149 ANIMAL FOOD EESOURCES OF DIFFEEENT NATIONS. 



of fat, and are so rich as soon to satisfy the appetite of 

 a professed gourmand. A great traffic was formerly 

 carried on from the Island of Cyprus in these birds. 

 They are caught in vast numbers there, and pickled in 

 casks, each containing from 300 to 400, prepared with 

 spice and vinegar. In some years the number of casks 

 exported has amounted to 400, or upon an average 

 140,000 of these highly-prized morsels. 



In India they fatten what passes for ortolan, but are 

 birds quite of another kind, being a species of the 

 lark family {Calandrella hrachydadyla, Temm). Those 

 commonly served at table in Calcutta are mostly un- 

 fattened birds, brought alive to the bazaar, of the 

 species referred to when procurable in abundance, 

 but often mingled with other kinds of larks and pipits, 

 more especially the Gorydalla Richardi, and not unfre- 

 quently they are of this species exclusively. 



Edibk Birds' Nests. — There is a curious Chinese food 

 dainty in the gelatinous nest of a species of swift, of 

 which about eight millions are said to be annually sold in 

 China. The nest and bird are figured in Gray's " Genera 

 of Birds," where he names it Collocalia Troglodytes. 

 Bonaparte names it Salangana (Collocalia) fuciphdga. 

 Thunberg also gave it the name of Hirundo fuciphaga 

 from the supposition that the mucilaginous matter em- 

 ployed in the construction of the nests was obtained from 

 seaweed eaten by the birds. But it is now ascertained 

 beyond doubt that the substance in question is secreted 

 by greatly developed glands. The most recent analysis 

 of the nests we owe to Professor Troschel, of Bonn. He 

 finds that the material does not consist of specially 

 nourishing or stimulating substances, but is quite 

 similar in composition to any animal saliva. 



Whether C. esculenta, C. fuciphaga, and C. nidifica are 

 one and the same species is not yet settled. 



The bird producing this esculent nest is found all over, 

 the Malay and Philippine archipelagos, wherever there 

 are caves to aflford it shelter and protection. But Java 

 and Borneo seem to be their chief resort. The celebrated 



