HOW 1 KILLED THE TIGER. 8l 



the silkworm, after making use of the silk; the 

 larvae of the hawk-moth are also much relished. 

 The negroes of Jamaica eat the Bagong butterflies, 

 after removing the wings, and store them up by 

 pounding and smoking them. The Hottentots and 

 the people of the East Indies eat the termites, 

 or white ants, boiled, fried, and raw ; the female 

 white ant in particular is eaten in India. The 

 natives mix them with flour, and make a variety 

 of pastry, or they parch them in pots over a 

 gentle fire, stirring them about as is done in 

 roasting coffee. They eat them by handfuls, as 

 we do comfits. 



Dr. Livingstone says : " The white ants, when 

 roasted, are said to be good, somewhat resembling 

 grains of boiled rice. An idea may," he adds, "be 

 formed of this dish by what once occurred on the 

 banks of the Zouga. The Bayeiye chief, Palani, 

 visiting us while eating, I gave him a piece of bread 

 and some prepared apricots, and as he seemed to 

 relish it much, I asked him if he had any food equal 

 to it in his country. ' Ah ! ' said he, ' did you ever 

 taste white ants ? ' As I never had, he replied, 

 ' Well, if you had, you would never have desired to 

 eat anything better.' ' 



Rumboldt mentions ants as being eaten by the 

 Marivitunos and Margueratares, qualified with 

 resin as a sauce. Bees are eaten in Ceylon. 



