Part I. ] 
Stebbing : Note on the Lac Insect. 
69 
uniform to be instructive, especially as a so-called ■phunki lac in- 
crustation gave the highest proportion of colour. It will be very 
interesting to receive what you consider to be empty lac so that 
we can attempt a chemical method to confirm or otherwise the 
phunki entomological opinion ; so far it seems that the word is 
very loosely applied and no doubt such lac contains the larvae 
before they have escaped. 
(6) Analysis of Saharanpur stick-lac from which the larvce swarmed 
after it had been plucked .- — I send you the results of the Saha- 
ranpur sample of lac. The analysis quite upsets theories 
formed. The true ‘ phunki ’ lac should contain little colour- 
ing matter, but the sample yielded a considerable quantity. 
This is the analysis : — 
Water .......... 2'7 
Resin ....... ... 78’6 
Colouring matter . . . . . . . . 3‘5 
Albumen . . . . . . . . . . 12'9 
Ash 2-3 
100-0 
‘ ‘ This amount of colouring agrees with the amount found in the 
‘ phunki ’ lac supplied from Naini Tal and recorded in the 
Indian Trade Journal and I took all precaution, as you suggest- 
ed, to remove any dead larva3 and shift out some of the loose 
particles, which appeared to be dye, before the examination. 
So far chemistry cannot decide between ‘ phunki ’ lac and lac 
collected before swarming, unless you can send me further 
samples of authenticated incrustations. After all the weight 
of the larvae escaping from the cells would bear small propor- 
tion to the weight of the resinous matter on the branches, and 
it would seem that there is some other colouring matter to be 
accounted for which does not come out wdth the larvae. I 
should, however, be pleased to examine further samples before 
drawing final conclusions.” 
This other ‘ colouring matter ’ which Dr. Hooper considers must be 
present is no doubt chiefly to be found in the shrivelled skins of the female 
insects. 
