32S A VOYAGE TO Book VI 



attention is requifite to prevent them from getting 

 out^ as in that cafe great numbers of them would 

 ' be loit \ though there is no danger of it, where they 

 are at liberty on the nopal leaves, thofe being their 

 natural habicationy 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 fee the leaves entirely covered with 

 them, efpecially when they are arrived at maturity. 

 When they have been confined iome time in thefe 

 pots, they are killed and put into bags. The Indians 

 have three different methods of killing thefe infedls, 

 one by hot water, another by fire, and a third by the 

 rays of the fun ; and to thefe are owing the feveral 

 gradations of the colour, which in fome is dark, and 

 in others bright; but ail require a certain degree of 

 heat. Thofe therefore who ufe hot water are very 

 careful to give it the requifite heat, and that the quan- 

 tity of water be proportioned to the number of in- 

 fers. The method of killing them by fire, is to put 

 them on ihovels into an oven, moderately heated for 

 that intention the fine quality of the cochineal de- 

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

 killing the infeCis: and it muif be owned, that 

 among the feveral v/ays made ufe of to deftroy this 

 valuable creature, that of the rays of the fun feems 

 to bid faired for performing it in the mofl perfed: 

 manner. 



Besides the precaution requifite in killing the co- 

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

 neceiiary to know when it is in a proper fcate for being 

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

 ence only can teach the cultivator this neceffary crite- 

 rion, no fixed rule can be laid down. Accordingly, in 

 thefe provinces v^here the cultivation of thefe mfecls 

 is chiefly carried on, thofe gathered by Indians of one 

 village differ from thofe gathered in another ; and 

 pven thofe gathered by one perfon in the fame village 



