272 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



especially valuable just before they deposit their eggs : 

 the roe, as the aggregate egg-masses are termed, being 

 large, and in as much repute as the ' soft roe ' of the 

 herring." 



The Fuegian women dive to collect sea-eggs, both 

 in winter and summer; and large sea-eggs are found 

 in the Bay of Concepcion, which are highly esteemed 

 by the Chilians, and eaten raw. 



The species of sea-egg, Echinometra 3fichelini, pre- 

 viously mentioned, has moderately long dark purple 

 spines, and is exceedingly abundant in places on the 

 coast of Brazil in the province of Espirito Santo, and 

 is used as food by the natives of the village of Guara- 

 pary. 



Echinidce were also eaten by the ancients, and were 

 said to be tender and full of pleasant juice, but apt to 

 turn on the stomach ; but they were considered good 

 if eaten with sharp mead, parsley, and mint.* 



Demetrius, the Scepsian, says that " a Lacedgemo- 

 nian, once being invited to a banquet, when some sea- 

 urchins were put before him on the table, took one, 

 not knowing the proper manner in which it should be 

 eaten, and not attending to those who were in the 

 company to see how they ate it; and so he put it in 

 his mouth with the skin or shell and all, and began to 

 crush the sea-urchin with his teeth ; and being ex- 

 ceedingly disgusted with what he was eating, and not 

 perceiving how to get rid of the taste, he said, ' Oh, 

 what nasty food ! I will not now be so effeminate as 

 to eject it, but I will never take it again/ "f 



A friend of mine once tasted a sea-urchin raw, while 



* Atbenseus, ' Deipn.' vol. i. bk. iii. p. 41. 

 f Idem. vol. i. bk. iii. c. 41. p. 152. 



