140 
THE BUTTERFLY. 
butterfly as an article of food. They call her 
“ the Bugong,” and at a certain season of the 
year, immense flights of these butterflies are to 
be seen upon a mountain that is named, on this 
account, the Bugong mountain. 
The butterflies rise from the lowland in such 
incredible numbers that the air is filled with, 
them. They settle on the masses of granite that 
form the different peaks of the mountain, and 
completely cover them, and fill up every hollow. 
The natives come from far and near to make 
a harvest of them; and while the season lasts, 
nothing is thought of but feasting on the Bugong. 
They light fires in the hollows of the rocks, and 
the butterflies are suffocated with the smoke. 
They are swept up by bushels, and then the 
natives set to work to prepare them for food. 
A space is cleared, large enough for the purpose, 
and a fire kept burning on it, until the earth is 
quite hot. After the fire is removed, they heap 
the butterflies upon the heated place to bake, 
and stir them about until the wings and down 
fall off; for the body is the only part used as 
food. Sometimes the bodies are eaten without 
any further preparation, but more frequently 
they are put into a wooden bowl, and pounded 
into cakes, about the color and consistence of 
dough, and that look like lumps of fat. The 
