The females of this insect, which, dried, bear the name of graines de kermes, are of the size of an ordinary currant, without any trace of rings, nearly spherical, of a violet and glaucous colour. They adhere to the boughs of the shrub Quercus coccifera, and form dry brittle masses, which the peasants of the south of France collect, and sell at a tolerably high price.
Before we possessed the cochineal of Mexico and of Algeria, this cochineal was very much employed in the south of Europe, in the East, and in Africa. It furnishes a beautiful red colour. This last named and the Mexican cochineal are somewhat used in pharmacy. They enter into alkermes, a sort of liquor served at dinner in Italy, chiefly at Florence and Naples.
Another species of cochineal is the Coccus polonicus, which is met with in Poland and Russia, more rarely in France, on the roots of a small plant, the Scleranthus perennis. This cochineal is gathered in the Ukraine towards the end of June, when the abdomen of the female is swollen, and filled with a purple and sanguineous juice.
The Polish kermes (Coccus polonicus) was formerly used very much in Europe. This product has not indeed lost all its importance in those countries where it is met with in abundance.
We have now only to point out among the insects of this group the Coccus lacca, which lives in India on many trees, among others on the Indian fig-tree, the Pagoda fig-tree, the Jujube tree, on the Croton, &c.
These last-mentioned insects produce a colouring matter known under the name of Lac Dye. They fix themselves on the little branches, getting together in great numbers, forming nearly straight lines. The bodies of many fecundated females, united together by a resinous exudation which is caused by the piercing of the bark, constitutes the matter called in commerce and by dyers by the name of Lac Dye, Shell-lac, Gum-lac, &c.
Resinous lac is found in commerce under four forms:—First, the stick-lac, such as it is found concreted at the extremity of the branches whence it exudes—it is an irregular brownish crust; secondly, the seed-lac, picked off the branches and pounded; thirdly, shell-lac in scales melted down and run into thin plates, which vary in quality according to the proportion of colouring matter they contain; fourthly, thread-lac, which resembles reddish threads, and is prepared thus in India.
One more word about the cochineal. The Coccus manniparus, which lives on the shrubs (Tamarix mannifera) on Mount Sinai, causes to exude from the branches it has pierced a sort of manna. The Coccus sinensis produces a kind of wax which is employed in China in the manufacture of candles.