26 2 NATURAL HISTORY. 



feet. The leaping or 'skipping' is accomplished by doubling the body 

 and then suddenly straightening it, thus throwing the body some four or 

 five inches. An allied form is the wine-fly, which passes its larval stages 

 in the lees of wine, the alcohol which is present seeming not to affect them 

 in any way unless beneficially. 



A similar immunity to what would appear to be adverse conditions is 

 seen in the case of the larvae of the brine-flies. In some cases the larvae 

 live in the ocean, in others in the far stronger brine of Great Salt Lake, 

 and the neighboring alkaline waters of Utah and Nevada. In Great Salt 

 Lake these larvae are sometimes cast up in long windrows along the shore, 

 while in Mono Lake they occur in as great numbers. Professor W. H. Brewer 

 has the following notes upon the larvae occurring in the latter lake : — 



" The numbers and quantities of these flies and larvae are absolutely 

 incredible. They drift up in heaps along the shore, and hundreds of 

 bushels could be collected ! They only grow at certain seasons of the year, 

 and then Indians come from far and near to gather them for food. The 

 worms are dried in the sun, the shell rubbed off by hand, when a yellowish 

 kernel remains, like a small, yellowish grain of rice. This is oily, very 

 nutritious, and not unpleasant to the taste, and under the name of Jcoo- 

 chah-bee (so pronounced) forms a very important article of food. The 

 Indians gave me some of it ; it does not taste bad, and if one were 

 ignorant of its origin, it would make nice sonp. It tastes more like patent 

 meat biscuit than anything else I can compare it with. . . . 



" The waves cast these larvae in little windrows on the shore ; the 

 quantity is large ; the chief difficulty in collecting is to get it as free from 

 sand as is possible, and then it is dried on clothing or blankets. My guide, 

 an old hunter there, told me that everything; fattens in the season of the 

 koo-chah-bee ; that ducks get very fat, but their flesh tastes unpleasantly 

 from it, and that the Indians get fat and sleek. . . . The flies settle on 

 twigs, spires of grass, etc., until nothing of the perch can be seen, merely 

 .a wand of closely clinging flies. They also at times rest on the water in 

 great numbers." 



This use of these larvae as food is paralleled by the use of the eggs 

 of a similar species in Mexico. Among the Mexicans this is called a 

 mosquito, but in reality it is a far different species. It lays its eggs in 

 large numbers on the grass surrounding some of the lakes of Mexico, and 

 in some places the Indians prepare bunches of sedges for their deposit- 

 At times these bundles are taken up and beaten, and the eggs which fall 

 off are gathered, dried, and ground into flour called Ahuatl. This flour is 

 mixed into small cakes by the aid of hens' eggs, and these are then fried. 

 It is held that as these contain no flesh, thev are legitimate food on the 



