74 FRESH WOODS. 



tion of picking thousands of these little grubs 

 off the gooseberry leaves, throwing them into 

 a basin of salt and boiling water. 



This spring I had begun, before they had 

 made their appearance, to ask myself the 

 question, What shall I do with the grubs that, 

 from the curling leaves, I saw were coming. 

 It was then by chance that I came across a 

 little book which answered my question 

 exactly by asking another rather startling 

 one : Why not eat them ? 1 Good heavens ! 

 Eat these slimy little beasts, the very sight 

 of which, devouring my leaves, had created 

 in me such a feeling of unutterable loathing ! 



I had salted and parboiled many a basin- 

 ful of them with a grim feeling of revenge for 

 the mischief they had wrought me ; but eat 

 them ! faugh ! 



I read this well-written, earnest, and amus- 

 ing little pamphlet from beginning to end, 

 and then I said, " Well ! why not ? " 



"Them insects eat up every blessed green thing that do 

 grow, and us farmers starves." 

 "Well, eat them and grow fat ! " 



These lines appear on the title-page of Mr. 

 Holt's book. You see I had already uncon- 

 sciously made some progress in this direc- 



1 "Why Not Eat Insects?" By Vincent M. Holt. 

 London ; Field and Tuer. 



