Chinese, who use it in some of 
 their indescribable messes of gelatinous soup. 
 
 Another species eaten is the Hydrosaurus giganteus. 
 Like that of the Iguanoe of the New World, the flesh 
 of these saurians is delicate eating, and has been 
 compared to that of a very young sucking pig. 
 
 The eggs of all the different kinds of alligators, and 
 there are three or four distinct species abounding in the 
 Amazon and its tributary streams, are eaten by the 
 natives, though they have a very strong musky odour. 
 The largest species of alligator {Jacare nigra), reaches 
 a length of 15 or rarely 20 feet. 
 
 Mr. Wallace, in his Travels, records, that on one occa¬ 
 sion, the Indians on the Rio Negro supped off a young 
 alligator they had caught in a brook near, ‘ but the 
 musty odour was so strong that I could not stomach 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 • 197 
 
 it, and after getting down a bit of the tail, finished my 
 snpper with mingau, or gruel of mandioc.’ 
 
 Alligators are killed in great numbers in parts of the 
 river Amazon, for their fat, which is made into oil. 
 
 Hernandez states, that the flesh of the Axolotl, an 
 aquatic reptile, is very agreeable and wholesome. It is 
 the Siren pisciformis of Shaw; the Menobranchm pis- 
 ciformis, Hark It is commonly sold in the markets of 
 IMexico. When dressed after the manner of stewed 
 eels, and served up, with a stimulating sa\ice, it is es¬ 
 teemed a great luxury. The flesh of the sauve-gardfe or 
 common Teguixin of Brazil (Teguixin monitor of Gray, 
 Teius Teguixin) is eaten, and is said to be excellent. 
 
 The flesh of the common ada of Mr. Gray is ac¬ 
 counted excellent by the natives of Guiana, who com¬ 
 pare it to a fowl; its eggs are also in great request. It 
 is the Thorictes dracaena, Bibron ; La grande dragonne, 
 Cuvier, and attains the length of four to six feet. 
 
 Some species of lizards are used as food in Bur- 
 mah. One of these especially, called pada, is stated not 
 to be inferior to a fowl,—this is probably the iguana. 
 Nearly every species of serpent is eaten there, after 
 the head has been ciit off. All have a fishy taste. Some 
 few kinds, however, although the teeth are carefully 
 removed, cannot be used, as the flesh appears to be 
 poisonous. 
 
 The flesh of snakes is eaten by many in Dominica, 
 particularly by the French, some of whom are very 
 fond of it; but it is reckoned unwholesome, and to 
 occasion the leprosy. 
 
 A snake called, by the natives of Western Australia, 
 wango, is particularly liked by them as food. 
 
 There is a very venomous yellow-bellied snake, from 
 
198 . 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 •five to six feet long, called locally dnbyt, 'R^hich is mucli 
 dreaded; but that is also eaten by them. 
 
 The formidable lance-headed viper, of the Lee'ward 
 Islands {TrigonocepTialus lanceolatns), feeds chiefly on 
 birds, lizards, and rats. After swallowing their prey, 
 these snakes exhale a disgusting odour; this does not 
 prevent tbe negroes from eating their flesh, which 
 they find, it is said, free from any unpleasant flavour. 
 
 Mr. Buckland, in his interesting volume. Curiosi¬ 
 ties of Natural History, says, he once had the oppor¬ 
 tunity of tasting a boa-constrictor, that had been killed 
 by an accident, and came into his possession. 
 
 ‘ I tried the experiment,’ he observes, ‘ and cooked a 
 bit of him; it tasted very like veal, the flesh being ex¬ 
 ceedingly white and firm. If I had had nothing else, 
 and coxfld have forgotten what I was eating, I could 
 easily ha've made a dinner of it.’ 
 
 The flesh of serpents was held in high repute by the 
 ancients, medicinally; and, when properly prepared, 
 seems to have made a very agreeable article of diet, 
 corresponding with the turtle soup of the present day. 
 Even now, in the French tariff, vipers are subject to a 
 duty of 4s. the cwt. 
 
 In Guatemala, there is a popular belief, that lizards 
 eaten alive cure the cancer. The Indians are said to 
 have made this important discovery; and in 1780, the 
 subject was investigated by European physicians. I do 
 not find the remedy in the modern pharmacopoeias, never¬ 
 theless, the inhabitants of Amatitlan, the town where 
 the discovery was first made, still adhere to their be¬ 
 lief in its efficacy. The man who first eat a live oyster 
 or clam, was certainly a venturous fellow, but the eccen¬ 
 tric individual who allowed a live lizard to run down 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 199 
 
 his throat, was infinitely more so. There is no account¬ 
 ing for taste. 
 
 Probably some of our learned physiologists and medi¬ 
 cal men may be able to explain the therapeutic effects. 
 
 Some of the tribes of Southern Guinea, eat the boa- 
 constrictor, or python, and consider it delicate food. 
 The more informed among them, however, regard the 
 practice as peculiarly heathenish. In Ceylon, the flesh 
 of the anaconda, which is said to devour travellers, is 
 much esteemed as food by some of the natives. 
 
 Who shall determine what is good eating ? When we 
 have gone over so many delicacies, we must not be sur¬ 
 prised at men’s eating rattlesnakes, and pronouncing 
 them capital food. An English writer, who has recently 
 published a work entitled A Ride over the Rocky Moun¬ 
 tains to Oregon and California, in describing the journey 
 across the great desert, says :— 
 
 ‘ 12th July .—Shot two prairie dogs. Jem killed a 
 hare and rattlesnake. They were all capital eating, 
 not excepting the snake, which the parson cooked, and 
 thought it as good as eel! ’ 
 
 The Australian aborigines, and some of the Kafir 
 tribes, commonly eat snakes roasted in the fire—and 
 stewed snakes may, for aught I know, be as good as 
 stewed eels. 
 
 The Italians regale themselves with a jelly made of 
 stewed vipers. 
 
 The Bushman of Africa catches serpents, not only as 
 an article of food, but to procure poison for his arrows. 
 
 Various reliable accounts before me prove that rattle¬ 
 snakes are not unfit for food, and may be placed 
 among the multifarious articles regarded by man as 
 delicacies of the table. The negroes eat the flesh of 
 
300 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 the rattlesnake, as well as that of other serpents. When 
 the skin and intestines are removed, no bad odour re¬ 
 mains. A correspondent of the Penny Magazine thus 
 describes his experience of fried rattlesnakes, at a tavern 
 in Kaskaskia, a small town on the Mississippi. He finds 
 there a party of four or five travellers, who had been on 
 an exploring expedition :— 
 
 ‘ After a brief interview, they politely invited me to 
 partake of the supper they had already bespoken, in¬ 
 forming me, at the same time, that they considered 
 themselves peculiarly fortunate in having pi’ocured an 
 excellent dish,—in fact, a great delicacy—in a place 
 where they expected to meet with but indifferent fare. 
 What this great delicacy was, they did not attempt to 
 explain ; and, having without hesitation accepted of their 
 invitation, I felt no inclination to make any farther in¬ 
 quiries. 
 
 ‘ When the hour of supper arrived, the principal dish 
 —and, indeed, almost the only one upon the table—ap¬ 
 peared to me to be a dish of good-sized eels fried. I being 
 the guest of my new acquaintances, had the honor of be¬ 
 ing the first served with a plate of what the person who 
 presided called ‘ Musical Jack.’ ‘ Musical Jack,’ thought 
 I, is some species of eel peculiar to the Mississippi and 
 its tributary waters; and taking it for granted that it 
 was all right, I forthwith began to ply my knife and 
 fork. ‘ Stop,’ said the individual that occupied the 
 bottom of the table, before I had swallowed two mouth¬ 
 fuls. ‘ You, sir, have no idea, I presume, what you are 
 eating; and since you are our guest for the time being, 
 I think it but right that you should have no cause here¬ 
 after to think yourself imposed upon. The dish before 
 you, which we familiarly call ‘Musical Jack,’ is composed 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 201 
 
 of rattlesnakes, whick the hunter who accompanies ua 
 in our tour of exploration was so fortunate to procure 
 for us this afternoon. It is far from the first time that 
 we have fared thus; and, although our own hunter 
 skinned, decapitated, and dressed the creatures, it was 
 only through dint of coaxing that our hostess was pre¬ 
 vailed upon to lend her frying-pan for so vile a purpose.’ 
 
 ‘Although curiosity had on many occasions prompted 
 me to taste strange and unsavoury dishes. I must con¬ 
 fess that never before did I feel such a loathing and 
 disgust as I did towards the victuals before me. I was 
 scarcely able to listen to the conclusion of this short ad¬ 
 dress, ere I found it prudent to hurry out of the room ; 
 nor did I return till supper was over, and ‘ Musical Jack ’ 
 had either been devoured or dismissed their presence. 
 
 ‘As far as I recollect the circumstance, there was 
 nothing peculiar or disagreeable in the flavour of the 
 small quantity I ate ; and when the subject was calmly 
 discussed on the following day, one of the party assured 
 me he was really partial to the meat of the rattlesnake, 
 although some of the other members of his party had 
 not been fully able to conquer their early-conceived an¬ 
 tipathies towards this snake; hut that during their long 
 journey they had been occasionally prevailed upon to 
 make trial of a small quantity of the flesh, and were wil¬ 
 ling to own that had they, been ignorant of its nature, they 
 should have pronounced it of a quality passably good. 
 
 ‘ Ever afterwards in my visits to Kaskaskia, I nar¬ 
 rowly examined every dish of a dubious character that 
 was placed before me, in order to satisfy myself that it 
 was not ‘ Musical Jack.’ ’ 
 
 Dr. Lang, in one of his works, gives us an account of 
 snake cooking in Australia :— 
 
202 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ One of the black fellows took the snake, and placing 
 it on the branch of a tree, and striking it on the back 
 of the head repeatedly with a piece of wood, threw it 
 into the fire. The animal was not quite dead, for it 
 wriggled for a minute or two in the fire, and then be¬ 
 came very stiff and swollen, apparently from the expan¬ 
 sion of the gases imprisoned in its body. The black 
 fellow then drew it out of the fire, and with a knife cut 
 through the skin longitudinally on both sides of the 
 animal, from the head to the tail. He then coiled it up 
 as a sailor does a rope, and laid it again upon the fire, 
 turning it over again and again with a stick till he 
 thought it sufficiently done on all sides, and superin¬ 
 tending the process of cooking with all the interest 
 imaginable. When he thought it sufficiently roasted, 
 he thrust a stick into the coil, and laid it on the grass to 
 cool, and when cool enough to admit of handling, he 
 took it up again, wrung off its head and tail, which he 
 threw away, and then broke the rest of the animal by 
 the joints of the vertebrae into several pieces, one of 
 which he threw to the other black fellow, and another 
 he began eating himself with much apparent relish. 
 Neither Mr. Wade nor myself having ever previously 
 had the good fortune to witness the dressing of a snake 
 for dinner by the black natives, we were much inte¬ 
 rested with the whole operation ; and as the steam from 
 the roasting snake Avas by no means unsavoury, and 
 the flesh delicately white, we were each induced to try 
 a bit of it. It was not unpalatable by any means, 
 although rather fibrous and stringy like ling-fish. Mr. 
 Wade deserved, that it reminded him of the taste of 
 eels; but as there was a strong prejudice against the 
 use of eels as an article of food in the west of Scot- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 203 
 
 land, in my boyhood, I bad never tasted an eel, and 
 was therefore unable to testify to the correctness of this 
 observation. There was doubtless an equally strong 
 prejudice to get over in the case of a snake, and for an 
 hour or two after I had partaken of it, my stomach 
 was ever and anon on the point of insurrection at the 
 very idea of the thing; but, thinldng it unmaidy to 
 yield to such a feeling, I managed to keep it down.’ 
 
 In a paper which I published in the Journal of the 
 Society of Arts, in October 1856, (vol. 4, p. 872,) I 
 entered very fully into a description of the various 
 snakes which are met with in different countries, poi¬ 
 sonous or harmless, and to that paper I would refer 
 those who wish to obtain descriptive details—scientific 
 or general-—not bearing on the subject of food, at 
 present under our consideration. 
 
 Tlie consumption of frogs is not, as is very often 
 supposed, confined to the French. It is now also in¬ 
 dulged in, to a considerable extent, by Americans; 
 and frogs appear to command a high price in the New 
 York market. An enthusiastic writer tries to convince 
 us, that the only objection to frogs as an article of diet 
 is a mere prejudice on the part of those who have 
 never eaten them. ‘ In what respect are they worse than 
 eels ? The frog who swallows young birds and duck¬ 
 lings is surely as clean a feeder as the snake-like 
 creature that dines on dead dogs, and makes the celeb¬ 
 rity of the ait at Twickenham. Or is a frog less 
 savoury than a rat ? And yet what a price was paid 
 for rats at the siege of Kars! If the garrison could 
 only have been supplied with lots of frogs — literal or 
 metajdiorical — the Russians would never have taken 
 the place. Again, does a snail—the large escargot, 
 
304 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 wliicli people are so fond of in Paris—appear more 
 tempting than a frog? Or that animal picked out of 
 its shell with a pin, and called, in vulgar parlance, a 
 winkle. ‘ Away, then,’ as indignant orators say, ‘ away, 
 then, with this cant of false delicacy and sqneamishness, 
 and the very first opportunity you have, 0 lector fasti- 
 dioso ! order A Dish of Frogs. They are quite as 
 good as whitebait, when assisted by a flask of Rhenish.’ 
 
 The Athenceum, also, recently came out in favour of 
 frogs. ‘ There is no reason,’ it remarks, ‘ why we 
 should eschew frogs and relish turtle; still less is there 
 for our eating one or two of the numerous edible 
 funguses, which our island produces, and condemning 
 all the rest.’ 
 
 The green or edible frog {Rana esculenta) is a 
 native of Europe, some parts of Asia, and also of 
 Northern Africa. It is in high request on the Conti¬ 
 nent for its flesh, the meat of the hind quarters, which 
 is alone used, being delicate and well tasted. In 
 Vienna, where the consumption of these frogs is very 
 considerable, they are preserved alive, and fattened in 
 froggeries (grenouillieres) constructed for the express 
 purpose. 
 
 In America, the flesh of the huge bull-frog [R. 
 pipiens, Hark; R. wAigiens, Catesby,) is tender, white, 
 and affords excellent eating. Some bull-frogs weigh 
 as much as half-a-pound, but the hind legs are the only 
 parts used as food. They make excellent bait for the 
 larger cat-fish. 
 
 In the Antilles, another huge bull-frog is reared in 
 a state of domestication for the table. It is the Rana 
 ocellafa, Linn; i?.pfpas of Spix; Cgstignathusocellatus, 
 Wagler. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 205 
 
 Toads seem also to Le eaten by the French, though 
 unwittingly. Professor Dumeril used to relate, in his 
 lectures at the Jardin des Plantes, that the frogs brought 
 to the markets in Paris are caught in the stagnant 
 waters round Montmorenci, in the Bois de Vincennes, 
 Bois de Boulogne, &c. The peojde employed in this 
 traffic separate the hind quarters and legs of the frogs 
 from the body, denude them of their skin, arrange 
 them on skewers, as larks are done in this country, and 
 then bring them in that state to market. In seeking 
 for frogs, these dealers often meet with toads, which 
 they do not reject, but prepare them in the same way 
 as they would frogs ; and, as it is impossible to de¬ 
 termine whether the hind quarters of these creatures, 
 after the sldn is stripped off, belong to frogs or toads, it 
 continually happen that great numbers of the sup¬ 
 posed frogs sold in Paris for food are actually toads.* 
 
 This account of the mode of bringing the frogs to 
 market, in Paris, does not tally with that given by my 
 friend, Mr. F. T. Buckland, in his Curiosities oj Natural 
 History; he says:— 
 
 ‘ In France, frogs are considered a luxury, as any 
 hon vivant ordering a dish of them at the Trois Freres, 
 at Paris, may, by the long price, speedily ascertain. 
 Not wishing to try such an exj)ensive experiment in 
 gastronomy, I went to the large market in the Fau¬ 
 bourg St. Germain, and enquired for frogs. I w'as 
 referred to a stately-looking dame at a fish-stall, wdio 
 produced a box nearly full of them, huddling and 
 crawling about, and occasionally croaking as though 
 aware of the fate to which they w-ere destined. The 
 
 • Dr. Truman On Food and its Influence, ^'C. 
 
206 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 price fixed was two a penny, and liaving ordered a 
 disli to be prepared, tbe Dame de la Halle dived her 
 band in among tbem, and having secured her victim 
 by the hind legs, she severed him in twain with a sharp 
 knife; the legs, minus sldn, still struggling, were placed on 
 a dish; and the head, with the fore-legs affixed, retained 
 life and motion, and performed such motions that the 
 operation became painful to look at. These legs were 
 afterwards cooked at the restaurateur's, being served up 
 fried in bread crumbs, as larks are in England; and 
 most excellent eating they were, tasting more like the 
 delicate flesh of the rabbit than anything else I can 
 think of. I afterwards tried a dish of the common 
 English frog, but his flesh is not so white nor so tender 
 as that of his French brother.’ 
 
 The Chinese seem also to appreciate frogs, for Mr. 
 Fortune, in describing a Chinese market, says— 
 
 ‘ Frogs seemed much in demand. They are brought to 
 market in tubs and baskets, and the vender employs him¬ 
 self in skinning them as he sits making sales. He is ex¬ 
 tremely expert at this part of his business. He takes 
 up the frog in his left hand, and with a knife, which he 
 holds in his right, chops off the fore part of its head. 
 The skin is then drawn back over the body and down 
 to the feet, which are chopped off and thrown away. 
 The poor frog, still alive, but headless, skinless, and 
 feetless, is then thrown into another tub, and the opera¬ 
 tion is repeated on the rest in the same way. Every 
 now and then the artist lays down his knife, and takes 
 up his scales to weigh these animals for his customers, 
 and make his sales. Everything in this civilised country, 
 whether it be gold or silver, geese or frogs, is sold by 
 weight.’ 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 207 
 
 According to Seba and Madame Merian, the negroes 
 eat the flesh of the Surinam toad (Pipa Surinamensis). 
 
 Frogs or toads of an enormous size (Crapaux) are 
 very numerous in Dominica, and much esteemed as an 
 article of food; the flesh, when fricasseed, being pre¬ 
 ferred by the English, as well as French, to chickens ; 
 and, when made into soup, recommended for the sick, 
 especially in consumptive cases. 
 
 Wallace, in his Travels on the Amazon, tells us, 'his 
 Indians went several times early in the morning to the 
 gapo to catch frogs, which they obtained in great num¬ 
 bers, stringing them on a sipo, and boiling them entire, 
 entrails and all, and devoured them with much gusto. 
 The frogs are mottled of various colours, have dilated 
 toes, and are called jui.’ 
 
 The eating of frogs seems to be indulged in in the 
 Philippines, for a traveller tells us that— 
 
 ' After the rains there may generally be procured, 
 by those who like them, frogs, which are taken from 
 the ditch round the walls in great numbers, and are then 
 fat and in good condition for eating, making a very 
 favourite curry of some of the Europeans, their flesh 
 being very tender.’ * 
 
 FISH. 
 
 More than two-thirds of our globe being covered by 
 the waters of the ocean, and of the remaining third a 
 great part being washed by extensive rivers, or occu- 
 
 * MacMicking’s Manila, ^c. 
 
208 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 pied by lakes, ponds, or marshes, these watery realms, 
 teeming with life, furnish man with a great variety of 
 food. Some of these have already passed under con¬ 
 sideration in the reptilia, and others in the great class 
 mammalia, as seals, morses, and manatees, which can re¬ 
 main at no great distance from the sea, together 
 with whales, which never leave it, though constantly 
 obliged, by the nature of their respiration, to seek its 
 surface. 
 
 Mollusca, Crustacea, annelides, and zoophytes are 
 almost peculiar to this element, having but few scattered 
 representatives on earth; but, amidst all its varied in¬ 
 habitants, there are none more exclusively confined to 
 its realms, none that rule them with such absolute sway, 
 none more remarkable for number, variety of form, 
 beauty of colour, and, above all, for the infinite advan¬ 
 tages which they yield to man, than the great class of 
 fishes. Ill fact, their evident superiority has caused 
 their name to pass as a general appellation to all the 
 inhabitants of the deep. Whales are called fish, crabs 
 are called shell-fish, and the same term is used to denote 
 oysters; though the first are mammalia, the second 
 articulata, and the third mollusca. 
 
 hlilton has well described the abundance of fish— 
 
 - ‘ Each creek and ba}'. 
 
 With fry innumerable swarm and shoals 
 Of fish, that with their fins and shining scales. 
 
 Glide under the green waves; * * * 
 
 * * * part single, or with mate 
 
 Graze the sea-weed, their pasture, and through groves 
 
 Of coral stray; or sporting, with quick glance. 
 
 Show to the sun their wav’d coats dropp’d with gold.' 
 
 The modes of preserving fish are various ; they are 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 209 
 
 salted and dried, smoked and potted, baked or mari¬ 
 nated, preserved in oil, and pounded in a dry mass. 
 
 Several savage nations possess the art of preparing 
 fish in a great variety of ways, even as a kind of flour, 
 bread, <fec. 
 
 Dr. Davy, commenting upon the remarkable facts 
 respecting the exemption of fish-eating persons from 
 certain diseases, suggests that there is undoubtedly 
 something in the composition of fish which is not com¬ 
 mon to other articles of food, whether vegetable or 
 animal. He believes this consists of iodine. He says, 
 that in all instances in which he sought for this sub¬ 
 stance in sea fish he has found it; and also traces of 
 it in migratory fish, but not in fresh-water Jish. 
 
 The trials he made were limited to red gurnard, 
 mackerel, haddock, common cod, whiting, sole, ling, 
 herring, pilchard, salmon, sea-trout, smelt, and trout. 
 
 The experiment was as follows.—He dried and char¬ 
 red, lixiviated, reduced to ashes, and again washed 
 from a quarter of a pound to a pound of fish. 
 
 A good deal of limy matter was afforded from the 
 washings of the charcoal of the sea fish. 
 
 The saline matter was principally common salt, had 
 a pretty strong alkaline reaction, and by the blue hue 
 produced by starch and aqua regia, afforded a clear 
 proof of the presence of iodine. Only a slight trace 
 was detected in the fresh-water salmon, sea-trout, and 
 smelt. In the spent salmon descending to the sea, only 
 just a perceptible trace was observable, and no trace in 
 either parr or trout. 
 
 Dr. Davy states further, that he has detected it in an 
 unmistakable manner in the common shrimp; also in the 
 cockle, mussel, oyster, crab, &c.; nor is this remarkable, 
 
 p 
 
QIO CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 considering that it enters into the greater part of the 
 food of fishes. 
 
 He observes, also, that cod liver oil is well established 
 as an alterative or cure of pulmonary consumption, and 
 as this oil contains iodine, the inference is, that sea fish, 
 generally, may be alike beneficial. The practical ap¬ 
 plication of this inquiry is obvious. A suggestion is 
 also made as to the efficacy of drying fish, even without 
 salt, the drying being complete to the exclusion of 
 even hydroscopic water, for the use of the explorer and 
 traveller. 
 
 The inference as to the salutary effects of fish 
 depending on the presence of iodine, in the prevention 
 of tubercular disease, might be extended to goitre, 
 which it is known has already yielded to iodine. This 
 formidable complaint appears to be completely unknown 
 to the inhabitants of sea-ports and sea-coasts. Respect¬ 
 ing another and concluding question, viz., the different 
 parts of fish, it is to be remarked that, so far as ex¬ 
 periments have gone, the effects will not be the same 
 from all parts of the fish, because the inorganic ele¬ 
 ments are not the same. The examples chosen are the 
 liver, muscle, roe, or melt. In the ash of the liver and 
 muscle of sea-fish. Dr. Davy always found a large 
 proportion of saline matter, common salt, abounding, 
 with a minute portion of iodine, rather more in the 
 liver than the muscle, and free alkali, or alkali in a 
 state to occasion an alkaline reaction, as denoted by 
 test-paper; whilst in the roe or melt there has been 
 detected very little saline matter, no trace of iodine, 
 nor of free alkali; on the contrary, a free acid, viz., 
 phosphorus, analogous to what occurs in the yolk of 
 an egg, and in consequence of which it is very diffi- 
 
CUEIOSIXIES OF FOOD. 
 
 211 
 
 cialt to digest either the roe or melt of a fish, or the 
 yolk of an egg. The same conclusion on the same 
 ground is applicable to fresh-water fish, viz., the ab¬ 
 sence of iodine. 
 
 A very common North American dish is chowder, 
 which is thus prepared :— 
 
 Fry brown several slices of pork; cut each fish into 
 five or six pieces; flour, and place a layer of them 
 in your pork fat; sprinkle on a httle pepper and salt; 
 add cloves, mace, and sliced onions; if liked, lay on 
 bits of the fried pork, and crackers soaked in cold 
 water. Repeat this till you put in all the fish; turn 
 on water just sufficient to cover them, and put on a 
 heated bake pan lid. After stewing about 20 minutes, 
 take up the fish, and mix two teaspoonfuls of flour 
 with a little water, and stir it into the gravy, adding 
 a little pepper and butter. A tumbler of wine, catsup, 
 and spices wdl improve it. Cod and bass make the 
 best chowder. In making clam chowder, the hard 
 part of the clam should be cut off and rejected. 
 
 Fish glue consists almost wholly of gelatine; 100 
 grains of good dry isinglass, containing rather more 
 than 98 of matter soluble in Avater. 
 
 Isinglass may be obtained from many fish. Jack- 
 son states, that the sounds of cod afford it; and 
 that the lakes of America abound with fish, from 
 which the very finest isinglass may be obtained. This 
 substance is best prepared in summer, as frost impairs 
 the colour, and deprives it of weight and of gelatinous 
 principle. 
 
 It is made into jellies and blanc-manger, by the cook 
 and confectioner, and with some sort of balsam, spread 
 on silk, forms the court-plaister of the shops. 
 
 p 2 
 
212 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Fish maws are the dried stomachs of fishes, like our 
 cod’s sounds, which being considered a great luxury 
 by the Chinese, and as possessing strengthening and 
 aphrodisiac properties, are brought over in the junks 
 from the Indian islands. 
 
 Orawfurd states, that they often fetch upwards of £14 
 per cwt. in the Canton market. The exports of fish 
 maws from Bombay average from 1500 to 2500 cwts. 
 per annum ; from Madras, about 50 cwts.; and from 
 Bengal about 4,000 lbs. 
 
 Caviar is the common name for a preparation of 
 the dried spawn, or salted roe of fish. The black 
 caviar is made from the roe of sturgeon, and a single 
 large fish wiU sometimes yield as much as 120 lbs. 
 of roe. A cheaper and less prized red land is ob¬ 
 tained from the roe of the gray mullet, and some of 
 the carp species, which are common in the rivers, and 
 on the shores of the Black Sea. Caviar is princi})ally 
 consumed in Russia, Germany, and Italy, by the 
 Greeks, during their long fasts, and also in small 
 quantities in England. Inferior caviar is made into 
 small, dry cakes. One thousand cwt. of caviar has 
 been shipped from Odessa in a single season, and 
 from Astracan, about 30,000 barrels. The produce 
 of caviar from the Caspian sea, some years ago, was 
 as much as a million and a half of pounds. 
 
 A preparation called botargo is made on the coasts of 
 the Mediterranean from the spawn of a kind of fine 
 mullet of a red color. The best is said to be made at 
 Tunis, but it is also common in Sicily. 
 
 The dried roe of an enormous species of shad, which 
 frequents the great river of Siak in Sumatra, constitutes 
 an article of commerce in the East. According to Dr. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 213 
 
 Richardson, very good bread may be made from the 
 roe of the pollack, an ocean fish [Gadus pollacMus), 
 found on both sides of the Atlantic, and in the Indian 
 seas : on the British coasts it is often termed the cod¬ 
 fish ; and when young, the whiting pollack. In North 
 America, this fish is so plentiful that it is salted and 
 sold by the quintal like cod or ling. 
 
 The Chinook Indians of the Columbia rivers are very 
 fond of herrings’ roes, which they collect in the follow¬ 
 ing manner :—They sink cedar branches to the bottom 
 of the river, in shallow places, by placing upon them a 
 few heavy stones, taking care not to cover the green 
 foliage, as the fish prefer spawning on anything green, 
 and they literally cover all the branches by next morning 
 with spawn. The Indians wash this off in their water¬ 
 proof baskets, to the bottom of which it sinks; this is 
 squeezed by the hand into little balls and then dried, 
 and is very palatable. 
 
 The large roe of the Callipeva fish, already alluded to, 
 is considered a delicacy in the West Indies. The mode 
 of curing it differs widely from that in which the roe 
 of the sturgeon and the sterlet is prepared. 
 
 The following is the account given by Goldsmith, in 
 his History of the Earth and Animated Nature, of the 
 way in which the latter is manufactured;— 
 
 ‘ They take the spawn, and freeing it from the small 
 membranes that connect it together, they wash it with 
 vinegar, and afterwards spread it to dry upon a table; 
 they then put it into a vessel with salt, breaking the 
 spawn with their hands, and not with a pestle. This 
 done, they put it into a canvas bag, letting the liquor 
 drain from it. Lastly, they put it into a tub with holes 
 at the bottom, so that if there be any moisture still re- 
 
914 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 maining, it may run out; then it is pressed down and 
 covered up for use.’ 
 
 Very different is the manner adopted by the Spaniards 
 in Central America in curing the roe of the callipeva. 
 They do it in this wise :—First, they rub the roe well 
 with salt and a little nitre, then they put a number of 
 them one upon another, and compress them by means 
 of a heavy weight. After this, they make an altar of 
 green boughs, covering the top also with green branches 
 traversing each other. The inside being filled with 
 straw and fresh leaves, which are ignited, they place 
 the roes on the top and cover them well up likewise 
 with green boughs. They are allowed to remain there 
 six or seven days, during which time the fire keeps 
 smouldering and sending up a thick smoke which is con¬ 
 centrated upon the roes by the upper layer of branches. 
 This they call barbecuing. The membraneous cover¬ 
 ing of the roe is not taken off, consequently it will keep 
 for a long time, the air being entirely excluded from it. 
 When the roe is eaten, it should be cut in very thin 
 slices. The outer coating should not be taken oft’, but 
 rubbed clean with a dry napkin. 
 
 In New Caledonia, the natives are said to eat the roe 
 of the Salmo scouleri mixed with rancid oil, which, in 
 their estimation, gives the savoury morsel additional 
 flavour. The smell alone is said by a traveller to be 
 so nauseous as to prevent any but a native from par¬ 
 taking of it, unless severely pressed with hunger. 
 
 Dr. Richardson tells us that, when well bruised and 
 mixed with a little flour, the roe of the methy (Lotha 
 maculosa) can be baked into very good biscuits, which 
 are used in the fur countries as tea-bread. 
 
 Among the Anglo-Saxons and in the middle ages, 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 215 
 
 fish of almost every kind were eaten, including many 
 now thought unwholesome. Whales, when accidentally 
 taken on our coasts, appear in those early times to 
 have been also salted for food ; an allowance is entered, 
 amongst the other expenses of John de Lee, Sheriff of 
 Essex and Herts, for guarding a whale taken off Mersey 
 Island ; for emptying of casks to put it in ; for salt to 
 salt it; and for carrying it to the court of Stamford. 
 
 Brand states porpoises to have been sold for food in 
 the Newcastle market as late as 1575. Sturgeon, and 
 in the northern nations, whales, were early reserved as 
 royalties; and in England, whales and great sturgeons 
 taken in the sea were, by the Act 17 Edward II., to 
 be the king’s, except in certain privileged places. In 
 the dinner bills of the Goldsmiths’ Company, besides 
 the ordinary fish, we find blote-fish, jowls and middles 
 of sturgeons, salt lampreys, congers, pike, bream, bass, 
 tench, and chub, a seal, and porpoise mentioned. 
 
 The red herring is included in an inquisition 28 Henry 
 III,; and the Act of Parliament 31 Edward III., called 
 the Statute of Herrings, shows the great request in 
 which this most useful article of food was then held by 
 the English. 
 
 Herrings by the last, or 10,000, were sent from Hull 
 to London, and from Yarmouth to Hull, as also red 
 herrings, in the time of Edward I. 
 
 The tariff of prices of fish, fixed by the same king, ac¬ 
 quaints us with the rates at which the various kinds 
 were sold. It limits the best soles to Zd. per dozen; 
 the best turbot to 6d.; the best mackerel in Lent to 1(7. 
 each; the best pickled herrings to twenty the penny; 
 fresh oysters to 2d. per gallon ; a quarter of a hundred 
 of the best eels to 2d .; and other fish in proportion. 
 
216 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 * Congers, lampreys, and sea-hogs,’ are enumerated. 
 Mackerel are first mentioned in 1247, as allowed to 
 certain religions on the third day of the Kogation, and 
 are noticed as a metropolitan cry in the ballad of 
 London Lichpenny;* and ‘stokfish, salt fische, whyt 
 herring, rede herring, salt salmon, salt sturgeon, salt 
 eels, &c.,’ are mentioned as common provisions in the 
 Earl of Northumberland’s household, in the reign of 
 Henry VII.; and then formed part of every meal. 
 Thus, ‘ for my Lord and Ladle’s table,’ is to be bought, 
 ‘ ij pecys of salt fische, vj pecys of salt fische, yj becormed 
 herryng, iiij white herrjmg, or a dish of sproots.’ And 
 these breakfasts of salt fish extended through the house¬ 
 hold, whose separate departments, and the way they were 
 to be served with this article, both in and out of Lent, are 
 particularized, and afford a curious picture of the style 
 of living in the ancient Catholic periods, and of the 
 amazing use and consumption of salt-fish. In short, it 
 formed part of the allowances of the King and the Nobi¬ 
 lity, of monastic establishments, and of all ranks of society. 
 
 The fish ordinaries still kept up at the taverns at 
 Billingsgate, where all kinds of fish in season may be 
 partaken of for a moderate charge at fixed hours, are 
 but a continuation of a very old practice, although the 
 locality is removed; for Stow tells us that Knight Eider- 
 street, was famous ‘for fsh and fish dinners f and he 
 derives the name of Friday-street from fishmongers 
 dwelling there and serving the Friday markets. 
 
 Philip II. of Spain, the consort of Queen Mary gave 
 a whimsical reason for not eating fish. ‘ They are,’ 
 said he, ' nothing but element congealed, or a jelly of 
 water.’ 
 
 * History of the Fishmongers’ Company. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 217 
 
 The broth or jelly of fish, which is usually thrown 
 away, will be found one of the most nourishing animal 
 jellies that can be obtained. It is a pity that those who 
 find it difficult to obtain a sufficiency of nourishing food 
 should not be aware of this, as they might thereby 
 make a second meal of what otherwise yields but one. 
 Supposing a poor family to buy a dinner of plaice, 
 which is a cheap fish—the plaice would be boiled and 
 the meat of the fish eaten, and the liquor and bones of 
 the fish thrown away. Now, let the good housewife 
 put the remains of the fish into the liquor and boil for 
 a couple of hours, and she will find she has something 
 in her pot, which, when strained off, will be as good to 
 her as much of that which is sold in the shops as 
 ‘ gelatine.’ This she may use as a simple broth, or she 
 may thicken it with rice, and flavor it with onion and 
 pepper, and have a nourishing and satisfying meal; 
 or, should she have an invalid in her family, one-third 
 of milk added and warmed with it, would be nourishing 
 and restoring. 
 
 Dr. Davy, in his Angler and his Friend, tells us, 
 ‘ There is much nourishment in fish, little less than in 
 butcher’s meat, weight for weight; and in effect it may 
 be more nourishing, considering how, from its softer 
 fibre, fish is more easily digested. Moreover, there is, 
 I find, in fish—sea-fish—a substance which does not 
 exist in the flesh of land-animals, viz., iodine—a sub¬ 
 stance which may have a beneficial effect on the health, 
 and tend to prevent scrofulous and tubercular disease, 
 the latter in the form of pulmonary consumption, one 
 of the most cruel and fatal with which civilized society, 
 and the highly educated and refined are afflicted. Com¬ 
 parative trials prove that, in the majority of fish, the 
 
218 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 proportion of solid matter—that is, the matter which 
 remains after perfect desiccation, or the expulsion of the 
 aqueous part—is little inferior to that of the several 
 kinds of butcher’s meat, game or poultry. And, if we 
 give our attention to classes of people—classed as to 
 quality of food they principally subsist on—we find that 
 the ichthyophagous class are especially strong, healthy, 
 and prolific. In no class than that of fishers do we see 
 larger families, handsomer women, or more robust and 
 active men, or greater exemption from maladies just 
 alluded to.’ 
 
 In the pastry cooks’ shops of Russia, the tempting 
 morsel offered to Russian appetites is the piroga, an 
 oily fish-cake. Little benches are ranged round tables, 
 on which the favourite dainty is placed, covered over 
 with an oily canvass, for it must be eaten hot. A large 
 pot of green oil and a stand of salt are in readiness, 
 and, as soon as a purchaser demands a piroga, it is with¬ 
 drawn from its cover, plunged into the oil, sprinkled 
 with salt, and presented dripping to the delighted 
 Muscovite. 
 
