CH. XIV.] THE SPIDER. 229 



spider nearly an ineh long, which they roast over a 

 fire. Reaumur relates, on the authority of M. de 

 la Hire, that a young French lady could never resist 

 the temptation of eating a spider, whenever she met 

 with one in her walks. They are said to taste like 

 nuts, at least this was the opinion of the celebrated 

 Maria Schurrman, who not only ate them, but justi- 

 fied her taste by saying, that she was born under 

 Scorpio. Latreille informs us, that the astronomer 

 Lalande was equally fond of this offensive morsel. 

 Man is truly an omnivorous animal; for there is 

 nothing which is disgusting to one nation, that is 

 not the choice food of another. Flesh, fish, fowl, 

 insects, even the gigantic centipedes of Brazil, 

 many of them a foot and a half long and half an 

 inch broad, were seen by Humboldt to be dragged 

 out of their holes, and crunched alive by the chil- 

 dren. Serpents of all sorts have been consumed as 

 food ; and the host of the celebrated inn at Terra- 

 cina frequently accosts his guests, by politely re- 

 questing to know, whether they prefer the "eel of 

 the hedge or the eel of the ditch." To evince their 

 attachment to their favourite pursuit, most natural- 

 ists seem to consider it indispensable to taste and 

 recommend some insect or other. Darwin assures 

 us, that the caterpillar of the hawk-moth is delicious ; 

 Kirby and Spence think the ant good eating, and 

 push their entomological zeal so far as to distinguish 

 between the flavour of the abdomen and the thorax ; 

 and Reaumur recommends the caterpillar of the 

 ■plusia gamma as a delicate dish. 



And if the evidence of a poet may be taken in this 

 matter, the fairies are as fond of these dainties as 

 the most enthusiastic entomologists : as will appear 

 from the following quaint and fanciful quotation : — 



" A little mushroom table spread, 

 After short prayers they set on bread, 

 A moon-parched grain of purest wheat, 

 With some small glittering grit, to eut 



I.— u 



