Insects that have afforded Food to Man. 131 



Scarahceus sacer, Linn. 



The first insect to wliicli I shall direct your attention is the 

 Scarabicus sacer, which is frequently eaten at the present day by 

 Egyptian women, in order that they may become prolific, (vid. 

 Dr. Clarke's Travels, vol. iv. ch. 1, p. 9), where it is denomi- 

 nated Sc. pihdarius, or rolling beetle. The same he mentions is 

 often met with sculptured on the obelisks and other monuments 

 of the country. The above writer observes, but I know not on 

 what authority, that this beetle served as food for the Ibis, and 

 its remains are sometimes met with in the earthenware reposi- 

 tories of the embalmed birds which are found at Saccara and 

 Thebes. Lane, in his account of the modern Egyptians, cor- 

 roborates the testimony of Dr. Clarke. He states, " that the 

 Egyptian women generally make use of perfumes, such as musk 

 and civet, &c. and often of cosmetics, and of several preparations 

 which they eat and drink, with the view of acquiring what they 

 call a proper degree of plumpness. One of the preparations is 

 extremely disgusting, being chiefly composed of mashed beetles." 

 In a note appended to the above passage (vid. vol. i. p, 237), 

 Lane argues, that these insects were eaten by the Jews (see Levit. 

 xi. 21, 22), "Of these ye may eat, the beetle after his kind; but 

 we cannot suppose that they derived this custom from the Egyp- 

 tians, who regarded the beetle as sacred." In our translation of 

 the Bible, the Hebrew word chargol is rendered beetle, which 

 ought to have been rendered locust, vid. Bochart in loc. In 

 another passage, in a note, the same author states, " Some women 

 add another ingredient, but for a particular purpose, which is to 

 make them fat ; they broil and mash up a number of beetles in the 

 butter, and then add honey," &c. 



Lepidiota, Kirby. 



Le^). Hypoleuca, Wiedemann. Wiedemann mentions that he 

 found on the waron tree, in the Island of Java, Melolontha Hypo- 

 leuca in great abundance. This species is as common there as 

 Mel. vidgaris is in Europe. He adds, the inhabitants of the 

 mountains collect them as an article of food. Vid. Westermann 

 and Wiedemann in Germar's Magazine, vol, iv. 419. 



Rhisotrogus Pint, 



The inhabitants of Moldavia and Wallachia are mentioned in 

 some authors as eating the larvae and perfect insects of Rhisotro- 



