32 8 A VOYAGE TO Book VÍ. 



attention is requisite to prevent them from getting 

 out, lis in that case |:;reat numbers of them would 

 be lost : though there is no danger of it, where they 

 -arc at liberty on the nop.il leaves, those being their 

 natural halitation, and where they enjoy a plenty of 

 delicious food ; for though they often remove from 

 one leaf to another, they never quit the plant : nor 

 is it uncommon to see the leaves entirely covered 

 with them, especially when they are arrived at malu-^ 

 rity. When they have been confined some time in 

 thc^e pots, they are killed and |>ut into bao;^. The 

 Indians have three different methods of killing these 

 insects; one by hot water, another by fire, and a third 

 by the rays of the sun ; and to these are ov.'ing the 

 several gradationsof the colour, which in some isdark, 

 and in others bright ; but rill require a certain degree 

 of heat. Those, therefore, who use hot water are very 

 careful to give it the requisite her.t, and that the 

 quantity of water be proportioned to the number of 

 insects. The method of killing them by fire, is to 

 put them on shovels into an oven, moderately heated 

 for that intention ; the fine quality of the cochineal 

 depending on its not being over-dried at the time of 

 killing the inst'» s : and it must be owned, that 

 among the several vvays made use of to destroy this 

 valuable creature, that of the rays of the sun seems 

 to bid fairest for performing it in the most perfect 

 manner. 



BhSiDES the precaution requisite in killing the co- 

 chineal, in order to preserve its quality, it is equally 

 necessary to know when it is in a proper state for being 

 removed from the leaves of the nopal ; but, as experi- 

 ence only can teach the cultivator this necessary cri- 

 terion, no fixed rule can be laid down. Accordingly, 

 in thescprovinceswhere the cultivation ofthescinsects 

 is chiefly carried on, those gathered l^y Indians of one 

 village differ from those gathered in another , and 

 cvcq those gathered by one person in the same village 



arc 



