. Both, antients land moderns feem to have had very:
confufed notions concerning the origin and nature of
the kermes; fome confidering it as a fruit, without a;
juft knowledge of the tree which produced it; others,
taking it for an excrefcence formed by the punflure of a
particular fly, the fame as the common gall obferved up-
on oaks.' Tournefort was of this number. Count Mar-
figli, and Dr. Nifole, a phyfician o f Montpelier, .made?'
experiments and obfervations, with a view of further
difcoveries, but did not perfectly fucceed. Two other
phyficians at Aix, in Provence, Dr. Emeric and Dr. Ga-
ridel, applied themfelves about the fame time, and with
greater fuccefs ; haying finally difcovered that the kermes,
is in reality nothing elfe but the body of an infeil transformed
into a grain, berry or hulk, according to the'
courfe o f nature ; whofe hiftory I fhall now briefly
relate :
The progrefs of this transformation muft be eonfi-
dered at three different feafons. In the firft ftage, at
the beginning of March, an animalcule, no. larger than a-
grain o f millet, fcarce able to crawl, rs perceived flicking
to the branches o f the tree, where it fixes itfelf, and
foon becomes immoveable; at this period it grows the?
moil, appears to fwell and thrivq with the. fuftenance it
draws in by degrees i This ftate of reft feems to have
deceived
deceived the curious obferver, it then refembling an excrefcence
of the bark; during this period o f its growth,
it appears to be covered with a down, extending over its
whole frame, like a net, and adhering to the bark: its
figure is convex, not unlike a fmall floe ; in fuch parts
as are not quite hidden by this foft garment, many bright
fpecks are perceived o f a gold colour, as well as ftripes
running acrofs the body from one fpace to another.
At the fecond ftage in April, its growth is compleated,
its fhape is then round, and about the fize of a pea : it
has then acquired more ftrength, and its down is changed
into duft, and feems to be nothing but a hulk, or a cap-
fule, full of a reddiih juice not unlike difcoloured blood.
Its third ftate is towards the end o f May, a little fooner
or later, according to the warmth o f the climate. The
hulk appears replete with fmall eggs, lefs than the feed
o f a poppy. Thefe are properly ranged under the belly
o f the infeil, progreflively placed in the neft o f down,
that covers its body, which it withdraws in proportion to
the number of eggs : after this work is performed, it
foon dies, though it ftill adheres to its pofition, rendering
a further fervice to its progeny, and fliielding them
from the inclemency of the weather or the hoftile attacks
of an enemy. In a good feafon they multiply exceedingly,
having from 1800 to 2000 eggs, which pro-
D duce