HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. , 



59 



Romans, with whom it was in great request as a 

 luxury, aud they swallowed the larvce with tlie 

 greatest gusto when cooked. Pliny says the larvaj 

 were prepared by fattening them with flour, and 

 the following extract from him will show how 

 highly the Cossus was esteemed by the epicures of 

 his time: "Jam quidem et hoc in luxuria esse 

 coepit prsegraudesque roboruni delicatiore sunt in 

 cibo cosses vocant." 



small hooks, by means of which it is enabled to 

 work its way from the interior of the tree. Some 

 lepidopterists recommend searching for the moth 

 during early morning; but long experience has led 

 me to believe that the greater number emerge 

 during the after-part of the day, from about three 

 o'clock till dusk; indeed, it is more natural for the 

 moth to emerge after the tree has been well warmed 

 by the sun's rays, and before it becomes compara- 



Fig. 38. Goat-moth {Cussns Ugniperda.) 



He also says Cossi " cure all ulcers ;" and on 

 account of this medicinal virtue, the odoriferous 

 larvfie were actually made into ointment. 



This is not the only insect that formed, and per- 

 haps in some countries still forms, a part of man's 

 diet. At the present day great quantities of the 

 pupa of the Silkworm-moth {B. morl) are eaten by 

 the Cliinese, while the Arab is fond of a repast of 

 roasted locusts ; the African considers ants delicate 

 food; and Knox tells ns that bees are eaten in 

 Ceylon. Fig. 39 represents the larva of the Cossus, 

 which is in length about four inches. It is usually 

 of a dark, but sometimes of a light red on the 



~»'i^>-.-r^i -^^ 



Fig. 39. Larva of Goat-moth. 



dorsal surface ; beneath, it is of a yellowish hue. 

 The head is black, and the whole creature is spar- 

 ingly scattered over with fine hairs. It spins a 

 cocoon, wherein to hybernate. At the end of April 

 or beginning of May, the full-grown larva forms a 

 large, tough, oval cocoon (fig. 40), composed of frag- 

 ments of wood, neatly interwoven with silk, in 

 which it soon changes to the pupal stage. The 

 pupa itself is about two inches in length, of a black 

 colour, provided at the segments with numerous 



tively cold again. Often have I wandered in quest 

 of Cossi by the river-side in early morning, where 

 trees infested by them have abounded ; but on no 

 occasion have I been successful, unless by taking 

 the pupa from the tree. On the other hand, when 

 I have spent the latter part of the day iu hunting 

 for them, I believe I have never been disappointed. 

 Scarcely anything can give more delight to a natu- 

 ralist than to watch the metamorphosis of this 

 beautiful moth, which may often fall to his lot when 

 seeking the inxigo. Half the pupa is seen protrud- 

 ing from the trunk, and in this case it should not 

 be disturbed, for the moth is about to emerge. He 



Fig-. 40. Pupa of Goat-moth. 



has not long to wait. Tlie pupa-case is already 

 cracked, and the creature may be seen striving to 

 burst forth into daylight. As soon as the moth is 

 out, it crawls a short distance up the tree, where 

 its wings begin to expand, and a few minutes 

 afterwards it may be seen with the wings folded 

 over its back iu the act of drying, which does not 

 occupy many minutes. Then it may be transferred 

 to the cyanide-bottle, which every practical ento- 

 mologist should always carry with him when on a 



