Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1905 — A Queer Food. [ARTICLE]

A Queer Food.

A most singular food is the larvae *«f a fly common in certain portions /'ilifornia and known as ephydra. 13 f° und In such vaat quanm > ’ e Mono, Cal., that it is ’ hores ,n va9t wlndwashed upon th* w . bushels, rows and can be e y bushels. The water of Mono is very .“ seemingly very heavy and smooth, oil, so much so that it resists ordinary wind and refuses tp b?cpme ruffled. When tbP lacyac begin to appear the Bulans gather from far and near and scrape them up, place the wormlike creatures on cloths and racks in the sun and dry them, when they are beaten up and husked, looking then like rice. The Indians call the food koo-chah-bee, and many bushels are collected at his time. That larvae are nutritious is shown by the condition of the Indians, who soon grow fat on the rich diet. Many birds are attracted by the larvae and gorge themselves with the singular food.