HUMAN FOODS 25 



Banks Islands, in the New Hebrides, on the east coast of 

 New Ireland, and at Amboina. Throughout the Pacific Islands 

 the spring season is recognized as the period of ripeness of the 

 palolo, and wherever it occurs the season and even the months 

 are named for it. In southern Florida the swarming of a 

 closely related worm occurs within three days of the day of 

 the last quarter of the moon between June 29 and July 28, 

 though the worm is not here used for food. 



I suppose that none of the fishermen on our more northern 

 coasts to whom the sea-squirt or sea-peach is a very familiar 

 object ever thought of eating one. In the Mediterranean 

 countries, however, they are regularly found in the markets. 

 The outside covering, which is tough and indigestible, resem- 

 bhng wood fibers, and indeed of practically the same chemical 

 composition, is removed, and the inside, which resembles the 

 yolk of an egg but has a somewhat bitter taste, is eaten either 

 raw or sprinkled with flour and fried in oil. Other sea-squirts 

 are eaten on the west coast of South America and in other 

 regions; but there is httle likelihood of this habit spreading. 



The common sea-anemones or animal flowers which are often 

 such striking objects in the tide pools on the shores look no 

 more appetizing than their relatives the jelly-fishes, though 

 they are of somewhat firmer texture. Some of them, like 

 many jelly-fishes, sting most painfully. Yet all of them, after 

 cooking, are good to eat — ■ or perhaps I should say can be 

 eaten. In the Mediterranean countries where they are much 

 used by the poorer classes they are generally fried in oil. 



Condiments are usually classed as food, so it may not be out 

 of place here to remark that at Barbados in the West Indies 

 the millepore, a sort of branching coral-like thing related to 

 the sea-anemones, is known as the "sea-ginger" because of 

 the strong pepper-like sensation resulting from its appUcation 

 to the tongue. 



While the number of different molluscs that we eat is very 

 limited, oysters, clams, scallops and a few others being the 

 only ones commonly consumed, other peoples are not so par- 



