252 CONFESSIONS OF A BEACHCOMBER 



grubs (" tarn-boon "), ivory white with yellow heads, as neat 

 and pretty a dish as could be seen, and rather rare and 

 novel too. When the beetles (Appectrogastra flavipilis} into 

 which these stolid grubs and fidgetty nymphs develop, are 

 chopped out of decayed wood, they have the odour of 

 truffles, and emit two distinct squeaky notes from the 

 throat and the abdominal segments respectively. Each 

 maintains a duet with itself until the hot embers impose 

 silence and convert them into dainty nutty morsels. 

 Roast scrub fowl eggs would be no novelty, and baked 

 crayfish (" too-lac "), bluey-white and leathery " such stuff 

 as dreams are made on " might lend a decorative effect. 

 Raw echinus (" kier-bang "), saline and tonic, would clear the 

 palate for succeeding delicacies. 



The tough sweet yam (" pun-dinoo "), the heart of the 

 Alexandra palm (" koobin-karra "), the hard rhizome of 

 Bowenia spectabilis (" moo-nah ") after being allowed weeks 

 to decompose, the core of the tree fern (" kalo-joo "), the long 

 root-stock of Curculigo ensifolia ("harpee") crisp and slightly 

 bitter, the broad beans of the white mangrove (" kum-moo- 

 roo "), would stand as vegetables. 



Sweets would be the weakest part of the menu. One 

 pudding might certainly be included, vermicelli (shredded 

 bean-tree nuts " tinda-burra ") with honey and orange- 

 coloured balsamic custard, scraped from the outside of the 

 drupes of the Pandanus odoratissimus (" pim-nar "). 



Dessert, on the other hand, might be plentiful and 

 varied. " Bed-yew-rie " (Ximenia americana), thirst-allaying 

 and palate-sharpening ; " Top-kie " (Herbert River cherry, 

 Antedisma Dallachyanuni}, resembling red currants in 

 flavour ; " Pool-boo-nong " (finger cherry, Rhodomyrtus 

 macrocarpa\ sweet, soft and appeasing ; " Panga-panga," 

 raspberry (Rubus roscefolius}; "Koo-badg-aroo" (Leichhardt- 

 tree, Sarcocephalus cordatus\ resembling a strawberry in 

 shape, but brown, spicy and hot ; " Murl-kue-kee " (snow- 

 white berries of Eugenia suborbicularis], vapid, and as 

 insipid as an immature medlar ; " Raroo " (Carey a australis), 

 mealy and biting. Various figs, ranging in size from a 



