COCCUS. 1Q3 



hair-powder, powdered talc, &c. in that innocent 

 cosmetic, so much used by the Ladies, and popu- 

 larly known by the French term Rouge. 



Coccus Ilicis or Kermes, (the Kermes of the 

 Materia Medica) is a species adhering, in its ad- 

 vanced or pregnant state, to the shoots of the 

 Quercus cocci f era, (Ilex aculeata cocciglandifera. 

 C. Bauh. pin.) under the form of smooth reddish- 

 brown or blackish powdery grains or balls of the 

 size of small peas. The tree or shrub grows plen- 

 tifully in many parts of France, Spain, Greece, 

 and the islands of the Archipelago. The Cocci 

 .are found adhering in groupes of five, six, or more 

 together, or pretty near each other. They are 

 gathered for the purposes of commerce by the 

 country people. 



Before the discovery of America the Coccus 

 Ilicis or Kermes, as it was then termed, was the 

 most valuable substance for dying scarlet, and 

 was collected in great quantity for that purpose. 

 According to the mildness or severity of the winter 

 the harvest of the Kermes is said to be more or 

 less plentiful; and it is no very uncommon thing 

 to have two harvests in a year. Before dying, the 

 berries are steeped in vinegar, to prevent the ex- 

 clusion of the young animals by thus killing the 

 parents. They are then spread or thrown on linen, 

 and as long as they continue moist are turned 

 twice or thrice a day, to prevent their heating, and 

 are afterwards put up for sale. 



Woolen cloth dyed with Kermes was called 

 v. vi. P. i. 13 