 ‘ In some countries, fish, when tainted or even putrid 
 is preferred to that which is fresh. The inhabitants of 
 the banks of the Senegal and Orange rivers pound some 
 small fish of the size of sprats in a wooden mortar, as 
 they are taken from the stream, and afterwards make 
 them up into conical lumps, like our sugar-loaves, 
 which they dry in the sun. In this state, they soon 
 become slightly decomposed, and give out a most un¬ 
 pleasant odour; notwithstanding which, these people 
 consider them a luxury, and eat them dissolved in 
 water, mixed with their kouskoussoo, or dough. Fish, 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 219 
 
 prepared in a somewhat similar manner, is eaten by 
 the Indians on the banks of the Orinoco.*’ 
 
 In Beloochistan, the inhabitants feed almost entirely 
 on fish; and their cattle are also fed on dried fish and 
 dates mixed together. 
 
 No one who has observed a boiled fish upon the table 
 can have passed unremarked the spinal column with its 
 upward and downward processes, and the four trans¬ 
 verse strips of flesh, adjusted alternately in different di¬ 
 rections with strong semi-transparent tendons between. 
 The spinous processes, proceeding from the vertebrae 
 upward, support the dorsal fins, whilst the transverse 
 processes downward, with curved bones, encircle par¬ 
 tially the bulk of the body. Without being ribs, these 
 latter resemble ribs. Those placed far forward repre¬ 
 sent the proper thoracic ribs of fishes, but have no 
 direct connexion with the spine. There are other rib- 
 like bones behind. These are abdominal appendages; 
 very numerous in some fishes, such as the herrings, 
 and very few,—and those few conveniently large,—in 
 others, such as the perches and labruses. They are 
 wanting in several of the osseous tribes, such as the 
 Diodons and Tetradons, and are altogether non-existent 
 in the cartilaginous fishes. It is from this fact—that so 
 many of the West Indian fishes belong to the Percoid 
 and Lahroid families—that persons are so seldom trou¬ 
 bled with what are called by the cook, ‘ bony fishes,’— 
 Hence, very little annoyance is experienced from the 
 bones in the fish dishes there. 
 
 Very serious consequences have often arisen from 
 eating fish or molluscs, which are poisonous or in an 
 
 * Dr. Truman On Food and its Influence, 
 
220 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 unhealthy state. All Ostraceans, Diodons, and Tetra- 
 dons, are deleterious, and are to he treated as objec¬ 
 tionable, if not absolutely dangerous fishes. 
 
 Every one acquainted with the bad reputation of 
 the common mussel (^Mytilus edulis) knows also the 
 symptoms produced by the hurtful qualities of it, even 
 when cooked—for it is not generally, like the oyster, 
 eaten raw. 
 
 The mussels would seem to owe this injurious quality 
 to feeding on the spawn of the star-fish (Asteria), 
 
 There are many persons who break out with irrita¬ 
 tive eruptions after eating certain descriptions of shell¬ 
 fish, though they injiire no other idiosyncrasies—others 
 again are subject to diarrhoea from fish-diet, though 
 the same food be harmless to other persons. 
 
 Almost all fishes are unwholesome at certain seasons, 
 and hence the regulations laid down for the vend of 
 oysters, lobsters, salmon, &c., only in prescribed periods. 
 Science, in searching to determine the reason why this is 
 the case, encounters certain wholesale occurrences which 
 are due to some general, but at the same time, very 
 specific causes. Mackerel sold in the New York market 
 occasionally produce poisonous effects; and London is 
 sometimes supplied with unwholesome salmon in large 
 quantities. 
 
 Dr. Burroughs, in a paper on Poisonous Fishes, pub¬ 
 lished last year in a Jamaica journal, remarks : 
 
 ' There are five obvious circumstances to be taken into 
 consideration in the incidents of fish-poison. 
 
 ‘ Ist. The existence of a sanies, from some disorder 
 indicated in the living tissues of the animal. 
 
 ‘ 2ndly. A natural deleteriousness in the flesh, without 
 reference to a state of disease. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 321 
 
 ‘ Srdly. The adventitious presence of something de¬ 
 leterious in the fish, from the food recently eaten. 
 
 ‘ 4thly. The injury resulting from cooking fish with 
 such large organs as the liver unextracted,—the liver 
 being at all times dangerous as food in some particular 
 fishes. 
 
 ‘ 5thly. The poisonous putrefaction laiown to prevail 
 in some fishes after 24 hours keeping. Morbid action 
 set up in the healthy animal body that receives the 
 putrefactive poison being indicated by oppression, 
 nausea, giddiness, and general prostration.’ 
 
 We might add a 6th,—the known existence of an 
 irritating fluid,—issuing from the surface of some fishes 
 of peculiar structure. 
 
 We know’ that fish liver contains an enormous quan¬ 
 tity of oil; that fish oil is an important article of com¬ 
 merce, and fish liver oil is a valuable medicine; but we 
 know beside, that these oils, in a corrupt state, are 
 active poisons. Hence, we may infer that the liver is 
 a great operator in the injury done by the deleterious 
 fishes, and if we but Imew all the genera in which the 
 gall bladder is wanting, we might arrive at some rule 
 for estimating the possible development of those pre¬ 
 judicial fluids that mingle from the liver with fish-flesh 
 in cooking. 
 
 We must not overlook, when speaking of fish-liver, 
 the adventure of Tobias and the Angel at the River 
 Tigris, in chap. vi. of the Apocryphal Tobit. The 
 heart and liver of the fish they took w^ere a charm 
 against evil spirits, and the gall was a salve for blind 
 eyes; the one was used successfully in the nuptial 
 chamber of Sarah, the daughter of Ragual, and the other 
 08 an ointment in restoring the sight of the blind Tobit. 
 
222 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The two incidents are thus related. Ch. viii—‘Tobias 
 took the ashes of the perfumes, and put the heart and 
 the liver of the fish thereupon, and made a smoke there¬ 
 with —the which smell when the evil spirit had smelled, 
 he fled into the utmost parts of Egypt, and the angel 
 hound him.’ Ch. xi.—‘ Tobit stumbled, and his Son 
 Tobias ran unto him, and strake of the gall on his 
 Father’s eyes, and when his eyes began to smart, he 
 rubbed them, and the whiteness pilled away from the 
 corners of his eyes.’ 
 
 There are but few natural orders of fishes—and 
 they divide themselves for the purposes of our en¬ 
 quiry chiefly into the Acantlio^terygii, or those that 
 possess bony skeletons, with prickly, spinous pro¬ 
 cesses on the dorsal fins, such as the perch, the mullet, 
 and the gurnard; the Malacopterygii, or soft-finned 
 fishes, including the carp, the salmon, &c.; and the 
 Cliondropterygii, with cartilaginous spines and bones, 
 embracing such fish as the sturgeon, shark, and 
 skate. Instead of describing or specifying them in 
 consecutive order, it will perhaps be better to take 
 a glance at the fishes of different seas, at least, as 
 far as they are held in any repute as food. Many 
 of the most common must, however, be passed over 
 without notice. 
 
 It is strange how little attention, (comparatively 
 speaking,) is paid even to our coast fisheries, and espe¬ 
 cially those of our colonies. Fisheries have been called 
 the agriculture of the sea. Ealeigh attributes the 
 ■wealth and power of Holland, not to its commerce 
 or carrying trade, but to its fisheries. Mirabeau was 
 of the like opinion; He Witt held the same; and 
 Franklin seemed to prefer the fisheries of America 
 
CUE.IOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 223 
 
 to agriculture itself. A great nursery of tire marine 
 is by this means best supported, from whence a con¬ 
 stant supply of men, inured to the perils of the sea 
 and the inclemency of the weather, is always ready 
 for the maritime service of their country. Fishing 
 has been celebrated from the earliest times, as being 
 the prelude, and if I may be allowed the expression, 
 the apprenticeship of navigation; offering, from the 
 line to the harpoon, more amusement with less fatigue 
 than perhaps any other species of pursuit, and occu¬ 
 pying the smallest boat up to ships of great burthen; 
 thus drawing forth the means of subsistence and 
 profit to an infinite number of persons. 
 
 The ocean fish are generally very dry eating. 
 
 In eating the flesh of the bonito, it is necessary to 
 lard it well, as its flesh is very dry. 
 
 The flesh of the tunny of the Atlantic is something 
 like veal, but dryer and more firm. 
 
 That of the dol})hin was formerly held in great es¬ 
 teem. It is also, however, very dry and insipid; the 
 best parts are those near the head. It is seldom eaten 
 now at sea, except when the fish caught happens to be 
 young and tender. 
 
 In the Maidive Islands, the bonito is preserved in 
 the following manner :— 
 
 The back bone is taken out, the fish laid in the 
 shade, and occasionally sprinlded with sea water. After 
 a certain period has elapsed, the fish is wrap})ed up in 
 cocoa-nnt leaves, and buried in sand, where it becomes 
 hard. Fish thus prepared is known in Ceylon, and per¬ 
 haps over all India, by the name of cummelmums. The 
 pieces of this fish brought to the market have a horny 
 hardness. It is rasped upon rice to render it savoury. 
 
224 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The Havana is, I believe, the only place where the 
 flesh of the shark is exposed for sale in the markets, 
 although it is often tasted at sea by the curious. 
 
 The shark, judging by an European palate, is not - 
 good eating; the flesh is dry and of an acid taste. The 
 fins and tail are, however, very glutinous, and are the 
 portions most relished by the seamen; and dried, they 
 form an article of commerce to China, where they are 
 used in soups, and considered an excellent aphro¬ 
 disiac. 
 
 ‘ How thankful we ought to be to a bountiful Provi¬ 
 dence, who has created all things for us richly to enjoy,’ 
 observed an alderman at the last great city dinner, whilst 
 sumptuously regaling on turtle soup, crimped cod, with 
 oyster sauce, and other delicacies. ‘ The beasts of the 
 earth, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea,’ he 
 continued, ‘ were aU created for the use of man.’ 
 
 ‘Very true,’ replied his next friend, ‘but if you had 
 witnessed the hair-breadth escape which I experienced 
 of being devoured alive by a shark, when in the West 
 Indies, you would have been satisfied that the horrible 
 monster entertained just the opposite opinion. He be¬ 
 lieved that man was created for him!’ 
 
 Sharlvs, which are very numerous there, form a com¬ 
 mon article of food with the Gold Coast negroes, and 
 hippopotami and alligators are occasionally eaten. 
 
 Mr. George Bennett informs us, that ‘the shark is 
 eaten eagerly by the natives of the Polynesian Islands; 
 and I have often seen them feasting on it in a raw 
 state, when they gorge themselves to such an excess as 
 to occasion vomiting.’ 
 
 It is not an unfrequent source of illness among these 
 islanders, and they suffer so much in consequence, as to 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 225 
 
 lead them to suppose that their dissolution is nigh; hut 
 they cannot be persuaded that the eating of raw fish is 
 the cause. An emetic soon removes the symptoms by 
 removing the cause, and the sufferer considers the cure 
 as almost miraculous. Sharks are caught on the New 
 Zealand shores in great numbers, during the months of 
 November, December, and January, by the natives, 
 who use them as an article of food. 
 
 Shark hunting is most exciting sport. 
 
 He who has hooked the fish holds tight—like grim 
 Death on his victim; and if you watch his face you 
 will see powerful indication of excitement, mental and 
 muscular; his teeth are set, his colour is heightened, 
 the perspiration starts on his brow, while something 
 like an oath slips through his lips as the cord, strained 
 to the utmost, cuts into the skin of his em})ur})led fin¬ 
 gers : he invokes aid, and with his feet jammed against 
 stretcher, thwart, or gunwale, gradually shortens his 
 hold. Meanwhile, the others, seizing lance and gaff- 
 hook, ‘ stand by to assist the overtasked line, as the 
 monster, darting hither and thither in silvery light¬ 
 nings beneath the translucent wave, is drawn nearer and 
 nearer the surface. ‘My eyes, he’s a who])per!’ cries 
 the excited young boatman. ‘ He’s off 1 ’ shouts another, 
 as the shark makes a desperate plunge under the boat, 
 and the line, dragged through the hands of the holder, 
 is again suddenly slackened. ‘ He’s all right, never 
 fear—belay your line a bit, sir, and look here,’ says 
 the old fisherman. And sure enough there is the 
 huge fish clearly visible, about ten feet under the keel 
 of the boat, and from stem to stern about the same 
 length as herself. ‘Now, sir, let’s have him up.’ 
 And the instant the fine is taut, the shark shoots 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 upwards, his broad snout showing above the sui'face, 
 close to the boat. Then comes a scene of activity and 
 animation indeed. The fish, executing a series of 
 summersaults, and spinning, gets the line into a hun¬ 
 dred twists, and if once he succeed in bringing it 
 across his jaws above the chain links—adieu to both 
 fish and tackle. But, in the midst of a shower-bath, 
 splashed up by the broad tail of the shark, both lance 
 and gaff are hard at work. He is speared through 
 and through, his giant struggles throwing waves of 
 bloody water over the gunwales of the little, boat; 
 the galfs are hooked through his tough skin, or 
 within his jaws—for he has no gills to lay hold on; 
 a shower of blows from axe, stretcher, or tiller, falls 
 on his devoted head, and, if not considered too large, 
 heavy, or dangerous, he is lugged manfully into the 
 centre of the boat, and, threshing right and left with 
 his tail to the last, is soon dispatched. A smart blow 
 a few inches above the snout is more instantly fatal 
 than the deepest stab. The school-shark is dealt with 
 as above. But if the ‘grey-nurse,’ or old solitary 
 shark be hooked, the cable is cut, or the grapnel 
 hauled on board, and he is allowed to tow the boat 
 as he darts away with the line. The tables, how¬ 
 ever, are soon turned upon him; and after being 
 played (as this cruel operation in fishing is blandly 
 styled) for a while, until some portion of his vast 
 strength is exhausted, the line is drawn over a roller 
 in the stern of the boat, the oars are set to work, 
 and, towed instead of towing, the shark is drawn 
 into some shallow cove near the shore, where his bodily 
 powers avail him less than in deeper water; and 
 after a fierce resistance, and some little risk to his 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 227 
 
 assailants, lie falls a victim to their attack. Man has 
 as innate an horror of a shark as he has of a snake, 
 and he who has frequented tropical climates, felt the 
 ahsolnte necessity of bathing, had his diurnal plunge 
 embittered by the haunting idea of the vicinity of 
 one of these sea-pests, and has occasionally been har¬ 
 rowed by accidents arising from their voracity—feels 
 this antipathy i\ith double force. There is, therefore, 
 a species of dehghtful fury, a savage excitement, 
 experienced by the shark-hunter, that has no af¬ 
 finity with the philosophy of Old Isaak’s gentle art. 
 He revels in the animated indulgence of that cruelty 
 which is inherent in the child of wrath; and the 
 stings of conscience are Idunted by the conviction 
 that it is an act of justice, of retribution, of duty, 
 he is engaged in, not one of wanton barbarity. These 
 were precisely my own sensations when, drenched to 
 the skin with showers of salt water, scorched to blis¬ 
 ters by the burning sun, excoriated as to my hands, 
 covered vdth blood, and oil, and dirt, and breathless 
 with exertion, I contemplated the corpse of my first 
 shark. Tiger-hunting is a more princely pastime; 
 boar-hunting in Bengal Proper the finest sport in the 
 world; fox-hunting an Englishman’s birthright; the 
 chase of the moose is excellent for young men strong 
 enough to drag a pair of snow shoes five feet long 
 upon their toes; and Mr. Gordon Gumming tells you 
 how man may follow the bent of his organ of destruc¬ 
 tiveness on the gigantic beasts of South Africa : shark¬ 
 fishing is merely the best sport to be had in New 
 South Wales; and affords a wholesome stimulation to 
 the torpid action of life in Sydney. The humane or 
 utilitarian reader will be glad to hear that the shark 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 is not .utterly useless after death. The professional 
 fishermen extract a considerable quantity of excellent oil 
 from the hver; and the fins cut off, cured, and packed, 
 become an article of trade with China—whose people, 
 for reasons best known to themselves, delight in gela¬ 
 tinous food. The most hideous to behold of the shark 
 tribe is the wobegong, or woe-begone as the fisher¬ 
 men call it. Tiger-shark is another of the names of 
 this fish. His broad back is spotted over with leopard¬ 
 like marks; the belly is of a yellowish white; but to 
 describe minutely so frightful a monster would be a 
 difficult and ungracious task. Fancy a bloated toad, 
 elongated to the extent of six or seven feet, and 
 weighing some 20 stone; then cut off his legs, and you 
 have a flattering likeness of the wobegong—two of 
 which we killed this day. A heavy sluggish fish, he 
 lies in w^ait for his prey at the edge of some reef of 
 rocks, or bank of sea-weed; swallow^s the bait indo¬ 
 lently ; appears but little sensible to the titillation of 
 the barbed hook, and is lugged hand over hand to the 
 slaughter wdthout much trouble or resistance. Neither 
 lance nor gaff will penetrate his tough hide, but a blow 
 on the head with an axe proves instantly fatal.’ 
 
 The schnapper affords a long and strong puH at the 
 line; and is considered by the colonists as one of their 
 best table fish. ‘ We killed one to-day,’ writes a corres¬ 
 pondent, ‘ weighing 21 lbs. The flat-head is half buried 
 in the sand at the bottom, but bites freely; and is, 
 in my mind, a much better fish than the former. Our 
 fishing-basket of this day comprised nine sharks, four 
 schnappers, and about 40 flat-heads.’ 
 
 The picked shark (Galeus acanthias) is very com¬ 
 mon about the coasts of Scotland, where it is. taken in 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 329 
 
 order to be prepared for sale, by splitting and dry¬ 
 ing ; and is then much used as food among the poorer 
 classes. 
 
 In some parts of Scotland tlie large spotted dog-fish 
 constitute no inconsiderable part of the food of the 
 poor. In North America, they are principally caught 
 for their oil. If very large, the liver ■will yield a barrel 
 of oil, or about thirty gallons. In Nova Scotia, the 
 dried bodies are sold at 2s. &d. the hundred, for feed- 
 ing pigs. During the winter, from November till May, 
 two fish, boiled or roasted, are given per day to a good 
 sized store pig. 
 
 In 1^42, in consequence of the great havoc com¬ 
 mitted by the swarms of sharks on the fishing banks on 
 the coast of Finmark, eight vessels were fitted out at 
 Hammerfest, expressly for the purpose of shark fishing, 
 and no less than 20,000 of these rapacious fish were 
 taken, without any apparent diminution in their num¬ 
 bers. The shark oil obtained from them was about 
 1,000 barrels. 
 
 There are shark fisheries on the eastern coast of 
 Africa, and in several parts of the Indian Ocean, for the 
 sake of the fins, which are exported to China. About 
 7,000 cwt. were imported into Canton, in 1850, chiefly 
 from India and the Eastern Archipelago. From 7,000 
 to 10,000 cwt. of sharks’ fins are shipped annually from 
 Bombay, and about 1,400 cwt. from the Madras terri¬ 
 tories, to China. Sumatra, Manila, Malacca, Arracan, and 
 the Tenasserim Provinces, also send large quantities. 
 
 Dr. Buist, of Bombay, in a communication to the 
 Zoological Society, in 1851, stated, ‘thatthere are thir¬ 
 teen large boats, with twelve men in each, constantly 
 employed in the shark fishery at Kurrachee ; the value 
 
230 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 of the fins sent to market varying from 15,000 to 18,000 
 rupees (£1500 to £1800), or 1000 to 1200 rupees for 
 each boat, after allowing the Banian or factor his profit. 
 One boat wiU sometimes capture at a draught as many 
 as 100 sharks of different sizes. The average capture 
 of each boat probably amounts to about 3000, so as to 
 give the whole sharks captured at not less than 40,000 
 a year. The great basking shark, or mhor, is always 
 harpooned : it is found floating or asleep near the sur¬ 
 face of the water. 
 
 ‘ The fish, once struck, is allowed to run till tired ; it 
 is then pulled in, and beaten with clubs till stunned. A 
 large hook is now hooked into its eyes or nostrils, or 
 wherever it can be got most easily attached, and by this 
 the shark is towed on shore; several boats are requisite 
 for towing. The mhor is often 40, sometimes 60, feet 
 in length; the mo\;th is occasionally 4 feet wide. AH 
 other varieties of shark are caught in nets, in somewhat 
 like the way in which herrings are caught at home. 
 The net is made of strong English whip- cord; the 
 meshes about 6 inches; they are generally 6 feet wide, 
 and from 600 to 800 fathoms, or from three-quarters to 
 nearly a mile, in length. On the one side are floats of 
 wood about 4 feet in length, at intervals of 6 feet; on 
 the other, pieces of stone. The nets are sunk in deep 
 water, from 80 to 150 feet, well out at sea. 
 
 ‘ They are put in one day and taken out the next; so 
 that they are down two or three times a week, accord¬ 
 ing to the state of the weather, and success of the 
 fishing. The lesser sharks are commonly found dead, 
 the larger ones much exhausted. On being taken 
 home, the back fins, the only ones used, are cut off, and 
 dried on-the sands in the sun : the flesh is cut off in 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 231 
 
 long strips, and salted for food ; the liver is taken out 
 and boiled down for oil; tlie head, bones, and intestines 
 left on the shore to rot, or thrown into the sea, where 
 numberless httle sharks are generally on the watch to 
 eat up the remains of their kindred. The fishermen 
 themselves are only concerned in the capture of the 
 sharks. So soon as they are landed they are purchased 
 up by Banians, on whose account all the other opera¬ 
 tions are performed. The Banians collect them in 
 quantities, and transmit them to agents in Bombay, by 
 Avhom they are sold for shipment to China.’ 
 
 At the Bonin Islands, the colonists have trained their 
 dogs to catch fish ; and Dr. Euschenburger, who visited 
 the islands in the United States’ ship Peacock, tells us, 
 
 ‘ that two of these dogs would plunge into the water 
 and seize a shark, one on each side, by the fin, and 
 bring it ashore in spite of resistance.’ 
 
 Blumenbach states, ‘ that the white shark Aveighs 
 sometimes as much as 10,000 lbs.; and even a whole 
 horse has been found in its stomach.’ I may cite a few 
 statements Avhich have come under my notice in the 
 course of newspaper reading :— 
 
 Tlie New Orleans Picayune teUs the folloAAdng;— 
 ‘ We ha\'e read many fish stories, and they are gene¬ 
 rally of that tenour that the very name inclines one to 
 disbelieve them. We have one to tell now, and, as Ave 
 knoAV the person who was the main actor in the in¬ 
 cident, we can vouch for its being true, particularly as 
 there is ocular evidence of the matter. Some days 
 ago, the captain of a ship at anchor outside the Pass, 
 threw overboard a shark hook baited, not expecting in the 
 least, as the captain himself says, to catch anything of 
 the fish tribe. There was hooked, however, a shark of 
 
233 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 the spotted kind, and, as it afterwards proved, a 
 regular ‘ man-eater.’ He had to be harpooned before 
 his capture could be effected. His size and weight may 
 be imagined from the fact, that it took 11 men to hoist 
 him in, with a double lift on the main yard. The 
 monster measured 17 feet 11 inches in length, from 
 tail to snout, and 9 feet in circumference. He had 
 seven rows of teeth, three of the rows being almost 
 hidden in the upper gums. His liver exactly filled up 
 a beef barrel. In his paunch was found the body of a 
 man in a half deconi])osed state. So far as coidd be 
 judged, the corpse was that of a well-dressed man, of 
 medium-size—shirt white, with pearl buttons, coarse 
 silk under-shirt, cotton socks, and shoes nearly new, 
 of the Congress gaiter kind. The shark had also in 
 his stomach several pieces of old canvas, such as are 
 used by vessels on their rigging. The jawbone of this 
 sea ])irate has been brought u}) to the city. It is large 
 enough to take in a sugar barrel.’ 
 
 A shark was caught a year or two ago, by the boats 
 of one of the East-end whaling establishments at Ber¬ 
 muda, which measured 18 feet in length. Its liver 
 jdelded 72 gallons of oil. The jaws, when detached 
 from the body and extended to their full width, afforded 
 space sirfficient for three persons—the tallest at least 5 
 feet 10 inches—to stand erect within them. It had tvvo- 
 and-a-half rows of teeth. 
 
 The basldng shark, or sun-fish (Squahis maxitnus), is 
 the largest of the genus. The average size is about 
 25 feet long, by 18 in circumference, in the largest 
 part. It often lies on the surface of the water, appa¬ 
 rently sunning itself, and very frequently may be seen 
 steadily swimming with its dorsal fin above the water. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 333 
 
 Tliis species is viviparous, and possesses nothing of the 
 fierceness and voracity so peculiar to the shark family. 
 
 A large one, caught not long ago in the Mersey 
 river, Van Diemen’s Land, 14 feet long, upon hoisting 
 it upon deck, gave birth to 23 young ones, each about 
 18 inches long. 
 
 ‘ Some 25 years since, the capture of this valuable 
 fish was prosecuted very successfully from Innis Boffin 
 and the vicinity of Westport, at which town, as well as 
 New})ort, there were works erected for trying out the 
 oil. About that date, as much as five pipes of oil of 
 120 gallons were received by one Dublin house alone 
 per season. It has much decreased of late years, which 
 is attributable rather to the decline of the means of 
 pursuit than to the absence of the fish, as it is seen 
 every year in large numbers on the distant banks, and 
 occasionally close to the shore in packs of 25 or 30, 
 in very fine weather. There were four taken at Gal¬ 
 way this year, and many were seen in the vicinity of 
 the Arran Islands. The fiver has hitherto been con¬ 
 sidered the only valuable part, averaging 30 cwts., 
 and containing about 180 gallons of fine oil, second 
 only to sperm, and selling from 4s. to 5s. per gallon. 
 The carcase, which may be estimated at from four to 
 five tons, is of a gelatinous character, consequently of 
 great value; it is now thrown away as useless. Neither 
 skill nor courage is required in the capture; it being of 
 a sluggish nature, and literally presenting its most 
 vulneralde ])art to the harpoon.’ * 
 
 A correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing 
 from Stone Bridge House, Tiverton, Rhode Island. 
 
 * Sj^monds’s Observations on the Fisheries of the West Coast oj 
 Ireland. 
 
S34 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 says :—‘ A .party of ladies and gentlemen, on tlie even¬ 
 ing of tlie 4tli, canglit and hauled about 20 of these 
 monsters (sharks) upon the bridge, measuring from 3 
 to 5 feet. The sport is generally continued from 
 twelve until nine o’clock in the evening, and as each 
 new-comer is laid at his scaly length up the stone 
 causeway, the ‘head-ache stick,’ as Uncle Ned quaintly 
 calls it, is applied to his hard sconce, until aU pro¬ 
 pensity for biting off SAvimmers’ legs has disappeared. 
 One Deacon Smith caught, on the same evening, an 
 enormous shark, which on being beached, measured over 
 7 feet across the fins. But the crowning sport was 
 reserved for the next day, when Mr. E. W. Potter, of 
 Pawtucket, went off Avith a party, among whom were 
 several ladies, and fastened to a huge shark, of the 
 mackerel species. The monster, on taking the bait and 
 finding himself hooked, went off with the line, like a 
 harpooned whale, despite all efforts to hold him. Having 
 a small tow-boat at hand, Mr. P. took to that, and paid 
 out, the shark toAving him rapidly a long distance into 
 the hay, AAdren, getting tired, returned, and came tOAAmrd 
 the little boat Avitli expanded jaAVS, and made desperate 
 fight to extricate himself, snapping at the line to bite it 
 off, and then throwing up his tail, would again shoot 
 off rapidly, carrying the boat after him, spinning 
 through the water. Hauhng him cautiously hack, 
 however, he Avas at last mastered by repeated Augor- 
 ous hloAvs AAuth the end of the oar, which Avas finally 
 run down the rascal’s throat, in Avhich condition he 
 Avas toAved ashore. It required the united strength of 
 six men, with a stout rope, to haul the creature upon 
 the beach, and he measured, from the tip of his nose, 
 over the fin, to the end of his tail, 3 feet 9 inches.’ 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 385 
 
 A sliark, 28 feet long, and measuring 18 feet round 
 the body, was caught in a weir, by John Horan, at 
 Rice’s Island, between Eastport and Lnbec. His hver, 
 it is said, filled three barrels, and yielded a large 
 quantity of valuable oil. 
 
 The Rangoon Chronicle of 3rd March, 1854, re¬ 
 ported the capture of a shark of enormous size. The 
 animal, it seems, got stranded on the shoal or bar at 
 Yangeensiah, from which it could not extricate itself. 
 About 40 boatmen plunged into the water with dabs 
 and spears, and commenced a furious attack on the 
 monster, who inflicted very serious wounds on six of 
 the party, stripping the flesh entirely from the thigh of 
 one and leaving the bone bare. After a hard fight, the 
 shark fell a victim, dyeing the water with his blood. 
 The creature measured 35 feet, and afforded by very im¬ 
 perfect cutting 365 lbs. of solid flesh, which the men 
 dried and brought to Rangoon for food. 
 
 The Barotse of Central Africa eat alhgators. The 
 meat has a strong, musky odour, not at aU hunting for 
 any one except the very hungry. After crossing the 
 Kasai, Livingstone saw that he was in a land where no 
 hope could be entertained of getting supplies of animal 
 food, for one of the guides caught a fight blue coloured 
 mole and two mice for his supper. The care with 
 which he wrapped them up in a leaf and slung them on 
 his spear, told the Doctor that he would have but little 
 chance of enjoying larger game. At Cabango, in 
 Western Londa, a large amount of beer and beef was 
 consumed at a funeral; yet when the leg of a cow was 
 offered to Bango, a Londa clfief, he said that neither he 
 nor his people ever partook of beef, as they looked 
 upon cattle as human, and living at home like men. 
 
236 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 There are several other tribes who refuse to keep 
 cattle, though not to eat them AA^hen offered by others, 
 ‘ Because,’ say they, ' oxen bring enemies and war; ’ 
 hut this is the first instance met AAith by Livingstone in 
 which they have been refused as food. The fact of 
 these people killing pallahs for food shoAA'S that their 
 objection does not extend to meat in general. Near 
 the Tanba, (W. Londa,) Dr. Lhangstone saw some 
 women carefully tending little lap dogs, AA’hich were to be 
 eaten. The Mamliari, AAdiile in the Borotse A-alley, shoAA’ed 
 their habits in their own country, (S.E. of Angola,) 
 digging up and eating, even there, AALere large game 
 abounds, the mice and moles AAdfich infest the country. 
 
 The flesh of the sturgeon has been esteemed in all 
 ages; but modern nations do not consider it so great a 
 luxury as the ancients; and, although deemed a royal 
 fish, it often hangs on hand in Billingsgate market, and 
 is retailed at a low price by the pound. This fish was 
 in high repute among the Greeks and Romans. 
 
 The flesh is AAdiite, delicate, and firm, and when 
 roasted resembles veal; it is generally eaten pickled, 
 and Avhat we receive in that form comes from the Rus¬ 
 sian rivers or from North America. There are several 
 varieties of sturgeon, the flesh of most of which is nu¬ 
 tritious, wholesome, and of an agreeable flavour. The 
 fat may be used as a substitute for butter or oil. 
 
 The flesh of the sharp-nosed sturgeon of North 
 America (^Acipenser oxyrinchus) is like coarse beef, 
 quite firm and compact, but very rank and unsavoury. 
 The Indians of New Brunswick cut it up in large 
 pieces and salt it for winter use. It is only eaten by 
 those who can obtain no better fare. The flesh of a 
 young fish is much more delicate than that of an old 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 237 
 
 one; when stewed with rich gravy, its flavour is not 
 unlike that of veal. 
 
 hlr. Wingrove Cooke, in his account of a select 
 Chinese dinner, says:—‘ The next dish was sturgeon 
 skull-cap—rare and gelatinous, but I think not so peculiar 
 in its flavour as to excuse the death of several royal fish. 
 This fish, being taken from its brazen, lamp-heated stand, 
 was succeeded by a stew of shark fins and pork. The 
 shark fins were boiled to so soft a consistency that they 
 might have been turbot fins. The Chinaman must have 
 smiled at the unreasonable prejudices of the occidentals 
 when he saw some of us tasting the pork but fighting 
 shy of the shark. He probably, however, did not know 
 that the same occidentals would eat with relish of a fish 
 which they themselves enticed to their angle by a worm 
 or a maggot. Next in order came a soup composed of 
 balls of crab. I have tasted this better prepared at 
 Macao. It assumes there the form of a very capital 
 salad, made of crab and cooked vegetables.’ 
 
 The fondness of the Chinese for all gelatinous sub¬ 
 stances is well known, and has been described by all 
 those who have visited that country and partaken of 
 their banquets. In addition to employing animals and 
 parts of animals which are rejected in other countries, 
 as articles of diet, they import various substances which 
 can be valuable only as yielding gelatine of different 
 degrees of purity ; of these tve have examples in tri¬ 
 pang, birdsnests, sharks’ fins, fish maws, and agar-agar, 
 a fucus. 
 
 The fresh water lamprey {Petromyzon fluviatilis) 
 was formerly of great importance as a delicacy, and also 
 largely used as bait by fishermen. In Germany another 
 species (P. Planeri) are taken in large quantities, fried. 
 
238 
 
 CURIOSITIES OE FOOD. 
 
 packed in barrels by layers, with bay leaves and spices, 
 sprinkled with vinegar, and thus exported to other 
 countries. 
 
 The sea lamprey(P. marinus) is held in high estima¬ 
 tion by epicures in the United States and elsewhere, 
 but is not eaten in the British American Provinces. It is 
 a formidable enemy to the royal sturgeon, fastening upon 
 its belly and eating into the flesh; and not unfrequently 
 a sturgeon has leaped into a canoe, in its efforts to disen¬ 
 gage itself from several of these troublesome' parasites. 
 
 Lampreys, well known to have given a fatal surfeit to 
 Henry I., when made into pies, were anciently esteemed 
 a ‘ pretty present.’ 
 
 Eels appear to have been early favourites, parti¬ 
 cularly in the monasteries. The cellaress of Barking 
 Abbey, Essex, in the ancient times of that foundation, 
 was amongst other eatables ‘to provide russ aulx in 
 Lenton, and to bake with eli/s on Shere Tuesday:’ and 
 at Shrovetide she was to have ready ‘ twelve stubbe eles 
 and nine schaft eles.’ The regulation and manage¬ 
 ment for the sale of eels seems to have formed a promi¬ 
 nent feature in the old ordinances of the Fishmongers’ 
 Company. There were artificial receptacles made for 
 eels in our rivers, called Anguilonea, constructed with 
 rows of poles that they might be more easily taken. 
 The cruel custom of salting eels alive is mentioned 
 by some old writers. 
 
 The flesh of the eel (^Anguilla vulgaris), being highly 
 nutritious, is excellent as food, but is sometimes found 
 too oily for weak stomachs. 
 
 Eel pies and stewed eels cause a large demand in this 
 metropolis, and some 70 or 80 cargoes, or about 700 
 tons a year, are brought over from Holland. The total 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 239 
 
 consumption of this fish in England is estimated at 
 4,300 tons per annum. Eels are very prolific. They 
 are found in almost all parts of the world. 
 
 An abundance of large eels of fine quality are caught 
 in the rivers and harbours of New Brunswick. 
 
 If a market should be found for this description of 
 fish from North America, they could be furnished to an 
 unlimited extent. My friend and correspondent, Mr. 
 Perley, says, ‘ In the calm and dark nights during 
 August and September, the largest eels are taken in 
 great numbers by the Micmac Indians and Acadian 
 French, in the estuaries and lagoons, by torch-light, with 
 the Indian spear. This mode of taking eels requires 
 great quickness and dexterity, and a sharp eye. It is 
 pursued with much spirit, as, besides the value of the 
 eel, the mode of fishing is very exciting. 
 
 ‘ In winter, eels bury themselves in the muddy parts of 
 rivers, and their haunts, which are generally well knowm, 
 are called eel grounds. The mud is thoroughly probed 
 with a five pronged iron spear, affixed to a long handle, 
 and used through a hole in the ice. When the eels are 
 all taken out of that part within reach of the spear, a 
 fresh hole is cut, and the fishing goes on again upon new 
 ground.’ 
 
 It w’as by a mistake that the Jews abstained from eat¬ 
 ing eels. The prohibition is as follows;—‘ All that 
 have not fins and scales, &c., ye shall have in abomina¬ 
 tion.’—Lev. xi., 10, 11. The Siluridai, which have 
 no scales, w’ere held in abomination by the Egyptians. 
 In describing one of them (the Schall) which he had 
 found in the Nile, M. Sonnini, says—‘ A fish without 
 scales, wdth soft flesh, and living at the bottom of a 
 muddy river, could not have been admitted into the 
 
240 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 dietetic system of the ancient Egyptians, whose priests 
 M’ere so scrupulously rigid in proscribing every aliment 
 of unwholesome quality. Accordingly, all the differ¬ 
 ent species of Siluri found in the Nile were forbidden.’ 
 This then was probably one of the forbidden kinds, 
 and this fact supports the opinion before ventured as to 
 the origin of the custom. The rest of the prohibition 
 was probably levelled against aquatic reptiles, which 
 were generally looked upon as possessing poisonous 
 qualities. 
 
