﻿hy 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  243 
  

  

  posterior 
  extremities. 
  They 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  calabashes 
  or 
  bottle- 
  

   shaped 
  baskets, 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  stopped 
  up 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  

   leaves, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  rather 
  a 
  singular 
  sight 
  to 
  see 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  

   an 
  Indian 
  taking 
  his 
  breakfast 
  in 
  the 
  sa'tiha 
  season. 
  He 
  opens 
  

   the 
  basket, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  great-winged 
  ants 
  crawl 
  slowly 
  out, 
  he 
  

   picks 
  them 
  up 
  carefully 
  and 
  transfers 
  them 
  with 
  alternate 
  hand- 
  

   fulls 
  of 
  farina 
  to 
  liis 
  mouth. 
  When 
  great 
  quantities 
  are 
  caught, 
  

   they 
  are 
  slightly 
  roasted 
  or 
  smoked, 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  salt 
  sprinkled 
  

   among 
  them, 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  generally 
  much 
  liked 
  by 
  Europeans. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  insect 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  is 
  the 
  Tcr 
  tries 
  Jlavicolle, 
  Perty 
  ; 
  a 
  

   large 
  white 
  ant 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  Upper 
  Amazon. 
  It 
  inhabits 
  holes 
  

   in 
  the 
  earth 
  about 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  rotten 
  trees, 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  sought 
  

   after 
  for 
  food 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  ant-eater, 
  Myrmecophaga 
  jubata, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  by 
  the 
  Indians. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  winged 
  female 
  

   that 
  is 
  eaten, 
  but 
  the 
  great-headed, 
  hard-biting 
  worker, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  his 
  jaws 
  that 
  the 
  creature 
  is 
  entrapped. 
  An 
  Indian 
  

   boy 
  going 
  after 
  " 
  cupim" 
  takes 
  with 
  him 
  a 
  calabash 
  or 
  a 
  bottle- 
  

   basket, 
  and 
  searches 
  about 
  for 
  a 
  nest. 
  He 
  then 
  scrapes 
  away 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  taking 
  a 
  long 
  piece 
  of 
  grass 
  inserts 
  it 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  go, 
  and 
  on 
  withdrawing 
  it 
  finds 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  ten 
  or 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  Tcrmcs 
  holding 
  tightly 
  on 
  to 
  it 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  repeats 
  this 
  operation 
  

   till 
  he 
  fills 
  his 
  basket. 
  These 
  insects 
  are 
  also 
  eaten 
  alive 
  or 
  roasted 
  ; 
  

   but 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  abdomen 
  but 
  the 
  enormous 
  head 
  and 
  

   thorax 
  which 
  is 
  devoured, 
  as 
  those 
  parts 
  contain 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   mass 
  of 
  muscular 
  matter. 
  These 
  insects 
  have 
  generally 
  a 
  bitter 
  

   taste 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  much 
  esteemed, 
  except 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  them- 
  

   selves. 
  

  

  The 
  edible 
  Homopterous 
  insect 
  is 
  the 
  Umhonia 
  spinosa, 
  which 
  

   swarms 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons 
  on 
  the 
  Inga 
  trees, 
  whicli 
  are 
  universally 
  

   planted 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  near 
  their 
  cottages 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  the 
  

   fruit, 
  which 
  is 
  much 
  esteemed 
  by 
  them. 
  The 
  insects 
  fall 
  upon 
  

   the 
  ground 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  the 
  sharp 
  spine 
  on 
  their 
  thorax 
  

   renders 
  walking 
  baref 
  )ot 
  very 
  disagreeable. 
  This 
  spine 
  seems 
  to 
  

   render 
  them 
  very 
  ill 
  adapted 
  for 
  food, 
  but 
  when 
  they 
  first 
  appear 
  

   the 
  whole 
  body 
  is 
  soft 
  and 
  flaccid, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  then 
  collected 
  and 
  

   roasted 
  in 
  a 
  flat 
  earthen 
  pan. 
  They 
  are 
  not, 
  however, 
  so 
  much 
  

   esteemed 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  insects 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  next 
  edible 
  insect 
  I 
  shall 
  allude 
  to 
  is 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  beetle, 
  

   but 
  of 
  what 
  species 
  or 
  genus 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  say, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  a 
  Calandra, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  a 
  palm 
  tree. 
  It 
  is 
  

   much 
  swollen, 
  and 
  attenuated 
  at 
  each 
  end; 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  rich 
  fatty 
  

   mass, 
  which 
  is 
  eaten 
  slightly 
  roasted 
  or 
  fried. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  by 
  any 
  

  

  