244 The Tent Caterpillar. 



The Cahuilla Indians, and also the Cocopahs of the Colorado desert 

 region in California, gather large quantities of the pods annually, 

 the time of harvest lasting from June into August, when the trees 

 are frequently loaded with their golden wealth. 



The squaws go out into the groves and bring back their * hotls' 

 (a large, coarse-mesh sack, resembling a hammock) and baskets full 

 of the yellow pods. They then grind the pods in their stone mills 

 or 'matates,' into a coarse meal or flour, remove the seeds and hard 

 shells around the seeds, and then cook to suit their taste. Some- 

 times they boil the flour in water and make a gruel or pudding, but 

 the larger portion of the meal goes to form large, flat cakes or 

 loaves of bread which may be made to supply food for many 

 months to come, and are easy for the nomadic tribes to transport. 



This bread is very sweet and pleasant to the taste, with a pleas- 

 ant, slightly acid and astringent, spicy flavor. A sparkling drink, 

 called aloja, is also made from these pods. The Comanche and 

 Apache Indians formerly used large quantities of an alcoholic drink 

 — a weak beef — made by fermentation of the flour. 



The mesquite beans (as the pods are commonly called) are rel- 

 ished by most herbivorous animals, and horses and cattle will eat 

 them with avidity and thrive on them as a substitute for grain. 

 They are likely to be more largely utilized as fodder for stock than 

 as human food. 



In this connection, it is worthy of note that the pods of the mes- 

 quite produced in the valleys near the coast are almost invariably 

 thin and bitter instead of thick, sweet and nutritious, as are those 

 grown in the more arid sections on the Colorado desert and east- 

 ward. Evidently a warm, dry climate is necessary to the best de- 

 velopment of the fruit, the fogs and coast winds causing a very in- 

 ferior product. 



The delicate green, finely divided foliage renders this a very 

 beautiful tree when in leaf, and it is well worthy of being extensively 

 cultivated. C R. Orcutt. 



THE TENT CATERPILLAR. 



These common pests having been so very plentiful this year in 

 this locality (Moosup Valley, R. I.), I resolved to make a study of 

 them, not adding anything new, perhaps, to the cause of science, 

 but satisfying myself as to their habits. At the usual time in early 

 spring the webs began to show upon apple and wild cherry trees. 

 It is said that the young caterpillars feeding 'upon the tender leaves 

 eat on an average two apiece each day. At this rate it does not 



