340 . 
COCHINEAL. 
the leaves of the plants, becoming attached to those 
spots which they find best adapted to afford them 
nourishment. Here they remain till they become of 
a full size, and are then taken off for use. It must 
be observed that they become torpid when full 
grown, and it is in this state that they are gathered. 
In some parts the slaves are not sufficiently careful 
in picking off the cochineal (which is done with a 
bamboo twig in the shape of a pen) ; for instead 
of confining themselves to the perfect insect, they 
pick off those which have not arrived at their full 
size, and thus injure the crop by destroying many 
females before they have deposited their young. 
The insects are converted into a colouring drug 
by a simple but cruel process. They are collected 
into a wooden bowl and from thence transferred to a 
flat earthenware dish, which is placed over a char- 
coal fire, and thus the insects are slowly roasted 
alive till all their juices are evaporated. While 
they are drying, a person continually stirs the mass 
with a tin ladle, and sometimes sprinkles them 
with water lest they should burn, whieh would 
totally destroy the beauty of the colour. When 
the operation is completed, they are removed from 
the fire and assume the well-known appearance of 
cochineal. Eight hundred and eighty thousand 
pounds weight of this drug are said to be imported 
annually into Europe ! 
There is another species of this genus, the Coccus 
Jicus , Linn., or shell lac, which is of considerable 
service to japanners, &c. These insects inhabit the 