 It has been well observed by a recent popular writer, 
 that any Cockney, with two shillings and sixpence in 
 his pocket, may regale himself at Billingsgate, at 
 Blackwall, or Richmond, on delicacies to which the 
 senate and people of Rome were utter strangers. 
 Indeed, it is no inconsiderable set off against the 
 disadvantages of living so far from the sun, that the 
 supplies of northern fish markets are incontestably and 
 greatly superior to those of any Italian or Sicilian 
 pascheria : superior, 1st, because in those lands which 
 are common to our great ocean, and their ‘ great sea,’ 
 our own are better flavoured; because, 2ndly, even the 
 finer sorts, which belong exclusively to the Mediter¬ 
 ranean, are for the most part poor; and 3rdly, and 
 above all, because there is an almost total want in its 
 waters of species which we consider, and advisedly, as 
 our best. Were superiority to be determined by mere 
 beauty and variety of colouring, the market of Billings¬ 
 gate could not enter into comi>etition fora moment with 
 the smallest fishing town in the south, where the fish 
 are for the most part coasters, and derive their gorgeous 
 hues from the same buccina and coquillege whence the 
 Tyrians got their superb dyes. But as the gayest 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 941 
 
 plumage is by no means indicative of the bird best 
 adapted for the table, so brilliancy of scales affords no 
 criterion by which to judge of the culinary excellence 
 of fish, the beauty of whose skin, in this instance, con¬ 
 trasts singularly with the quality of the fish, which is 
 generally poor and insipid, and sometimes unwholesome 
 and even deleterious. The Mediterranean pelagians 
 (or open sea-fish) have neither brilliancy of colour nor 
 delicacy of flesh to atone for the want of it; so that no 
 Englishman will repine to leave tunny beef to the 
 Sicilian ichthyophagist, whilst he has the genuine pas¬ 
 ture-fed article at home in place of it. Nor though, to 
 such coarse feeders as the ancient Greeks, sword-fish 
 might be held equal to veal, will his better instructed 
 palate assent to such a libel upon wholesome butcher’s 
 meat. Mullet must indeed be admitted on all hands 
 to be good fish; but one good thing only in a hundred 
 does not satisfy omnivorous man, and toujoiirs Triglia 
 is not better than toujours Perdrix, as every one who 
 has passed a winter at Naples knows to his cost. 
 Sardines are only palatable in oil; au naturel they are 
 exceedingly poor and dry: and for that other small 
 clupean, the anchovy (the latent virtues of which are 
 only elicited by the process which metamorphoses the 
 fish into sauce), British whitebait is far more than an 
 equivalent.—But if the Mediterranean has but few 
 alumni to be proud of, the poverty of its waters is 
 certainly more conspicuous in its deficiencies than in its 
 supplies; indeed, the instinct of all first-rate fish seems 
 to be to turn their tails upon this sea. Thus among the 
 Salmonidse, salmon and smelt are alike unknown ; of the 
 Gadian family, all the finest species, as cod, haddock, 
 
 K 
 
242 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 whiting, ling, and coal fish are wanting; and to quote 
 but one other example— 
 
 ‘ Whilst migrant herrings steer their myriad hands 
 From seas of ice to visit warmer strands,’ 
 
 as we read in the Apocrypha of Dr. Darwin, not one 
 ever entered the Bay of Naples, unless salted in a 
 barrel from England.* 
 
 The Finnon, Buckie, and Bervie smoked haddock 
 is largely vended in London and other large towns, 
 being esteemed an excellent relish. They are split, 
 cleaned, and steeped in strong pickle about three hours, 
 and then smoked for fifteen or sixteen hours. After 
 a kiln full is smoked and cooled, the fish are packed in 
 dry barrels the same as pickled mackerel, excepting 
 that every two tiers are packed face to face, so that the 
 hack of one fish does not come in contact with the split 
 side of another fish. The increase in the timber trade 
 of late years, and the establishment of saw-mills, have 
 rendered sawdust abundant, and the Scotch fisher- 
 wives have made the discovery that haddocks can be 
 smoked with sawdust to look nearly as well as when 
 smoked with peat; while they have not the wisdom to 
 anticipate the loss of custom which must unavoidably 
 ensue as soon as the deficiency of flavour is discovered. 
 
 Fresh herrings come in in enormous quantities to our 
 metropolitan markets, and, from the consumption of 
 several millions of them, must be esteemed a dainty by 
 some. Pickled or cured herrings,—of which 680,814 
 barrels were salted in 1857, at the British Fisheries,— 
 are chiefly consumed abroad; the shipments to the 
 Continent last year having been 219,000 barrels, and 
 
 * The Fish Fander’s Own Book. 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 243 
 
 58,534 barrels went to Ireland. In 1855, ont of a cure 
 of 766,703 barrels, the Continental export reached 
 344,029 barrels. Last year (1857), 128,600 barrels 
 went to Stettin. 
 
 Scotch herrings go to Russia quite as much as St. 
 Petersburg!! tallow comes to London, 60,000 or 70,000 
 barrels passing the Sound, or going via Konigsberg and 
 Lantzic. One great inducement to the Russian popu¬ 
 lation to purchase the herrings is, it is said, the quantity 
 of undissolved salt the barrels are found to contain. 
 
 It is in the form of red-herrings and bloaters that the 
 largest consumption of this fish takes place in the 
 metropolis. The sale of bloaters at Billingsgate is 
 about 265,000 baskets of 160 each annually, and about 
 50,000,000 of red-herrings. 
 
 There was a pleasant tradition current in Yarmouth 
 not many years since, that the ‘ red ’ herring was the 
 result of accident. According to the story, a fisherman 
 had hung up some salted herrings in his hut and for¬ 
 gotten them. They hung where they were exposed to 
 the smoke from the wood fire of the hut; and, some 
 days afterwards, his attention was attracted to them, 
 when, being struck by their appearance, he determined to 
 see how one of them tasted. The result was so satis¬ 
 factory that he hastened to King John, who was then 
 lying near Norwich, to make a present of the remainder; 
 when the herrings were esteemed such a delicacy by the 
 monarch that he then and there expressed his determi¬ 
 nation to grant a charter of incorporation to the town 
 from which they were brought. The only certain 
 portion of this story is, that the first charter of Yar¬ 
 mouth was granted by King John. 
 
 There is a curious item in this town charter of Yar- 
 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 .CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 moiitli, long famous for its herring fair. The burgesses 
 are obliged to send to the sheriffs of Norwich 100 her¬ 
 rings, to he made into 24 pies; and these pies are to 
 he dehvered to the Lord of the manor of East Carle- 
 ton, who is to convey them to the Idng. 
 
 The receipt for making herring pie would he a 
 curious, though perhaps not a valuable, addition to our 
 modern cookery hooks. It is probably lost, unless Her 
 Majesty continues to receive these once prized patties.* 
 
 The stromming, or herring of the North seas, is only 
 about the size of a sprat, hut a much more delicate 
 fish; when salted and mixed with potatoes it is the 
 staple food of the people, being washed down with a 
 howl of milk, or a glass of corn-hrandy. 
 
 The conger is found in the seas of Europe, of 
 Northern Asia, and in those of America, as far as the 
 Antilles. It is very abundant on the coasts of England 
 and France, in the Mediterranean Sea, where it was 
 much sought after by the ancients, and in the Pro¬ 
 pontis, where it was not long ago in considerable 
 estimation. Those of Sicyon were more especially 
 esteemed. The flesh of this fish is white and well 
 flavoured; hut as it is very fat, it does not agree with 
 aU stomachs. In many places the conger eels are dried 
 for exportation. For this purpose, they are cut open in 
 their under part, through their entire length, the intes¬ 
 tines are removed, deep scarifications are made upon 
 the hack, the parts are kept separate by means of 
 small sticks, and they are suspended by the tail to 
 poles, on the branches of trees. When they are per¬ 
 fectly dry, they are collected in packets, each weighing 
 about 200 lbs. 
 
 * McCulloch’s Statistics of the British Empire, 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 245 
 
 The voracious conger eel [Conger vulgaris, of Cuvier; 
 the Mur (Ena conger, of Linnaeus,) although a coarse 
 fish, forms a considerable article of commerce in Corn¬ 
 wall and Devonshire. I only notice it here from the 
 fact, that it is sometimes dried and shipped to Spain 
 and other Catholic countries, where fish of any land is 
 acceptable. When dried in a particular manner, the 
 flesh used formerly to he ground or grated to powder, 
 and in this state was emjdoyed to thicken soup. 
 
 The Murcence conger, were carefully reared in vivaria 
 by the Romans. As early as the time of C^sar, the multi¬ 
 plication of the domestic MurcencB was so great, that on 
 the occasion of one of his triumphs, that great general 
 presented 6000 of them to his friends ; Licinius Crassus 
 reared them so as to be obedient to his voice, and to 
 come and receive their food from his hands ; while the 
 celebrated orator, Quintus Hortensius, wept over the 
 loss of those of which death had deprived him. 
 
 Such is the testimony to the quality and estima¬ 
 tion of the conger eel, which Griffiths has collected in 
 his Supplement to Malacopterygii apodes in Cuvier's 
 Animal Kingdom. Its flesh does not agree with aU 
 stomachs; but it is yet a matter of dispute what ren¬ 
 ders it so frequently deadly. The condition of the 
 liver of the fish in most cases has a great deal to do 
 with danger attending fish-poisons. 
 
 The sand eel (Ammodytes tohianus) and the sand- 
 launce {A. lancea), though of small size, are very deli¬ 
 cate eating, and vast numbers are consumed in summer 
 by the natives of the Hebrides. They are also much 
 sought after by the fishermen for bait. 
 
 The smelt or spirling [Osmerus eperlanus), found 
 abundantly on the British coasts, is a very delicate fish. 
 
S46 
 
 CUEIOSITIKS OF FOOD. 
 
 It is generally taken in greatest jJenty at the mouths 
 of large rivers, or in estuaries, such as the Thames and 
 Medway, from August to May, as well as on sandy 
 shores, in small nets; and always commands a ready 
 sale. It has a peculiar odour, whence its popular 
 name, which has keen compared to that of a cucumber 
 or a violet. This is strongest when the fish is first 
 taken, hut it may he perceived hy raising the giU 
 covers, after the fish has been for some time out of the 
 water. 
 
 A whitebait dinner, at Blackwall or Greenwich, is one 
 of the epicurean celebrities of the metropolis; and the fish¬ 
 ing for whitebait, which commences about the beginning 
 of April, and becomes abimdant during the summer 
 months till September, is productive of considerable 
 benefit to those concerned. It was long supposed that 
 these were the fry of a larger fish, but they are now 
 identified as a particular species {Clupea alha\ so 
 named from the sides of the fish being uniformly of a 
 white colour. It attains to the length of 6 inches. 
 The whitebait are taken in long bag-nets, from vessels 
 moored in the tide-way; and the fish are taken out by 
 untying the end of the hose, and shaldng it into the boat. 
 
 But there are small and dehcate fish, which are sub¬ 
 stitutes for whitebait, in other quarters of the world. 
 
 Thus Mr. T. Atwood (Hislorj/ of Dominica) tells 
 us, ‘ that the chief dainty among the fresh-water fish of 
 that island is the young frey, with which the rivers 
 there are filled twice or thrice every year, and which 
 are called by the French ‘ Trez-tr6z.’ These consist 
 of various lands of sea-fish just spawned, and with 
 which that element swarms for some miles distance from 
 the shore, in numbers truly astonishing. These little 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 247 
 
 creatures come into tlie rivers like a living stream, 
 and in a short time swim two or three miles, to an 
 amazing height up the country. This they perform in 
 a wonderful manner, skimming over such rapid streams 
 as repel their weak endeavours, from rock to rock, the 
 surfaces of which are covered with them; or seeking 
 the smoothly ghding stream at the sides of the hanks, 
 by degrees ascend the highest parts of the rivers. 
 
 ‘ The first day of the appearance of these frey hi the 
 rivers, they are transparent and clear as crystal, so that 
 every hone in them may he counted, and the movement 
 of their \’itals can he plainly discerned. The second day 
 after they lose much of that transparency; and the third 
 or fourth day, it is wholly lost hy the nutriment which 
 they feed on. They are caught in baskets, in which is 
 put a tablecloth or sheet, and sinldng the basket \Auth 
 stones, vast quantities are taken at a time. They 
 are fried in a hatter made of flour and milk, or stewed 
 wuth herbs and spices, and are excellent food cooked 
 either way.’ 
 
 At Moirtrah, a town situated in a deep hay, not far 
 from Muscat, they dry and export large quantities of a 
 diminntive fish, ahont two inches long, which are packed 
 in hales. This species of fish hterally fills the waters 
 of Oman. Dr. Ruschenherger {Voyage Round the 
 World, p. 121) says, ‘They sometimes appeared in 
 dense strata about the ship, so as completely to hide the 
 cable from view, which was distinctly seen when they 
 were not present.’ 
 
 Don Pernety, in his Journal of a Voyage to the 
 Falkland Islands, speaks of a small fish, called hy the 
 Spaniards pajes, and hy the French gras dos, which 
 was almost transparent, and of a most exquisite deli- 
 
248 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 cacy. It was found excellent when fried, and not in¬ 
 ferior to the eel pout. 
 
 There is a small fish resemhling a shrimp, not half-an- 
 inch long, which makes its annual appearance in some 
 of the rivers of Peru, in February, or in the beginning 
 of March. It is called cTiantisa, and is really a great 
 delicacy, when prepared by the natives. The numbers 
 which ascend the rivers are so great, that on each side 
 they appear to form a white path in the water, about 
 two feet broad, and several miles in length. The 
 women employ themselves in taldng them, for which 
 purpose they have a canoe; two of them hold a piece 
 of flannel, three yards long, by the corners, and place 
 it under the surface of the water, one end being a httle 
 elevated, to prevent the chantisa from passing; and 
 when a considerable quantity are collected, the flannel is 
 taken up and emptied into the canoe, after which the 
 operation is repeated. Mr. Stephenson {Travels in 
 America) says, he has frequently seen in the course 
 of two hours, from six to eight bushels taken in this 
 manner by these women. They are preserved by using 
 as much salt as is necessary to season them; they are 
 then put into baskets, lined with leaves, and a large stone 
 is placed on the top, to press them into a solid mass, 
 like a cheese. After standing a. day or two, the baskets 
 are placed on a frame made of canes, which is elevated 
 about a yard from the ground; they are then covered 
 with plantain leaves, and a small fire of green cedar, 
 sandal, or other aromatic wood, is kindled underneath, 
 for the purpose of smoldng them. After remaining 10 
 or 12 hours, the cakes are taken out of the baskets, 
 and again exposed to the smoke till it has penetrated 
 through them, when they are laid up for use. A small 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 249 
 
 portion of the smoked chantisa is generally added to 
 the fish while cooking, to which it communicates a very 
 delicate flavour. 
 
 At the mouth of the river Columbia, a very small 
 fish, about the size of the sardine, is caught in immense 
 numbers by the Chinooks. It is called by them nhlekun, 
 and is much prized on account of its delicacy and ex¬ 
 traordinary fatness. When dried, this fish will burn 
 from one end to the other with a clear, steady light, 
 hke a candle. The uhlekuns are caught with astonish¬ 
 ing rapidity by means of an instrument about seven 
 feet long; the handle is about three feet, into which is 
 fixed a curved wooden blade, about four feet, something 
 the shape of a sabre, with the edge at the hack. In 
 this edge, at the distance of an inch and a half, are 
 inserted sharp bone teeth, about an inch long. The 
 Indian, standing in the canoe, draws this edgeways vdth 
 both hands, holding it like a paddle, rapidly through the 
 dense shoals of fish, which are so thick, that almost 
 every tooth will strike a fish. One knock across the 
 thwarts sharply deposits them in the bottom of the 
 canoe. This is done Awth such rapidity, that they will 
 not use nets for this description of fishing.* 
 
 The anchovy (Engraulis eiicrasicolus, Cu\der) is a 
 small fish, much resembling the sprat, which is often 
 sold for it, hut may he readily distinguished from the 
 sprat by the anal fin being remarkably short. It is 
 common on the southern coasts of France and Spain, on 
 the shores of Italy, Greece, and other parts of the Meili- 
 terranean, but those coming from Gorgona (an island 
 in the gulf of Leghorn) are esteemed the best. An- 
 
 * Kane, in Canadian Journal, March 14th, 1858. 
 
250 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 chovies should he chosen small, fresh piclded, silver 
 white on the outside, and red vithin. They must have 
 a round hack, for those which are flat or large, dark 
 outside, vith pale coloured flesh, and tapering much 
 towards the tail, are often nothing hut sardines. First 
 quality anchovies are used as a condiment, and among 
 epicures are esteemed a luxury. The trade in them 
 vdth the Italian States is very considerable; about 
 160,000 lbs. being annually exported. The fishing is 
 chiefly in the night time, when a light being placed on 
 the stern, the anchovies flock around, and are caught 
 in the nets. Mr. Couch, in his Cornish Fauna, says, 
 that he has seen it about the Cornish coast, of the 
 length of seven inches and a half, which is nearly 
 double the length it is met vith in the Mediterranean. 
 It abounds, he adds, towards the end of summer, and 
 if attention were paid to the fishing, enough might be 
 caught to supply the consumption of the British islands. 
 
 Frezier {Voyage to the South Seas) speaks of seeing 
 a sort of anchovy on the west coast of America, in such 
 great numbers, that whole baskets full of them were 
 readily taken on the surface of the water. 
 
 Tlie anchovy and tunny fisheries of Dalmatia are 
 important, though not so much so as during the last 
 century; at present they furnish employment to about 
 8,000 men. 
 
 Anchovies are imported in small kegs, weighing about 
 12 lbs. each. The consumption varies here, from 50 to 
 100 tons a year. 
 
 Sheridan used to relate an amusing story of an Irish 
 officer, who once belonged to a regiment in Malta, who 
 returned to England on leave of absence, and, accord¬ 
 ing to the custom of travellers, was fond of relating the 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 251 
 
 wonders lie liad seen. Among other things, he one day, 
 in a public coffee-room, expatiated on the excellence of 
 livung in general among the military at Malta. ‘ But,’ 
 said he, ‘ as for anchovies, by the powers, there is nothing 
 to be seen like them in the known world;’ and he 
 added, ‘ I have seen the anchovies grow upon the trees 
 A\uth my own eyes many’s the hundred times, and beau¬ 
 tiful is the grove of them the governor has in his garden 
 on the esplanade.’ A gentleman present disputed the 
 statement that anchowes grew on trees, which the 
 Irishman Muth much warmth re-af&rmed. The lie 
 passed, a challenge was given, and the upshot of the 
 matter is thus humorously related. 
 
 ‘ The Englishman gave his address, and the next 
 day the parties met, attended by their seconds ; they 
 fired, and O’Flanagan’s shot took effect in the fleshy 
 part of his opponent’s thigh, which made the latter 
 jump a foot from the ground, and fall flat upon his 
 back, where he lay a few seconds in agony, kicking 
 his heels. This being observed by the Irishman’s second, 
 he said :—‘ You have hit your man. O’Flanagan, that 
 is certain, I think not dangerously, however, for see 
 what capers he cuts.’ 
 
 ‘‘Capers, capers!’ exclaimed the Irishman. ‘Oh! 
 by the powers, what have I done ? What have I done ? 
 What a dreadful mistake! ’ and running up to his 
 wounded antagonist, he took his hand, and pressing it 
 eagerly, thus addressed him:—‘ My dear friend, if 
 you’re kilt, I ax your pardon in this world and in the 
 next, for I made a devil of a mistake : and it was 
 capers that I saw growing upon the trees at Malta, and 
 no anchovies at all.’ 
 
 ‘ The wounded man, smihng at his ludicrous expla- 
 
252 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 nation and apology, said,—‘ My good fellow, I wdsli yon 
 had thought of that a little sooner; I don’t think you 
 have quite killed me, hut I hope you will remember 
 the difference between anchovies and capers as long as 
 you live.’ ’ 
 
 That highly esteemed fish, the sardine [Clnpea 
 mrdina), which is closely allied to the pilchard, though 
 much smaller, is found chiefly in the Mediterranean. It 
 is taken in consideral)le quantities on our shores, and 
 is exceedingly plentiful on the coast of Algarva, in 
 Portugal, Andalusia and Granada in Spain, and 
 along the shores of Italy. The small sardines, caught 
 on the coast of Provence, in France, are esteemed the 
 best. The French frequently cure them in red brine, 
 and when thus prepared, designate them ancho^ded 
 sardines. Sardines constitute a considerable portion 
 of the food of the lower orders in Lisbon. 6,269 cases of 
 sardines were imported into San Francisco, in 1853. 
 
 In 1852, 576 millions of sardines were taken on the 
 coast of Brittany, which extends about 200 miles. Half 
 of these were sold fresh and the other half preserved 
 in oil. 160 vessels manned by 3,500 sailors and fisher¬ 
 men are engaged in the trade. The preparation, trans¬ 
 port, and sale of the fish employ 10,000 persons. 9,000 
 of these, of whom one half are females, are occupied all 
 the winter in making and mending of nets. On shore, the 
 preparation, conveyance, and sale of the fish give occu¬ 
 pation to 4,500 persons, of whom 2,500 are women ; and 
 in the interior of the country 4,400 other persons are 
 occupied in the sale. 
 
 The fishing lasts about 200 days, and yields a net 
 profit to all concerned of three millions of francs. The 
 sardines disappear in November and return in April. 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 253 
 
 Where they go during these four months, why they go, 
 or what they do while gone, has never yet been dis¬ 
 covered. The fishermen say that the same individuals 
 never come twice, that every successive arrival is com¬ 
 posed of fish of smaller size than those that left last, and 
 that they appear to be their young. At any rate, they 
 count implicitly on their appearance, and no sardine was 
 ever yet known to break an engagement thus tacitly 
 entered into. 
 
 A very intelligent naturalist and correspondent of 
 mine, Mr. R. Hill, has furnished me with some interest¬ 
 ing information respecting the West Indian fishes. One 
 of the best labroid fishes is the hog fish, both for its 
 flesh, thick, white, and luscious, separating in large 
 strata, and its exemption from small abdominal bones. 
 It is one of the commonest and yet one of the best fishes 
 taken in the harbour of Port Royal, either by the fish 
 pot or the line, the only source for supplying the King¬ 
 ston market in the deep waters there. 
 
 The hog fish has its scales red with yellow at the 
 base of each. It feeds amongst rocks, attains 3 and 
 4 feet of length, though 2^ feet is usually the 
 largest dimension in Jamaica. The flesh is most 
 delicious, but its fullness and firmness make it good for 
 drying and smoking, when too large for a one day’s 
 dish. 
 
 There are several Laclinolaimes ordinarily in the 
 market, but only one properly called the hog fish {Suil- 
 lus). The villous membrane that covers part of the 
 pharyngeals and palate gives it its scientific name, 
 ‘ woolly throat.’ 
 
 The most beautiful is the aigula, the aigrette of the 
 Windward Islands. They are all sought after for the 
 
254 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 excellence of their flesh, ‘ la honte de leur chair,' hut 
 one, the caninus, is occasionally poisonous. 
 
 The yellow tail snapper (^Mesoprion cynodon) and 
 other species of the genus, attain a large size, and are 
 much esteemed in the East and West Indies as an 
 article of food. 
 
 The flesh of the Queen mullet (Upeneus martinicus) of 
 the Indian and American seas is very delicious, and resem- 
 bles in some respects the true mullet {Mullus svrmuletus). 
 
 The paracuta (Sphyrcena Barracuda), the pike 
 of the ocean, has a firm and palatable flesh, and is 
 esteemed by many people. It proves, however, some¬ 
 times poisonous when caught in certain localities. 
 
 The callipeva [Mugil liza) is an esteemed river fish 
 of the West Indian seas, which seldom extends further 
 than the embouchures of streams or into the ponds and 
 marshes. Chief Justice Temple, of Honduras, cha¬ 
 racterizes it as the salmon of the tropics; and indeed, it 
 very much resembles that prince of the finny tribe in its 
 size, shape, habits, and flavour. The flesh, how^ever, is 
 not red, neither is it so firm as that of the salmon, but 
 it is quite as fat and infinitely more juicy and delicate. 
 When cut in slices, folded in tissue paper, and lightly 
 fried—which is the only way in my opinion of dressing 
 a fish, the flavour of which is so volatile, so smooth, so 
 ethereal, that it'more resembles an odour, or the rich 
 fragrance of a thousand difi’erent flowers mixed and 
 mellowed by distance, than an actual taste on the 
 palate—nothing can surpass it;—to subject it unpro¬ 
 tected to the fumiginous influence of an iron pan, 
 would be the act of a Hottentot or a Tartar. Dressed in 
 the manner I have mentioned, it woiild not have dis¬ 
 graced Olympus, nor olfended the critical taste of the 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 255 
 
 Apicii, the last of whom would have refrained from 
 hanging himself whilst a single callipeva remained in 
 his fish pond. The callipeva is very excellent when 
 cured, and it is often brought in that state to the 
 Belize market in large quantities. The roe of this fish 
 is very superior and almost equals caviare. This is 
 dried and sold separately. I may incidentally mention 
 that the large strong brilliant scales of this fish now 
 enter into commerce for the manufacture of those pretty 
 fish-scale ornaments, brooches, bracelets, &c., sold at 
 the Crystal Palace and elsewhere. 
 
 The Mugil curema, another species, is taken about 
 Port Royal harbour, Jamaica, and when large, passed 
 off in the Kingston market for callipeva. The true cal¬ 
 lipeva or calipever, as it is indifferently spelt, is the 
 ‘white salmon’ of Jamaica, and weighs from 6 to 18 lbs. 
 It is caught in the brackish waters of the Ferry on the 
 road to Spanish Town. 
 
 hlullet of various kinds, the salt water species being 
 white, and the mountain or river species red, are one of 
 the three delicacies of Jamaica. 
 
 Then, there is the delicate smook, either fresh or 
 salt water, weighing from 10 to IG Ihs.; the stone bass, 
 of the river or sea, much esteemed, from 2 to 4 lbs.; the 
 delicate black snapper, weighing 4 or 5 lbs.; the chuck, 
 a delicate fresh-water fish, of about 6 lbs.; and the cut¬ 
 lass, a good flat frying fish : which will suffice to show 
 that there need be no lack of a dish of good fish for the 
 West Indian epicure. 
 
 The anchovy or silver fish (^Engraulis edentatus of 
 Cuvier and Val) abounds on the palisade shallows of 
 Port Royal harbour. They are a most exquisite fry, 
 cooked, strung together on a palm straw through the 
 
256 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 eye by half-dozens, and served tip as they serve white¬ 
 bait. 
 
 King fish are only occasionally taken within the 
 harbour, at Port Poyal Bank. They are very delicate 
 eating and weigh from 10 to 20 lbs. The king fish 
 mackerel {Cymbium regale) is taken at the head of the 
 harbour by being gently towed for with a line. The 
 pine fish, in great estimation with the Jews, which 
 ranges from four to thirty pounds, are frequently har¬ 
 pooned from Port.Koyal dock yard, six feet long. 
 
 The sun fish, or lucannany of Demerara, is excellent 
 food, being firm, fat, and with few bones owing to its 
 extreme lusciousness, it is difficult to salt or dry. It is 
 about two feet in length and attains to 7 or 8 lbs. in 
 weight. 
 
 The arawan is another Guiana fish, particularly fine 
 as food, but like the last named, very fat and luscious. 
 
 The pacou are caught in large numbers by means of 
 weirs or dams, and weigh on an average 7 lbs. each. 
 They are split, salted, and dried, and when cured, 
 highly prized. The morocoto, or osibu, is also a most 
 delicious fish, in taste nearer resembling flesh than fish, • 
 and eagerly sought after by the epicure. 
 
 If the gourami, which the French have introduced to 
 the tanks and ponds of Cayenne and their West Indian 
 Islands, was entitled to no more than half the praise 
 Commerson bestows upon it, it must be considered a 
 fish worth some trouble and expense to possess. ‘ Nihil 
 inter pisces,’ he says, ‘ turn marines, turn fluviatiles, 
 exqnisitius unquam degustavi.’ If neither the fishes of 
 the sea nor those of fresh water streams, to Commerson, 
 who had described so many fishes, and tasted as many 
 as he had described, were found to exceed the delici- 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 257 
 
 oiisness of the gourami,—the Osphromenus olfax ,— 
 it should be imported into every West Indian colony. 
 The Dutch at Batavia, in Java, have long bred it in 
 large earthen vases, changing the water daily, and feed¬ 
 ing it on herbs of rivers and ponds, particularly on the 
 Pistia natans. In the Mauritius, they have become a 
 common river fish, and are esteemed the most delicate 
 of the dishes brought to table. 
 
 Capt. Philibut carried the specimens of the gourami 
 from Mauritius to Cayenne. Out of 100 taken on board 
 he lost 23 on the passage. The French colonists feed 
 and breed it in ponds, much as the Barbadians do the 
 caffum [Megalops Atlanticus). The caffum is allied to 
 the herring, and weighs 12 or 15 lbs.; and though an 
 important stand-by for a dinner in Barbados, it is an 
 inferior fish. 
 
 Twenty years ago, I well remember that Mr. Eich- 
 ard Hill called attention in Jamaica to the gou¬ 
 rami, which was first then being introduced as a tank 
 fish into Martinique and Guadaloupe. His commu¬ 
 nication appeared in Dr. Paul’s Physical Journal, 
 published at Kingston, 
 
 It is supposed that this valuable fresh-water fish was 
 procured originally from China, but not a single author 
 gives intimation of it in the natural history of the 
 Chinese empire. So interesting a species, among people 
 BO attentive to the breeding and cultivating whatever 
 can be added to their food supplies, must have been 
 brought under their notice. The Dutch have it only 
 artificially bred in Java, but neither Renard, Valen¬ 
 tine, Russell, nor Buchanan, who have all written 
 largely on the fishes of India and of the Indian Islands, 
 are acquainted with any such river-fish as the gourami. 
 
 s 
 
258 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 In India they give the name gouragi or Jcoragi to a 
 fish known to naturalists as the Ojohicephalus, and the 
 probability is that Commerson, who first noticed the 
 Osphromenus olfax, had corruptly applied that word 
 and made gourami of it. 
 
 This delicious fish, so easily bred and fed, from its 
 food being the duck weed of the ponds, has a contour 
 plump, round, and massy like the carp of Europe. The 
 colour is a burnished brown, somewhat golden tinted, 
 faintly ruddy, particularly on the head and fins. Ver¬ 
 tical bands of bronze stretch obliquely from the back to 
 the bellyand the ventral fin in its first spine is 
 lengthened into a long thread as long as the entire fish 
 from head to tail. It belongs to a very curious family 
 distinguished as lahyrinthan-pliaryngeals. The struc¬ 
 ture of fishes of this family is peculiar:—it consists 
 of the upper surface of the pharyngeal bones being 
 divided into leaves, which form cavities and ledges, 
 more or less complicated, for the retention of water, very 
 much like the web of cells in the paunch of the camel. 
 This ajiparatus lies immediately under the opercula. 
 It is closely shut in, and pours out a ceaseless stream to 
 moisten the gills and keep them from drying up when 
 the fish quits the water and betakes itself to the grass, 
 either to feed on herbs or to change its domicile when 
 the ponds grow muddy and stagnant. 
 
 The ancient writers on Natural History were fami¬ 
 liar with the character -of these curious pharyngeals. 
 Theophrastus, in his Treatise, speaks of certain of the 
 fishes of India that come forth from the rivers at times, 
 and then return to them again; and he mentions 
 that they resemble mullets. -The strange habit of the 
 Anahas, which has received this name from its climbing 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 259 
 
 predilections, (anabaino, ascendo,) is well authenticated. 
 M. Daldorf, a Lieutenant in the service of the Dutch 
 East India Company, in an article in the Linn(£an 
 Transactions for 1797, mentions that, in the month of 
 November 1791, he took one of these anabas fishes from 
 the cleft foot-stalk of a palm tree, growing near a 
 pond. The fish was five feet above the water, and was 
 endeavouring to ascend still higher. Another observer, 
 M. John, tells a similar story. The fish, he says, 
 usually remains in the muddy bottom of ponds and 
 lakes; but it will take to creeping on dry ground for 
 several hours, by the inflexion of its body; and by the 
 assistance of its serrated opercula, and the spines of 
 its fins, it will climb on the palm-trees which are in 
 the neighbourhood of ponds, along which drops the 
 water that the rains have accumulated at their tops.— 
 (Griffith’s Suj)plement to Cuviers Animal Kingdom. 
 Fishes, p. 361.) 
 
 Though the gourami belongs to the family of fishes, 
 having a reservoir for water to moisten the gills when 
 they quit their ponds, it does not climb trees as the 
 anabas, but only traverses the grass. This fish would 
 be a most desirable acquisition to our colonies. It could 
 be readily procured from Guadaloupe. It is as re¬ 
 markable for its size as its flavour. It becomes as large 
 as a turbot, and is equally delicious. It would be soon 
 naturalized in our streams. The female hollows a little 
 fosse in the edge of the reservoir in which it is kept, 
 and there deposits its eggs. 
 
 The pirarucu (^Sudis gigas) is a splendid fish 5 or 
 6 feet, long, mth large scales of more than an inch in 
 diameter, and beautifully marked and spotted with red. 
 
 The lakes in Brazil contain great quantities of them, 
 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and they are salted and dried for the Para market. It 
 is a very fine flavoured fish, the belly in particular 
 being so fat and rich that it cannot he cured, and is 
 therefore generally eaten fresh. ‘ This fish ’ (remarks 
 Mr. Wallace) ^with farinha and some coffee made us 
 an excellent supper ; and the alligator’s tails which 
 I noAv tasted for the first time, was by no means to be 
 despised. A smaller kind is that eaten, the flesh being 
 more delicate than in the larger species.’ 
 
 The sheep’s head, or, in more scientific language, the 
 Sargus ovis, is a favourite fish in North America, where 
 it visits the coasts in large shoals during the summer 
 and autumn. The principal fishery is off the coasts of 
 New York, and thousands are occasionally taken at a 
 single cast of the large nets used at some places. 
 The fish, immediately on their capture, are packed in 
 ice, and sent to the New York market, Avhere they have 
 been known to sell as high as £7 for one of large size, 
 although the usual price for one is only about a dollar. 
 This fish is pretty generally considered throughout the 
 States, both by epicures and others, as an almost sans- 
 pareil; and Dr. Mitchell, who has written much on 
 American ichthyology, is of the same opinion.* 
 
 The green cavalla (Caranx Bartholomai) is very 
 good eating, and much in demand. They are caught 
 by the Barbados fishermen, sometimes in nets and in 
 large numbers. Another species, the Jack‘or John 
 and Goggle-eye,’ as it is locally termed (G. PZwmz'erf), 
 is in some seasons of the year very poisonous. When 
 they are suspected of being so, an experiment is tried 
 upon a duck, by giving her one of them to swal- 
 
 * Natural History of Fishes, by Dr. Bushnan. 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 261 
 
 low, and if at that season it is poisonous, the duck dies 
 in about two hours. 
 
 The flounder or plaice (Rhombus ocellatus), a fish 
 which belongs to the turbots, is a very delicate fish. 
 
 The common flying-fish (Exoccetiis Roherti) is so 
 abundant in some seasons of the year about Barbados, 
 that they constitute an important article of food, and 
 during the season, a large number of small boats are 
 occupied in fishing. They are very dehcate and tender. 
 Some experiments have been made to preserve them, by 
 salting and smoking, and with perseverance this would 
 probably be successful, and a new dainty be added to 
 European tables. Such large numbers are occasionally 
 caught that they meet with no sale, and are thrown 
 away, or used as manure.* 
 
 Sprats are a cheap dehcacy with the lower classes in 
 this country, and are pretty plentiful at times, but they 
 are also greatly esteemed in the West India Islands. 
 A species, called the ‘ yellow-tailed sprat,’ proves un¬ 
 fortunately poisonous at certain periods of the year, 
 chiefly among the Leeward and Virgin Islands. 
 
 The cuckold or horned coney fish (Monacanthus 
 tomentosus) is much used as food, and, when stuffed 
 and baked, considered a delicacy. 
 
 Under the general name of the Spanish mackerel, 
 several species of Cymhium, G. Gahalla, G. regale, and 
 G. immaculata, are caught in the West Indian seas. 
 They are a coarse, dry fish, and not much esteemed, 
 except when coveeched. To coveech a fish, it must be 
 cut into junks, fried with onions and oil, and after¬ 
 wards potted with vinegar, a little pepper or cloves, 
 
 * Schomburgk’s History of Barbados. 
 
263 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 fried onions, and some oil. It becomes an article 
 of trade in that manner, and a considerable quantity, 
 according to Sir Robert Scbomburgk, is sent from the 
 Leeward Islands and Barbados to Guiana. 
 
