The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-25
MAINE LoCUsTs USED AS ROOD.
They Are Great Pest, but wild Animals
and Fowl and the Indiana Eat Them.

EAsTPoRT. Me. Sept 20 The migratory
locust which occasionally eats up the crops Of
Kansas and Nebraska, Is not a resident Of Maine
In its place are two leather-wnged species that
commit nearly as much damage. One variety
comes In juno and stays until October. The
other and more dreaded sort matches out late in
May and makes little trouble until after laying
when its new wings completed and il goes sail
Ing across the landscape under spinnaker and
mainsail Tho farmers throw most OF their bad
words at this later species II Is a russell brown
insect about three inches long, having four short
legs for walking purposes and two long muscular
legs which are used In leaping. 1t has four wide
and powerful wings, two inside soft and shecny
as watered silk, and two cover wings which are as
tough as tanned sheep-skin From the hour IL is
Matched until IL perishes from frost or Is eaten up
by one OF its many foes Maine locust will eat
about four times its own weight in green stuff
every day.
The uses to which the Maine locust is put
many When the insects are young and have
tender skins they fall an easy prey TO ants wasps
spiders and ichneumon flies, all OF which thrive
the Juicy bodies. Later when the locusts
change from green to brown TO correspond to
the tnts of the stubble field the upland plover
bring their hungry young from nests in the marsh
es and whole families OF these birds grow fat
tender and toothsome than a yearling plover
that has been fed on locusts When shot on
the wing and sent headong to the ground more
than half Of the birds rupture the cuticle along
the breast and actually skin themselves in dying.
Snipe and woodcock. after taking a first course
Of white worms from swampy land often COM
pete their breakfast on the numbed locusts that
limp awkwardy in the cold morning dew Cranes
feed upon locusts all the time from the middle
Of July until November, putting on as much
fat as It Is possible for cranes to do. Without
locusts a steady article of diet no Maine skunk
would be able 10 lay in great stores Of precious
skunk oil, the famous call for stiff joints and
rheumatism. Weases, cartridges, shrcws and
many other wild creatures find locusts welcome
addition to their bill of fare
Just out OF this city the Passamaquoddy In
dams, who live on Peter Dana's Point, preserve
bushels OF locusts for winter consumption. 1t Is
an old custom which the tribe has observed for
centuries. Tho big locusts arc caught by the
squaws and children and plunged for few min
utcs in hot water, the legs and wings can DO
pulled off easily After this the long cohin-like
bodies sailed and packed In skin bottles
earthen Jars. when melted deer tallow or bears
grease is poured upon the mass and allowed to
cool Prepared in this way locust pcmmican will
keep for years 1t Is rather too fat for civilized
tastes but very nutritious. and the Indians
like II 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 'fryingpan hos found its
way to the wigwam several Indian families fry
locusts in batter OF eggs and Indian meal or
cracker crumbs, pursuing 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 palatable
and nourishing dish. Indians who are too poor
too lazy TO get the necdful fat for the pemmican
dry the bodies Of locusts in the and pound
them to powder in rude stone mortars. 1t is then
sfted through a coarse cloth and stored in bags
and boxes until wanted. The manner Of cooking
locust flour is very simple. 1t Is mixed up with
hot water and melted fat, and placed In q deep
pan to be cooked over a slow fire. When thor
oughly done, grasshopper bread is as hard and
nearly dark asphalt A loaf of this bread
three inches deep and six inches square
will last an Indian two days, 1t would last an
average white man much longer