VOL. XXIV.J PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 145 



vered another anirnalculum, nop, with six legs, taken out of the belly of its 

 dam. I saw also among the eggs that I had separated from the ovarium, as also 

 among those fastened to the vessels of the ovarium, such exceedingly small eggs, 

 that 100 of them did not equal one large egg. 



In all the cochineal grains I ever examined, I found eggs in their bellies, and 

 young ones in those eggs ; but in some many more than in others, and in those 

 whose bellies were much shrivelled, I found but few eggs : from whence I con- 

 cluded that such as had but few eggs in them had already brought forth a great 

 many young, and would not have lived long, according to the age of all small 

 flies, which die soon after laying their eggs. 



Now, forasmuch as those animalcula that are found upon lime-trees, &c. 

 have young ones in their bellies, even before they come to half their growth ; 

 therefore in order to see whether it be so likewise with the cochineal flies, I took 

 eight of the small ones, which I judged did not altogether make more than 

 one large grain, such as is represented by ab in fig. 6, and steeping them over 

 night in rain-water, next morning I found only five that had subsided, the other 

 three being so light as to swim on the water, which consequently had not pene- 

 trated into them. Out of the first of these small grains that I dissected, I took 

 eleven eggs, in some of which the animalcula were so completely formed, that 

 I could easily see their legs, besides several exceedingly small eggs. In the 

 second I could meet with no eggs that were come to their full growth. Out of 

 the third I took three perfect eggs. In the fourth there were none perfect. 

 In the fifth two perfect eggs, but always less. From these observations I con- 

 clude, that the production of the cochineal flies takes place in the same manner 

 as that of the animalcula on the lime, currant, plum, and hazel-nut-trees. 



As for what the old Spaniard said further, that they stifle the cochineal flies 

 with smoke as soon as they have got wings, because then the cochineal is better; 

 this is not at all surprising, because, when the flies are arrived at their full 

 growth, their bodies are then most full of eggs ; from hence probably is chiefly 

 derived that noble colour of scarlet, though it seems that most of these cochi- 

 neal flies are killed or smothered before they come to their full growth. 



The cochineal flies in all appearance dwell on the back or underside of the 

 leaves, which defend them from the great heat of the sun in those climates ; 

 and as the smoke cannot destroy all those flies, the few that remain must mul- 

 tiply very much in a short time. I had got about a spoonful of powder or dust, 

 together with some sands, out of the cochineal box, and found that what ap- 

 peared to be nothing but dust, was abundance of very small cochineal flies, and 

 some of them so minute, as if they had been just hatched, and some of them 

 gradually larger than others ; there were also other small particles, which I 



TOL. V. "^ U 