 The young Idng-fish, termed Coramour in the West 
 Indies, kept in a fish pond or craal for some time, is 
 esteemed a great delicacy. 
 
 The mud-fish (Eleotris gyrinus), found in the water 
 courses of Antigua, is also considered a dainty. This 
 fish is common in the streamlets and creeks of the other 
 West Indian Islands, and is considered a most delicious 
 fish when in full perfection. It resembles the smelt in 
 appearance, and is easy of digestion. 
 
 The common cod of Newfoundland (Morrhua vul¬ 
 garis) is well known as an article of food the -vGde 
 world over. It is always a thick, weU-fed fish, and 
 often attains a great weight, sometimes 70 or 80 lbs., 
 and even more. 
 
 There is another variety, slightly, though permanently 
 distinct, the American cod, fine specimens of which 
 maybe seen in the fish market of Hafifax, Nova Scotia, 
 during the season; their quahty is admirable. 
 
 Dried cod for the Brazils are packed in large flat 
 tubs, called drums, into which they are pressed by a 
 poAverful screw. Each drum contains exactly 128 lbs. 
 of dry fish, that being the Portuguese quintal; and 
 the drums are shaped to suit the convenience of the 
 Brazilians, who transport them into the interior of 
 South America slung in pairs upon mules. For the 
 Mediterranean markets, the fish are stowed in the 
 holds of the vessels in biflk, and seldom receive damage, 
 such is the excellent manner in which they are cured and 
 stowed. The best and whitest of the cod are required 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 263 
 
 for the Neapolitan market, for even the Lazzaroni of 
 Naples are very particular as to the quality of their fish. 
 
 On the coast of Norway, cod are caught in nets, and 
 it is stated by Mr. Laing, in his journal of a residence 
 in that country, that these nets are becoming more in 
 use every season. For this fishery, every boat is pro¬ 
 vided with six or eight nets, each twenty fathoms in 
 length, and thirty .meshes deep. The mesh of the 
 cod net is six inches from knot to knot, and is made of 
 three-ply hemp thread. The back ropes and ground 
 ropes of each net are fastened to the net, and the whole 
 are set like Scotch herring nets, only vith longer buoy- 
 ropes. The cod nets are set at night, in 60 to 80 
 fathoms water, and are taken up in the morning. The 
 introduction of nets in the cod fishery is said to have 
 improved very considerably the condition of the inhab¬ 
 itants of the coast of Norway, as by means of nets, 
 the quantity of fish caught has been nearly doubled. 
 It is not at all unlikely, that cod nets might be used 
 with advantage on the Gulf-coast of New Brunswick, 
 especially in the early part of each season, when the cod 
 come close to the shore in pursuit of herring, capelin, 
 and gaspereaux. 
 
 ‘ Some of the purely national dishes of Sweden, as 
 lut-fisk on Ohristmas-eve, are most extraordinary things, 
 lut-fisk being the stock fish steeped in a solution of pot¬ 
 ash until in fact decomposition takes place. On Christ- 
 mas-eve, the great evening of Sweden, this thing is 
 boiled and eaten with oil sauce; and this, together with 
 grot, which is simply boiled rice, form the Christmas 
 dishes of Sweden, just as roast beef and plum pudding 
 do of England. The smeU of the lut-fisk is terrific, 
 but a true Sw’ede clings to his national dish on Julaften 
 
204 
 
 CTJEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 as much as any heef-eating Englishman does to his. 
 The poor often substitute boiled corn for rice; and at 
 all times rye porridge made \^ith milk, not water, is 
 their common food; the number of meals might seem 
 to make amends for their quality. Fish is almost the 
 staple of food; quantities are salted in the autumn, 
 and even in vinter. They are taken in a most ingenious 
 manner from under ice. You see holes ci;t in certain 
 distances, and a man seated on a stool at the furthest 
 end on each side. The man you are looking at appears 
 to be sitting idly on the ice, but suddenly he puts his 
 hand into the small opening cut in it, and pulls up 
 a bright coloured little fish, and then another and an¬ 
 other, throwing them on the frozen lake, where they 
 jump about, displaying their colours, poor things, to 
 advantage, and suffering cruelly.’* 
 
 Much more attention is now paid to the prosecution 
 of the fisheries, and the preparation of the fish for ex¬ 
 port, in our North American colonies. Last season, an 
 enterprising firm in Carleton, New Brunswick, sent to 
 the Gulf of St. LavTenee a vessel of 30 tons, fitted 
 with the necessary apparatus and well supplied, for the 
 preparation of spiced salmoii; which vessel, after an ab¬ 
 sence of two months and a half, returned with a fuU 
 fare of the estimated value of £1,750, or yielding a 
 profit of about 700 per cent, on the outlay, with all 
 expenses defrayed! 
 
 A large New Brunsvfick vessel recently brought to 
 Liverpool 100 boxes, containing 1,200 tons of preserved 
 lobsters, of the presumed value of £300, also the result 
 of colonial enterprise. 
 
 * Miss Bunbury’s Summer in Northern Europe. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 265 
 
 Tlie flesh of the sea-perch or dinner {Ctenolabrus 
 coerw^eMs), sometimes called, on account of its prevailing 
 colour, the blue perch, is sweet and palatable. They 
 are skinned before being dressed. The fish is taken by 
 myriads, on the coasts of IMaine and Massachusetts. 
 
 The striped bass (Labrax Uneatus) is a very fine 
 salt-water fish, and so is the diminutive white bass, 
 better known by its popular name ‘ ivhite perch.’ They 
 are a very fine fish for the table when in season. Their 
 ordinary weight is from four to six ounces in Sep¬ 
 tember; they are often taken above half-a-pound in 
 weight; the largest seen weighed above a pound. 
 
 A schuU of the striped bass, 500 or 600 in number, 
 weighing from 4 to 8 lbs. each, have often been taken 
 at one haul of the net, in New Brunswick. They 
 ascend fresh-water streams for shelter during the 
 winter, and were formerly taken in large quantities in 
 the Richibucto and Miraniichi rivers. The fish ga¬ 
 thered in large shoals, lying in a duU, torpid state 
 under the ice, and holes being cut, they were taken in 
 nets in immense numbers, corded up stiff on the ice, 
 like fire-wood, and sent off in sled-loads to Fredericton 
 and St. John. 
 
 The chub is usually considered a coarse fish, but 
 those of large size, eaten fresh, are very palatable. 
 Mr. Yarrell says, ‘ that boiling chub with the scales 
 on is the best mode of preparing it for table.’ 
 
 ‘ The brook-trout of America’ (Salmo fontinalis), says 
 Mr. Herbert, ‘ is one of the most beautiful creatures in 
 form, colour, and motion that can be imagined. There 
 is no sportsman, actuated by the true animus of the 
 pursuit, who would not prefer basketing a few brace 
 of good trout, to taking a cart-load of the coarser and 
 
266 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 less game denizens of the water. His wariness, his 
 timidity, his extreme cunning, the impossibility of taking 
 him in clear and much fished waters, except with the 
 slenderest and most delicate taclde—his boldness and 
 vigour after being hooked, and his excellence on the 
 table, place him \wthout dispute next to the salmon 
 alone, as the first of fresh-water fishes. The pursuit of 
 him leads into the lovehest scenery of the land, and the 
 season at which he is fished for is the most delightful 
 portion of the year.’ 
 
 Tlie sea-trout of the basin of Bonaventura are of 
 large size, 3 Ihs. and upwards, brilliantly white, in fine 
 condition, very fine and well flavoured. 
 
 The Slimmer gaspereaux, or alewives, {Alosa tyran- 
 nus) are an exceedingly fat fish, and well flavoured; the 
 only o])jection to them is their oily richness. Besides 
 their being fatter, they are smaller and more yellow in 
 colour than the spring fish. 
 
 To the epicure, a fresh caught salmon-trout of the 
 Gulf of St. Laiwence, especially early in the season, 
 \iill always afford a rich treat. The flesh is of a bril¬ 
 liant pink colour, and most excellent: its exceeding fat¬ 
 ness early in the season, when it first enters the mixed 
 water of the estuaries, is such that it can be preserved 
 fresh but a very short time. The sportsman will find 
 it a thoroughly game fish; rising well at a lu’illiant fly 
 of scarlet ibis and gold, and affording sport second only 
 to sahnon fishing. In some parts of the Gulf they have 
 been caught weighing 5 to 7 lbs. 
 
 That beautiful and savoury fish, the smelt, is a great 
 table delicacy ivith us; but on the Gulf coasts of New 
 Brunsuuck, large quantities are used every season merely 
 for manure. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 207 . 
 
 As food, the skate is held in very different degrees of 
 estimation in different places. In London, large quan¬ 
 tities are consumed, and crimped skate is considered 
 delicate and well flavoured; hut on some parts of the 
 English coast, although caught in considerable numbers, 
 the flesh is seldom eaten, and is only used for baiting lob¬ 
 ster pots. The French are great consumers of the skate ; 
 and its flesh is used extensively both at New York and 
 Boston. By many it is deemed a great delicacy. After 
 the fish is skinned, the fleshy part of the huge pectoral 
 fins, which is beautifully white, is cut into long thin 
 slips, about an inch wide; these are rolled like ribbon, 
 and dressed in that form. 
 
 The capelan (Mallotus villosiis), the smallest species of 
 the salmon family, possesses like the smelt the cucum¬ 
 ber smell, but it differs from the smelt in never entering 
 fresh-water streams. As an article of bait for cod, and 
 other fish of that class, the capelan is a fish of much 
 importance; whenever abundant, the cod-fishing is ex¬ 
 cellent. It has been found as far north in the arctic 
 region as man has yet penetrated; and it forms so 
 important an article of food in Greenland, that it has 
 been termed the daily bread of the natives. In New¬ 
 foundland, it is dried in large quantities, and exported 
 to London, where it is sold principally in the oyster shops. 
 
 The large flat-fish known as the halibut [Hippo- 
 glossus vulgaris), which sometimes attains the weight of 
 300 lbs, is often taken by the cod-fishers in the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence. These fish are cut in slices, and pickled 
 in barrels, in which state they sell at half the price of 
 the best herrings. The flesh, though white and firm, is 
 dry, and the muscular fibres coarse. The fins and flaps 
 are however esteemed delicacies. 
 
268 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The mackerel of the British North American coasts 
 is of a much finer flavour than those caiight on the 
 shores of Europe. 
 
 The salmon are also noted for their very fine flavour. 
 
 If there are no turhot, hrill, or sole, in the St. 
 Lavuence, there are other delicacies. A species of eel 
 is exceedingly abundant and frequently of large size. 
 One of these, a sea-eel, split, salted, and smoked, vdthout 
 the head, was 30 inches in length, and 15 inches in 
 diameter, breadth as split, nearly the size of an ordinary 
 smoked salmon and quite as thick. 300 barrels of 
 large eels, taken with the spear in the Buctouche river, 
 are usually salted-down for Avinter use. They are 
 generally excessively fat, the flesh very white and ex¬ 
 ceedingly well flavoured. Packages of eels have been 
 lately imported into London from Prince Edward’s 
 Island. Smoked eels are very delicious, and they 
 have even begun to preserve these fish thus at Port 
 Phillip. 
 
 The fisheries of the North American lakes and rivers 
 are not prosecuted as they might he, hut are beginning 
 to receive more attention. The AAiiite-fish [Corregonus 
 alhus) is found in all the deep lakes west of the Mis¬ 
 sissippi, and indeed from Lake Erie to the Polar Sea. 
 That which is taken in Leech Lake is said by amateurs 
 to he more highly flavoured than even that of Lake 
 Superior. There is another species of this fish, called 
 by the Indians tulihy or ottuniby [Corregonus artidi), 
 which resembles it, hut is much less esteemed. Both 
 species furnish a wholesome and palatable food. 
 
 The French Canadians call this fish Poisson Pointu, 
 and the English term them ‘ gizzard fish.’ The origin 
 of the latter name appears to he, that the fish feeds 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 269 • 
 
 largely on fresli-water shell fish and shelly molluscs; 
 and its stomach thereby gains an extraordinary thick¬ 
 ness, and resembles the gizzard of a fowl. The stomach, 
 when cleaned and boiled, is a favourite morsel with the 
 Canadian voyageurs. 
 
 The white-fish of the bays and lakes of Canada is 
 represented to be the finest fish in the world by the 
 Canadians. The flavour of it is incomparable, especially 
 when split open and fried with eggs and crumbs of 
 bread. They weigh on the average about 2 lbs. each 
 when cleaned—100 of them filling a good sized barrel. 
 Those caught in Lake Huron are more highly prized 
 than any others. 
 
 Several Indian tribes mainly subsist upon this fish, 
 and it forms the principal food at many of the fur 
 posts for eight or nine months of the year, the supply 
 of other articles of diet being scanty and casual. Its 
 usual weight in the northern regions is from 2 to 3 lbs., 
 but it has been taken in the clear, deep, and cold 
 waters of Lake Huron, of the weight of 13 lbs. The 
 largest seen in the vicinity of Hudson’s Bay weighed 
 between 4 and 5 lbs., and measured 20 inches in 
 length, and 4 in depth. One of 7 lbs. weight, caught 
 in Lake Huron, was 27 inches long. 
 
 Among other species of fish that inhabit these great 
 iidand seas are the mashkinonge, or mashkilonge, the 
 pike or jack, the xnckerel or gilt carp, the perch, and a 
 species of trout called by the Chippeways, namogus. 
 
 A huge mashkilonge, so ravenous is its propensi¬ 
 ties, is often caught from the stern of a steamer in fuU 
 speed, by throwing out a strong line vdth a small tin 
 fish attached. A marked pecuharity of most of the 
 liake fish is the quantity of fat, resembhng that of 
 
270 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 « 
 
 qaacTrupeds, which they contain, entirely different from 
 the salt-water fish—while their flavor differs from that 
 of the latter, being much more delicate and white than 
 that of river fish. 
 
 Lake Superior abounds with fish, particularly trout, 
 sturgeon, and white-fish, which are caught at all sea¬ 
 sons and in large quantities. Of these the trout, weigh¬ 
 ing from 12 to 50 lbs., and the white-fish, weighing 
 often over 20 lbs., are perhaps the most important. 
 
 The salmon trout are equally large, weighing from 
 10 to 70 lbs. 
 
 Lake Champlain also abounds with fish, among which 
 are salmon, lake-shad, pike, and other fish. 
 
 The reciprocity treaty has given a new field to the 
 fisheries on the Canada side of Lake Huron. Some 
 200 American fishermen are now engaged within fifty 
 miles each side of Goderich in the business. This has 
 greatly stimulated the Cannucks, and it is estimated 400 
 of them are now engaged in the same business. About 
 100 miles of the Lake shore is lined with gill nets and 
 seines. Every boat that comes in has a large number 
 of salmon-trout from 30 to 50 lbs. weight. White- 
 fish are very large. The fish caught at CoUingwood 
 terminus of the northern railway, from Toronto, are 
 packed in ice, and go to Oswego, Rome, Utica, Albany, 
 and New York. Great quantities taken at Goderich go 
 in ice from thence to Cleveland and Cincinnati. 
 
 The Toronto and Oswego markets are supplied with 
 fish from CoUingwood, and a well organized company, 
 with nets, ice-houses, &c., might do a fine business by 
 supplying the New York, Boston, and other American 
 markets, daily with trout, bass, and white-fish from the 
 waters of Georgian Bay. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 271 • 
 
 Fishing with the scoop net is the most laborious of 
 all modes of fishing. It was found iu practice at the 
 Sault St. Marie hy the Baron De Hortan, when he 
 penetrated to that point in 1G84. It has been practised 
 ever since, because it is the only mode by which the 
 white-fish can he taken. They go there to feed and 
 not to spawn; the bottom of the river is a rocky broken 
 ground, and the current runs at the rate of 12 miles per 
 hour; the eddy in which the fish are found is of small 
 circuit, and only one canoe at a time can enter it. The 
 canoe is forced into it by setting poles. The man in 
 the how has a scoop net, the handle to which is about 
 15 feet in length. He has only time to make one 
 stroke with the scoop, the next instant the canoe is 
 whirled away by the current far below the point where 
 the stroke was made. 
 
 The plunge of the scoop may he successful or not 
 according to chance; one fish or half-a-dozen may be 
 taken, or very frequently none. As soon as one canoe 
 is thus swept away, another one supplies its place, and in 
 this manner some eight or ten canoes in rapid succession 
 take their turn. Canoes are used because, being lighter, 
 they can he forced up where it would not he possible to 
 put a boat. Even though the white-fish would take 
 the hook, still in such rapid water it could not be used. 
 
 Again, the character of nearly the whole of the coasts 
 of Lakes Huron and Superior forbids any other mode of 
 fishing than by gill nets. 
 
 Gill nets are often set in 60 feet of water, and the 
 fish cannot be taken at such localities in any other 
 mode, except at some seasons of the year when they 
 will take the hook. 
 
 Again, there are locahties along Lake Superior, 
 
* 272 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ■where fish such as the rock sturgeon and mashldlonge 
 can only he taken with the spear, and that in 30 feet 
 water; the hottom is so disturbed, distorted, upheaved, 
 and broken by volcanic action, that gill nets cannot be 
 used, and the fish can only be reached in the hollows, 
 crevices, and chasms of the rock where they lie, by 
 means of a spear, which is thrown and has a line at¬ 
 tached to the extremity. 
 
 The Lake Superior Journal says :—‘Angling through 
 the ice to a depth of 30 fathoms of water is a novel 
 mode of fishing somewhat peculiar to this peculiar 
 region of the world. It is carrying the war into fish- 
 dom with a vengeance, and is denounced, no doubt, in 
 the communities on the bottoms of these northern lakes 
 as a scaly piece of warfare. The large and splendid 
 salmon-trout of these waters have no peace; in the 
 summer they are enticed into the deceitful meshes of the 
 gill-net, and in the winter, when they hide themselves 
 in the deep caverns of the lakes, with fifty fathoms of 
 water above their heads, and a defence of ice two or 
 three feet in thickness on the top of that, they are 
 tempted to destruction by the fatal hook. Large num¬ 
 bers of these trout are caught every winter in this way 
 on Lake Sitperior. The Indian, always skilled in the 
 fishing business, knows exactly where to find them and 
 how to kill them. The whites make excursions out on 
 the Lake in pleasant weather to enjoy this sport. 
 There is a favourite resort for both fish and fishermen 
 near Gros Cap, at the entrance of Lake Superior, 
 throiigh the rocky gateway between Gros Cap and 
 Pomt Iroquois, about 18 miles above the Sault, and 
 many a large trout at this point is pulled up from its 
 warm bed at the bottom of the Lake in winter, and 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 273 
 
 made to Lite the cold ice in this upper world. To see 
 one of these fine fisli, four or five feet in length, and 
 weighing half as much as a man, floundering on the 
 snow and ice, weltering and freezing to death in its own 
 blood, oftentimes moves the heart of the fisherman to 
 expressions of pity. The modus operandi in this kind 
 of great trout fishing is novel in the extreme, and could 
 a stranger to the business overlook at a distance a party 
 engaged in the sport, he would certainly think they 
 were mad, or each one making foot-races against time. 
 A hole is made through the ice, smooth and round, and 
 the fisherman drops down his large hook, baited with a 
 small herring, pork, or other meat, and when he ascer¬ 
 tains the right depth, he waits—with fisherman’s luck— 
 some time for a bite, which in this case is a pull alto¬ 
 gether, for the fisherman throws the line over his 
 shoulders and walks from the hole at the top of his 
 speed till the fish bounds out on the ice. I have 
 knowm of as many as fifty of these splendid troiit caught 
 in this way by a single fisherman in a single day; it is 
 thus a great source of pleasure and a valuable resource 
 of food, especially in Lent; and the most scrupulous 
 anti-pork believers might here ‘ down pork and up 
 fish ’ without any offence to conscience.’ 
 
 The Cleveland Plain-dealer has a leijgthy account 
 of the trade of the house of J. M. Craw and Son, of 
 that city. It says :—‘ At the warehouse, 133, River- 
 street, in this city, is a grand depot of its receipts. 
 From this place large supplies of salt provisions, fisher¬ 
 man’s tackle, seines, lines, and everything needed on the 
 coasts of the upper lakes, are forwarded. At Washing¬ 
 ton Harbour, in Green Bay, engagements are made with 
 the fishermen of 118 boats, each of which has a head 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 CURIOSITIES ()f food. 
 
 fislierman, who has his crew engaged in fishing. Over 
 300 men are constantly engaged, spring and fall, in that 
 locality in catching, pacldng, and forwarding fish. Simi¬ 
 lar settlements of fishermen are scattered all along the 
 coasts of Lakes Michigan, Superioi’, Huron, and Erie. 
 The number of varieties of Lake fish fit for packing is 
 large, including white-fish, siskawit, trout, pickerel, cat¬ 
 fish, bass, herring, perch, shad, and hayfish. The 
 amount of fish received hy Craw and Son, in 1856, ex¬ 
 ceeded 14,000 barrels, and as their receipts this year 
 from Lake Michigan will he about 6,000 barrels, an in¬ 
 creased aggregate is anticipated. This large amount is 
 so much added to the food of the country, and consti¬ 
 tutes an important addition to its wealth. From the 
 details of this single house we may learn something of 
 the extent of the entire trade.’ 
 
 In the Baikal Lake, Siberia, there is a fish [Collyo- 
 nimus Baicalensis) from four to six inches long, so very 
 fat, that it melts before the fire like butter. It yields 
 an oil sold to great advantage to the Chinese. 
 
 The Lake Superior Journal, of October 27, notices 
 the arrival of a 100 barrels of the famous siskawit from 
 Isle Royale, and learns from one of the fishermen that 
 there have been caught this season between 300 and 
 400 barrels of this fish, together A^ith a few trout and 
 wFite fish. They fish on that island for this fish prin¬ 
 cipally, as the siskawit are w^orth as much again as 
 whitefish and macldnac trout in the lake markets.—The 
 siskawit is said to be the fattest fish that swims, either 
 in fresh or salt water. The fishermen assert, that one 
 of these fish, when hung up by the tail in the hot sun 
 of a summer day, will melt and entirely disappear, 
 except the bones. In putting up about 50 barrels this 
 season, one of the fishermen made two and a half bar- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 275 
 
 rels of oil from tlie heads and ‘ leaf fat’ alone, without 
 the least injury to the marketahleness of the fish. 
 Besides this leaf fat, the fat or oil is disseminated ‘ in a 
 layer of fat and a layer of lean’ throughout the fish. 
 They are too fat to he eaten fresh, and are put up for 
 market like whitefish and trout. 
 
 ‘ Fish being here very scarce,’ (Falls of the Uaup^s,) 
 ‘ w'e were obliged,’ says Mr. Wallace, ‘ to live almost 
 entirely on fowds, which, though very nice when w’eU 
 roasted, and with the accompaniment of ham and gravy, 
 are rather tasteless, simply boiled or stewed, with no 
 variation in the cookery, and without vegetables. 
 
 ‘ I had now got so thoroughly into the life of this 
 part of the country, that like everybody else here, I 
 preferred fish to every other article of food. One 
 never tires, and I must again repeat, that I believe 
 there are fish here superior to any in the world. 
 
 ‘ Our fowls cost us about a penny each, paid in fish¬ 
 hooks or salt, so that they are not such expensive food 
 as they would be at home. In fact, if a person buys 
 his hooks, salt, and other things in Para, wFere they are 
 about half the price they are in Barra, the price of a fowd 
 will not exceed a halfpenny; and fish, pacovas, and other 
 eatal des that this country produces, in the same proportion. 
 
 ‘ Many of the fish of the Rio Negro are of a most ex¬ 
 cellent flavour, surpassing anything I have tasted in 
 England, either from the fresh or the salt w’aters; and 
 many species have real fat, which renders the water 
 they are boiled in a rich and agreeable broth. Not a 
 drop of this is w^asted, but with a little pepper and farinha 
 is all consumed, with as much relish as if it w^ere the 
 most delicate soup.’* 
 
 * Wallace’s Travels on the Amazon. 
 
276 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Pirarucii, the dried fish, which with farinha forms 
 the chief subsistence of the native population of Brazil, 
 and in the interior is the only thing to he obtained, 
 resembles in appearance nothing eatable, looking as 
 much like a dry cow-hide, grated up into fibres, and 
 dressed into cakes, as anything I can compare it vith. 
 When eaten, it is boiled or sfightly roasted, pulled to 
 pieces and mixed with vinegar, oil, pepper, onions, and 
 farinha, and altogether forms a very savoury mess for 
 a person vith a good appetite and a strong stomach. 
 
 If we pass to the Pacific coasts of South America, 
 we find the most esteemed fish are the robalo, the 
 corvino, the lisa, and the king-fish. 
 
 The rohalo [Esox Chilensis, Hemiramphus Brazil- 
 lensis of Ou\der,) is nearly of a cylindrical form, and from 
 tAvo to three feet long. It is coated AA’ith angular scales 
 of a golden colour upon the back, and silver on the 
 belly; the fins are soft and AAuthout spines, the tail is 
 truncated, and the back marked longitudinally with 
 a blue stripe, bordered with yeUoAV. The flesh is very 
 white, almost transparent, light, and of a delicious 
 taste. Those taken upon the Araucanian coast are the 
 most in repute, AA’here they are sometimes caught of 
 eight pounds Aveight. The Indians of Chiloe smoke 
 them, after haAung cleaned and soaked them for 24 
 hours in sea water, and, Avhen sufficiently dry, pack 
 them up in casks of 100 each, AA^hich are generally sold 
 for about three dollars. The robalo prepared in this 
 manner is said to be superior to any other land of 
 dried fish. 
 
 The corvino {Spams Chilensis) is nearly of the same 
 size as the robalo; it is sometimes, hoAvever, found of 
 five or six feet in length. This fish has a small head. 
 
curaosiTiEs of food. 
 
 277 
 
 and a large oval body, covered vdtb broad, rhomboidal 
 scales, of a motber-of-pearl coloiir, marked Avitli white. 
 The tail is forked, and the body encircled obliquely, 
 from the shoulders to the belly, A^’ith a number of 
 brownish lines. The fins are armed with spiny rays, 
 and the flesh is white, firm, and of a good taste, par¬ 
 ticularly when fried. It AA’ould i^robably be better 
 still if it were prepared like that of the tunny. 
 
 The lisa {Mugil CMlensis) in its form, scales, and 
 back is much like the common mullet, but is distin¬ 
 guished by the dorsal fin, Avhich in the lisa is entire. 
 
 , There are two species of this fish, the sea and the river 
 lisa, neither of which exceeds a foot in length; the first 
 is a A'^ery good fish, but the latter is so exquisite, that 
 it is preferred by many to the best of trout. 
 
 Another esteemed fresh-water fish of Chile is the 
 bagre, or luvur (Silemis Chilensis, probably the A. 
 geneionis inermis), which has a smooth skin, without 
 scales, and is brown upon the sides, and whitish under 
 the belly. In appearance, it is not very prepossessing, 
 for in form it resembles a tadpole; the head being of a 
 size disproportionate to the length of the body, Avhich 
 does not exceed eleven inches at the most. It has a 
 blunt mouth, furnished like that of the barbel vith 
 barbs. It has a sharp spine on the back fins, like the 
 tropical bagre, but its puncture is not venomous, as 
 that is said to be. The flesh is yellow, and the most 
 delicious of any esculent fish that is known. There is 
 said to be another species of this fish inhabiting the 
 sea, which is black'—the same, probably, that Anson’s 
 sailors called, from its colour, the chimney-sweep. 
 
 While on the subject of fish common to this lo¬ 
 cality, I may mention that the Abbe MoUna states, that 
 
278 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 ‘the river Talten, which waters the Araiicanian pro¬ 
 vinces, produces a small fish called paye, which, as I 
 have been assured by those who have seen them, is so 
 diaphanous, that if several are placed upon each other, 
 any object beneath them may be distinctly seen. If 
 this property is not greatly exaggerated, this fish 
 might serve to discover the secret process of digestion 
 and the motion of the fluids.’ 
 
 Mr. Ruschenberger thus describes a Hawaiian restau¬ 
 rant :—‘ The earth floor of a straw hovel was covered 
 by mats. Groups of men squatted in a circle, with 
 gourd plates before them, supplied with raw fish and 
 salt-water, and by their side was an enormous gourd, of 
 the dimensions of a wash tub, filled vdth poe, a sort of 
 paste made of taro. They ate of the raw fish, occasion¬ 
 ally sopping the torn animal in the salt water as a 
 sauce, then sucking it, vith that peculiar smack which 
 indicates the reception of a delicious morsel.’ 
 
 The noble sahnon, which honest Izaak Walton justly 
 calls, ‘ the king of fresh-water fish,’ is too well known 
 as a choice article of food to need description. A jowl of 
 fresh salmon was one of the requisites, in 1444, at the 
 feast of the Goldsmiths’ Company; and in 1473, three 
 quarters of Colnbrook salmon are charged 6s. 4(7.; 
 and at a fish dinner of the same company in 1498, 
 among large quantities of fish mentioned, are a fresh 
 salmon 11s.; a great salmon dCl ; and two salmon- 
 trout 2s. 8(7. In 1518, for ij. fresh samon xvij®- j*^- 
 Item, a fresh samon xiij®- iiij'^-; and in the eighth year 
 of King Henry VIII. iiij. fresh samons are charged xl®- 
 
 In the great rush after gold, the fisheries of the 
 Pacific coast, which have been famous for years past 
 for their extent and value, have not received that atten- 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 279 
 
 tion whicli they merit. Now that the h^dng tide has 
 again set in strongly towards the North-West, the de¬ 
 mand for food to feed the thousands \wU cause the 
 fishery to he more largely developed. The whole 
 coast is particularly rich in the more valuable species 
 of the finny tribe. 
 
 A San Francisco paper states: —‘ The salmon of 
 California and Oregon, with which our markets are 
 supplied in the fresh and cured state, are nowhere sur¬ 
 passed in quality or flavour. Our rivers, bays, and 
 estuaries are alive vuth these valuable fish, and the 
 fishermen are busy in securing them during the present 
 run. It is estimated that there are 400 boats on the 
 Sacramento river alone, engaged in fisheries. The 
 boats are valued at 60,000 dollars, the nets at 80,000 
 dollars, and seines at 6,000 dollars. The fishing season 
 lasts from the 1st of February to the 1st of August, 
 during which time the estimated average of each boat 
 per day is 30 dollars, or an aggregate of 12,000 
 dollars. The hauling seines yield 100 dollars each ])er 
 day, or 2,000 dollars in the aggregate. The fish thus 
 caught supply the markets of San Francisco, Sacra¬ 
 mento, Marysville, and the mining towns in the interior. 
 Sometimes 2,000 lbs, are sent to one order. The 
 amount shipped daily to San Francisco at present is 
 from 5,000 to 6,000 lbs., Avhich will be increased as the 
 season advances. 
 
 ‘ The fishing smacks outside the harbour in the vi¬ 
 cinity of Drake’s Bay, Punto de los Reyes, Tomales, 
 and similar points, as well as other portions of the 
 coast, are busily engaged in the trade. 
 
 ‘ This business is becoming every year of greater in¬ 
 terest, and the attention of our legislature has recently 
 
280 
 
 CUEIOSTTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 been draAvn to its proper regulation and protection. A 
 description of tlie fishes common to these waters, Muth 
 an account of their habits, quahty, and relative value, 
 would be of great interest. 
 
 ‘ In addition to salmon there are other varieties of 
 fish deserving more than a passing notice. Much dif¬ 
 ficulty is experienced in classifying them under the 
 proper heads, and recognizing the species under their 
 various arbitrary names. The sturgeon, the rock cod, 
 the mackerel—which, although it bears some resem¬ 
 blance to the Atlantic fish is inferior to it in flavour 
 and fatness—the herring, the smelt, the sardine, and 
 other varieties found in our markets, are all more or 
 less valuable. Myriads of sardines abound along the 
 whole southern coast. The Bay of Monterey has es¬ 
 pecially become famous for its abundance of this small 
 but valuable fish. It is a matter of surprise that the 
 taking and preparation of this fish, which enters so 
 largely into the commerce of the world, has never been 
 attended to as a source of revenue and profit in this 
 region. The experiment certainly is worth testing. 
 There are doubtless many persons here, famihar vuth 
 the trade as practised on the coast of France, whose 
 services might be secured in the business.’ 
 
 Another Californian paper, the Sacramento Union, 
 remarks :—‘ The fishing interest in the Sacramento at 
 this point is increasing and expanding with astonishing 
 rapitlity, from year to year, and from month to month. 
 The water of the river must be alive vuth salmon, 
 or such numbers caught daily would sensibly reduce 
 their numbers. But experienced fishermen inform us, 
 while the run lasts, so countless is the number, that no 
 matter how many are employed in the business, or how 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 281 
 
 many are taken daily, no diminution can Le perceived. 
 Even the ‘ tales ’ between this and the Coast Range 
 are reported to be filled vith salmon. The run this 
 year is said to be greater than ever before known at 
 this season. The extraordinary run of the present 
 time is only expected to continue for something like 
 three weeks. They seem to run in immense schools, 
 with some ^veeks intervening between the appearance 
 of each school, during which the numbers taken are 
 light, as compared with the quantity taken during a 
 time like the present. No account is kept of the num¬ 
 ber engaged in fishing, or of the amoinit caught, and 
 all statements relative thereto are made from esti¬ 
 mates obtained from those who have experience in 
 the business, and probably approximate correctness. 
 These estimates give the number of men employed 
 now in taking fish in the Sacramento at about GOO— 
 the number of fish taken daily, on an average, at 2,000 
 ■—their average weight 17 lbs., making 34,000 lbs. per 
 day. Two cents per lb., which is probably more than 
 the present average price by the quantity, would give 
 a daily income to those employed of G80 dollars, not 
 very high pay. Either the number of men engaged in 
 the business, we imagine, must be over estimated, or 
 the number of fish caught under estimated. It re¬ 
 quires two men to man a boat, which woidd give 300 
 boats for 600 men: 2,000 fish a day would give to each 
 man a fraction over three as his share. We presume 
 few are fishing who do not catch a good many more 
 than that number. We saw a boat-load, the product 
 of the previous night, consisting of 66 salmon, weighed 
 yesterday morning. They averaged a fraction over 
 17 lbs., and gave 33 as the number caught by each 
 
Q89 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 man, instead of tliree, as estimated above. Say the 
 600 fishermen man, on an average, 200 boats a night; 
 the average number caught by each boat put at 20, 
 and the sum total would be 4,000 fish, instead of 2,000, 
 as estimated. Our impression is that the latter comes 
 nearer the mark than the former, as a good many of 
 the fishermen send their fish directly to San Francisco; 
 others take them to different points for salting. Large 
 numbers are salted down daily, several firms and indi¬ 
 viduals being extensively engaged in this branch of the 
 trade. The fish are put down in hogsheads, which 
 average, when filled, about 800 lbs. From 1,000 to 
 3,000 lbs. are put down daily by those engaged 
 in salting. An acquaintance has filled 65 hogsheads 
 this season. The most of those engaged in salting 
 live on the Washington side of the river, and salt their 
 fish there. Including those engaged in salting, catch- 
 ing, and selling, probably the fish business furnishes 
 employment for 1,000 men.’ 
 
 The salmon is found in no other waters in such vast 
 multitudes as are met in the rivers emptying into 
 the Pacific. On the Atlantic side, the leading fish fea¬ 
 ture is the run of shad in the spring; on the Pacific 
 side, salmon ascend the rivers at all seasons, in num¬ 
 bers beyond all computation. In California and Ore¬ 
 gon, the rivers are alive with them; the great number 
 taken by fishermen are but a drop from the bucket. 
 Above this, on the coast side, tribes of Indians use no 
 other food. As a table luxury, they are esteemed by 
 most persons the finest fish caught. Unlike many fish, 
 they contain but few bones, and the orange-coloured 
 meat can be served in slices to suit customers. It is 
 emphatically the meat for the million; it costs so httle 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 283 
 
 —not a quarter that of other meats—that rich and poor 
 can feast upon salmon as often in the day as they choose 
 to indulge in the luxury. In the course of a few years, 
 salmon fishing wiU extend itself to aU the prominent 
 rivers in the North Pacific States. Catching and curing 
 salmon vdll then have become a systematized business; 
 the fish consumption will then have extended itself 
 generally over those States, and more than likely be¬ 
 come, in the meantime, an important article of export. 
 
 While upon the subject of these fisheries, it may be 
 added, that a considerable portion of the Chinese popu¬ 
 lation, both at San Francisco and at Sacramento, have 
 engaged extensively in this business. In the vicinity of 
 Mission Creek, near the former city, they have gone into 
 the business upon a large scale. The average ‘ catch,’ 
 each day, is estimated at about 5,000 lbs., for which 
 a ready market is found among the Chinese popula¬ 
 tion, at five dollars per cwt. The process of catching, 
 cleaning, and curing, presents a busy and curious scene. 
 
