Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

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it may be kept for any length of time without lofing
either weight or colour.
* It requires much care and attention to preferve thefe
infefts from their numerous enemies. The principal
enemies which infeft the cochineal are, the larvae ot a
fpecies of coccinella, which fuck them, and leave no¬
thing but the {kin. A caterpillar of about an inch long,
and of the thicknefs of a crowT quill, is their moft de-
ifructive enemy, which would foon deftroy the whole
race, were they allowed to carry on their depredations
without moleftation. The larvae of a fpecies of pt'mus
feeds on them likewife. There is a fpecies of infect
which lives on the nopal in great numbers, and does as
much iniury to the plant as the cochineal infeeds them-
feives do } which pinches their body, prevents them from
taking nouriihment, and caufes them to drop from the
plant. A fmall moufe which always prefers the fine
cochineal to the fylvefter, becaufe the cottony matter
with which the fylvefter is more abundantly covered
entangles its teeth, alfo preys on them. Many birds,
too, are fond of them, and would deilroy great numbers
of them, were they not driven away by the owners of
the plantations.
The fylvefter is fmallet than the true cochineal j
their bodies are -covered with a white cottony matter,
and edged all roijnd with hairs. About eight days
after they are fixed, the cottony matter and the hairs
increafe in length, and become fo clofely attached to the
plant, that part of them is commonly left adhering
after the infect has been removed.' Though thefe infects
commonly feed on a prickly fpecies of caBus, which
grows wild, the Indians frequently rear them on the
nopal, becaufe they are collected from it with much more
facility than from the uncultivated fpecies : for the mom
dexterous workman cannot collect more of the infects in
one day than will produce two ounces of cochineal when
dry } whereas he can colleft from the caBur coccinelh-
fera as many as will yield three pounds when dry.
There is alfo another advantage obtained from rearing
the fylvefter on the nopal which they cultivate in their
gardens *, the infefts become almoft as large as the true
cochineal, and lofe more and more of their cottony
covering in proportion to the frequency of their repro¬
duction. The fylvefter has been lately introduced into
the Rritifh fettlements in India. The following account
of its introduction and comparative value has been
publiftied by Mr Nicolas Fontana, who refided for
many years in that part of the world.
“ The introduction of cochineal into Bengal, which
our neighbours had endeavoured to naturalize in their
Weft India poffeffions, deferves particularly to be mark¬
ed, as being likely, under proper management, to be¬
come not only a new sera in the pr ogre {live refources
of the company, but an acceftion of opulence to the
Britifh empire : an aera the more remarkable, as not-
withftanding the attempts of government, the defign
was not accomplifhed but through accident, the great
parent of difeovery, which, with never-ceafing influ¬
ence operates in many ways for the good of man¬
kind.
“ After a large plantation of the various fpecies of
opuntia had been reared at Madras, waiting only the
arrival of the infeCt to make it ferviceable, which a long
oorrefpondence ®£ thirteen years could not obtain, Dr
Anderion’s felicitations about it had almoft been for-
O L O G Y. Hemiptera.
gotten; yet though his laborious induftry and zeal for his
country’s intereft, had no other reward, the introduction
of the cochineal infeft into India is entirely owing to
his publications on the fubjeft, which fortunately fell
into the hands of Captain Nelfon, who was then fta-
tioned at Madras with the jjzd regiment. On the
captain’s return to India in 1795, the fleet in which he
failed, repaired for refrefhment to the port of Rio de
Janeiro. In his perambulations a little way out of this
town, he was attended as ufually by the centinel, when
he law a plantation of opuntia with the infeft upon it.
This circumftance immediately brought to his recollec¬
tion the ardent with for the importation of the infeft
exprefied in the letters he had read at Madras 5 and he
conceived the hope of being able to gratify Dr Ander-
fon’s defire, by carrying fome to India with him.
“ A day or two previous to his embarkation, he took
another walk to the place where he had feen the opun¬
tia or nopal. He made bold to atk the cultivators for
fome of the plant, being curious, he faid, in matters of
natural hiftory. Having collefted feveral other plants,
he witlied to have this alfo. The good people being
the lefs fufpicious as he was in his regimentals, granted
his requeft. They gave him feveral plants with infefts
on them, which he carefully carried aboard. Many of
thefe, during the paffage to Bengal, which was remark¬
ably long and tedious for fuch delicate paflengers, died.
A few infefts only remained alive on the laft plant,
feveral of the leaves having withered.
“ Captain Nelfon, on his arrival in Calcutta, fent the
furvivors to the botanic garden, where they were dif-
tributed on the different fpecies of the opuntia. This
well nigh fruftrated the whole labour. On the China
and Manilla fpecies, they were found to die fait. It
fortunately occurred to make trial on the indigenous
opuntia of Bengal, which is alfo abundant in many
parts of India. On this the infefts thrived amazingly }
infomuch, that from thefe few, in the courfe of four or
five months, a quantity had been collefted fufticient for
diftribution among all who withed to try the rearing of
them, and feveral plants upon which the infefts were
feeding were fent to Madras.
“ The novelty and importance of the objeft promifing
fo fpeedy and plentiful a harveft of fortune, engaged a
multitude of individuals to undertake the bufinefs *, and
this, no doubt, the more readily, as the cultivation of
this field of wealth required but very little capital.
Many golden dreams were enjoyed by the new planters.
All who had a mind were provided with infefts 5 and
undertook plantations of opuntia.
“ The anxiety and impatience natural to all, who,
indulging in ardent expeftations, undertake new enter-
prifes, induced fome of the planters of nopal to put the
infeft upon it when the plant had juft emerged from
the ground. Others, through inattention, kept their
infefts in places too near to where the opuntia was
growing young, which in that tender and premature
ftate was devoured by thefe creatures when hard preffed
by hunger. The untkilful mode of drying vras like¬
wife adopted ; and fome of thofe perfons wrhofe opinions
led the multitude, declared in the moft decided and po-
fitive manner, that the cochineal wrould never anfwer,
as it would not be found worth the trouble and expence
attending the cultivation of it. All thefe confiderations
damped in a ereat meafure the ardour of the enterprife..
Many