278 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



woman, after nipping the head off a maungo, give 

 the remainder to her child to suck as a teat. 



The natives of many tribes such as the Mwera, 

 Macua, Wangindo and Amatengo, evince a decided 

 partiality for the flesh of puff-adders and pythons. 

 These delicacies are usually toasted on a spit over 

 the embers of a fire, but occasionally enter into the 

 composition of a curry, the principal flavouring 

 ingredients of which are bissari, chillies, ginger and 

 cloves, and these constituents (excepting of course 

 the puff-adder and python) are used by my cook in 

 preparing a curry for myself. 



The Upanga and Ubena, two tribes living to the 

 north-east of Lake Nyassa, are extremely fond of the 

 flesh of dogs, while porcupines are considered a 

 delicacy by many natives, who dig the animals out of 

 their holes and spear them. I have often eaten 

 porcupine flesh and consider it an excellent food. 



The natives of many tribes among whom I have 

 lived are very partial to ants, using them for food 

 only in the rainy season when they are winged. 

 They either eat the insects alive, after plucking off 

 the wings, or crush and mix them with water or 

 monkey-nut oil, and having stewed the resultant 

 paste over a fire, use it as a relish. There are 

 several varieties of ants, but they all go under the 

 Mahometan name of njeremba. 



The Atonga and Sokeri tribes, dwelling about the 



