The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-12
LOCUsTs AS FOOD.
In Maine They Are Eaten by Birds,
WeaseIs, Skunks and Indians.


PASSPORT (Me.) Dispatch to the ". Y. Sun.
The uses to which the Maine locust is
put are many. When the insects are
young and have tender skins they fall an
easy prey to ants, wasps, spiders and ich-
neumon flies, all of which thrive on the
Juicy bodies. Later when the locusts
change from green to brown to correspond
to the tints of the stubble field, the up
land plover bring their hungry young
from nests in the marshes and whole fam
lilies of these birds grow fat among the
dry ridges. Nothing can be more tender
and toothsome than yearling ploVer tnat
has been fed on locusts. When shot on
the wing and sent headlong to the ground
more than half of the birds rupture the
cuticIe along the breast and actually skin
Themselves in diving Snipe and wood
cock. after taking a first course of white
worms from sWampy land, often complete
their breakfast on the numbed locusts that
linn awkwardly in the cold morning dew.
from the middle of July until November,
putting on as much fat at it is possible
for cranes to do. Without locusts as a
steady article of diet no Maine skunk
would ever be able to lay in great stores
of precious skunk oil, the famous cure
all for stiff Joints and rheumatism. Wea-
sells. cartridges. shrews and many other
wild creatures find locusts a welcome ad-
ditiou to their bill of fare.
Just out of this city the Passamanquod-
DIV Indians, who live on Peter Danas
ooint. preserve bushels of locusts for win
ter consumption. 1t is an OLD custom WIN
which the tribe has observed for centu-
ries. The big locusts are caught by the
souaws and children and plunged for a
few minutes in hot water, so the legs and
wings can be pulled off easily. After this
the long coffln-like bodies are sailed and
hacked in skin bottles or earthen jars,
when melted deer tallow or bears grease
is poured upon the mass and allowed to
cool Prepared in this way locust penn
mican will keep for years. 1t is rather too
fat for civilized tastes but very nutritious,
and as the Indians like 1T better than any
of the canned stuff they can get at the
stores. they continue to follow the habits
of their ancestors
Since the European frying pan has found
it's way to the wigwam several Indian
families fry locusts in batter of eggs
and Indian meal or cracker crumbs, pur-
suing the same methods the hotel cooks
do with clans and oysters When care
has been taken TO remove all the legs and
wings. fat locusts fried in batter make a
palatable and nourishing dish. Indians
who are too poor or too lazy to get the
needfuf fat for the pemmlcan dry the
bodies of locusts in the sun and pound
them to powder in rude stone mortars. 1t
is then sifted through a coarse cloth and
stored in bags and boxes until wanted.
The manner of cooking locust -four is very
simple 1t is mixed up with hot water
and melted fat, and placed in a deep pan
TO be cooked over a slow fire. When thor
oughly done, grasshopper bread is as hard
and nearly as dark as asphalt. A loaf of
this bread three inches deep and six inches
square viii last an Indian two days. II
would last an average white man much
longer.