The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-05-26

beetles are enjoyed by the inhabi-
tants of British Guina, and IN South
America aud Western Africa certain
mammoth beetles are devOured, some
specimens Of which, in former years,
have been sold for English cabinets
at $50: in Australia, many worms,
bred in decayed wood, are collected
for human food various members OF
the locust family are now, and have
been from time immemorial employed
as food in various parts Of the world,
and. as they live on vegetable food
II is difficult to understand why q
mess of grasshoppers may not be as
paIatable as a dish ofshrimps; acurry
Of ants eggs is deemed a luxury in
siam: various kind Of water-bugs
are eaten in Mexico; butterflies in
Australia are more highly esteemed
for their faver than their beauty ;
spiders form an article on the list OF
Bushmen's dainties in South Africa,
and roasted spiders are spoken Of as
enjoyed by the people Of New Gale
donia, Lalanda, the French astrono-
mer. having been fond Of them, and
Humboldt tells us be has seen the
centipede eagerly devOured by the
children Of South America.
In Italy cockchafers are candied
and served up with other CONNECTION
cry, and in Australia large wood ants
are served up and eaten alive.
The diversity Of tastes prevailing
10 different parts of the world in re-
gard to food would seem to confirm
the proverb that zone mans meat is
another mans poison" In very
many instances what is highly es-
teemed ia one country is abhoreG IN
another.
Milk as an article Of food Except
for sucking babies) is loathed by the
South Sea Islanders. Goats have
been introduced into several of the
Islands, but the people derided the
settlers with using the milk aud ask
them why they do not milk their
tsows. On the other hand, dogs are
favorite articles CT food with them.
As for pork, it is on religious grounds
that the Jews and Mohammedans
abstain from it, as the Hindo0s do
from beef. But the Christians from
the East seem 10 have nearly an
equal aversion to it; and tn Ike pre-
vailed until lately in Scotland.
Maize or Indian corn has been IN
troduced into New Zealand by the
Missionaries, and the people cultivate
and highly esteem it. But their
mode of preparing it for food is, to
civilized people, most disgusting.
They steep it in water until it is pu-
trid, and then make it into a kind of
porridge which emits an intolcrable
stencil.
Human flesh has been and still is
eaten in many parts Of the world, and
that by the people considerably above
the lowest rank Of savages, such as
those in the Fejee Islands and an In
dian people called the Batti, who are
said to have q written language.
And even in Cannibalism there sre
great diyersities-some nations cat
their enemies aEd some their
friends.
Herodotus relates that q Persian
king asked the Indian soldiers that
were in his service what reward
would induce them TO burn the dead
bodies of their friends instead Of eat
ing them. They replied by entreat
ing him not to mention anything so
shocking.
On the other hand, the New Zea-
landers-before their conversion, who
seemed to have considered that the
proper diet Of mankindis man-were
once in the habit of eating ouly their
enemies.
Among the Australian savages it
is said that if a mother finds q young
baby troublesome to carry about she
viii eat it although she will not al
low any one else to do sol, under the
luAi pctSudSlOu ludL SHt hCISig uC-
ferred its birth, and that the next
child she bears will be a re-appear-
ance Of the eaten one. v hen re-
monstrated with, she will reply:
"Oh, massa be plenty come again"
BY some Asiatic traveller it has
been asserted that the Esquimaux
have been known to eat their sledges
when pressed with hunger but, when
we remember that these sledges are
made Of frozen salmon, with skins
sewed over them, cur wonder is
modified and in an extremity, a piece
of one sledge, washed down with
whale oil, might not be such a dread
fol tit-bit."