 Sir John Bowu’ing remarks that, ‘The multitudes 
 of persons who live by the fisheries in China afford 
 evidence not only that the land is cultivated to the 
 greatest possible extent, but that it is insufficient to 
 supply the necessities of the overflowing population; 
 for agriculture is held in high honoiir in China, and the 
 husbandman stands next in rank to the sage, or literary 
 man, in the social hierarchy. It has been supposed that 
 nearly a tenth of the population derive their means of 
 support from fisheries. Hundreds and thousands of 
 boats crowd the whole coasts of China—sometimes 
 I acting in communities, sometimes independent and 
 I isolated. There is no species of craft by which a fish 
 1 can be inveigled which is not practised with success in 
 
384 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 China. Every variety of net, from vast seines, em¬ 
 bracing miles, to the smallest hand-filet in the care of a 
 child. Fishing by night and fishing by day—fishing 
 in moonlight, by torchlight, and in utter darkness— 
 fishing in boats of all sizes—fishing by those who are 
 stationary on the rock by the seaside, and by those who 
 are absent for weeks on the wildest of seas—fishing by 
 cormorants—fishing by divers—fishing with lines, 
 with baskets—by every imaginable decoy and device. 
 There is no river which is not staked to assist the fish¬ 
 erman in his craft. There is no lake, no pond, which 
 is not crowded with fish. A piece of water is nearly as 
 valuable as a field of ferfile land. At daybreak every 
 city is crowded vith sellers of live fish, who carry their 
 commodity in buckets of water, saAung all they do not 
 sell to be returned to the pond or kept for another day’s 
 service. 
 
 The fishing grounds of Van Diemen’s Land are peri¬ 
 odically visited by a splendid fish named arbouka, a 
 well-known piscatory visitant on the coast of New 
 Zealand. Great numbers of these beautiful denizens of 
 the deep have been caught, varying in weight from 
 60 lbs. to 100 lbs. each. The trumpeter is one of the 
 most magnificent of Tasmanian fish ; and is unrivalled 
 in the quality of its flesh by any visitant in those waters. 
 A demand has been created for them in S^ictoria ; and 
 before long, a stirring trade will be established between 
 the two colonies in these beautiful fish. 
 
 The native cooking-oven of New Zealand, called the 
 unu, is a very curious contrivance, and is thus de¬ 
 scribed by Mr. S. C. Brees. It consists of a round hole, 
 about two or three feet in diameter, and twelve inches 
 deep, in which some wood is placed and lighted. Large 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 285 
 
 pebble-stones are then thrown on the fire and heated, 
 which remain at the bottom of the hole after the wood 
 is consiinied; the stones are next arranged, so as to 
 present a level surface, and sprinkled with water; wild 
 cabbage or other leaves are moistened and spread over 
 them, upon which the food intended to be cooked is 
 laid; the whole is then covered over with leaves and 
 flax-baskets, and lastly, filled over with earth, which 
 completes the operation. After allowing it to remain a 
 certain time, according to circumstances, which the 
 cook determines with the utmost precision, the oven is 
 opened and the food removed. Eels and potatoes are 
 delicious when cooked in this manner, and every other 
 kind of jirovision. 
 
 The seer-fish [Cyhium guttatum) is generally con¬ 
 sidered the finest flavoured of the finny race that swims 
 in the Indian seas; it has a good deal the flavour of 
 salmon. 
 
 There are several esteemed fish obtained round 
 Ceylon. The Pomfret bull’s eye [Holocentrus ruber) is 
 found at certain seasons in abundance on the southern 
 coast of Ceylon, in deep water. It is greatly esteemed 
 by the natives as an article of food, and reaches a con¬ 
 siderable size, frequently nearly two feet in length. The 
 flesh is white and solid. For splendour and beauty, 
 this fish is almost unsurpassed. 
 
 A fish called by the natives great-fire (Scorpcena 
 volitam) is eaten by the native fishermen, the flesh 
 being wTite, solid, and nutritive. Linnfeus describes 
 the flesh as delicious. 
 
 The pookoorowah {Eolocentrm argenteus) is a very 
 delicious fish, seldom exceeding twelve or thirteen 
 inches in length. The gal-handah {Chcetodon ara- 
 
286 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 nem), a singular and mucli admired fish, only about 
 three inches in length, has . a delicate and white flesh, 
 and is greatly esteemed. 
 
 In Java and Sumatra, a preparation of small fish, 
 with red-rice, having the appearance of anchovies, and 
 the colour of red-cahbage, is esteemed a delicacy. So 
 in India, the preparation called tamarind fish is much 
 prized as a breakfast rehsh, where the acid of the 
 tamarind is made use of for preserving the white 
 pomfret-fish, cut in transverse sHces. The mango-fish 
 {^Polynemus longijilis, Ou\der; P. paradiscus of Lin¬ 
 naeus), about eight or nine inches long by two deep, 
 is much esteemed in India. At Calcutta the Lates 
 nohilis, different species of Polynemus, and the Mugil 
 Corsula, daily cover the tables of Europeans, who wdU 
 more readily recognize these fishes under the names 
 of the Begti or Cockup, Sudjeh, Tupsi, and the Indian 
 Mullet. 
 
 At the Sandheads may be found some of those de¬ 
 licious fishes, which are more familiar to the residents 
 of Madras and Bombay, for instance, the Indian soles, 
 the roll-fish, and above all, the black and white pom- 
 frets, and the bummolah, which latter in a dried state is 
 known by the name of the Bombay duck. The bum¬ 
 molah is a small glutinous transparent fish, about the 
 size of smelt. 
 
 There are many exeeflent fish obtained from the sea 
 round the Cape Colony, and about 2,500 tons are 
 shipped annually to the Mauritius, forming nearly three 
 fourths of the island consumption; the principal con¬ 
 sumers being the coolie labourers or Indian population. 
 
 Geelbeck, or yellow mouth, sometimes called Cape 
 salmon (Otolithus cequidens, Cuv. and Val.), is the finest 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 287 
 
 as to quality; they are taken abundantly with the hook 
 and line, or net, and weigh about 14 Ihs, The cost of pre¬ 
 paration ready for shipment is about £12. It forms an 
 article of food for the poor and lazy. The Malays at the 
 Cape cure a great deal in vinegar (for home consump¬ 
 tion), the same as pickled salmon in England ; and it is 
 not a bad representative of it. For exportation they 
 are opened down the back, the intestines taken out, 
 head cut off, salted for a night, and dried in the sun. 
 
 Snook (Th^rsites atua), similar to the baraconta, is 
 a long, shm, oily fish, taken with any shining bait; it is 
 a perfect salt-water pike, very strong and ferocious, and 
 is dispatched, after being puUed on board, by blows 
 on the head with a kind of knob-kerrie. These are 
 cured the same way as the geelbeck; the cost of pro¬ 
 duction is about £16 per ton. They are highly prized 
 by the colonists, and esteemed before any fish imported 
 into Mauritius, fetching about £2 per ton more than 
 cod. These fish are very fine eating when cured fresh. 
 They are also much esteemed in Ceylon. The Malays 
 cure them without salt by drying in the sun, \sdth a 
 little pepper and spice; they are then delicious. 
 
 Silver fish (Dentex argyrozona) are similar to the 
 bream of England; each weighs from 6 to 8 lbs. They 
 are got up for shipment the same as the others; the cost 
 of production is about £10 per ton. They are the least 
 esteemed of any at the Mauritius market, but when 
 fresh they are very nice eating. The bastard silver 
 fish (D. rupestris) is considered one of the very finest 
 fishes in the colony. It is esteemed for foreign markets. 
 Harders are a mullet, about eight inches long, which 
 are principally cured in small casks in brine, for up- 
 country use. The Cape farmers are very fond of them, 
 
988 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 but few are exported. They have also mackerel very 
 large, very fat, which are Letter cured than fresh. 
 
 The Jacob Evertsen [Sehastes capensis), so called after 
 a Dutch captain, remarkable for a red face and large 
 projecting eyes, is a fish which, though common in 
 Table Bay almost at aU seasons, is highly prized for its 
 flesh by most colonists. Another species, the sancord 
 (S. maculatus), which is not so common, is a very deli¬ 
 cious fish. The kabeljauw (Scimna hololepidota) is a 
 large fish from two to three feet long, common on the 
 coast, being caught with the hook and the drag-net. It 
 is one of the staple fishes in the Cape Town market; 
 dried and salted like cod it is exported to the Mauritius 
 and elsewhere. Its flesh when young is good, but firm 
 and dry in adidt individuals. The baardmannetje 
 (Umhrina capensis, Pappe), another newly described 
 fish of the same family, which is chiefly caught in False 
 Bay during summer, measures from 2 to 2^ feet, and 
 is reputed for its delicious flesh. 
 
 The hangberger (Sargus Hottentotus), a fish about 
 18 inches long, which is common in Table Bay from 
 June to August, is much in request, particularly at the 
 time when it is with roe. It is also cured and pickled 
 for economical purposes. It feeds on shell fish, and is 
 caught vdth the hook. 
 
 The Hottentot fish {Sargus capensis), from 12 to 14 
 inches long, which is mostly confined to Table Bay and 
 the West Coast, may be caught at all seasons with 
 the hook. It is not only a superior table fish, but 
 forms when salted and dried an article of export. 
 
 The roode steen brassem of the Dutch {Chrysophrys 
 laticeps, Cuvier) is a bidky fish, often exceeding 3|- 
 feet in length and 14 inches in breadth. It is very 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 289 
 
 voracioxis, and feeds generally on crabs and cuttle fish 
 (Sejna and Loligo). As food it is much prized, and 
 is also ciired for exportation. 
 
 The Eoman fish [ChrysopTirys cristiceps) is one of 
 the prettiest and most delicious fish met with in the 
 Cape markets. It is generally acknowledged to be a 
 superior dish. 
 
 The daggerath (Pagrus laniarius) is of a dark rose 
 colour, about 12 inches long. It is highly prized in 
 the colony for its dehcious flesh. This handsome fish 
 owes its surname, laniarius (butcher), both to its colour 
 and to its sharp teeth and voracity. 
 
 The ^\'indtoy {Cartharus Blochii) is a delicious table 
 fish, more commonly caught in winter, and often put up 
 in bundles along with the Hottentot fish (Sargus capen- 
 sis). The flesh of the dasje fish, another species (Can- 
 tharus emarginatus), is also highly esteemed as food. 
 
 There is a fish called by the colonists the bamboo 
 fish (Boops salpa), from feeding on algse and being 
 caught principally in localities where there is an 
 abundance of sea-weed. On account of its vegetable 
 nourishment, it exhibits at tmies a particular smell when 
 embow'elled, and is for that reason called stink-fish by 
 some of the fishermen. It is a rich and delicate fish, 
 and though scarce in the Cape Town market, is com¬ 
 mon in Saldanha Bay, where it is dried and salted for 
 home consumption. 
 
 The flesh of the bastard Jacob Evertsen (Pimelep- 
 terns fuscus) is well flavoured and very nice. This 
 fish is of a uniform dusky brown colour. It feeds on 
 shell-fish. 
 
 The galleon fish {Dipierodon capensis) is more plen¬ 
 tiful in the western division of the Cape Colony; it is 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 highly esteemed as food and always fetches a good 
 price. It is, however, disliked by some on account of 
 the many black veins traversing its flesh, and is at 
 times rather unwholesome, from being too rich and re¬ 
 quiring good digestive organs. 
 
 The elft-fish ( Temnodon saltator) is uniformly lead 
 coloured, shaded vdth dark green on its back. From 
 leaping now and then out of the water it has obtained 
 its name of saltator (jumper). It is held in grqat 
 esteem as a table fish, and the younger individuals are 
 truly deemed a dainty. 
 
 There are several species of mullet recorded as in¬ 
 habitants of the bays and rivers of the Cape Colony. 
 All of them are caught with the net. They make good 
 table fish, but are more frequently salted or smoke- 
 dried (under the name of bokkoms) like the herring, 
 and thus preserved, form a very considerable article of 
 home consumption as well as of export. 
 
 The Idip-fish {Blennias versicolor, Pappe) is greatly 
 reputed for its flesh, which is nice, well flavoured, and 
 wholesome. 
 
 The flesh of the bagger [Bagrus capensis) is ex¬ 
 tremely delicate, and bears a greater resemblance to 
 that of the eel than that of any other sea fish in the 
 colony. Owung to its ugliness, this curious fish, which 
 hides itself among stones in muddy water the better to 
 entrap its unsuspecting prey, is from popular prejudice 
 less prized than it deserves. 
 
 English writers on Ichthyology comment very un¬ 
 favourably on the merits of the hake ( Gadus merluccius) 
 and call it ‘ a coarse fish, scarcely fit for the dinner 
 table.’ At the Cape its qualities are generally and 
 fuUy appreciated; in fact, its flesh is highly delicate and 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 991 
 
 little inferior to that of the haddock {Gadus cegJefinus). 
 At times it makes its appearance in large shoals. It is 
 then ahnndantly caught, salted, and dried, for exporta¬ 
 tion. The cured or dried Cape stock-fish is an excellent 
 dish, far superior to that insipid stuff introduced from 
 Holland or other countries. 
 
 The rock-cod (Serranus Cuvierii) is highly esteemed 
 as an article of food. 
 
 Sardines in myriads swarm round Table Bay, at one 
 season of the year; klip-fish, king klip-fish, and soles 
 (rather scarce), are considered a luxury. 
 
 It is hardly requisite to say much of that cosmo¬ 
 politan fish, the sole, which is for its dehcacy prized as 
 weU at the Cape as elsew'here. 
 
 Thousands of cray-fish are caught daily; four of the 
 largest can be obtained for a penny; but it is not fashion¬ 
 able to eat them, although they are very good. 
 
 The quantity of fish throughout the whole extent of 
 the coast, bordering on the Agulha’s hank, is immense, 
 and would be the richest fishery in the world. Exports 
 of sardines in the French style, of potted cray-fish in 
 the American, and the choicest fish preserved fresh in 
 tins, might be made profitable. 
 
 I may add here that Dr. L. Pappe, of Cape Town, 
 to whom I am indebted for my information on the Cape 
 fishes, has published in the Colony an interesting 
 synopsis of the edible fishes at the Cape of Good Hope, 
 in wliich he furnishes much new and interesting de¬ 
 scriptive scientific detail. 
 
292 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 INSECTS. 
 
 Insects furnisli more food delicacies than is generally 
 supposed. In the popular Introduction to Entomology, 
 by Kirby and Spence, it is well remarked, that, 
 
 ‘ If we could lay aside our English prejudices, there 
 is no reason why some of the insects might not be eaten, 
 for those used by various nations as food, generally 
 speaking, live on vegetable substances, and are conse¬ 
 quently much more select and cleanly in their diet than 
 the pig or the duck, which form a favourite part of our 
 food. They who would turn with disgust from a 
 locust, or the grub of a beetle, feel no symptoms of 
 nausea when a lobster, crab, or shrimp is set before 
 them. The fact is, that habit has reconciled us to the 
 eating of these last, which, viewed in themselves, 
 with their threatening claws, and many feet, are 
 really more disgusting than the former. Had the habit 
 been reversed, we should have viewed the former with 
 appetite, and the latter with abhorrence — as do the 
 Arabs, Avho are as much astounded at our eating crabs, 
 lobsters, and oysters, as we are at their eating locusts.’ 
 
 Herrick, an old author, 200 years ago, in describing 
 a feast given by Oberon to the fairy elves, alludes to 
 the insects as amongst their choicest cates. 
 
 ‘ Gladding his palate with some store 
 Of emmet’s eggs : wdiat would he more ? 
 
 But beards of mice, a new’t’s stewed thigh, 
 
 A bloated earwig, and a fly. 
 
 With the red-capp’d w^orm that’s shut 
 Within the concave of a nut, 
 
 Brown as his tooth ;—a little moth, 
 
 Late fatten’d in a piece of cloth.’ 
 
 Herrick’s Ilesperides, 1658. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 293 
 
 COLEOPTERA. 
 
 Many larviB of insects, and especially of beetles, are 
 eaten in different parts of tlie world. 
 
 The gruh of the palm weevil (Cordylia palmarum), 
 which is the size of the thumb, has long been in re¬ 
 quest in the East and West Indies. The natives of 
 Surinam roast and eat them as something exquisite. 
 In Jamaica, where it is known as the grou-grou Avorm, 
 I have seen it eaten commonly. A grub named Ma- 
 cauco is also there in request at the principal tables. 
 It is eaten both by whites and blacks, Avho empty, 
 wash, and roast them, and find them delicious; A 
 similar insect is dressed at Mauritius, and eaten by all 
 classes. 
 
 An old writer—Brookes, On the Properties and Uses 
 of Insects, 1772, says—‘Theyare eaten by the French, 
 in the West Indies, after they have been roasted before 
 the fire, when a small wooden spit has been thrust 
 through them. W hen they begin to be hot, they pow¬ 
 der them with a crust of rasped bread, mixed with salt, 
 and a little pepper and nutmeg. This powder keeps in 
 the fat, or at least, sucks it up; and when they are 
 done enough, they are served up with orange juice. 
 They are highly esteemed by the French, as excellent 
 eating.’ 
 
 The larva, or grub, of one of the species of beetles 
 which infest cocoa-nut trees, is called Tucuma, or Gru- 
 gou, in British Guiana. It is about two or three inches 
 long, and three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and 
 the head is black. They are reckoned a great delicacy 
 by wood-cutters and epicures of the country, and they 
 
294 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 are generally dressed by frjdng tliem in a pan. By 
 some they are preferred in a raw state, and after seizing 
 them by the black head, they are dipped in lime-juice, 
 and forthwith swallowed. 
 
 The late Mr. J. 0. Bidwell, a botanist, travelling in 
 Australia, states—‘ I never before tasted one of the large 
 grubs, which are a favourite food of the blacks. They 
 are about four inches long, and about as thick as a fin¬ 
 ger. They inhabit the wood of the gum-trees. I had 
 often tried to taste one, but could not manage it. Now, 
 however, hunger overcame my nausea. It was very 
 good, but not as I had expected to find it—rich; it was 
 only sAveet and milky.’ 
 
 Sir Robert Schomburgk writes :—‘The decapng 
 woods of the West India islands, the Central and some 
 of the southern portions of America, afford a delicacy 
 to the Indian, which many colonists do not even refuse, 
 in the larvie of a large beetle, which is found in con¬ 
 siderable numbers in the pith, when the trunk is near 
 its decay. The larva, or grub, is frequently of the size 
 of the little finger; and, after being boiled or roasted, 
 resembles in its taste beef marrow. The Indians of 
 Guiana frequently cut doAvn the hlauritia palm, for the 
 purpose of attracting the beetle to deposit its eggs in 
 it, and when they collect a large quantity, they are 
 roasted over a slow fire, to extract the fat, which is 
 preserved in calabashes. 
 
 The Roman epicures fattened some of these larvae, or 
 grubs, on flour. Some naturalists think that the grubs 
 of most of the beetles might be safely eaten; and that | 
 those of the cockchafer, wliich feeds upon the roots of ' 
 grass, or the perfect insects themselves, which, if we 
 may judge from the eagerness with which cats, and 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 295 
 
 turkeys and other birds devour them, are no des¬ 
 picable morsel, might be added to our food delicacies. 
 This would certainly be one means of keeping down the 
 numl)ers of these occasionally destructive animals. 
 
 The Goliath beetles are said to be roasted and eaten 
 by the natives of South xVmerica and Western Africa, 
 and they often make a bonne houche of splendid insects 
 which would gratify many an entomologist. Although 
 the large prices of £30, £40, or £50, which used to be 
 asked for them, are now very much reduced, fine spe¬ 
 cimens of some of the species even now fetch five to 
 six pounds for cabinet specimens. 
 
 The Australian aborigines are gourmands in their 
 way, and able to appreciate the good things which 
 surround them. Mr. Clement Hodgkinson in a work 
 on Australia says : 
 
 ‘ Belleuger Billy amused me very much by his 
 curious method of diving to the bottom of the river in 
 search of cobberra, the large white worms resembling 
 boiled maccaroni, which abound in immersed wood. 
 He swam to the centre of the river with a tomahawk 
 in his hand, and then breathing hard that his lungs 
 might be collapsed, he rendered his body and toma¬ 
 hawk specifically heavier than water, and sank feet 
 foremost to the bottom. After groping about there 
 for some moments, he emerged on the river’s edge, 
 wnth several dead pieces of wood, which he had de¬ 
 tached from the mud. Although I had tasted from 
 curiosity various lands of snakes, lizards, guanas, 
 grubs, and other animals which the blacks feed ujion, 
 I never could muster resolution enough to try one of 
 these cobberra ; although, when I have been engaged 
 in the survey of salt-water creeks, and I felt hot and 
 
296 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 thirsty, I have often envied the extreme rehsh with 
 which some accompanying hlack conld stop and gorge 
 himself ■\\dth this moist, living marrow.’ 
 
 The women of Turkey cook and eat a certain beetle 
 {Blaps sulcata) in bntter to fatten themselves. 
 
 OETHOPTERA. 
 
 In the next order of insects, the locust tribe, as they 
 are the greatest destroyers of food, so, as some recom¬ 
 pense, they furnish a considerable supply of it to 
 numerous nations. They are recorded to have done 
 this from the most remote antiquity, some Ethiopian 
 tribes having been named from this circumstance locust- 
 eaters. The generic name of the locusts, Gryllus, sounds 
 like an invitation to cook them. Pliny relates that they 
 were in high esteem as meat amongst the Parthians. 
 When there is a scarcity of grain, as a substitute for 
 flour the Arabs grind locusts in their hand-mills, or 
 pound them in stone mortars. They mix this flour 
 vdth water into a dough, and make thin cakes of it, 
 which they bake like other bread. They also eat them 
 in another way; they boil them first a good while in 
 water, and afterwards stew with oil or bntter into a 
 kind of fricassee of no bad flavour. 
 
 The large kinds of locust are made use of in several 
 quarters as food, and in the markets of the Levant 
 fresh and salted locusts are vended. Hasselqnist tells 
 ns, that when corn is scarce, the Arabians grind the 
 locusts in hand-miUs, or pound them in stone mortars, 
 and bake them as bread ; and that even when there is 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 297 
 
 no scarcity of corn, the Arabs stew them with butter 
 and make them into a kind of a fricassee, the flavour of 
 which is by no means disagreeable. Why should land 
 shrimp sauce not be eqiial to sea shrimp sauce ? 
 
 Locusts, Gumming teUs us, aftbrd fattening and whole¬ 
 some food to man, birds, and all sorts of beasts. The 
 hungry dogs and hogs feed greedily on them,—so that 
 there are plenty of enemies to prey in time iipon these 
 wholesale depredators. Young turkeys live almost en¬ 
 tirely on them in some parts of America, and become 
 very fat when they are plentiful. Henee, if so many 
 animals thrive upon them, they must necessarily be 
 dainty food. 
 
 It is not only by the inhabitants of the Great Desert 
 that the locusts are hailed with joy. The Kafirs also 
 give them a hearty welcome, and make many a good 
 meal upon them too,—not only eating them in large 
 quantities, but maldng a sort of coffee-colored soup of 
 their eggs. 
 
 Locusts are cooked in various ways—roasted, boiled, 
 and fried. They are also salted and smoked, and 
 packed away against a time of scarcity. It is said, they 
 taste very much like fish, and are particularly light, 
 delicate, and wholesome food. They are carried into 
 many of the towns of Africa by waggon-loads, as we 
 bring poultry to market. 
 
 The Hottentots are highly rejoiced at the arrival of 
 the locusts in their country, although they destroy all 
 its verdure, eating them in such quantities as to get 
 visibly fatter than before, and making of their eggs a 
 brown or coffee-coloured soup. 
 
 In the Mahratta country in India, the common 
 people salt and eat them. This was anciently the 
 
298 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 custom with many of the African nations, some of whom 
 also smoked them. 
 
 Dishes of locusts are generally served up at the 
 principal tables in Barbary, and esteemed a great deli¬ 
 cacy. They are preferred by the Moors to pigeons; 
 and a person may eat a plateful of 200 or 300 without 
 feeling any ill effects. They usually boil them in ^vater 
 half-an-hour, having thrown away the head, wungs, and 
 legs, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper and fry 
 them, adding a little vinegar. 
 
 Another traveller describes the way they are pre¬ 
 pared for food in the desert of Zahara.—‘ In and about 
 this valley were great flights of locusts. During the 
 day, they are flying around very thickly in the atmos¬ 
 phere ; but the copious dews and chilly air in the night 
 render them unable to fly, and they settle down on the 
 bushes. It was the constant employment of the natives 
 in the night to gather these insects from the bushes, 
 w'hich they did in great quantities. My master’s family, 
 each with a small bag, went out the first night upon 
 this emplo}unent, carrjung a very large bag to bring 
 home the fruits of their labor. My mistress, Fatima, 
 however, and the two little children, remained in the 
 tent. I declined this emplojunent, and retired to rest 
 under the large tent. The next day, the family re¬ 
 turned loadeel with locusts, and, judging by the eye of 
 the quantity produced, there must have been about 
 fifteen bushels. This may appear to be a large quan¬ 
 tity to be gathered in so short a time, but it is scarcely 
 worth mentioning when compared with the loads of them 
 gathered, sometimes, in the more fertile part of the 
 country over which they pass, lea\ung a track of deso¬ 
 lation behind them. But as they were the first, in any 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 299 
 
 consideraLle quantity, that I had seen, and the first I 
 had seen cooked and eaten, I mention it in this place, 
 hoping hereafter to give my readers more particular 
 information concerning these wonderful and destructive 
 insects, which, from the days of Moses to this time, 
 have been considered, hy Jews and Mahometans, as 
 the most severe judgment which Heaven can inflict 
 upon man. But, whatever the Egyptians might have 
 thought ill ancient days, or the Moors and Arabs in 
 those of modern date, the Arabs who are compelled to 
 inhabit the desert of Zahara, so far from considering a 
 flight of locusts as a judgment upon them for their 
 transgressions, welcome their approach as the means, 
 sometimes, of saving them from famishing with hunger. 
 The whole that were brought to the tent at this time 
 were cooked while alive, as indeed they always are, for 
 a dead locust is never cooked. The manner of cooking 
 is by digging a deep hole in the ground, building a fire 
 at the bottom, as before described, and filling it up with 
 wood. After it is heated as hot as is possible, the coals 
 and embers are taken out, and they prepare to fill the 
 cavity with the locusts, confined in a large bag. A 
 sufficient number of the natives hold the bag perpen¬ 
 dicularly over the hole, the mouth of it being near the 
 surface of the ground. A number stand round the hole 
 with sticks. The mouth of the bag is then opened, 
 and it is shaken with great force, the locusts falling 
 into the hot pit, and the surrounding natives throwing 
 sand upon them to prevent them from fljing off. The 
 mouth of the hole is then covered with sand, and 
 another fire built upon the top of it. In this manner 
 they cook all they have on hand, and dig a number of 
 holes sufficient to accomplish it, each containing about 
 
300 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD^ 
 
 five biisliels. They remain in the hole until they 
 become sufficiently cooled to be taken out wuth the 
 hand. They are then picked out, and thrown upon 
 tent-cloths or blankets, and remain in the sun to dry, 
 where they must be watched with the utmost care to 
 prevent the live locusts from devouring them, if a flight 
 happens to be passing at the time. When they are 
 perfectly dried, which is not done short of two or three 
 days, they are slightly pounded, and pressed into bags 
 or skins, ready for transportation. To prepare them to 
 eat, they are pulverized in mortars, and mixed with 
 water sufficient to make a kind of dry pudding. They 
 are, however, sometimes eaten singly, without pulver¬ 
 izing, by brealdng off the head, wings, and legs, and 
 swallowing the remaining part. In whatever manner 
 they are eaten, they are nourishing food.’ 
 
 Captain Stockenstrom, in a paper in the South 
 African Journal on these insects, observes, ‘Not only 
 the locust-bird, but every animal, domestic and wild, 
 contributes to the destruction of the locust swarms ; 
 fowis, sheep, horses, dogs, antelopes, and almost every 
 living thing, may be seen devouring them Avith equal 
 greediness; whilst the half-starved Bushmen, and even 
 some of the colonial Hottentots, consider them a great 
 luxury, consuming great quantities fresh, and dr}ing 
 abundance for future emergencies. Great havoc is 
 also committed among the locusts by their own kindred; 
 for as soon as any one of them gets hurt, or meets 
 with an accident wiiich impedes his progress, his felloAV 
 travellers nearest to him immediately turn upon him, 
 and devour him with great voracity.’ 
 
 Mr. Moffat {flh&ionary Labours in South Africa) 
 states—‘ The locusts for food are always caught at 
 
CUEIOSTTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 301 
 
 niglit, when they are at rest, and carried in sacks to 
 the nearest encampment or village, to be prepared for 
 keeping. A very small quantity of water is put into a 
 pot, and the locusts, piled up to the very brim, are co¬ 
 vered very closely, so that they are rather steamed than 
 boiled. They are next carefully separated and laid out 
 to dry, which the heat of an Arabian or African sun 
 does thoroughly and speedily; after which they are 
 winnowed to get rid of the wings and legs, when they 
 are laid up in heaps, or packed in bags of skin for 
 future use. Sometimes the dry locusts are beaten into 
 a powder, of which, with water and a httle salt, a kind 
 of pottage is made.’ 
 
 hlr. E. Gordon Gumming, in the course of his ram¬ 
 bles in Africa, fell in with swarms of locusts, and gives 
 interesting accounts respecting them. Here are some 
 extracts from his work :— 
 
 ‘ The next day, as we crossed a vast plain, a flight 
 of locusts passed over our heads during upwards of 
 half-an-hour, flying so thick as to darken the sun. 
 They reached in dark clouds as far as we could see, 
 and maintained an elevation of from 6 to 300 or 400 
 feet above the level of the plain. Woe to the vegeta¬ 
 tion of the country on which they alight! * * 
 
 ‘ On the march we crossed a swarm of locusts, rest¬ 
 ing for the night on the grass and bushes. They lay 
 so thick that the waggons could have been filled \Hth 
 them in a very short time, covering the large bushes 
 just as a swarm of young bees covers the branch on 
 which it pitches. Locusts afford fattening and whole¬ 
 some food to man, birds, and all sorts of beasts; cows 
 and horses, hons, jackals, hyaenas, antelopes, elephants, 
 &c., devour them. We met a party of Batlapis carry- 
 
303 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ing heavy hurdens of them on their hacks. Onr 
 hungry dogs made a fine feast on them. The cold 
 frosty night had rendered them nnahle to take vfing 
 until the sun should restore their powers. As it was 
 difficult to obtain sufficient food for my dogs, I and 
 Isaac took a large blanket, which we spread under a 
 bush, whose branches were bent to the ground vfith the 
 mass of locusts which covered it, and having shaken 
 the branches, in an instant I had more locusts than I 
 could carry on my back. These we roasted for our¬ 
 selves and dogs. Soon after the sun was up, on looking 
 behind me, I beheld the locusts stretching to the west 
 in vast clouds, resembling smoke; but the wind soon 
 after veering round, brought them back to us, and they 
 flew over our heads, for some time actually darkening 
 the sun. ******** 
 
 ‘ The dullness of the scene, however, was enlivened 
 by a wondrous flight of locusts, the largest I had ever 
 beheld. The prospect was obscured by them as far as 
 we could see, resembling the smoke arising from a 
 thousand giant bonfires; while those above our heads 
 darkened our path vdth a double flight, the one next 
 the ground flying north, while the upper clouds of 
 them held a southerly course. The dogs, as usual, 
 made a hearty meal of them. * * » » 
 
 ‘ We crossed the Limpopo, and having foUov^ed it 
 for five miles, we at length got into a country so 
 densely covered vfith locusts that the spore was no 
 longer visible. A large herd of elephants had, during 
 several previous nights, however, been there feasting 
 upon these insects.’ 
 
 According to Niebuhr, the Arabians distinguish 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 303 
 
 several kinds of locusts, to which they give separate 
 names. They refer only to the delicacy of its flesh, and 
 not to the nature of the insect. The red locust is 
 termed Merrhen, as it is esteemed by the epicures 
 much fatter and more succulent than the light locust, 
 which is called by them Duhhe, because it has a ten¬ 
 dency to produce diarrhoea. The inhabitants of Arabia, 
 Persia, xVfrica, and Syria, are accustomed to eat them. 
 The Turks have an aversion to this kind of food; but if 
 the Europeans express the same, the Arabians remind 
 them of their fondness for crabs, &c. This kind of 
 food, however, is supposed to thicken the blood, and 
 produce melancholy. 
 
 The custom of feeding upon locusts seems more 
 generally dilfused than is supposed, and is not merely 
 confined to Africa and Arabia. They are eaten by the 
 Nanningetes in the Malay Peninsula. 
 
 Dampier states that, on islands near Timor, ‘ They 
 make also a dish of locusts, which come at certain 
 seasons to devour their potatoes. They take them 
 with nets, and broil or bake them in an earthen pan. 
 This dish,’ he adds, ‘ eats well enough.’ 
 
 And the author of A Mission to Ava speaks of them 
 as a Burmese dainty. 
 
 ‘ The most notable ^dand produced consisted of fried 
 locusts. These were brought in, hot and hot, in suc¬ 
 cessive saucers, and I was not sorry to have the 
 opportunity of tasting a dish so famous. They were 
 by no means bad, much like what we might suppose 
 fried shrimps to be. The inside is removed, and the 
 cavity stuffed vdth a little spiced meat.’ 
 
 The Kev. R. Sheppard caused some of our large 
 
304 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 English grasshoppers, or field crickets, to he cooked in 
 the way here recommended, only substituting butter 
 for vinegar, and found them to be excellent food. 
 
 From these statements it ^\dll be seen, that the locusts 
 which formed part of the sustenance of John the 
 Baptist, and about which there has been much contro¬ 
 versy among learned men, could be nothing else but 
 the animal locust, so common a food in the East, and 
 even in Africa, to the present day. They are eaten 
 even by the North American Indians. 
 
 ‘ Among the choice delicacies with which the Cah- 
 fornia Digger Indians regale themselves during the 
 summer season,’ (says the Empire County Argus,) ‘ is 
 the grasshopper roast. Having been an eye witness to 
 the preparation and discussion of one of their feasts of 
 grasshoppers, we can describe it truthfully. There are 
 districts in Cahfornia, as well as portions of the plains 
 between Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, that 
 literally swarm with grasshoppers, and in such aston¬ 
 ishing numbers that a man cannot place his foot to 
 the ground, while walking there, without crushing 
 great numbers. To the Indian they are a dehcacy, and 
 are caught and cooked in the foUowdng manner:—A 
 piece of ground is sought wliere they most abound, in 
 the centre of which an excavation is made, large and 
 deep enough to prevent the insect from hopping out 
 when once in. The entire party of diggers, old and 
 young, male and female, then surround as much of the ad¬ 
 joining grounds as they can, and each with a green bough 
 in hand, whipping and thrashing on every side, gradu¬ 
 ally approach the centre, driving the insects before 
 them in countless multitudes, till at last all, or nearly 
 all, are secured in the pit. In the meantime, smaller 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 305 
 
 excavations are made, answering the purpose of ovens, 
 in whicTi fires are kindled and kept up till the surround¬ 
 ing earth, for a short distance, becomes sufficiently 
 heated, together with a fiat stone, large enough to cover 
 the oven. The grasshoppers are now taken in coarse 
 bags, and after being thoroughly soaked in salt water 
 for a few moments, are emptied into the oven and 
 closed in. Ten or fifteen minutes suffice to roast them, 
 when they are taken out and eaten without further 
 preparation, and with much apparent‘relish, or as is 
 sometimes the case, reduced to powder and made into 
 soup. And having from curiosity tasted, not of the 
 soup, but of the roast, really, if one could but divest 
 himself of the idea of eating an insect, as we do an oyster 
 or shrimp, without other preparation than simple roast¬ 
 ing, they would not be considered very bad eating, 
 even by more refined epicures than the Digger Indians.’ 
 
 NEUROPTERA. 
 
 Another order of insects contains the so-called w’hite- 
 ant tribe (Termes), which, in return for the mischief it 
 does at certain times, affords an abundant supply of food 
 to some of the African natives. The natives of Western 
 Australia pull out the young from the nests at one 
 season of the year and eat them. Ducks and fowls also 
 feed greedily on them. 
 
 In many countries, the termites, or wffiite-ants, serve 
 I for food. In some parts of the East Indies, the natives 
 I catch the wdnged insects, just before their period of emi- 
 'i gration, in the following manner:—They make tw'o 
 
 X 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
306 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 holes, the one to the windward, the other to the lee¬ 
 ward; at the leeward opening, they place the month of a 
 pot, the inside of which has been previously rubbed 
 with an aromatic herb, called bugera; on the windward 
 side, they make a fire of stinking materials, which not 
 only drives these insects, but frequently the hooded 
 snakes also, into the pots, on which account they are ob¬ 
 liged to be cautious in removing them. By this method, 
 they catch great quantities, of which they make, with 
 flour, a variety of pastry, which they can afford to sell 
 very cheap to the poorer ranks of people. When this 
 sort of food is used too abundantly, it produces, how¬ 
 ever, cholera, which kills in two or three hours. It also 
 seems that, in some form or other, these insects are 
 greedily eaten in other districts. Thus, when after 
 swarming shoals of them fall into the rivers, the Afri¬ 
 cans skim them off the surface with calabashes, and, 
 bringing them to their habitations, parch them in iron 
 pots over a gentle fire, stirring them about as is usually 
 done in roasting coffee; in that state, without sauce or 
 any other addition, they consider them delicious food, 
 putting them by handfuls into their mouths, as we do 
 comfits.* 
 
 ‘ I have,’ says Smeathman, ‘ eaten them dressed in this 
 way several times, and think them delicate, nourishing, 
 and wdiolesome. They are something sweeter, though 
 not so fat and clogging, as the caterpillar or maggot of 
 the palm-tree snout-beetle {Curculio palmarum), which 
 is served up at all the luxurious tables of the West' 
 Indian epicures, particularly of the French, as the greatest 
 dainty of the western world.’ 
 
