88 *S'. JV. WUliston — Dipterous Larvwfrom Alkalhie Lakes. 



"At tlie time, I was first assistant on the State Geological Survey 

 of Caliiornia, and had charge of a party doing field work. In this 

 work I camped with my party at Lake Mono, July 9th, 1863, and 

 remained there several days visiting the islands in the lake, alHo a 

 camp of Indians (J^ily f 1th) who were camped on the north shore 

 gathering ^co-cAa/i-See. Our guide called them Pah-Utes and said 

 they were there at that particular time gathering the worms — an an- 

 nual visit. They were one of the small tribes of Mono Indians (we 

 saw others, also Monos) there for that purpose, the guide using the 

 term Pah-Utes as a sort of generic term, including many of the 

 Indians of the Basin. 



"My letter, written on the spot, tells that it is a closed basin, altitude 

 about 6,800 feet ; the waters very saline from various salts, impreg- 

 nated with soda, borax, and boracic acid, the latter doubtless from 

 the hot springs in and about it. It is in a volcanic region. 'The 

 waters are clear, very heavy, have a nauseous taste, and when still, 

 the lake has a look as of oil and is not easily disturbed. The water 

 feels slippery to the touch, and will wash grease from the hands or 

 from clothes, cold, move readily than common soap-suds will when 

 hot. It is said that no fish or reptile lives in it, but it swarms with 

 countless millions of larvaj, that develop into flies which rest on the 

 surface of the water, as well as cover everything on the immediate 

 shore. The number and quantities of these flies and larvie are abso- 

 lutely incredible. They drift up in heaps along the shore, and hun- 

 dreds of bushels could be collected! They only grow at certain sea- 

 sons of the year, and then Indians come from far and near to gather 

 them for food. The worms are dried in the sun, the shell rubbed off 

 by hand, when a yellowish kernel remains, like a small yellowish 

 grain of rice. This is oily, very nutritious and not unpleasant to the 

 taste, and, under the name of Jcoo-chah-bee (so pronounced), forms a 

 very important article of food. The Indians gave me some of it ; it 

 does not taste badly, and, if one were ignorant of its origin, it would 

 make nice soup.' It tastes more like patent ' meat biscuit ' than 

 anything else I can compare it with. 



" I will say in addition that koo-chah-bee was rather palatable. 

 The waves cast these larva? in little windrows on the shore; the quan- 

 tity is large, the chief difficulty in collecting is to get it as free from 

 sand as is possible, and it is then dried on clothing or blankets. My 

 guide, an old hunter there, told me that everything fattens in the 

 season of the koo-chah-bee; that ducks get very fat, but their flesh 



