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Proceedings of the Royal Society 
bread. When peoj^le cannot afford this, they have recourse to 
“ bottled white ants.” Eutter is made, however, and when used, is 
melted and poured over the porridge. Eoth cows’ and goats’ milk is 
largely used. Marrow, which is extracted from bones with a stick, 
is much relished. 
There do not appear to be any articles of food forbidden, but 
some people do not think it well to eat liver, fish, sheep’s head, or 
goats. The earth thrown up by ants is sometimes eaten, but those 
who do it aie considered mad. 
Oil is made from semsem seed. The seed is ground, boiling 
water poured over it, and the oil squeezed out with the hand on a 
grinding stone, caught in a gourd, and poured into jars. 
No spices are used, but redeb, a stone fruit, is made into a pulp, 
and mixed with porridge, when the latter is boiled. Salt is used, 
and is kept by some people for sale. Honey and deli stem are 
added to sweeten food. 
The most expensive articles of food appear to be semsem, milk, 
cows, sheep, and goats. 
Cooh’ng . — The cooking is either done in the room under the 
granary, or outside the entrance to the dwelling hut, where three 
stones are always placed. Between these a fire is made, and the 
cooking vessels are placed upon the stones. The women are the sole 
cooks. They have a superstitious practice of putting white ashes 
on the pots before placing anything inside ; some words are 
muttered at the same time, and this is supposed to make the food 
more satisfying when cooked. Small cooking operations are at 
times done in the hut. 
Eefuse is deposited in heaps about 100 yards from the hut, and 
cleared away periodically. 
Meat will keep two days, but is considered at its best on the first 
day after killing. It is boiled and also roasted over the fire. Meat 
and fish are dried in the sun for keeping. Fresh fish is boiled ; 
dried fish boiled or broiled. Fowls and all kinds of birds are boiled. 
No spit is used to roast meat ; it is laid across two pieces of wood 
arranged over the fire. Meat is not fried. The use of hot stones 
in boiling is unknown. Porridge and bread are mixed in a pot over 
the fire, and bread is really only a very stiff porridge. Porridge 
mixed with redeb and semsem is made with water ; that made of 
