Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1905 — A Queer Food. [ARTICLE]

A Queer Food.

A most singular food is the larvae of a fly common in certain portions California and known as epliydrn. ' "Rite insect is found in such vast quan- - tlties /Jo Lake Mono, Cal., that it is washed;itpon the shores in vast wind- - rows and can be collected by bushels. The water of Mono is very singular, seemingly very heavy and smooth, like oil, so much so that It resists ordinary ■ wind and refuses to become ruffled. Whan'the larvae begin to appear tl.e LctikUiftn* gather from far and near and “scrape them up, place the worinllke runeatures on cloths and racks in the ■sun and dry them, when they are •beaten up and husked, looking then dike rice. The Indians call the food rkoo-chah-bee, and many bushels are .collected at his time. That larvae are nutritious is shown by the condition the Indians, who soon grow fat on the rich diet. Many birds are attracted by the larvae and gorge themselves with the singular food.