310 DIRECT BENEFITS DERIVED FROM INSECTS. 



not take and crack upon the spot^. Another female, 

 the celebrated Anna Maria Schurman, used to eat them 

 like nuts, Avhich she affirmed they much resembled in 

 taste, excusing her propensity by saying that she was 

 born under the sign Scorpio ''. If you wish for the au- 

 thority of the learned, Lalande the celebrated French 

 astronomer was, as Latreiile witnessed', equally fond 

 of these delicacies. And lastly, if not content with 

 taking them seriatim you should feel desirous of eating 

 them by handfulls, you may shelter yourself under the 

 authority of the German immortalized by Riisel'', who 

 used to spread them upon his bread like butter, observ- 

 ing that he found them very useful, " um sick auszul' 

 axiren.'''' — These edible Aptera are all sufliciently dis- 

 gusting ; but we feel our nausea quite turned into hor- 

 ror when we read in Humboldt, that he has seen the 

 Indian children drag out of the earth centipedes eigh- 

 teen inches long and more than half an inch broad, and 

 devour them*". 



After all I have said, you may perhaps still feel a 

 prejudice against insects as food; but I think, when 

 you recollect that Oberon and his queen Titania, that 

 renowned personage Robin Goodfellow, " with all the 

 fairy elves that be," number insects amongst their 

 choicest cates, you will no longer be heretical in this 

 article, but yield with a good grace ; and as a reward I 

 will copy out for you a beautiful poetical description 

 of Oberon's feast, which was lately pointed out to me 



'' Reaum. ii. 342. " Shaw, Nat. 3Iisc. ° Hist. Nat. vii. 227. 



" Rosel, iv. 257. " Personul Travels, ii. 205. 