 ♦ Natural History of Insects. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 307 
 
 Ants are eaten in many countries. In Brazil, the 
 yellow ant, called cupia, and a larger species under the 
 name of tama-joura, are much esteemed, being eaten 
 by the aborigines mixed with resin for sauce. In Africa, 
 they are stewed \\dth butter. Ants have really no un¬ 
 pleasant flavour, but are very agreeably acid. In some 
 parts of Sweden, ants are distilled along with rye, to 
 give a flavour to the inferior kinds of brandy. 
 
 The large saubas (red-ants) and white-ants are an oc¬ 
 casional luxury to the Indians of the Rio Negro; and when 
 nothing else is to be had in the wet season, they eat 
 large earth-worms, which, when the lands in which they 
 live are flooded, ascend trees, and take up their abode in 
 the hollow leaves of a species of Tillandsia, where they 
 are often found accumulated by thousands. Nor is it only 
 hunger that makes them eat these worms, for they some¬ 
 times boil them with their fish to give it an extra relish.* 
 The cocoons of the wood ant (popularly and erro¬ 
 neously called ants’ eggs) are collected on the Con¬ 
 tinent as food for nightingales and larks. A recent 
 V5uiter tells us, that in most of the towns in Germany 
 one or more individuals make a living, during summer, 
 by the business. He describes a visit to an old woman 
 at Dottendorf, near Bonn, who had collected for four- 
 j teen years. She went to the woods in the morning, 
 and collected in a bag the surfaces of a number of ant 
 ij hills where the cocoons were deposited, taking ants and 
 
 f all home to her cottage, near which she had a tiled 
 
 |1 shed, covering a circular area, hollowed out in the 
 
 I' centre, with a trench full of water around it. After 
 
 covering the hollow in the centre with leafy boughs of 
 
 I 
 
 X 2 
 
 * Wallace’s Travels on the Rio Negro. 
 
308 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 walnut or liazel, she strewed the contents of her hag on 
 the level part of the area within the trench, when the 
 nurse-ants immediately seized the cocoons and carried 
 them into the hollow under the houghs. The cocoons 
 were thus brought into one place, and after being from 
 time to time removed, and the black ones separated by a 
 boy, Avho sju’ead them out on a table and swept off what 
 were bad vuth a strong feather, they were ready for 
 market, being sold for abo^it ^d. or 6c?. a quart. Con¬ 
 siderable qiiantities of these cocoons are dried for win¬ 
 ter food for birds, and are sold in the shops. 
 
 Humboldt mentions that he saw insects’ eggs sold in 
 the markets of Mexico, and which are collected on the 
 surface of lakes. Under the name of axayacat, these 
 eggs, or those of some other species of fly, deposited 
 on rush mats, are sold as a caviare in Mexico. Some¬ 
 thing similar, found in the pools of the desert of Pezzau, 
 serves the Arabs for food,^ having the taste of ca\iare. 
 
 In the Bulletin de la Societe Impcriale Zoologiqiie 
 d'Acclimation, M. Guerin M6neville has published a 
 very interesting paper on a sort of bread which the 
 Mexicans make of the eggs of three species of hemip¬ 
 terous insects. 
 
 According to M. Craveri, by whom some of the 
 Mexican bread, and of the insects yielding it, were 
 brought to Europe, these insects and their eggs are 
 very common in the fresh w’aters of the lagunes of Mex¬ 
 ico. The natives cultivate, in the lagiine of Chaleo, a 
 sort of carex called toutf;, on wdiich the insects readily 
 deposit their eggs. Numerous bundles of these jdants 
 are made, w'hich are taken to a lagune, the Texcuco, 
 wdiere they float in great numbers in the w^ater. The 
 insects soon come and deposit their eggs on the plants, 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 309 
 
 and in about a montb the bundles are removed from tbe 
 water, dried, and then beaten over a large clotb to se¬ 
 parate the myriad of eggs with which the insects had 
 covered them. 
 
 These eggs are then cleaned and sifted, put into 
 sacks hke flour, and sold to the people for making a 
 sort of cake or biscuit called ‘ hautl6,’ which forms a 
 tolerably good food, but has a fishy taste, and is slightly 
 acid. The bundles of carex are rejilaced in the lake, 
 and afford a fresh supply of eggs, which process may 
 be repeated for an indefinite number of times. 
 
 It appears that these insects have been used from 
 an early period, for Thomas Gage, a religionist, who 
 sailed to Mexico in 1625, says, in speaking of articles 
 sold in the markets, that they had cakes made of a sort 
 of scum collected from the lakes of Mexico, and that this 
 was also sold in other towns. 
 
 Brantz Mayer, in his work on Mexico {Mexico as it 
 was and as it is, 1844), says,—‘ On the lake of Tex- 
 cuco I saw men occupied in collecting the eggs of 
 flies from the surface of plants, and cloths arranged in 
 long rows as places of resort for the insects. These 
 eggs, called agayacath ’ (Qy. axayacat), ‘ formed a fa¬ 
 vourite food of the Indians long before the conquest: 
 
 1 and when made into cakes, resembles the roe of a fish, 
 
 ^ ha\dng a similar taste and appearance. After the use 
 
 of frogs in France, and birdsnests in China, I think 
 ■ these eggs may be considered a delicacy, and I found 
 \ that they are not rejected from the tables of the fashion- 
 1 able inhabitants of the capital.’ 
 
 I The more recent observations of Messrs. Saussure, 
 ] SaU6, Virlet D’Aoust, &c., have confirmed the facts 
 already stated, at least, in the most essential particulars. 
 
310 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ The insects which principally produce this animal fa- 
 rinha of Mexico, are two species of the genus Corixa 
 of Geoffroy, hemipterous insects of the family of water- 
 bugs. One of the species has been described by M. 
 Guerin M6ne\ulle as new, and has been named by him 
 Corixa fermorata: the other, identified in 1831 by 
 Thomas Say as one of those sold in the market at 
 Mexico, bears the name of Corixa mercenaria. The 
 eggs of these two species are attached in innumerable 
 quantities to the triangular leaves of the carex forming 
 the bundles which are deposited in the waters. They 
 are of an oval form -with a protuberance at one end 
 and a pedicle at the other extremity, by means of which 
 they are fixed to a small round disc, which the mother 
 cements to the leaf. Among these eggs, which are 
 grouped closely together, and sometimes fixed one over 
 another, there are found others, which are larger, of a 
 long and cylindrical form, and which are fixed to the 
 same leaves. These belong to another larger insect, a 
 species of Notonecta, which M. Guerin M4neville has 
 named Notonecta unifasciatai * 
 
 It appears from M. Virlet d’Aoust, that in October 
 the lakes Chaleo and Texcuco, which border on the city 
 of Mexico, are haunted by millions of small flies, which, 
 after dancing in the air, plunge down into the shallowest 
 parts of the water, to the depth of several feet, and de¬ 
 posit their eggs at the bottom. 
 
 * The eggs of these insects are called hautle (haoutle), 
 by the Mexican Indians, who collect them in great num¬ 
 bers, and with whom they appear to be a favourite 
 article of food. 
 
 ‘ They are prepared in various ways, but usually made 
 * Journal de Pharmacie. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 311 
 
 into cakes, wMch are eaten with a sauce flavoured with 
 chillies. To coUeet the eggs the Indians prepare bun¬ 
 dles of rushes, which they place vertically in the lake 
 at some distance from the shore. In about a fortnight, 
 every rush in these bundles is completely covered with 
 eggs. The bundles are then drawn out and dried in 
 the sun upon a cloth for not more than an hour, when 
 the eggs are easily detached. The bundles of rushes 
 are then placed in the water again for another crop.’ * 
 Mr. Ruschenberger, the surgeon to the American 
 expedition to Siam, in describing a state feast given to 
 the officers, states that the dinner was remarkable for 
 the variety and exquisite flavour of the eurries. Among 
 them was one consisting of ants’ eggs, a costly and 
 much esteemed luxury of Siam. They are not larger 
 than grains of sand, and to a palate unaccustomed to 
 them, are not particidarly savory. They are almost 
 tasteless. Besides being curried, they are brought to 
 the table rolled in green leaves, mingled ivith shreds or 
 very fine slices of fat pork. Here was seen an ever-to- 
 be-remembered luxury of the East. 
 
 HYMENOPTERA. 
 
 It would hardly be suspected that bees serve for food 
 in Ceylon and some other places,—an ungrateful return 
 for their honey and wax. 
 
 The African Bushmen eat the caterpillars of the but¬ 
 terflies. 
 
 * Annals of Natural History. 
 
312 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 The Chinese, who waste nothing, after they have un¬ 
 wound the silk from the cocoons of the silk-worm, 
 send the chrysalis to table. They also eat the larvae of 
 a hawk-moth, some of which tribe. Dr. Darwin tells us, 
 are, in his opinion, very delicious. The natives of New 
 Holland eat the caterpillars of a species of moth, and 
 also a kind of butterfly, which they call bugong, Avhich 
 congregate in certain districts, at particular seasons, in 
 countless myriads. On these occasions, the native blacks 
 assemble from far and near to collect them; and after re¬ 
 moving the vings and down, by stirring them on the 
 ground, previously heated by a large fire, winnowing 
 them, eat the bodies, or store them up for use, by pound¬ 
 ing and smoking them. The bodies of these butterflies 
 al)ound in an oil, with the taste of nuts; when first eaten, 
 they produce violent vomitings and other debilitating 
 effects; but these go off after a few days, and the natives 
 then thrive and fatten exceedingly on this diet, for which 
 they have to contend with a black crow, which is also 
 attracted by the butterflies, and which they dispatch uith 
 their clubs, and use as food. 
 
 Two insects, a kind of butterfly, and a thick, white 
 grub, found chiefly in dead timber, are much esteemed 
 by the aborigines of Australia as articles of food. The 
 former is eaten at certain seasons by whole tribes of 
 natives in the northern districts. Their practice is to 
 follow up the flight of the insects, and to light fires at 
 night-fall beneath the trees in which they have roosted. 
 The smoke brings the butterflies down, and their bodies 
 are pounded together into a sort of fleshy loaf. Upon 
 this delicacy the natives not only feed, but fatten. The 
 white grub is swallowed whole in his living state, and 
 is much sought for by sable epicures. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 313 
 
 In India, and in South America, these grubs are also 
 eaten as a dainty. 
 
 The trunk of the grass-tree, or black-boy {XantJiorea 
 arhorea), when beginning to decay, furnishes large quan¬ 
 tities of marrow-like grubs, which are considered a deli¬ 
 cacy by the aborigines in Western Australia. They 
 have a fragrant, aromatic flavour, and form a favourite 
 food among the natives, either raw or roasted. They 
 call them hardi —and they are also found in the wattle 
 tree, or mimosa. The presence of these grubs in a 
 xanthorea is thus ascertained : if the top of one of these 
 trees is observed to be dead, and it contain any bardi, 
 a few sharp kicks given to it with the foot vdll cause it 
 to crack and shake, when it is pushed over and the grub 
 extracted, by breaking the tree to pieces wdth a hammer. 
 The bardi of the xanthorea are small, and found toge¬ 
 ther in great numbers; those of the wattle are cream 
 coloured, as long and thick as a man’s finger, and are 
 found singly. The excrement of the latter oozes from 
 under the bark, of the appearance and consistence of 
 clear gum. The galls formed on several species of sage 
 by gall flies, in the Levant, are highly prized for 
 their aromatic and acid flavour, especially when prepared 
 with sugar. They constitute, in fact, a considerable 
 article of commerce from Scio to Constantinople, where 
 they are regularly sold in the market. They are 
 known as sage apples, and in Greece are made into a 
 kind of conserve, which is highly esteemed. 
 
314 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 HEMIPTERA. 
 
 Coming to another order of insects, the cicada, or 
 chirping flies, we find that these were eaten by the 
 polished Greeks, and accounted very delicious. They 
 were caught, strung, sold, and greedily devoured; and 
 especially the females were relished on account of their 
 white eggs. One species, a very long-lived one, which, 
 if spared, lives to the age of 17 years, is still eaten hy 
 the Indians of America, who pluck off the wings and 
 boil them. The aborigines of Australia eat them raw, 
 after stripping off the wings. 
 
 The 17-year locusts, while in an underground grub 
 state, are a favourite food of various species of animals. 
 Immense numbers are destroyed by hogs before they 
 emerge from the ground; they are also, when in their 
 perfect state, eagerly devoured by chickens, squirrels, 
 and many of the larger birds. The Indians like^wse 
 consider them a delicate food when fried; and in New 
 Jersey they have been turned to a profitable account in 
 maldng soap. 
 
 No insects are more numerous with us than cater¬ 
 pillars, and sad havoc they occasionally commit among 
 our cabbages and cauliflowers. Now w^e generally make 
 wry faces, when a stray one is served up with our 
 greens, and the cook is severely taken to task; but 
 these are reckoned among the chief delicacies of an 
 African Bushman’s meal. 
 
 The Hottentots eat them boiled and raw, and soon 
 get into good condition on this food. They bring large 
 calabashes fiill of them to their habitations, and parch 
 them in iron pots over a gentle fire, stirring them about 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 315 
 
 as is done in roasting coffee. In that state, "without 
 sauce or other addition, they serve them up as delicious 
 food, and eat them hy handfuls, as we do sugar-plums. 
 
 One traveller tells us he has eaten them dressed in 
 this way several times, and thought them delicate, nour¬ 
 ishing, and wholesome, being sweeter than the grub of 
 the weevil of the palm, and resembling in taste sugared 
 cream or sweet almond paste. 
 
 ARACHNIDA. 
 
 What will he said to spiders as food ? But these form 
 an article in the list of the Bushman’s dainties in South 
 Africa, according to Sparrman ; and the inhabitants of 
 New Caledonia, Lahillardiere tells us, seek for, and eat 
 ■with avidity, large quantities of a spider nearly an 
 inch long, which they roast over the fire. Even in¬ 
 dividuals amongst the more polished nations of Europe 
 are recorded as having a similar taste; so that if you 
 could rise above ■vulgar prejudices, you would in all 
 probability find them a most delicate morsel. If you 
 require precedents, Reaumur tells us of a young lady, 
 wdio, when she walked in her grounds, never saw a 
 spider that she did not take and crunch upon the spot. 
 Another female, the celebrated Anna Maria Schurman, 
 used to eat them like nuts, which she affirmed they 
 much resembled in taste, excusing her propensity hy 
 saying that she was born under the sign Scorpio. 
 
 If you "wish for the authority of the learned: La- 
 j lande, the celebrated French astronomer, was equally 
 . fond of these dehcacies, according to LatreiUe. And if, 
 
316 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 not content witli eating spiders seriatim, you should 
 feel desirous of eating them by handfuls, you may 
 shelter yourself under the authority of the German im¬ 
 mortalized hy Eosel, who used to spread them upon bread 
 like butter, observing that he found them very useful.'!^ 
 These edible spiders, and such like, are all sufficiently 
 disgusting, but we feel our nausea quite turned into 
 horror when we read in Humboldt, that he has seen the 
 Indian children drag out of the earth centipedes 18 
 inches long, and more than half an inch broad, and 
 devour them. 
 
 CRUSTACEA. 
 
 The flesh of all crustaceous animals, although in great 
 request, is rather difficult of digestion; and much of it 
 cannot be eaten vUth impunity. There are classes of 
 persons who are as averse to use shell-fish for food, 
 as a Mahommedau or Mussulman are to partake of 
 pork. It is therefore curious to reflect how, and where, 
 the thousands of tons of Crustacea and sheU-fish taken 
 to Billingsgate and Hungerford markets are disposed of. 
 Lobsters, cray-fish, prawns, shrimps, oysters, mussels, 
 perimiikles, and whelks, are there every morning in 
 great abundance, and the high retail prices they fetch, 
 show that this description of food must be well relished 
 by the Londoners. 
 
 The land crabs of the West Indies are an esteemed 
 dehcacy, and the ravenous pigs feed on them with 
 equal avidity to the great danger of their health. 
 
 * Kirby and Spence. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 317 
 
 I need not here advert to the migratory habits of 
 the crabs, to their uniting at certain periods in vast 
 numbers, and moving in the most direct course to the 
 sea, marching in squadrons and lines, and halting tvrce 
 a-day for feeding and repose. These movements may 
 often he seen in Jamaica, and other West Indian 
 islands, where millions on millions string themselves 
 along the coast on progresses from the hills to the sea, 
 and from the sea to the hills. 
 
 The reader of Bishop Heher’s Indian Journal wiU 
 remember his account of the land crabs at Poonah. 
 ‘All the grass land generally through the Deckan 
 swarms vdth a small land crab, which burrows in the 
 ground, and runs with considerable swiftness, even 
 when encumbered with a bundle of food almost as big 
 as itself. This food is grass or the green stalks of rice; 
 and it is amusing to see them sitting as it were up¬ 
 right, to cut their hay with their sharp pincers, then 
 w'addling off with the sheaf to their holes as quietly as 
 their side-long pace will carry them.’ 
 
 This is not the same land crab of w'hich we are 
 spealdng, hut it is a graphic picture of the Gecarcina 
 ruricola, in its habit of feeding. 
 
 They cut up roots and leaves, and feed on the fallen 
 fruit of trees; hut we have little more than conjecture 
 for the cause of their occasional deleterious qualities. 
 Impressed with the notion that the crabs owe their 
 hurtful qualities to the fruit of the manchineel tree, Sloane 
 imagined that he had explained the fatal accidents 
 w'hich have occurred to some persons after eating them, 
 from neglect, or inattentiveness to precaution in clean¬ 
 ing their interior and remo\Ing the half digested par¬ 
 ticles of the fruit. It has been ascertained that they 
 
318 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 feed on sncli dangerous vegetaWes of the morass as the 
 Anona palustris, a fruit exceedingly narcotic. It is 
 well enough knowui that the morass crab is always to 
 he suspected. The land crabs, however, collect leaves 
 less for food than to envelop themselves in, when they 
 moult. After concealment for a time within their 
 burrows, they come forth in those thin teguments form¬ 
 ing a red tense pellicle, similar to wet parchment, and 
 are more delicate in that condition, and more prized for 
 the table. The white crabs are the most bulky of the 
 tribe, and are the least esteemed, and the most mis¬ 
 trusted. 
 
 Land-crabs, says a Jamaica paper, of March last, are 
 to be seen on the highways between this, Montego Bay, 
 and Gum Island, just like bands of soldiers, marching 
 to a battle-point of concentration. This bids fair to 
 supply the epicure, at an easy rate, vdth this class of 
 Crustacea. It is one of the most remarkable, for it is 
 composed of animals breathing by means of branchiae 
 or gills, and yet essentially terrestrial; so much so, in¬ 
 deed, that they would perish from asph}^ia if sub¬ 
 merged for any length of time. 
 
 I select Browne’s account of the habits of the black 
 or mountain crab, because he resided many years in 
 Jamaica, and seems to have lost no opportunity of mak¬ 
 ing personal observations ; and his remarks tally with 
 my own experience, from three years’ residence in 
 Jamaica. 
 
 ‘ These creatures are very numerous in some parts of 
 Jamaica, as well as in the neighbouring islands, and on 
 the coast of the main continent; they are generally of 
 a dark purple colour, but this often varies, and you fre¬ 
 quently find them spotted, or entirely of another hue. 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 319 
 
 They live chiefly on dry land, and at a considerable 
 distance from the sea, which, however, they visit once a 
 year to wash off their spawn, and afterwards return to 
 the woods and higher lands, where they continue for 
 the remaining part of the season; nor do the young 
 ones ever fail to follow them, as soon as they are able to 
 crawl. The old crabs generally regain their habitations 
 in the mountains, which are seldom within less than a 
 mile, and not often above three from the shore, by the 
 latter end of June, and then provide themselves vuth 
 convenient burrows, in which they pass the greatest part 
 of the day, going out only at night to feed. In Decem¬ 
 ber and January they begin to be in spawn, and are then 
 very fat and delicate, but continue to grow richer until 
 the month of May, which is the "season for them to wash 
 off their eggs. They begin to move down in February, 
 and are very much abroad in March and April, which 
 seems to be the time for the impregnation of their eggs, 
 being then frequently found flxed together; but the 
 males, about this time, begin to lose their flavour and rich¬ 
 ness of their juices. The eggs are discharged from the body 
 through two small round holes situated at the sides, and 
 about the middle of the under shell; these are only large 
 enough to admit one at a time, and as they pass they 
 ' are entangled in the branched capillaments, vuth which 
 the under side of the apron is copiously supplied, to 
 which they stick by the means of their proper gluten, 
 until the creatures reach the surf, where they wash them 
 all off, and then they begin to return back again to the 
 I mountains. It is remarkable that the bag or stomach of 
 i this creature changes its juices with the state of the body; 
 ! and while poor is full of a black, bitter, disagreeable 
 fluid, which diminishes as it fattens, and at length ac- 
 
820 
 
 CUEIOSTTIES OF FOOD. 
 
 quires a delicate, ricli flavour. About the montli of 
 July or August, the crabs fatten again and prepare for 
 moulting, filling up their burrows with dry grass, 
 leaves, and abundance of other materials: when the 
 proper period comes, each retires to his hole, shuts up 
 the passage, and remains quite inactive until he gets rid 
 of his old shell, and is fully provided with a new one. 
 How long they continue in this state is uncertain, but 
 the shell is observed to burst, both at the back and sides, 
 to give a passage to the body, and it extracts its limbs 
 from all the other parts gradually afterwards. At this 
 time, the fish is in the richest state, and covered only 
 with a tender membraneous skin, variegated vdth a mul¬ 
 titude of reddish veins; but this hardens gradually after, 
 and becomes soon a perfect shell like the former; it is, 
 however, remarkable, that during this change, there are 
 some stony concretions always formed in the bag, which 
 waste and dissolve gradually, as the creature forms and 
 perfects its new crust. A wonderful mechanism! This 
 crab runs very fast, and always endeavours to get into 
 some hole or crevice on the approach of danger; nor 
 does it wholly depend on its art and swiftness, for while 
 it retreats it keeps both claws expanded, ready to catch 
 the offender if he should come within its reach; and if 
 it succeeds on these occasions, it commonly throws off 
 the claw, which continues to squeeze with incredible 
 force for near a minute after; while he, regardless of the 
 loss, endeavours to make his escape, and to gain a more 
 secure or a more lonely covert, contented to renew his 
 limb A^dth his coat at the ensuing change; nor would it 
 grudge to lose many of the others to preserve the trunk 
 entire, though each comes off with more labour and 
 reluctance, as their numbers lessen.’ 
 
CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 321 
 
 There are several varieties of land crahs, snch as 
 the large white, the mulatto, the hlack, and the red. 
 The hlack and red crahs are most excellent eating: 
 when in season, the females are full of a rich glu¬ 
 tinous substance, called the eggs, wdiich is perfectly 
 delicious. Epicurean planters, in some of the West 
 Indian Islands, have crah pens, (after the manner of 
 fowl coops,) for fattening these luxuries. The best 
 manner of dressing them is to pick out all the flesh 
 from the shell, maldng it into a stew, wdth plenty 
 of cayenne pepper, dishing it up in the shell; in this 
 way they are little inferior to turtle. They are usually 
 simply boiled, or roasted in the embers, by Avhich they 
 are deprived of their luscious flavour, and become not 
 only insipid in taste hut disgusting to look at. 
 
 In Dominica, they form an ingredient in the well- 
 known ‘ pepper-pot.’ The hlack crahs are also picked 
 from their shell, stewed wdth Indian kale and pods of 
 chilhies, and eaten with a pudding made of maize flour 
 or rice; this dish is greatly esteemed by most of the 
 inhabitants. 
 
 In the islands and cays of the Bahamas group, land 
 crahs literally SAvarm, and afford food for the inha¬ 
 bitants the greatest part of the year: even the hogs are 
 ed upon them. It is the grey or white kind of crab, 
 common to Cuba and the Bahamas. In the autumn 
 they are A^ery fat, and equal in flavour to the hlack 
 species of Jamaica. They are found in myriads in all 
 parts, and thought a great delicacy j hut a stranger 
 tires of them in a fcAV weeks. 
 
 The hlack crab is very fat and delicious; hut the 
 white and the mulatto crahs are sometimes dangerous, 
 from feeding upon poisonous leaves and berries. To 
 
 Y 
 
322 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 prevent any evil consequences, the flesh is washed with 
 lime-juice and water. 
 
 Land crabs were probably plentiful in Italy, in 
 the time of Virgil, for in his Fourth Georgic he forbids 
 the roasting of red crabs near an apiary, the smeU of 
 them being disagreeable to the bees. 
 
 There is a species of fresh-water crab, the mason 
 {Cancer cementarius), met with in Chile, the flesh of 
 which is very white, and represented to be preferable 
 to that of any other species of fluvial or marine crab. 
 It is about eight inches long, of a brown colour, striped 
 with red. They are found in abundance in almost all 
 the rivers and brooks, on whose shores they build 
 themselves, ivith clay, a small cylindrical tenement 
 which rises six inches above the surface of the ground, 
 but admits the water, hy means of a subterranean 
 canal extending to the hed of the river. They are 
 easily caught, by letting down into the water a basket, 
 or osier-pot, with a piece of meat in it. 
 
 That well-known crustacean, or ‘ shell-fish ’ as it is 
 popularly termed,—the lobster {Astacus gammarus), 
 although it is no fish at all, is found in great plenty 
 about most of the European and American shores, 
 and greatly esteemed as a very rich and nourisliing 
 aliment. In this country lobsters are considered in 
 season from November till the end of April. They 
 are not allowed to be caught on the coasts of Scotland 
 between the 1st of June and the 1st of September, 
 under a penalty of ^5. Lobsters must not be offered 
 for sale in this country under eight inches in length. 
 Like the crab, the lobster casts its shell annually. It 
 begins to breed in the spring, and continues breeding 
 during the greater part of the summer. Lobsters are 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 323 
 
 occasionally caught on the shores and in the neighbour¬ 
 hood of rocks, which they frequent, by the hand; but 
 they are usually trapped in baskets, or pots made of 
 osier-twigs, which are baited with garbage, and thrown 
 into the sea, the situation being marked by a buoy 
 of cork. 
 
 Lobsters are very abundant about Scilly and the 
 Land’s End, and near Montrose in Scotland. In the 
 Orkney and Shetland Islands, the value of the lobsters 
 caught in 1833 was LI,800, which gave employment to 
 216 boats, and about 500 men. They are sent prinid- 
 pally to Leith. Those caught near Heligoland are es¬ 
 teemed the most delicate. The largest fishery for these 
 crustaceans is on the coasts of Norway, from whence we 
 import more than a million a year. Upwards of half-a- 
 million are caught on the shores of Scotland and Ireland. 
 Lobsters are found almost everywhere on the North 
 American coasts, and in the Bay of Chaleur, in such 
 extraordinary numbers, that they are used by thousands 
 to manure the land. 
 
 Mr. Perley, in his Report on the Sea and River 
 Fisheries of New Brunswick, states, ' That at Ship- 
 pagan and Caraquette, carts are sometimes driven down 
 to the beaches at low water, and readily filled with lob¬ 
 sters left in the shallow pools by the recession of the 
 tide. Every potato field near the places mentioned is 
 strewn with lobster shells, each potato hill being fur¬ 
 nished vdth tw’o or three lobsters. 
 
 ‘ ithin a few years,’ he adds, ‘ one establishment has 
 been set up on Portage Island, at the mouth of the 
 River Miramachi, and another at the mouth of the 
 Kouchibouguac River, for putting up lobsters, in tin 
 cases, hermetically sealed for exportation. In 184.5, no 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 less than 13,000 cases of lobsters and salmon were 
 thus put up at Portage Island. In 1847, nearly 
 10,000 cases of lobsters, each case containing the 
 choicest parts of two or three lobsters, and one-and- 
 a-half tons of fresh salmon in 2-lb. and 4-lb. cases, 
 were put up at Kouchibonguac. The preservation of 
 lobsters in this manner need only be restricted by the 
 deniand, for the supply is unlimited. The price paid 
 for lobsters, at the establishment on Portage Island, is 
 2s. per 100. They are all taken in small hoop nets, 
 chiefly by the Acadian French of the Neguac villages, 
 who, at the price stated, could with reasonable dili¬ 
 gence, make 411 each in the 24 hours; but as they are 
 somewhat idle and easily contented, they rarely exert 
 themselves to earn more than 10s. per day, which they 
 can generally obtain by eight or ten hours’ attention to 
 their hoop nets. 
 
 ‘ In 1848, about 4,000 lbs. of lobsters were put up at 
 Portage Island in 1-lb. or 2-lb. tin cases. The quan¬ 
 tity preserved was much less than usual, owing to the 
 prevalence of cholera in the United States, and the con¬ 
 sequent want of a market there. One Frenchman had, 
 unassisted, caught 1,200 lobsters in part of one day. 
 About 25 men are employed at this preserving estab¬ 
 lishment during the season. 
 
 ‘ Mr. Woollier has a small but very complete establish¬ 
 ment for preserving lobsters, at Petit Rocher, in the Bay 
 of Chaleur. In the season of 1849, he only put up a 
 small quantity, 2,000 lbs., in tins. He purchases from 
 the settlers the white part of the lobsters, boiled and 
 free from shell, at 2d. per lb., which is salted in plain 
 pickle, and packed in barrels, for sale at Quebec. He 
 sliipped last year 11,000 lbs. of salted lobsters.’ 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 325 
 
 Next to timber, lobsters form one of the greatest 
 articles of Norwegian export. On the rocky shores of 
 Christiansand, they are found in greater numbers than 
 in any other part of the world; and from Bergen, 
 which lies farther to the north, as many as 260,000 
 pairs have been exported in one year. Mr. J. E. 
 Saunders, of Billingsgate, into whose hands almost the 
 entire trade of these crustaceans has fallen, often sells 
 15,000 lobsters before breakfast of a morning; and in 
 the height of the season, the sale not unfrequently 
 amounts to 30,000. They are sent in great numbers 
 from Scotland to the markets of London, Liverpool, 
 and Birmingham—60 or 70 large boxes of them being 
 transmitted at a time by train. Our fishermen, it is 
 true, take them occasionally in pots round the coast, 
 but no systematic fishery is carried on for them. 
 
 A company was recently formed at Berwick to im¬ 
 port them alive, in welled smacks, from the coast of 
 Norway. They are also brought into Southamj)ton 
 from Brittany and Ireland in welled smacks, which 
 carry from 7,000 to 8,000 each. 
 
 ‘ Lobster-carrying is subject to the following contingen¬ 
 cies :—Thunder kills them when in the well; also prox¬ 
 imity to the discharge of heavy ordnance. Mr. Scovell 
 lost several thousand from the latter cause, one of his 
 smacks having anchored at night too near the saluting- 
 battery at Plymouth. Calms also destroy the lobsters 
 in the well, but onward or pitching motion in a seaway 
 does not affect them. They keep alive one mouth in 
 the well mthout food.’* 
 
 * Symond’s Observations on the Fisheries of the West Coast of 
 Ireland, 
 
326 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 An artificial pond, or saltern, lias been formed at 
 Hamble, in the Southampton water, for keeping lobsters 
 alive in. It is about 50 yards square, by 10 to 12 feet 
 deep, with shelving sides of brick or stone and cement, and 
 a concrete bottom, having a lock or weir at the entrance, 
 for the admission and exit of salt water at the bottom 
 (the Hamble being a fresh-water stream). This pond 
 cost about £13,000. The lobsters are fed on fish, and 
 fatten. Sometimes there are as many as 70,000 lobsters 
 in this pond. All weak lobsters are kept in baskets 
 and sold first. Even here, however, their cannibaldike 
 propensities are not extinguished; for the powerful 
 make war upon, and incorporate into their own natures, 
 the weak. There are feeders and keepers employed at 
 the saltern, who, with long poles, hooked at the end, 
 drag out the fish as they are wanted for the market 
 from their marine menagerie. The instant the pole 
 touches a fish, the latter grasps it savagely ivith its 
 claws, and does not loose its hold until it is on terra 
 Jirma. When large quantities are required, the pond 
 is drained. These shell-fish are enormous creatures, 
 the body with the claws being as long as a man’s arm. 
 As the lobsters and cray-fish climb nimbly up the sides 
 of the watery caravan, they look like a collection of 
 purple-coloured monkeys or stunted baboons; and there 
 is something frightful in the appearance and noiseless¬ 
 ness of these chatterless simi^, climbing about their 
 liquid den, and approaching the surface to look at the 
 spectator. They are sent to the metropohs in hampers, 
 packed in fern in Mdiiter and in ice in summer. 
 
 The Americans in the large cities and inland to^\^ls 
 seem to be as fond of lobster salads and curries as we 
 Britishers are; and it is estimated, that there are an- 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 327 
 
 Dually consumed in and about Boston, 700,000 lobsters, 
 the prime cost of which is £16 per 1,000. This makes 
 the snug little sum of £11,200. 500,000 of the lobsters 
 come from the State of Maine, and the remaining 
 200,000 are taken from Massachusetts Bay. About 
 700 men are engaged in catching the lobsters, and some 
 800 tons of shipping in carrying them to Boston, exclu¬ 
 sive of what are conveyed by steamboat and railroad. 
 
 Here is a poetical narrative, of American origin, 
 bearing upon this crustacean :— 
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 Whereby hangeth a tayle, and eke a moral, 
 
 A Doctor and a Lawyer, went together merrily, 
 
 Adown the North-west Arm to take a dip into the sea. 
 
 Arrived, the Doctor coolly took a rather ‘ heavy wet,’ 
 
 A Lobster just as coolly took the Doctor by the feet. 
 
 He, careful man, his health and wind most prudently had heeded. 
 And little thought that either toe an amputation needed ; 
 
 He felt the Lobster on his skill most cuttingly reflected. 
 
 And to his surgical attempt decidedly objected. 
 
 With ready forceps, tooth and nail, the lobster set to work— 
 While all in vain the Doctor tried to baulk him by a jerk. 
 ’Midst present pain his anxious thoughts began afar to roam. 
 
 On forceps, scalpels, lancets, knives, and stout probangs at home. 
 But, lacking these, the foe to face, he felt somehow afraid. 
 
 And therefore lustily he called the Lawyer to his aid. 
 
 He, cunning man, well versed in quirks and quibbles of the law. 
 Sagaciously searched how to find in Lobster’s claim a flaw. 
 
 The claim of tenure to rebut, at once, he vainly sought; 
 Possession was nine points, he knew, and so the Lobster thought. 
 He saw the lobster quite secure within his own domain. 
 
 And to entice him thence began to work his ready brain. 
 
 One foot the Doctor yet had free, and this, with shuffling gait. 
 He offered to the other claw—a very tempting-bait. 
 
328 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 But, gently moving back, he ’scaped the meditated nip, 
 
 And shoreward still, with toe outstretched, most cannily did skip. 
 At length from his domain withdrawn, the Lobster gasps for air, 
 And vainly strives to battle with this wise confederate pair. 
 
 The Lawyer charged him with assault, and quick a claim put in, 
 That for the same the damages be laid upon his skin. 
 Attachment writ at once he took, upon the offending claws ; 
 And moved he should be boiled alive, in vengeance for the laws. 
 The Lobster in his mute amaze, allowed that clause to pass; 
 
 Nor had the foresight to exclaim ‘ Produce your capias! ’ 
 
 So borne along all bodily, and sore against his wall. 
 
 The Lobster proved the heavy weight, of more than lobster’s ill. 
 For they not only boiled but ate, his body, claws and all; 
 
 And most provokingly enjoyed the inglorious festival. 
 
 They cracked his shell, and cracked their jokes—pulled off that 
 leg and this— 
 
 Forgetful all of ‘ Nil nisi bonum de mortuis.’ 
 
 Now hence be warned, ye bustling men, and in your projects 
 pause— 
 
 Beware into your neighbour’s pot, how you thrust in your claws. 
 Ye busy wights! reflect ye how this luckless Lobster got. 
 
 By injudicious meddling, from cold water into hot. 
 
 To tread upon another’s toes, I pray be not too bold— 
 
 But when you ’re in cold water, try to keep the water cold. 
 
