248 THE WILD COCHINEAL INSECT OP INDIA. 



separate species, it agrees very closely with the description given of the 

 woodland or wild cochineal of Mexico. In the month of December, the 

 young brood were extremely numerous, very lively, and ready to leave the 

 mother, and spread themselves over the plants. Sulphate of aluminua, 

 added to an alkaline solution of the colouring matter of the native cochi- 

 neal, threw down a copious deposit, which, when collected and dried, 

 turned out a lake, equal in beauty to the purple lakes found in Ackerman's 

 colour boxes. 



" My attempts (adds Dr. Dempster) to make fine carmine, was not 

 so successful ; but the process, even with the finest Mexican cochineal, is 

 known to be tedious, difficult, and liable to failure. My experiments in 

 dyeing woollen cloth with the Indian cochineal, have been eminently suc- 

 cessful, and have far exceeded my expectations. Using the formulae 

 employed in Europe for dyeing scarlet with Mexican cochineal, I sub- 

 stituted the indigenous colouring matter, and produced tints which, I 

 think, will be pronounced equal in brilliancy to the best Europe-dyed 

 scarlet broad cloth. After a little practical experience in the manipulation, 

 I can now reproduce these colours with perfect certainty, and have thus, 

 I believe, satisfactorily established the important fact, that the colouring 

 matter of the Coccus of this part of India, is equal in quality to that of 

 the Mexican cochineal. 



" I took equal weights of the native and imported cochineal, extracted 

 the colouring matter from both with exactly equal quantities of the same 

 chemical re-agents, and conducted the process, in both cases, precisely in the 

 same manner. The quantity of lake obtained from the native cochineal 

 exceeded that got from the imported article — the former was also of a more 

 brilliant hue ! The quantity of native cochineal, which I found capable 

 of dyeing a certain weight of woollen cloth, proves that the indigenous 

 insects contain an amount of colouring matter, not inferior to the fine 

 Mexican cochineal. The native cochineal when dried, has an unseemly 

 appearance, being covered with much cottony matter, which adds con- 

 siderably to the bulk, though not much to the weight, Yet, if I have 

 not deceived myself as to the quality and quantity of the colouring 

 matter contained in a given weight, I am persuaded it must be of com- 

 mercial value, even in its present unimproved state." 



The natural history of the Mexican coccus shows : 



1st. That the production of the fine dye is confined within certain 

 geographical limits. 



2nd. That the wild species can be greatly improved by culture and 

 judicious management. The north-west provinces of India (including the 

 hill districts) present a great variety of climate, soil, elevation, &c, circum- 

 stances which must tend to modify the character of plants, and the nature 

 of the insects which feed upon them ; due favourable locality appears to 

 be found, and others even more favourable may be discovered. There are 

 immense tracts of waste and uncultivated lands, on which the cactus may 

 be planted, and where it would grow luxuriantly. There is already one 



