348  Nature  and  Structure  of  Cochineal.   {A\*^  ^arm. 
He  further  compared  cochineal  with  a  small  flying  insect  called  by 
the  children  "  lady-birds,"  and  which  are  found  when  the  white 
nettles  are  in  bloom.  The  latter  were  killed,  and  taking  off  their 
wings,  feet  and  heads  he  found  that  the  cavity  that  is  seen  on  every 
grain  of  cochineal,  is  on  the  back  or  upper  side  of  the  animalcule 
Fig.  2. 
Microphotograph  of  cochineal  insect  of  commerce  showing:  b,  partially  extended  beak  or  proboscis; 
m,  mouth  portion;/,  two  of  the  legs  still  intact. 
and  is  caused  by  the  drying;  that  part  of  the  grain  which  appears 
with  a  kind  of  rifing  (ridging?)  is  the  lower  part  or  belly.  As  to 
those  grains  in  cochineal,  which  have  smaller  cavities  than  others,  I 
conclude  that  they  must  have  been  female  insects,  whose  bodies  being 
filled  with  eggs  do  not  admit  of  their  contracting  in  so  great  a  degree ; 
and  though  the  hind  parts  of  the  bodies  of  these  insects  which  com- 
pose cochineal  do  somewhat  differ  from  those  of  the  lady-birds, 