 Lord Anson mentions having caught cray-fish at 
 Juan Fernandez of eight and nine Ihs. weight, that 
 were of an excellent flavour. Lobsters are also found 
 in such quantities on the same island, that the fisher¬ 
 men have no other trouble to take them than to strew 
 a httle meat upon the shore, and when they come to 
 devour the bait, as they do in immense numbers, to 
 turn them on their backs with a stick. This is gravely 
 asserted by the Abb6 Molina, in his History of Chile, 
 so I suppose it must be true. Turning a turtle is a 
 common practice, but I should think it somewhat diffi- 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 329 
 
 cult to get a lobster on its back. By this simple metbod 
 thousands of lobsters are taken annually; and tbe tails, 
 which are in high estimation, dried and sent to 
 Valparaiso. 
 
 A late traveller, in his Life in China, describes a 
 very peculiar dish: — ‘ When our party of six had 
 seated themselves at the centre table, my attention,’ he 
 says, ‘ was attracted by a covered dish, something un¬ 
 usual at a Chinese meal. On a certain signal, the cover 
 was removed; and presently the face of the table was 
 covered with juvenile crabs, which made their exodus 
 from the dish with all possible rapidity. The crablets 
 had been thrown into a plate of vinegar just as the 
 company sat down—such an immersion making them 
 more brisk and lively than usual. But the sprightly 
 sport of the infant crahs was soon checked, by each 
 guest seizing which he could, dashing it into his mouth, 
 crushing it between his teeth, and swallowing the whole 
 morsel without ceremony. Determined to do as the Chi¬ 
 nese did, I tried this novelty also with one—with two. I 
 succeeded, finding the shell soft and gelatinous, for they 
 were tiny creatures, not more than a day or two old. 
 But I was compelled to give in to the third, which had 
 resolved to take vengeance, and gave my lower lip a 
 nip so sharp and severe, as to make me relinquish my 
 hold, and likewise desist from any further experiments 
 of this nature.’ 
 
 Shrimps (^Crangon vulgaris) and prawns (^Palcrmon 
 serratus) frequent shallow waters along the sandy coasts 
 of the British Islands, of America, Europe, and indeed most 
 countries. Besides furnishing nutriment to great num¬ 
 bers of fish, aquatic birds, Ac., they are in great request 
 in England for the table — the consumption in London 
 
330 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 alone being enormous. In 1850, 192,295 gallons were 
 received and sold at Billingsgate Market, weighing 
 875 tons, and valued at liG,000. In the Sandwich Is¬ 
 lands, shrimps are eaten alive as a bonne houche, with 
 salad and vinegar; hut we prefer them in this country 
 boiled. Shrimping by the dredge net, or sweep net, 
 afforils abundant employment to numerous persons. 
 On the North American coasts shrimps are more plentiful 
 than on the European shores. At times, the waters of 
 the Straits of Northumberland appear as if thickened 
 with masses of shrimps moving about, their course being 
 plainly indicated by the fish of aU descriptions which 
 follow in their wake, and feed upon them greedily. 
 Potted shrimps are considered a dainty, and meet ready 
 sale in the metropolis as a breakfast relish. 
 
 Those bans vivants who are fofid of these delicious 
 small fry, will no doubt eat them mth an increased relish 
 after reading the follovung paragraph:— 
 
 ‘ The office of shrimps seems to be that analogous to 
 some of the insects on land, whose task is to clear away 
 the remains of dead animal matter after the beasts and 
 birds of prey have been satiated. If a dead small bird 
 or frog be placed where ants can have access to it, 
 those insects will speedily reduce the body to a closely 
 cleared skeleton. The shrimp family, acting in hosts, as 
 speedily remove aU traces of fish or flesh from the 
 bones of any dead animal exposed to their ravages. 
 They are, in short, the principal scavengers of the 
 ocean; and, notwithstanding their office, they are highly 
 prized as nutritious and delicious food.’ 
 
 ‘ Amongst the shell-fish tribe,’ says a writer in the 
 Caledonian Mercury^ ‘ the prawn is considered the 
 most dehcious, and of course is the most costly. Prawn- 
 
CORIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 331 
 
 fish, which are about double or three times the size of 
 a shrimp, are in general sold at the rate of Is. per 
 dozen. This high price may he owing to tlieir scarcity, 
 in comparison with the quantity of shrimps sent to 
 market, with a view to give prawn-fishers encourage¬ 
 ment to prosecute the trade. The prawn-fish are not 
 what many people suppose, ‘ only shrimps of a larger 
 size.’ Their heads and fore-claws are differently marked, 
 showing at once the distinction. The habits of the 
 two fish are also different. The shrimp burrows in the 
 sand, causing fishermen to use trawl-nets for their cap¬ 
 ture. They are caught in greatest numbers on sand¬ 
 banks, about the entrance of estuaries. The j)rawm-fish 
 chiefly locate amongst rocks, and hard bottom, where 
 there is much tangle and sea-weed. The fishermen at 
 Bognor, in Sussex, and some place on the Isle of 
 Wight, catch prawns in wicker-worked baskets, shaped 
 exactly like those wlre-wmrked rat-traps that have the 
 entrance on the top, so that ‘ when the rat gets in, it 
 can’t get out again.’ Several hundreds of these baskets 
 baited with any sort of garbage, fish heads, &c., are 
 set amongst the rocks at low water, where they remain 
 until the tide has flown to its full, and again ebbed. 
 The baskets are then overhauled, to see what luck. 
 Prawn-fishing, like every other description of fishing, is 
 ,j not always to be depended on. Some tides, not one 
 i prawm may be found in hundreds of baskets; at other 
 times every trap may have secured its victims. From 
 ■ five up to 60, and as high as 70 j)rawns have at times 
 I been taken in one trap. The baskets with which the 
 I English fishermen catch lobsters are just of the same 
 shape as the prawn-trap, the only difference being that 
 I they are of larger dimensions.’ 
 
 1 
 
332 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Immense prawns [Camaroes) are very plentiful at Rio 
 Janeiro. Strangers are often tokl as a joke, that these 
 are kept in pits, and fed with the dead bodies of slaves, 
 thrown to them from time to time, and many people 
 will in consequence not touch them. 
 
 The following instructions for cooking shrimps and 
 prawns may be acceptable in out-of-the-way localities, 
 where they are bought alive from the fishermen:— 
 
 ‘ To dress shrimps and prawns, so that they might 
 at once be tasty and look well to the eye, is considered 
 a very nice point for the cook to perform. A pot, con¬ 
 taining a pickle that will nearly float an egg, is put 
 on the fire. When the pickle begins to boil, the prawns 
 (all alive) are put into it, which of course sends the 
 pickle below the boiling point for a time. A brisk fire 
 must be kept up under the pot, and when the pickle 
 again boils up, the prawns are cooked. Should they 
 not be boiled sufficiently, they are as soft as pulp, and if 
 boiled too much, they are hard as horn. The fish are 
 removed from the pot and spread on a table, sprinlding 
 over them a little salt. A cloth is then thrown over the 
 whole, which keeps in the steam. By this operation, 
 the steam melts the salt, and imparts to the prawn that 
 beautiful red and glossy appearance seen on them whilst 
 in the London fishmongers’ shops.’ 
 
 It might probably be possible to save some of our 
 refuse shrimps, which get too stale to find customers 
 here, and dry them for exjiort to the East, where they 
 are in great demand. The trade in dried shrimps in 
 Siam amounts to 60 tons a year; and they cannot get 
 enough of them to pound up with their rice. 
 
 Dried prawns form a considerable article of trade in 
 the Philippines. The Malays and the Siamese, who eat 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 333 
 
 dried prawns and dried mnssels, must have very tough 
 stomachs to digest them, and it would take an ostrich’s 
 gizzard, one would suppose, to triturate other tough 
 dried molluscs used, in different localities, such as the 
 Haliotis dried. Thus the ‘ pearl womb,’ as the mantle 
 or flesh of the.pearl-oyster [Mehagrina margaritifera) 
 is called, is stinmg and dried, and when cooked 
 with cassia huds is eaten with rice. Numerous 
 minute peai’ls are often found in this substance (as 
 is sometimes the case with the common oyster) during 
 mastication. 
 
 There is scope enough to he found for drying this 
 mollusc, when a government pearl fishery is on at 
 Ceylon, for then millions of pearl-oysters are thrown 
 on the shore, after being opened, and left there to rot. 
 
 Under the name of Balacliong or gnapee, there is a 
 mess made in Burmah, Sumatra, &c., of prawns, shrimps, 
 or any cheap fish, pounded into a consistent mass, and 
 frequently allowed to become partially putrid. It is 
 largely used by the natives as a condiment to their rice, 
 as no vegetable food is deemed palatable without it; and 
 a considerable trade is carried on \Uth it, its use ex¬ 
 tending to every country from China to Bengal. 
 
 In all populous cities there is great consumption of 
 oysters, both of the large common kinds termed ‘ scut- 
 tlemouths’ by the venders, and of the more expensive 
 and small delicate fed ‘ native.’ Even the mangrove or 
 tree oyster is esteemed in the tropics. One hundred or 
 two hundred of these parasitic oysters may often he 
 found on a single hough, pendent in the water, in the 
 I rivers of Africa, or the West Indies. 
 
 ' We can well conceive the astonishment of Columbus 
 I and his mariners when, in the Gulf of Paria, they first 
 
834 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 fotiucl oysters clinging to the branches, their mouths 
 open as was supposed, to receive the dew, which was 
 afterwards to he transformed into pearls. 
 
 The spawn of the fish is attached by a glutinous 
 substance to any object tvith which it comes in contact, 
 and the adhesion continues until the oyster is forcibly 
 removed. On the southern coasts of the United 
 States, in Florida and Louisiana, oysters may thus be 
 seen growing as it were on trees, or the limbs at least of 
 those which have sunk into the water, by the weight of 
 the foliage, or from any other cause. The opossum and 
 the racoon feed upon these oysters, procuring them by 
 lifting the boughs from the water, and hence the American 
 name racoon oysters, a term they are universally known 
 by. They are of a long slender shape, and growung very 
 rapidly, always have thin and delicate shells. 
 
 The value of the oysters sold in the city of New 
 York now exceeds £1,250,000 sterling. The money 
 invested in the trade by 150 wholesale dealers is about 
 £100,000, and the number of persons employed in the 
 business, directly or indirectly, including saloon keepers, 
 street venders, &c., is 50,000. Of the whole amount 
 sold in the markets, about two-thirds come from Virginia, 
 which has a more extensive oyster trade than any other 
 State in the Union. The residue is obtained, according 
 to the New York Herald, from the waters of their own 
 State, and those of New Jersey—the East Eiver fur¬ 
 nishing the largest quantity. A considerable supply is 
 procured from Shrewsbury and York Bay; but very 
 few of the latter are consumed in the city, as they are 
 cultivated particularly for the western market. One of 
 the most interesting features in the business is the 
 transplanting of oysters, or their removal from the 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 335 
 
 ‘ rock,’ or natural bed, to an artificial one. This pro¬ 
 cess is of peculiar importance, and absolutely necessary 
 to the successful prosecution of the trade. It would, 
 in fact, be next to impossible to sup])ly the market 
 during the whole year, but for the general system 
 of transplanting Avhich is pursued by aU the dealers. 
 More than a million dollars’ worth are removed every 
 year to artificial beds, and by this means prevented 
 from spavming, which renders them unfit for use. 
 Thus, a large proportion of the East River oysters were 
 originally obtained from the North River, where the 
 soil and water are not considered so favourable to their 
 cultivation. Of the fifty thousand persons engaged in 
 the business, the majority, of course, are dependent 
 upon their own labour for support; but there are 
 a considerable number of the dealers, or, as they might 
 more properly be called, oyster merchants, who possess 
 large fortunes, amassed from the sale of oysters alone. 
 They are amongst the most worthy of her citizens, and 
 New York is not a little indebted to their enterprise for 
 her extensive business in what has now become an in¬ 
 dispensable article of food. 
 
 I It is only within the last thirty years that the oyster 
 ' trade was established in New York. Before that time, 
 it is true, oysters w-ere sold there; but the business 
 i transacted w’as exceedingly limited, and there was little 
 or no inducement for persons to engage in it. Nearly 
 all that were brought to market were procured from the 
 I natural beds, for the benefits to be obtained from plant- 
 i ing were but imperfectly understood by a few of the 
 (i dealers, or entirely unknown to them. In the course 
 of a few years, how’ever, the business grew into import- 
 li ance, and men of capital and enterprise engaged in 
 
336 
 
 CUKIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 it. The planting of beds—a very essential part of the 
 trade — was commenced; the few oyster boats, of 
 diminutive size, engaged in supplying New York, 
 became an immense fleet; an extensive trade began 
 with Virginia; the East Eiver became a mine of wealth 
 to those who worked its beds; the coasts of the bays 
 and the shores of the rivers were explo’red and given 
 over to the tongs, the scraper, and the dredges of the 
 oystermen. It was found that by removing the oyster 
 from its natural bed to an artificial one, it could not 
 only be increased in size, but improved in quality, and 
 rendered fit for use at any period of the year. This 
 was a very important matter to understand, for there 
 are certain months when the oyster is unfit for use, in 
 consequence of its being full of spawn. While they re¬ 
 mained in the natural bed, they were always subject to 
 this objection; but if not permitted to lie too long in 
 the artificial one, they could be preserved free from 
 spawn. Although they increased in size, they seldom 
 or never became more numerous by transplanting. 
 Hundreds of vessels are constantly employed, during 
 certain months, in transplanting in the East River, in 
 Prince’s Bay, and other parts of the State. 
 
 The appended summary will give some further idea 
 of the extent of the oyster trade in New York :— 
 
 Number of boats of all sizes, from fifty to two 
 hundred and fifty tons, employed in the 
 
 trade in Virginia oysters.1,000 
 
 In the East and North River trade .... 200 
 
 In the Shrewsbury trade. 20 
 
 In the Blue Point and Sound trade .... 100 
 
 In the York Bay trade.200 
 
 Whole number of boats. . 
 
 . . 1,520 
 
CUEIOSITIKS OF FOOD. 
 
 337 
 
 The following table ■will show the annual amount of 
 sales of all kinds of oysters by the wholesale dealers in 
 
 New York;— 
 
 Sales of Virginia oysters, including those dollars. 
 
 planted in Prince’s Bay. 3,000,000 
 
 Sales of East and North Eiver oysters . 1,500,000 
 Do, of Shrewsbury oysters .... 200,000 
 
 Do. of Blue Point and Sound oysters 200,000 
 Do. of York Bay oysters. 300,000 
 
 Sales. 5,200,000 
 
 Baltimore is another great seat of the American oys¬ 
 ter trade. A single firm there has amassed, during the 
 last ten years, a fortune of ,£500,000, by simply trans¬ 
 porting oysters to the Western States, aU of which were 
 obtained at the oyster banks of the eastern shore of 
 Virginia, and sent over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad 
 to Cumberland, and thence to the Ohio river in stages. 
 The firm paid to this railway company, in one year, for 
 transporting oysters alone, above £7,000. 
 
 Another large and enterprising firm in Baltimore, for¬ 
 wards daily to the West, by w^ay of the Susqiiehanna 
 railroad, and the Pennsylvania improvements, eight tons 
 of oysters, in cans. The operations of this one concern 
 comprise the opening of 2,500 bushels of oysters per 
 I' . day, giving constant employment to 150 men and boys! 
 
 ' The shells are carried for manure to all parts of Virginia 
 and North Carolina. In the ‘shocking’ of oysters, the 
 \ shells will increase about one fourth in measurement 
 j bulk; this would give a total of about 6,000,000 bushels 
 ( of shells, which sell for one penny per bushel, maldng a 
 ‘ return of £25,000 for the shells alone. 
 
 The whole shores of the Chesapeake Bay and its 
 i z 
 
 1 
 
338 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 tributaries are adapted to the fattening of the oyster, and 
 as but one year is required for a full growth in the beds, 
 an immense profit accrues to those engaged in the busi¬ 
 ness—a profit which is estimated at some 300 to 600 
 per cent. There were, a few years ago, 250 vessels en¬ 
 gaged in the business, which averages about 900 bushels 
 to the cargo, and requires nine to ten days for the trip. 
 These vessels making, in the aggregate, 6,000 trips 
 during the eight months in the year in which they are 
 engaged, gives a total of 4,800,000 bushels per year sold 
 in the Baltimore market. The oysters used to bring an 
 average price of Is.ScZ. per bushel, which makes a grand 
 total of £160,000 per year paid wholesale for oysters 
 by the dealers in Baltimore. 
 
 With the spread of population, and the progress of 
 settlement in the interior States, the price of this shell 
 fish is advancing, for a late number of the Baltimore 
 Patriot states :— 
 
 ‘ For some time past these delicious bivalves have 
 been very scarce and in great demand, advancing mate¬ 
 rially in price. There are several causes for their up¬ 
 ward tendency in value. First, in consequence of their 
 scarceness, and the difficulty of procuring them, owing 
 to cold, unfavourable weather. Secondly, an increased 
 demand has sprung up from the west. Large numbers 
 are being shipped in barrels, in the shell and otherwise, 
 to Chicago, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Wheeling, Louis¬ 
 ville, and, in fact, to almost every town and city beyond 
 the Alleghanies. A sojourner in Ohio, Indiana, Michi¬ 
 gan, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, or even 
 Iowa and Kansas, may, at this season of the year, sit 
 down to a dish of fresh oysters, live and kicking, enjoy¬ 
 ing luxurious refreshment in comparatively small towns 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 339 
 
 nearly 2,000 miles from Chesapeake. Large shipments 
 of oysters are also making to New York, Boston, and 
 various parts of the north, whilst millions are being put 
 up in cans, hermetically sealed, and sent to all parts of 
 the world. Not long ago, we saw a friendly letter from 
 the mountains of Switzerland, boasting that the writer 
 had just partaken of a dish of delicious Baltimore oys¬ 
 ters. It would not surprise us to see the demand far 
 out-reaching the supply, and a gradual augmentation of 
 price. They are now bringing 1 dollar 25 cents to 1 
 dollar 62f cents per bushel at our wharves, and command 
 9 dollars to 10 dollars per barrel in the shell at Chi¬ 
 cago. Equally high prices are given in all the western 
 cities.’ 
 
 In one of his recent messages to the Virginia legis¬ 
 lature, Governor Wise states, that Virginia possesses an 
 area of 1,680,000 acres of oyster beds, containing about 
 784,000,000 bushels of oysters. It is estimated that 
 the mother oyster spawns annually at least 8,000,000; 
 yet, notwithstanding this enormous productive power, 
 and the vast extent of oyster beds, there is danger of the 
 oyster being exterminated, unless measures are adopted 
 to prevent fishermen from taking them at improper sea¬ 
 sons of the year. 
 
 A bill was lately introduced in the Virginia legisla¬ 
 ture, the main features of which are to the following 
 effect:— 
 
 1st. Prohibits the taking of oysters by non-residents. 
 2nd. Provides for the protection of oyster beds during 
 the spawning season. 3rd. Taxes on licenses for taking 
 and transporting oysters, calculated to yield an average 
 of three and a half cents of revenue per bushel. 4th. 
 The appointment of inspectors, &c., to superintend the 
 
 z 2 
 
340 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD, 
 
 renting of planting grounds. 5tli. The purchase and 
 equipment of four steamers for the enforcement of the 
 la w—said steamers to cost a total of 30,000 dollars, and 
 to be employed at a yearly expense of about 7,000 
 dollars. 
 
 The oyster trade is extensively carried pn at Boston. 
 Messrs. Atwood have nine vessels exclusively employed 
 in the business, five of which are clipper-built schooners, 
 freighting oysters from the south. They have 75 acres 
 of flats, near what is called White Island, on the Mys¬ 
 tic river, where the fresh oysters of the south are trans¬ 
 planted, to grow and fatten in water much softer than 
 their native element, and where they keep a supply in 
 the summer months, and for the winter stock. 
 
 It is estimated that the quantity of oysters now 
 planted in the waters of Newhaven harbour. United 
 States, is 500,000 bushels. Estimating 200 oysters to 
 the bushel, this would give one hundred millions of 
 oysters. These oysters are for the early fall trade, and 
 are apart from the enormous quantities imported and 
 opened there during the winter months. 
 
 In the Plaquemines region of Louisiana, upwards 
 of 500 men are engaged in the oyster trade, 150 of 
 which number dredge the oysters from the bays, the rest 
 are employed in conveying them to New Orleans, For 
 this purpose, 170 small luggers, sloops, and schooners, 
 of from five to fifteen tons burthen, are in use for five 
 months in the year. During the summer months, they 
 find employment in carrying shells from the islands to 
 the forts and to the city. These made into concrete by 
 a mortar of lime, sand, and hydraulic cement, form the 
 most substantial and imperishable wall known. For 
 public works in process of erection, the city streets, and 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 341 
 
 ornamental walks at private residences, the collection of 
 oyster shells affords good summer employment to this 
 class of persons. From the best information to be had 
 on the subject, the parish of Plaquemines sends a weekly 
 supply to the city of New Orleans of at least 4,000 
 barrels of oysters, amounting in value during the season 
 to about £25,000. 
 
 A South African paper, of a late date, observes;— 
 
 ‘ The natives of this vicinity have recently begun to 
 offer for sale bottles filled with oysters—not ‘natives’— 
 separated from the shell, and floating in their own 
 liquor. The unlimited supply of this delicious food, 
 obtainable on the coast, now that the natives have ac¬ 
 quired a notion of the trade, will enable many, to whom 
 oysters had become things of memory, to renew again 
 ‘ the days of auld lang syne.’ The shells are so firmly 
 attached to the rocks, that we do not think it would pay 
 white men to follow this pursuit ; at all events, they 
 could not afford to sell the oysters cheap enough for 
 extensive use. But the somewhat rough process adopted 
 by ‘ our coloured brethren ’ (or rather ‘ sisters,’ we be¬ 
 lieve), though it destroys the beauty of the fish, does 
 not injure its flavour, which we can pronounce to be 
 equal to that of the ‘ real native ’ of the British seas.’ 
 
 IMussels are chiefly eaten by the lower classes, but 
 they are also largely employed for bait, which all marine 
 animals will take; some millions of them are used for this 
 purpose at the fishing stations. In one district alone, 
 their value for this object is £13,000. 
 
 A choice kind of large mussel, known under the 
 name of Hambleton hookers, is taken out of the sea, 
 and fattened in the VYyre, Lancashire, within reach of 
 the tide. 
 
349 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Some of the mussels found along parts of the South 
 American coasts, especially the Magellanic, and the Falk¬ 
 land Islands, are very large, about six inches long, by 
 three broad. Dr. Pernety, in his Journal of the Voyage 
 to the Malouine Islands, says, 
 
 ‘ We more than once attempted to eat some of these, 
 but found them so full of pearls that it was impossible 
 to chew them; the pearls being very hard, endangered 
 the breaking of our teeth, and when they were broken 
 in pieces, they left a kind of sand in the mouth, which 
 was very disagreeable.’ 
 
 Several species of gapers are used as food, both in 
 Britain and on the Continent, as the Ilya arenaria, 
 known to the fishermen about Southampton by the 
 whimsical name of old maids —in some parts of Eng¬ 
 land and Ireland they are much used; and the My a 
 truncata, which is very plentiful in the northern islands, 
 where it is called Smurslin, when boiled forms a sup- 
 j3er dish. Though not so delicate as some of the other 
 shell fish eaten, it is by no means unpalatable. 
 
 The scallop was held in high estimation by the an¬ 
 cients, and is still sought for in Catholic countries. The 
 Pecten maximus is frequently used in England. When 
 pickled and barrelled for sale, it is esteemed a great 
 delicacy. Another species, the Pecten opercularis, is 
 employed for culinary purposes in Cornwall, where it 
 is known by the name of frills, or queens. To our list of 
 bivalves may be added the Mactra solida, which is used 
 as food by the common people about Dartmouth, and 
 the Venus pullastra, called by the inhabitants of Devon¬ 
 shire, pullet, and eaten by them. 
 
 Large clams and mussels are eaten in the United 
 States, but in the Lower British American Provinces 
 
CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 343 
 
 tliey are principally used as bait for fish. The scallops 
 are also of very large size, and are more commonly 
 eaten than they are with us. 
 
 Scalloped oysters, although very dainty eating, are 
 most indigestible. 
 
 The business of digging clams is engaged in by a 
 large nnmbeh of persons on the North American coasts. 
 There are two varieties, distinguished as the hard shell 
 and the soft shell. They are eaten largely in spring, when 
 they are in the best condition. Clams are much prized 
 by persons residing at a distance from the sea coast, and 
 they are frequently sent into the interior, where they 
 meet a ready sale, as they can be sold at a very low 
 price. They are salted and preserved in barrels, and 
 used by fishermen as bait for cod-fish. For many years 
 past the digging and salting of clams for the Boston 
 market has been an important business. These shell¬ 
 fish abound in the extensive flats at the mouths of some 
 of the rivers. The flats are daily covered by the 
 tide, and afford the feeding ground which the clams re¬ 
 quire, Clams multiply with astonishing rapidity ; they 
 are dug in the winter and spring. The business fur¬ 
 nishes employment for men and boys, that in former 
 years were occiipied in winter fishing. The work is 
 done, of course, at low water. When the tide is out, 
 on pleasant winter days, one will often see gangs of 10, 
 20, or 50 men and boys busily employed in turning up the 
 mud on the flats, picldng up the clams, and putting them 
 into buckets. The implement which they use is a stout 
 fork with three flat prongs, each about an inch wide, 
 and 10 or 12 inches long. The men go out on the flats 
 in wherries, when the tide is retiring, and push an oar 
 into the mud, and make fast the boat to it, and as soon 
 
344 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 as the water has left the boat, commence operations. 
 When a bucket is filled, it is emptied into the boat. 
 They continue their work until the tide comes in again 
 sufficiently to float the boat, when they pull to the 
 wharf. On many places on the shores of these flats 
 there are groups of small huts, 10 or 12 feet square, 
 with stone chimnies running up on the 'outside, fur¬ 
 nished within with a small stove and two or three 
 stools for seats. The clams are deposited in these huts, 
 and in those parts of the day when the tide is in, so that 
 the men cannot work out on the flats, and in stormy 
 weather, they are employed in ‘ shocking ’ them, as it is 
 called, that is, in opening the shell and taking out the 
 clam, which is done with a small stout knife. As the 
 clams are taken from the shell, they are dropped into a 
 bucket; when the bucket is filled, they are emptied 
 into a barrel. Around these huts, it is not uncommon 
 to see heaps of clam shells larger than the huts them¬ 
 selves, the accumulation of the winter’s labour. The 
 clam diggers sell the produce of their labour to traders, 
 who send their teams round to the huts weekly or 
 daily, aecording to the weather, carry them to their 
 store-houses, and repack and salt them, and head them 
 up in barrels, when they are ready for the market. 
 
 A species of Murex {M. loco) is highly esteemed in 
 Chile. It is very white and of a delicious taste, but 
 rather tough; and in order to render it tender, it is 
 generally beaten with a small stick before it is cooked. 
 
 The periwinkle (Turbo littoreus) is more extensively 
 used as food than any of the other testaceous univalves. 
 It would hardly be supposed that so trifling an article 
 of consumption as periwinkles could form a matter of 
 extensive traffic; but the quantity consumed annually in 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 345 
 
 London lias been estimated at 76,000 baskets, weighing 
 1,900 tons, and valued at £15,000. This well-known 
 mollusc is found on all the rocks and shores of our oivn 
 islands which are left uncovered by the tide, and also 
 in America and other countries. 
 
 The cockneys and their visitors are deeply indebted 
 to the industrious inhabitants of Kerara, near Oban, 
 for a plenteous treat of this rather vulgar luxury ; and 
 the Kerarans are no less obliged to the Londoners for 
 a never-failing market, for what now appears to be 
 their general staple article. They are gathered by the 
 poor people, who get GcZ. a bushel for collecting them. 
 From Oban they are forwarded to Glasgow, and thence 
 to Liverpool, en route to London. Very few are re¬ 
 tained in transit, better profits being obtained in London, 
 even after paying so much sea and land carriage. 
 
 Every week there are probably 30 tons or more of 
 this insignificant edible sent up to London, from Glas¬ 
 gow, all of which are collected near Oban, and must be 
 a means of affording considerable employment, and dif¬ 
 fusing a considerable amount weekly in wages, amongst 
 the numerous persons employed. The periwinkles are 
 packed in bags, containing from two to three cwt. each, 
 and keep quite fresh until they arrive at their ultimate 
 destination. In London they sell at 3(Z. a pint. 
 
 Whelks (the Buccinum undatum) are another shell¬ 
 fish which, though despised on the sea coasts, are a 
 favourite dish, boiled or pickled, among the poorer 
 classes in the metropolis, as the gusto manifested at the 
 street-stalls in London evidences. Boys and children 
 of a larger growth frequently indulge pi a ‘ hapenny ’ 
 or penny saucer of these dainties. Large quantities of 
 whelks are transmitted from Mull to London; some 
 
 1 
 
346 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 steamers from tlie north bring six or seven tons at a 
 time. 
 
 Several species of snails {Helix) are employed for 
 culinary purposes. The largest of these, the Helix 
 pomatia, was a favourite dish among the Romans, who 
 fattened them with bran sodden with wine. They are 
 still used largely in many parts of Europe, during 
 Lent, after having been fed with different kinds of 
 herbs. The Africans and Brazilians eat snails. 
 
 The Helix hortensis has also been employed as food, 
 and they are prescribed medicinally, being administered 
 like slugs in consumptive cases. 
 
 Many are familiar with the passage in Pliny {Hist. 
 lib. ix., c. 56), who, on the authority of Varro, relates 
 the incredible size to which the art of fattening had 
 brought the snails. Even assuming the snails were 
 African Achatina or Bidimi, there must, one should 
 think, be some mistake in the text, which says, ‘ Cujus 
 artis gloria in earn magnitudinem perducta sit, ut oc- 
 toginta quadrantes caperent singularum calices.’ Pen¬ 
 nant, referring to this and to Varro {De Re Rustica) 
 says, ‘ If we should credit Varro, they grew so large 
 that the shells of some would hold ten quarts! ’ 
 
 People need not admire the temperance of the supper 
 of the younger Pliny {Epist. lib. i.; Epist. xv.), which 
 consisted of only a lettuce a-piece, three snails, two 
 eggs, a barley cake, sweet wine and snow, in case his 
 snails bore any proportion to those of Hirpinus. 
 
 Among the pictures in the dressing-rooms at Chis¬ 
 wick House, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, there 
 is one, by IMurillo, of a beggar boy eating a snail pie. 
 
 The snail is now a very fashionable article of diet in 
 Paris; and has also spread to America. Snails are eaten 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 347 
 
 in Tuscany and Austria. They were highly esteemed 
 by the Romans, our masters in gastronomy. In the 
 provinces of France, where the vine is cultivated, snails 
 of large size abound. They are gathered by the pea¬ 
 sants, put in small pans for a few days, salt water 
 thrown on them, to cause them to discharge whatever 
 their stomachs may contain ; then boiled, taken out of 
 the shell, and eaten with a sauce, and considered a 
 luxury by the vine dressers. 
 
 There are now 50 restaurants, and more than 1,200 
 private tables in Paris, where snails are accepted as a 
 delicacy by from 8,000 to 10,000 consumers. The 
 monthly consumption of this mollusc is estimated at 
 half a million. The market price of the great vine¬ 
 yard snail is from 2s. to 3s. per 100; while those of the 
 hedges, woods, and forests, bring only Is. 6d to 2s. 
 The pi'oprietor of one snailery, in the vicinity of Dijon, 
 is said to clear nearly £300 a year by his snails. 
 
 In Switzerland, where there are gardens in which 
 they are fed in many thousands together, a considerable 
 1 trade is carried on in them about the season of Lent; 
 
 ‘I ' 
 
 - and at Vienna, a few years ago, seven of them were 
 charged at an inn the same as a plate of veal or beef, 
 f The usual modes of preparing them for the table are 
 * either boiling, frying them in butter, or sometimes 
 ^ stuffing them with force-meat; but in whatever manner 
 ( soever they are dressed, it is said their sliminess always 
 . in a great measure remains. 
 
 An anecdote is told of Drs. Black and Hutton, which 
 ! shows how difficult it is for philosophy to wage a war 
 I with prejudice. It chanced that the two doctors had 
 held some discourse together upon the folly of abstain- 
 ing from feeding on the testaceous creatures of the land, 
 
348 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 while those of the sea were considered as delicacies. 
 Wherefore not eat snails ?—they are well known to he 
 nutritious and wholesome—even sanative in some cases. 
 The epicures of olden times enumerated among the 
 richest and raciest delicacies the snails which were fed 
 in the marble quarries of Lucca. The Italians still hold 
 them in esteem. In short, it was determined that a 
 gastronomic experiment should be made at the expense 
 of the snails. The snails were procured, dieted for a 
 time, then stewed for the benefit of the two philosophers: 
 who had either invited no guest to their banquet, or 
 found none who relished in prospect the piece de resist¬ 
 ance. A huge dish of snails was placed before them; 
 but philosophers are but men after all; and the stomachs 
 of both doctors began to revolt against the proposed 
 experiment. Nevertheless, if they looked with disgust 
 on the snails, they retained their awe for each other; 
 and each conceiving the symptoms of internal revolt 
 peculiar to himself, began with infinity of exertion to 
 swallow, in very small quantities, the mess which he 
 internally loathed. Dr. Black, at length, ‘ showed the 
 white feather,’ but in a very delicate manner, as if to 
 sound the opinion of his messmate :—‘ Doctor,’ he said, 
 in his precise and quiet manner, ‘ Doctor—do you not 
 think that they taste a little—a very little, green?’ 
 ‘ Green! green, indeed—take them awa’, take them 
 awa’,’ vociferated Dr. Hutton, starting up from table, 
 and giving full vent to his feelings of abhorrence. And 
 so ended all hopes of introducing snails into their cuisine. 
 
 At the town of Ulm, in Wurtemburg, on the left 
 bank of the Danube, snails are fed in great quantities 
 for various markets in Germany and Austria, but es¬ 
 pecially for that of Vienna, where they are esteemed 
 a great delicacy, after having been fed upon straw- 
 
CTJEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 349 
 
 berries. About 20,000 okes (each nearly 3 lbs.) of snails 
 are anniially exported from Crete, valued at 15,000 
 Turkish piastres. 
 
 The breed of large -white snails in England is to be 
 found all along the escarpment of the chalk range, and 
 is not confined to Surrey. It is said to have been intro¬ 
 duced into England by Sir Kenelm Digby, and was 
 considered very nutritious and wholesome for con¬ 
 sumptive patients. Indeed, to this day, considerable 
 quantities are sold in Covent Garden market for this 
 purpose. They are sometimes made into a mucilag¬ 
 inous broth, and at others swallowed in a raw state. 
 
 In the Island of Bourbon, the French use them to 
 make a soup for the sick. 
 
 At Cape Coast Castle the luxuries of the natives are 
 fish soup, made of dried unsalted fish, and snail soup 
 with land crabs in it; and beyond Ashantee the food 
 consists of plantains and large snails, 300 or 400 of 
 which dried on a string sell for a dollar. These snails 
 are the great African Achatina, which are the largest 
 of all land-snails, attaining a length of eight inches. 
 
 A species of barnacle, called the parrot bill (Balanus 
 psittacus), is much esteemed by the inhabitants of Chile. 
 From 10 to 20 of these animals inhabit as many small 
 separate cells, formed in a pyramid of a cretaceous sub¬ 
 stance. These pyramids are usually attached to the 
 steepest parts of rocks at the water’s edge, and the 
 animal derives its subsistence from the sea, by means of 
 a little hole at the top of each cell. The shell consists 
 of six valves, two large and four small; the large 
 ones project externally in the form of a parrot’s bill, 
 wdience the animal has received its specific name. When 
 detached from the rocks, they are kept alive in their 
 cells for four or five days, during which time they 
 
350 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 occasionally protrude their bills as if to breathe. They 
 are of different sizes, though the largest do not exceed 
 an inch in length, and are very white, tender, and 
 excellent eating.Capt. P. P. King, K.N., confirms 
 this, and says they form a common and highly esteemed 
 food of the natives, the flesh equalling in richness and 
 delicacy that of the crab. 
 
 ANNELIDA. 
 
 Palolo is the native name of a species of sea-worm 
 {Palolo viridis), which is found in some parts of Samoa, 
 the Navigator’s Islands, in the South Pacifie Ocean— 
 and of which the following singular account is given by 
 the Pev. J. B. Stair, of the South Sea Missions. They 
 come regularly in the months of October and November, 
 during portions of tw’o days in each month, viz ; the day 
 before and the day on which the moon is in her last 
 quarter. They appear in much greater numbers on the 
 second than on the first day of their rising, and are 
 only observed for two or three hours in the early part 
 of each morning of their appearance. At the first 
 dawn of day, they may be felt by the hand swimming 
 on the surface of the water; and as the day advances 
 their numbers increase, so that by the time the sun has 
 risen, thousands may be observed in a very small space, 
 sporting merrily during their short visit to the surface 
 of the ocean. On the second day they appear at the 
 same time, and in a similar manner, but in such count¬ 
 less myriads, that the surface of the ocean is covered 
 with them for a considerable extent. On each day, after 
 
 * Molina’s Natural History of Chile. 
 
CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 351 
 
 sporting for an hour or two, they disappear until the 
 next season, and not one is ever observed during the 
 intervening time. In size they may be compared to a 
 very fine straw, and are of various colours and lengths, 
 green, brown, white, and speckled, and in appearance 
 and mode of ^swimming, resemble very small snakes. 
 They are exceedingly brittle, and if broken into many 
 pieces, each piece swims off as though it were an entire 
 worm. The natives are exceedingly fond of them, and 
 calculate with great exactness the time of their appear¬ 
 ance, which is looked forward to with great interest. 
 The worms are caught in small baskets, beautifully made, 
 and when taken on shore are tied up in leaves in small 
 bundles, and baked. Great quantities are eaten un¬ 
 dressed ; but either dressed or undressed, are esteemed 
 a great delicacy. Such is the desire to eat Palolo by all 
 classes, that immediately the fishing parties reach the 
 shore, messengers are dispatched in all directions with 
 quantities to parts of the island on which none appear.’ 
 
 At a recent exhibition of paintings, a lady and her 
 son were regarding with much interest a picture which 
 the catalogue designated as Luther at the Diet of 
 Worms. Having descanted at some length upon its 
 merits, the boy remarked, ‘ Mother, I see Luther and 
 the table, but where are the worms ?’ 
 
 CEPHALOPODA. 
 
 In recent times, and in some parts of the Levant even 
 now, as we learn from Forbes and Spratt’s Lycia, the 
 cuttle-fish of different species were used as articles of 
 
359 
 
 CUBIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 food; and we know from tlie works of travellers, tliat 
 in other parts of the world, when cooked, they are 
 esteemed as luxuries. 
 
 Besides the common cuttle-fish (Septa octopodia), two 
 or three other singular species are found on the Chilian 
 coasts of the Pacific. The first, the ungulated cuttle¬ 
 fish (Sepia unguiculata), is of a great size, and instead 
 of suckers, has paws armed with a double row of pointed 
 nails, like those of a cat, which it can, at its pleasure, 
 draw into a kind of sheath. This fish is of a delicate 
 taste, but is not very common. The second is named 
 (Sepia tunicata), from its body being covered with a 
 second skin, in the form of a tunic; this is transparent, 
 and terminates in two little semicircular appendages 
 like wings, which project from either side of the tail. 
 Many wonderful and incredible stories are told by sailors 
 of the hulk and strength of this fish ; it is however certain 
 that it is frequently caught of 150 lbs. weight, on the 
 coast of Chile, and the flesh is esteemed a great delicacy. 
 The sea around Barbados is frequented by a species 
 of the order Cephalopoda, which is used as an article of 
 food by the lower classes of the inhabitants, namely the 
 bastard cuttle-fish, or calmar, (Loligo sagitatta, Lam.) 
 
 The flesh of the large cephalopodous animals, (Loligo 
 of Lamark; les Calmars of Cuvier,) was esteemed as a 
 delicacy by the ancients. Most of the eastern natives, 
 and those of the Polynesian Islands, partake of it, and 
 esteem it as food; they may be seen exposed for sale 
 in the bazaars or markets throughout India. 
 
 The natives of most of the islands in the China Seas 
 dry the Sepice and Octopi, as well as the soft parts of 
 the Haliotis, Turbo, Hippo pus, Tridacna, (fee., and 
 make use of them as articles of food. But from my little 
 experience of this kind of diet, notwithstanding the 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 353 
 
 assertion of the learned Bacon, in his Experiment Soli¬ 
 tary touching Cuttle-ink, that the cuttle is accounted 
 a delicate meat, and is much in request, I should say 
 that it is as indigestible and unnutritious as it is cer¬ 
 tainly tough and uninviting. Cephalopods, however, 
 are eaten at the present day on some parts of the Medi¬ 
 terranean coa!?ts; and in Hampshire I have seen the 
 poor people collect assiduously the Sepice and employ 
 them as food. 
 
 The common snail of the Meiacoshimahs is eaten 
 by the natives, as the Helix aspersa and H.pomatia are 
 occasionally in Europe. 
 
 The Malays are fond of the Cerithium telescopium 
 and palustre found in the Mangrove swamps. They 
 throw them on their wood fires, and when sufficiently 
 cooked, break off the sharp end of the spine, and suck 
 the tail of the animal through the opening. 
 
 ‘ The poor people of the Philippines relish the 
 Area inequivalvis, boiling them as we do cockles or 
 mussels; the flesh, however, is red and very bad-fla¬ 
 voured. Some Monodonta which I have eaten among 
 the Korean Islands are quite peppery, and bite the 
 tongue, producing the same unpleasant effects upon 
 that organ as the root of the Arum maculatum, or 
 leaves of the Taro, but in much less intense degree ; and 
 a species of Mytilus, found in the same locality, has 
 very similar unpalatable qualities.’ * 
 
 Of the several species of urchins or sea-eggs, one, 
 the Echinus alhus, is eaten by the Chilians and others. 
 The white urchin is of a globular form, and about three 
 inches in diameter; the shell and spines are white, but 
 the interior substance is yellowish and of an excellent taste. 
 
 * Adam’s Natural History, 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 There is a marine delicacy of the Chinese which must 
 not be passed unnoticed; it is a kind of sea-slug, 
 varieties of HolotJmria, fished for on the coral reefs of 
 the Eastern seas, and known under the names of 
 Beche-de-mer and Tripang. 
 
 When dried it is an ugly looking dirty-brown colored 
 substance, very hard and rigid until softened by water, 
 and a very lengthened process of cooking, after which 
 it becomes soft and mucilaginous. It is rendered 
 down into a sort of thick soup, after partaking of 
 which a Chinaman sleeps in the seventh heaven of 
 Chinese bliss. It looks like a dried sausage or blood- 
 pudding, and some resemble a prickly cucumber. 
 There are at least 33 different varieties enumerated by 
 the Chinese traders and others skilled in its classifi¬ 
 cation, for fashion and custom have caused each variety 
 to have a different market. While the gourmand of the 
 South smacks his lips on the juicy white and black, 
 the less cultivated taste of those at the North is satis¬ 
 fied with the red and more inferior varieties. One of 
 the inferior kinds is slender, and of a dark brown 
 colour, soft to the touch, and leaves a red stain on the 
 hands; another is of a grey colour and speckled; a 
 third is large and a dark yellow, with a rough sldn and 
 tubercles on its side. The second kind is often eaten 
 raw by the natives, as I have seen a red herring eaten 
 raw. The price varies from £7 to £14 the picul, of 
 133 lbs., and as there are about 1,000 of the slugs in a 
 picul, they are worth from 2d. to ^d. each, according 
 to quality, wholesale. 
 
 The process of curing and preparation for market is 
 very simple. The slug, on being taken from the boat, 
 is simmered over a fire in an iron caldron for about 
 
CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 355 
 
 half-an-hour, after which it is thrown out upon the 
 ground, and the operation of opening commences, this 
 being effected by a longitudinal cut along the back with 
 a sharp knife. It is then again placed in the caldron 
 and boiled in salt water, with which a quantity of the 
 bark of the mangrove has been mixed, for about three 
 hours, when fhe outer skin will begin to peel off. It is 
 now sufficiently boiled, and after the water has been 
 drained off, the slugs are arranged in the drying-houses 
 (small huts covered with mats) upon frames of split 
 bamboo spread out immediately under the roof. Each 
 slug is carefully placed with the part that has been cut 
 open facing downwards, and a fire is made underneath, 
 the smoke of which soon dries the tripang sufficiently 
 to permit its being packed in bags or baskets for ex¬ 
 portation. 
 
 Mr. Wingrove Cooke, in his cleverly described ac¬ 
 count of a Chinese banquet, thus narrates his impres¬ 
 sion of the dish prepared from them: ‘ The next course 
 was expected with a very nervous excitement. It was 
 a stew of sea-slugs. As I have seen them at Macao 
 1 they are white, but as served at Ningpo they are green. 
 
 I credit the Imperial academician’s as the orthodox dish. 
 
 I They are slippery, and very tUfficult to be handled by 
 i inexperienced chopsticks; but they are most succulent 
 and pleasant food, not at all unlike in flavour to the 
 green fat of a turtle. If a man cannot eat anything of a 
 ' kind whereof he has not seen his father and grandfather 
 eat before, we must leave him to his oysters, and his 
 periwinkles, and his cray-fish, and not expect him to 
 swallow the much more comely sea-slug. But surely 
 a Briton, who has eaten himself into a poisonous pleth¬ 
 ora upon mussels, has no right to hold up his hands 
 
 A A 2 
 
356 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 and eyes at a Chinaman enjoying his honest well-cooked 
 stew of heclie-de-mer.’ 
 
 The peculiarities of this animal have been thus 
 graphically described: ‘ It can stand erect and graze 
 
 on the sea grasses, or crawl on its belly, and digest the 
 contents of sea-shells sufficient to fill a cabinet; harder 
 and bigger than a brick, it can yet go thiPugh a lady’s 
 ring: its natural shape is that of a cucumber, yet it 
 will take the mould of any vessel in which it is placed; 
 apparently without sight, night is the time it collects 
 its food : furnished with teeth, they are only used to 
 hold on by, while at the opposite end the fish gapes to 
 receive its tiny prey, which it draws in by feelers thrust 
 forward for the purpose. Opened by the conchologist, 
 he will be rewarded with a store of minute shells most 
 perfectly cleaned: boiled and dried it reduces to one- 
 twelfth its weight and one-fifth its size: resoaked, it 
 expands to nearly its former dimensions ; but damped, 
 it becomes glue, nasty and disagreeable: sliced up and 
 boiled it becomes isinglass, of use to none but the 
 Chinese gourmand. The reefs of the Archipelago have 
 been ransacked for it, and many a risk has been run in 
 procuring it from the Cannibal Isles of the Pacific. 
 The main supplies for the China market, are fur¬ 
 nished by the Celebes proas. Tbe industrious mer¬ 
 chants of this island bring it in their fleets from Torres 
 Straits, and the far-off reefs of New Guinea, and collect 
 it from every islet and village in the Archipelago. Other 
 supplies with this find their way to the Dutch and 
 Spanish trading ports on the larger islands, and are 
 from them shipped to Batavia, Singapore, and Manila. 
 From this last port a few Spanish vessels have procured 
 it in the Sooloo Sea; but this fishery, as well as all 
 
CUEIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 357 
 
 tlie others well known, has yielded its best supplies, 
 and the enhanced price in China adds inducement to seek 
 out reefs less frequented for more abundant yield. At the 
 above-named ports it commands, for mixed cargoes, a 
 higher price than in China itself. American vessels are 
 constantly eng»aged in this trade in the South Pacific, and 
 I noticed recently that two vessels from San Francisco 
 had procured cargoes from the Southern Isles, and were 
 on their way to Manila or China. It is a business in 
 which, to be successful, no little tact is required to deal 
 with the treacherous natives, as well as a knowledge of 
 curing and preparing for the market; but it is one that 
 will long give a great return for small investments to 
 the daring and successful adventurers.’ 
 
 When M. De Blainville states he has never heard 
 that any of the HolotTiurice were of much utility to 
 mankind,but that M. Delle Chiaje does indeed inform us 
 that the poor inhabitants of the Neapolitan coasts eat 
 them, he appears to have forgotten the great oriental 
 traffic carried on with some of the species, as an article 
 of food. 
 
 Some years ago, in my Colonial Magazine, I called 
 attention to the fact, that the fishing for, and shipment 
 of, this sea-slug to China might prove a very profitable 
 trade, but it seems to be an employment for which Eu¬ 
 ropean seamen are by no means well adapted. 
 
 It can be fished for in the Indian Ocean, from the 
 Mauritius and Ceylon to New Guinea, in the Pacific; 
 and is to be procured from any of the South Sea Islands. 
 It abounds in the seas along the shores of the Bermuda 
 Islands, and some is said to be shipped from Boston 
 and other ports of the United States to Canton. 
 
 The late Sir W. Reid, when Governor of the Ber- 
 
358 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 mudas, endeavoured to direct the attention of the in¬ 
 habitants to the collection of it round their shores, 
 where it is common, with a view to curing it for the 
 purpose of exportation. He even went so far as to 
 make soup from it, and I understand, partook of it at his 
 own table. His advice, however, does '--not seem to 
 have been followed, as up to the present time none has 
 been collected. It could be made a profitable article of 
 export, if the Bermudians chose to try the experiment, 
 as the curing process is very simple. 
 
 A company for carrying out this fishery was pro¬ 
 jected at Perth, in Western Australia, in 1836, hut it 
 was never prosecuted with any spirit, and soon dropped. 
 Tripang is now carried into China from almost every 
 island of the Eastern Archipelago, and also from 
 Northern Australia. 
 
 The quantity sent from Macassar alone is about 9,000 
 cwt., and half as much from Java. Probably between 
 4,000 and 5,000 tons go annually to China, where the 
 demand is perfectly unlimited. 
 
 The best and most detailed account I have met with 
 respecting the taking and preparing of this eastern 
 luxury, is in the Narrative of the United States Ex¬ 
 ploring Expedition in the Feejee Islands, by Com¬ 
 mander Charles Wilkes, of the American Navy: ‘Of 
 the beche-de-mer,’ he says, ‘ there are several kinds, 
 some of which are much superior in quality to the 
 others; they are distinguishable both by shape and 
 colour, but more particularly by the latter. One of the 
 inferior kinds is slender, and of a dark brown colour, 
 soft to the touch, and leaves a red stain on the hands ; 
 another is of grey colour and speckled; a third is large, 
 and dark yellow, with a rough skin, and tubercles on 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 359 
 
 its sides. The second kind is often eaten raw by tbe 
 natives. 
 
 ‘ The valuable sorts are six in number : one of a 
 dark red colour; a second is black, from two inches to 
 nine inches in length, and its surface, when cured, re¬ 
 sembles crape; a third kind is large, and of a dark 
 grey colour, which, when cured, becomes a dirty white; 
 the'fourth resembles the third, except in colour, which 
 is a dark brown; the fifth variety is of a dirty wliite 
 colour, with tubercles on its sides, and retains its colour 
 when cured; the sixth is red, prickly, and of a different 
 shape and larger size than the others; when cured, it 
 becomes dark. 
 
 ‘ The most esteemed kinds are found on the reefs, in 
 water from one to two fathoms in depth, where they are 
 caught by diving. The inferior sorts are found on 
 reefs which are dry, or nearly so, at low wniter, where 
 they are picked up by the natives. The natives also 
 fish the beche-de-mer on rocky coral bottoms, by the 
 light of the moon or of torches, for the animals keep 
 themselves drawn up in holes in the sand or rocks 
 by day, and come forth by night to feed, when they 
 may be taken in great quantities. The motions of the 
 animal resemble those of a caterpillar; and it feeds by 
 suction, drawing in with its food much fine coral and 
 some small shells. 
 
 ‘ Captain Eagleston stated that the bgche-de-mer is 
 found in greatest abundance on reefs composed of a 
 mixture of sand and coral The animal is rare on the 
 southern side of any of the islands, and the most lucra¬ 
 tive fisheries are on the northern side, particularly on 
 that of Vanua levu, between Anganga and Druan. In 
 this place, the most frequent kind is that which re- 
 
360 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 semHes crape. In some places tlie animal multiplies 
 very fast; but there are others where, although ten years 
 have elapsed since they were last fished, none are yet 
 to be found. 
 
 ‘ The beche-de-mer requires a large building to dry 
 it in. That erected by Captain Eagleston on the Island 
 of Tavan, is 85 feet long, about 15 or 20 feet wide, 
 and nearly as much in height. The roof has a double 
 pitch, falling on each side of the ridge to eaves, which 
 are about five feet from the ground. The roof is well 
 thatched, and ought to be perfectly water-tight. There 
 are usually three doors, one at each end, and one in the 
 middle of one of the sides. Throughout the whole 
 length of the building is a row of double staging, 
 called batters, on which reeds are laid. 
 
 ‘ On the construction of this staging much of the 
 success of the business depends. It ought to be sup¬ 
 ported on firm posts, to which the string-pieces should 
 be well secured by lashing. The lower batter is about 
 four feet from the ground, and the upper from two to 
 three feet above it. Their breadth is from twelve to foiir- 
 teen feet. Upon the large reeds with which the batters 
 are covered is laid the ‘ fish fence,’ which is made by 
 weaving or tying small cords together. This is com¬ 
 posed of many pieces, the height of each of which is 
 equal to the breadth of the batter. 
 
 ‘ A trench is dug under the whole length of the 
 batters, in which a slow fire is kept up by the natives 
 under the direction of one of the mates of the vessel. 
 The earth from the trench is thrown against the sides of 
 the house, which are at least two or three feet from the 
 nearest batter, in order to prevent accident from fire. 
 This is liable to occur, not only from carelessness, but 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 361 
 
 from design on the part of the natives. As a further 
 precaution, barrels filled with water are placed, about 
 eight feet apart, along both sides of the batters. 
 
 ‘ After the house has been in use for about a week, it 
 becomes very liable to take fire, in consequence of the 
 drying and br^eaking of the material used in the lash¬ 
 ings. In this case it is hardly possible to save any 
 part of the building or its contents. To prevent the 
 falling of the stages by the breaking of the lashings, 
 fresh pieces of cordage are always kept at hand to 
 replace those which are charred and show signs of 
 becoming weak. A constant watch must be kept up 
 night and day, and it requires about 15 hands to do the 
 ordinary work of a house. 
 
 ‘ The fires are usually extinguished once in twenty-four 
 hours, and the time chosen for this purpose is at daylight. 
 The fish are now removed from the lower to the upper 
 batter, and a fresh supply introduced in their place. 
 This operation, in consequence of the heat of the batter, 
 is hard and laborious, and 50 or 60 natives are usually 
 employed in it. 
 
 ‘ Fire-wood is of course an important article in this 
 process, each picul of bgche-de-mer requiring about 
 half a cord to cure it. This fuel is purchased from the 
 chiefs, who agree to furnish a certain quantity for a 
 stipulated compensation. As much as 20 cords are 
 sometimes bought for a single musket. In carrying on 
 the drying, it is important that the doors be kept shut 
 while the fires are burning. Much also depends upon 
 the location of the house, whose length should be at 
 right angles to the course of the prevailing winds. The 
 batters also should be nearest to the lee side of the house. 
 
 ‘ Before beginning the fishery, the services of some 
 
362 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 chief are secured, who undertakes to cause the house 
 to he built, and sets his dependents at work to fish the 
 beche-de-mer. The price is usually a whale’s tooth for 
 a hogshead of the animals, just as they are taken on the 
 reef. It is also bought with muskets, powder, balls, 
 vermilion, paint, axes, hatchets, beads, ki-pves, scissors, 
 chisels, plane-irons, gouges, fish-hooks, small glasses, 
 flints, cotton cloths, chests, trunks, &c. Of beads, in as¬ 
 sorted colours, the blue are preferred, and cotton cloth 
 of the same colour is most in demand. For one musket, 
 a cask containing from 130 to 160 gallons has been 
 filled ten times. \Yhen the animals are brought on 
 shore, they are measured into bins, where they remain 
 until the next day. 
 
 ‘ These bins are formed by digging a trench in the 
 ground, about two feet in depth, and working up the 
 sides with cocoa-nut logs, until they are large enough 
 to contain forty or fifty hogsheads. If the fishery is 
 successful, two of these may be needed. 
 
 ' Near the bins are placed the trade-house and trade- 
 stand. In the first, the articles with which the fish is 
 purchased are kept; and, in the second, the officer in 
 charge of them sits, attended by a trusty and watchful 
 seaman. The stand is elevated, so that the persons in it 
 may have an opportunity of seeing all that is taking 
 place around them. All the fish are thrown into the 
 bin before they are paid for. 
 
 ‘ In these bins the fish undergo the operation of 
 draining and purging, or ejecting their entrails. These, 
 in some of the species, resemble pills, in others look 
 like worms, and are as long as the animals themselves. 
 
 ‘ The larger kinds are then cut along the belly for a 
 length of three or four inches, which makes them cure 
 
CUETOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 363 
 
 more rapidly; but care must be taken to avoid cutting 
 too deep, as this would cause the fish to spread open, 
 and diminish its value in the market. 
 
 ‘ ^^^len taken out of the bins and cut, the fish are 
 thrown into the boilers, which are large pots, of which 
 each establishment has five or six. These pots have 
 the form of sugar-boilers, with broad rims, and contain 
 from one hundred to one hundred and fifty gallons. 
 
 ‘ They are built in a row, in rude walls of stone and 
 mud, about two feet apart, and have sufficient space be¬ 
 neath them for a large fire. The workmen stand on the 
 walls to fill and empty the pots, and have vdthin reach a 
 platform, on -which the fish is put after it has been boiled. 
 
 ‘ It requires two men to attend each pot, who relieve 
 each other, so that the work may go on night and day. 
 They are provided with skimmers and ladles, as well as 
 fire-hooks, hoes, and shovels. 
 
 ‘ No water is put into the pots, for the fish yield 
 moisture enough to prevent burning. 
 
 ‘ The boiling occupies from 25 to 50 minutes, and 
 the fish remains about an hour on the platform to drain, 
 after which it is taken to the house, and laid to a 
 depth of four inches upon the low^er batter. Thence at 
 the end of twenty-four hours it is removed, as has been 
 stated, to the upper batter, where it is thoroughly dried 
 in the course of three or four days. Before it is taken on 
 board ship, it is carefully picked, when the damp pieces 
 are separated, to be returned to the batter. It is stowed 
 in bulk, and when fit for that purpose should be as hard 
 and dry as chips. Great care must be taken to preserve 
 it from moisture. 
 
 ‘ In the process of drying, it loses two-thirds both of 
 its weight and bulk, and when cured, resembles smoked 
 
364 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 sausage. In this state it is sold by the picul, which 
 brings from 15 to 25 dollars. 
 
 ‘ Captain Eagleston had collected in the course of 
 seven months, and at a trifling expense, a cargo of 1,200 
 piculs, worth about 25,000 dollars. 
 
 ‘ The outfit for such a voyage is small^, but the risk 
 to be incurred is of some moment, as no insurance can 
 be effected on vessels bound to the Feejee Group, and it 
 requires no small activity and enterprise to conduct this 
 trade. A thorough knowledge of the native character 
 is essential to success; and it requires all possible vigi¬ 
 lance on the part of the captain of the vessel to prevent 
 surprise, and the greatest caution to avoid difficulties. 
 Even with the exercise of these qualities, he may often 
 find himself and his crew in perilous positions. 
 
 ‘ In order to lessen the dangers as much as possible, 
 no large canoes are ever allowed to remain alongside 
 the vessel, and a chief of high rank is generally kept 
 on board as a hostage. When those precautions have 
 not been taken, accidents have frequently happened. 
 
 ‘ The beche-de-mer is sometimes carried to Canton, but 
 more usually to Manila, whence it is shipped to China. 
 
 ‘ In order to show the profits which arise from the 
 trade in beche-de-mer, I give the cost and returns 
 of five cargoes, obtained by Captain Eagleston in the 
 Feejee Group. These he obligingly favoured me with. 
 
 
 
 Piculs. 
 
 Cost of outfit, 
 
 . Sales. 
 
 
 
 
 Dolls. 
 
 Dolls. 
 
 1st 
 
 voyage . 
 
 . 617 
 
 1,101 
 
 8,021 
 
 2nd 
 
 )} 
 
 . 700 
 
 1,200 
 
 17,500 
 
 3rd 
 
 ?? 
 
 . 1,080 
 
 33,96 
 
 15,120 
 
 4th 
 
 ?? 
 
 . 840 
 
 1,200 
 
 12,600 
 
 5th 
 
 
 . 1,200 
 
 3,500 
 
 27,000 
 
CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 365 
 
 ‘ A further profit also arises from the investment of 
 the proceeds in Canton. Capt. Eagleston also obtained 
 4,488 pounds of tortoise shell, at a cost of 5,700 dollars, 
 which sold in the United States for 29,050 dollars net. 
 
 In Mr. Crawfurd’s Indian Archipelago, vol. iii., 
 there are also the following details:— 
 
 ‘The tripang is an unseemly-looking substance, of a 
 dirty broMm colour, hard, rigid, scarcely possessing any 
 power of locomotion, nor aiipearance of animation. 
 Some of the fish are occasionally as much as two feet in 
 length, and from seven to eight inches in circumfer¬ 
 ence : the length of a span, and the girth of from two 
 to three inches, however, is the ordinary size. The 
 quality or value of the fish, however, does by no means 
 depend upon its size, but upon properties in them 
 neither obvious to, nor discernible by, those who have 
 not had a long and intimate experience of the trade. 
 The Chinese merchants are almost the only persons who 
 possess this skill, even the native fishermen themselves 
 being often ignorant on the subject, and always leaving 
 the cargo to be assorted by the Chinese on their return 
 to port. The commercial classification made by the 
 Chinese is curious and particular. In the market of 
 Macassar, the greatest staple of this fishery, not less 
 than thirty varieties are distinguished, varying in price 
 from five Spanish dollars per picul to fourteen times 
 that price, each being particularized by well-known 
 names. To satisfy curiosity, I shall give a few of them, 
 with their ordinary price :— 
 
 Tacheritaug (grey sort) . . 68 Spanish dollars. 
 Batu-basar (great stone) . . 54 „ 
 
 Batu-taugah (middling stone) 22 „ 
 
366 
 
 CUEIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 Batu-kacliil (small stone) . . 
 
 Itaur-basar (great black) . 
 Itaur-taugah (middling black 
 Itaur-kacbil (small black) . 
 
 Tundaug. 
 
 Kuuyit. 
 
 Donga. 
 
 Japou . • . 
 
 Mosi. 
 
 Kauasa. 
 
 Pacbaug-goreug.... 
 Gama .... . . 
 
 Taikougkoug. 
 
 Mareje (New Holland) 
 
 Kayi>jawa. 
 
 Baukuli. 
 
 14 Spanish dollars. 
 
 30 
 
 ?? 
 
 15 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 24 
 
 ?? 
 
 9 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 5 
 
 }} 
 
 5 
 
 
 12i 
 
 
 13i 
 
 
 19 
 
 >> 
 
 26 
 
 
 20 
 
 >> 
 
 ‘ It is evident from this account that the tripang 
 trade is one in which no stranger can embark with any 
 safety, and it is consequently almost entirely in the 
 hands of the Chinese. The actual fishery is managed, 
 however, exclusively by the natives. The fish are 
 caught by them on ledges of coral rock, usually at the 
 depth of from three to five fathoms. The larger lands, 
 when in shallow water, are occasionally speared; but 
 tbe most common mode of taking them is by diving for 
 them in the manner practised for pearl oysters, and 
 taking them up with the hands.’ 
 
 I have now gone through the list of ordinary and ex¬ 
 traordinary foreign dehcacies, and no doubt many of 
 these have been read with surprise. 
 
 But there are many unexplained things in the food we 
 
i 
 
 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 367 
 
 Englislimen consume even at the present time; for in¬ 
 stance, although in the knackers’ yards we can account for 
 every other portion of the carcase of the dead horse, 
 no one knows what becomes of the heart and the tongue. 
 Dr. Playfair, when lecturing at the South Kensington 
 Museum recently, ‘ on the application of Waste Sub¬ 
 stances,’ was'’staggered on this point, and therefore he 
 had to inscribe it on his board ‘ a mystery.’ It is question¬ 
 able to my mind whether many of the smoked ostensible 
 ox-tongues, imported from Russia, are not veritable 
 horse-tongues. 
 
 The numerous herds of wild horses in Russia would 
 easily furnish the 500 cwt. of tongues we import. 
 
 I am afraid that many little know too what they eat 
 in the sausage-meat, the alamode beef^ the polonies, and 
 the mutton and veal pies of the pie-shops and street 
 venders. 
 
 Whether the man who is said to have gone into the 
 pie-shop, and throwing down a skinned cat on the 
 counter in the presence of numerous customers ex¬ 
 claiming ‘ that makes a dozen,’ did it out of malice or 
 in the way of business, it would be difficult to deter¬ 
 mine. But it is always pleasant to see the vender 
 partaking of his own pork or eel pies; it inspires 
 ; confidence, as the witness proved to the Judge in Court. 
 
 ; ‘ You say you have confidence in the plaintiff, Mr. 
 
 Smith.’ 
 
 r ‘Yes, sir.’ 
 
 ‘ State to the Court, if you please, what causes this 
 1 feeling of confidence.’ 
 
 ‘ Why, you see, sir, there’s allers reports ’bout eatin’- 
 1 house-men, and I used to kinder think—’ 
 
 ‘Never mind what you thought—tell us what you know.’ 
 
I 
 
 308 CUBIORITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 ‘ Well, sir, one day I goes down to Cooken’s shop, 
 an’ sez to the waiter, ‘ Waiter,’ sez I, ‘ gives’s a weal pie.’ 
 
 ' Well sir, proceed.’ 
 
 ‘ Well, just then Mr. Cooken comes up, and sez he, 
 how du Smith, what he going to hav ? 
 
 ‘ Weal pie, sez I.’ 
 
 ‘ Good,’ sez he, ‘ I’ll take one tu sd he sets down 
 and eats one of his owm weal pies right afore me.’ 
 
 ‘ Did that cause your confidence in him ?’ 
 
 ‘Yes, it did, sir; when an eatin’-house-keepcr sets 
 dowm afore his customers an’ deliberately eats one of his 
 own weal pies, no man can refuse to feel confidence— 
 it shows him to be an honest man.’ 
 
 On the jamb of the door of an eating-house on the 
 North Wall, Dublin, the curious might recently read 
 the following announcement printed, conveying ahirm- 
 ing intelligence to the gallant tars who frequent that 
 port—‘ Sailors’ vitals cooked here.’ 
 
 Probably none of the foreign epicures, whose numerous 
 dainties I have been placing before you. would eat hare 
 and currant jelly, goose and apple-sauce, fish pies or 
 parsley pasty like the Cornishman, or the squab pie of 
 the Devonshire fisherman. 
 
 Now, while w-e are prone to ridicule others for their 
 choice of food delicacies, we should look at home. Our 
 epicures are extremely fond of woodcocks cooked un¬ 
 gutted, and the standard dishes of Scotland, the haggis, 
 sheep’s-head, tripe, and black puddings, are not palatable 
 to every one. 
 
 We have seen, however, from our deliberate survey that 
 whatever enriches the earth and proclaims the bounty of 
 the Creator, illustrates His indulgent regard for Man 
 as chief of the Animal orders. Eich provision has been 
 
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 4 
 
 4 
 
J 
 
 CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 369 
 
 made for liis wants and for liis tastes, making glad the 
 fields, the meadows, the vineyards, the orchards, the 
 waters, and the air, peopled as they are with things 
 made to be quartered, and cooked, and eaten. Every 
 creature of God is good, and nothing to he refused if it be 
 received with thanksgiving—‘ Let no man judge you in 
 meat or in drink.’ The Creator granted to the use 
 of Man animal food as well as every green herb 
 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles and is set before you 
 eat, therefore, asking no questions for conscience sake. 
 
 In the course of our investigation, we have seen how 
 difficult it is to determine what is food and what really are 
 food delicacies ; for thereupon the proverb rises before 
 us—‘ What’s one man’s meat, is another man’s poison.’ 
 
 Some people eat arsenic in considerable quantities, 
 and if not exactly food, they find it conducive to an 
 enjoying state of existence. Certain tribes of Africans 
 and South American Indians eat an unctuous kind of 
 earth, which, if introduced into our workhouses as food, 
 would raise an outcry far and wide. In some countries 
 sea-weed is food, in others it is manure for land. While 
 we ruthlessly destroy snails and frogs, our continental 
 brethren fatten and feed upon them. 
 
 Thus do the food delicacies differ in different parts of 
 the globe, the nature of the alimentary substances vary¬ 
 ing exceedingly, and the ‘daily bread’ assuming most 
 diversified forms. 
 
 I have confined myself here to the Animal Food, be¬ 
 cause to have gone into the Vegetable Substances would 
 have carried me too much into detail. As it is, I have 
 only been able to skim over the surface, to make a brief 
 enumeration of some of the more prominent delicacies. 
 
 A talented friend has well remarked—‘ It is a 
 
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t 
 
 370 CURIOSITIES OF FOOD. 
 
 probable thing, that many new varieties of food will 
 ultimately be produced artificially, but it would be 
 difficult to persuade people to eat them Imowingly. 
 Handy Andy, in Lover’s tale, thought stewed leather 
 breeches very fine tripe till he lighted on a button, 
 which suddenly convinced him it was vanwholesome 
 food; and Sir Joseph Banks—so says Peter Pindar— 
 did not think fleas equal to lobsters, though of the same 
 genus. 
 
 ‘ The Berlin philosophers have been for many years ^ 
 trying to persuade the community that horse-flesh is 
 good beef, unsatisfactorily; and, amongst civilized com- ■, 
 munities, it appears to be chiefly in France that people j 
 voluntarily eat cats, both as a relish and a vengeance, if ■ 
 we may trust the reports of the Tribunal of Correctional \ 
 Police, though scandal has long accused inn-keepers, j 
 both in France and Spain, of thus feeding their guests, i 
 as a substitute for rabbits. 
 
 ‘ The French are chemists as well as cooks, and if fetid ‘ 
 potato oil can be converted into a delicious scent akin j 
 to attar of roses, we may very well imagine that the par- < 
 tridge or venison bouquet may be obtained from other I 
 kinds of flesh. 
 
 ‘ Glue and scraps of gloves, boiled with garlic, are ! 
 eaten in Spain, and there is, as I have already ^ 
 stated, an hiatus in the parchment specifications at the 
 Patent Office, caused by an unluck}^ boy, who changed j 
 them away for tarts, in order that they might be stewed ^ 
 down, and converted into calves’-foot jelly. The me- 1 
 chanical problems written and graven on them were 1 
 doubtless not precipitated on the delicate palates of the ■; 
 ladies or gentlemen consuming them at Almack’s, or ' 
 elsewhere. It was but carbon gathered by the sheep in 
 
CURIOSITIES OP FOOD. 
 
 371 
 
 the shape of grass from the earth’s surface—kid gloves 
 in another form. Possibly Chemistry will ultimately 
 enable us to make kid gloves and parchment without 
 troubling goats or sheep for them, and artificial gela¬ 
 tine will become a substitute for calves’ -feet. It is pro¬ 
 bable, that e /en now we occasionally eat old wool and 
 hair in our gravy soups, as well as make it into what is 
 facetiously called ' felt cloth’ —the fibres being glued in¬ 
 stead of felted together; and in process of time we may 
 prepare gelatinous tubes, analogous to wool and hair, 
 from carbon, converted into gelatine. It certainly seems 
 odd that a man’s coat should be convertible into his 
 dinner ; but ‘ Imperial Ciesar,’ according to Hamlet, 
 underwent as strange changes.*’ 
 
 During the time of the Great Exhibition, in 1851, 
 buffalo hides, and sheep and calf skins, advanced cent, 
 per cent, in price. This was caused by the great de¬ 
 mand for jellies in the refreshment rooms. Visitors 
 then consumed jellies who never tasted jellies before; 
 and as the usual material was not available, buffalo 
 hides were purchased in tons in Liverpool, for the pur¬ 
 pose of making these delicacies. Size and glue were 
 used at first, but the hides were found to be cheapest. 
 No one knows now what he eats in English confectionery^ 
 The natives of Java use the fresh hides of cattle as food, 
 —nay even esteem them a dainty beyond any other part 
 of the animal. The first pair of buckskin breeches 
 seen in the South Sea Islands were so little understood, 
 that the natives stuffed them with sea-weed, and had 
 them boiled for dinner. 
 
 After the enumeration I have given you of Food 
 * W. B. Adams, in Society of Arts' Journal. 
 
c 
 
 379 CUBIOSITIBS OP FOOD. 
 
 Delicacies, wlio shall venture to deternaine what is good 
 eating ? Some Europeans chew tobacco, the Hindoo takes 
 to betel-nut and lime, while the Patagonian finds content¬ 
 ment in a bit of guano, and the Styrians grow fat and 
 ruddy on arsenic. English children delight in sweet¬ 
 meats and sugar-candy, while those of Africa prefer rock 
 salt. A Frenchman likes frogs and snails, and we eat 
 eels, oysters, and whelks. To the Esquimaux, train 
 oil is your only delicacy. The Russian luxuriates upon 
 his hide or tallow; the Chinese upon rats, puppy 
 dogs, and sharks’ fins; the Kafir upon elephant’s foot 
 and trunk, or lion steaks; while the Pacific Islander 
 places cold missionary above every other edible. Why 
 then should we be surprised at men’s feeding upon rat¬ 
 tle-snakes and monkeys, and pronouncing them capital 
 eating ? 
 
 I do not know if any of the delicacies I have de¬ 
 scribed may occasion what Charles Lamb calls ‘ premon¬ 
 itory moistening of the nether lip,’ but I trust I may 
 not have spoiled the reader’s appetite for dinner or 
 supper. There is a saying of great truth, ‘ that one half 
 the world does not know how the other half lives.’ 
 These pages will, I think, serve to verify the adage. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON ; 
 
 PRINTED BY O, PHIPPS, BANELAGH STREET, EATON SQUARE. 
 
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