﻿33 
  

  

  " 
  Groogroo 
  worms 
  are 
  considered 
  great 
  delicacies 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  those 
  whose 
  inliabitants 
  are 
  of 
  French 
  or 
  Spanish 
  origin. 
  The 
  good 
  old 
  

   planter 
  at 
  his 
  table 
  presents 
  you 
  with 
  a 
  dish 
  of 
  worms, 
  with 
  as 
  much 
  pride 
  as 
  an 
  

   epicure 
  in 
  England 
  introduces 
  you 
  to 
  cod-sounds, 
  eels, 
  or 
  high 
  venison. 
  Nor 
  does 
  it 
  

   appear 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  taste 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  relish 
  the 
  insects 
  ; 
  he- 
  

   cause 
  it 
  very 
  frequently 
  happens, 
  that 
  the 
  stranger, 
  who 
  manifested 
  on 
  his 
  arrival 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  disgust 
  at 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  eating 
  worms, 
  becomes 
  immediately 
  converted 
  into 
  an 
  

   extravagant 
  lover 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  may 
  appear 
  sirange 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  tropics, 
  especially, 
  where 
  Nature 
  provides 
  so 
  

   abundantly 
  for 
  the 
  wants 
  of 
  man, 
  such 
  creatures 
  should 
  be 
  resorted 
  to 
  as 
  articles 
  of 
  

   consumption 
  ; 
  but 
  while 
  we 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  are 
  shocked 
  at 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  

   eating 
  worms, 
  the 
  West 
  Indian 
  consumer 
  in 
  his 
  turn 
  expresses 
  surprise 
  that 
  human 
  

   beings 
  can 
  use 
  things 
  which 
  resemble 
  snakes 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  eels, 
  and 
  pronounces 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  height 
  of 
  uncleanness 
  to 
  eat 
  frogs, 
  as 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  contiuenlals 
  do. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  

   groogroo 
  worm 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  more 
  repulsive 
  in 
  appearance 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  

   unprepossessing 
  creatures 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  highly 
  prized. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  difficult 
  matter 
  

   to 
  decide 
  on 
  the 
  merits 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  extraordinary 
  things 
  which 
  the 
  taste 
  of 
  man, 
  in 
  

   its 
  morbid 
  cravings, 
  has 
  discovered 
  and 
  converted 
  into 
  luxurious 
  use 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   philosopher 
  finds 
  himself 
  at 
  last 
  driven 
  to 
  take 
  shelter 
  from 
  his 
  own 
  unanswerable 
  

   inquiries 
  behind 
  the 
  concluding 
  power 
  of 
  that 
  most 
  true, 
  but 
  somewhat 
  musty 
  

   proverb 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  De 
  gustibus 
  nou 
  est 
  disputandum.' 
  " 
  

  

  November 
  1, 
  1852. 
  

  

  J. 
  O. 
  Westwood, 
  Esq., 
  President, 
  in 
  the 
  chair. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  donations 
  were 
  announced, 
  and 
  thanks 
  ordered 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   donors 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist 
  ' 
  for 
  November 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Editor. 
  ' 
  The 
  Athenaeum 
  ' 
  for 
  Oc- 
  

   tober 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Editor. 
  ' 
  The 
  I-iterary 
  Gazette 
  ' 
  for 
  October 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Editor. 
  ' 
  Ento- 
  

   mologische 
  Zeitung 
  ' 
  for 
  August, 
  September, 
  and 
  October 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Entomological 
  

   Society 
  of 
  Stettin. 
  ' 
  Annals 
  of 
  the 
  Lyceum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  New 
  York,' 
  Vol, 
  

   V. 
  Nos. 
  4, 
  5, 
  and 
  6 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Lyceum. 
  ' 
  Monographic 
  des 
  Guepes 
  Solitaires, 
  ou 
  de 
  la 
  

   Tiibe 
  des 
  Eumeniens,' 
  par 
  H. 
  F. 
  de 
  Saussure: 
  cahier 
  2: 
  Paris, 
  1852 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  Author. 
  

   A 
  lithograph 
  portrait 
  of 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  E. 
  Gray, 
  framed 
  and 
  glazed 
  ; 
  by 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith. 
  Four 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  Coremia 
  erutaria, 
  and 
  two 
  of 
  Eidophasia 
  Messingiella 
  ; 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  B. 
  

   Hodgkinson. 
  Two 
  specimens 
  of 
  Hydracia 
  Petasitis 
  ; 
  by 
  Mr. 
  N. 
  Greening. 
  A 
  col- 
  

   lection 
  of 
  British 
  Anoplura, 
  or 
  bird-lice 
  (named 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Denny), 
  three 
  large 
  store- 
  

   boxes, 
  and 
  some 
  miscellaneous 
  insects; 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Leonard 
  Jenyns. 
  A 
  series 
  of 
  il- 
  

   lustrations 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  Vespa 
  Britannica 
  ; 
  by 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  Smith. 
  A 
  box 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  sixty 
  species 
  of 
  British 
  spiders, 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit 
  in 
  small 
  glass 
  tubes 
  ; 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  R. 
  H. 
  Meade. 
  

  

  F 
  

  

  