Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 2, 1802).djvu/41

coc CO I by i . . colours, ■i making I . osists d .III iiwct which . c 1U fch d fi r, as i i^ fferently or nopalleca, the Iiul. mi fig-tree ; and is found most abundantly in the provinces of Oaxaca, Tlascala, and Chiapa, in b America. It 1-. nourished by the juice of r!ie p ...nt on which it breed.-*, and which be- comes converted into its substance, yielding a most beautiful scarlet and cn..iso;i colour. The cochineal insects are usual- ly gathered in the beginning of ist, when tiny are killed, either by being immersed in hot water, or put into an oven mo- derately heated for that purpose ; or, more advantageously, by being exposed to the scorching rays of the sun. — The last mentioned me- thod is reputed to be of superior erhc.icy for preserving the colour- ing property ; and the cocnineal thus treated, is of a shining silver grey. More than one million of pounds of this drug are annually imported into Europe ; and it pays at present, in this country, only a convoy duty of lOd. per pound : the best sort was lately sold at from 15s. to one guinea die lb.- — It is remarkable, that these worms may be kept in a dry state for more than a hundred years, with- out being in the least affected by the tooth of time. COCK, or Gallus, L. a species of the phasianus, too well known to require any description. The cock was first introduced into Eu- rope from Persia, and is eminently distinguished for his courage, espe- cially when opposed to one of his own species, Advantage has been coc [ taken of this peculiarity; and, to thedifi .unkind, the brutal practice oi coi '. oas ben reduc d to a regular sysb m. In si, me parts of Asia, cock-lighting furnishes amusement to kings and princes ; and, though it is evidently on the decline in this country, yet it imperiously demands the atten- tion of an enlightened legislature, to eradicate totally this inhuman cus- tom. Cock-chafer. See Chafer. Cockle. See Coks-cockle. COCKLE, or Cordiuw, L. a genus of small shell-fish, consisting of twenty-one species. They are commonly found on sandy coasts, and furnish a wholesome and agree- able food. When consumed in a raw state, cockles are supposed to produce poisonous effects : and, though we have no positive proofs in confirmation of this conjecture, it will be more prudent to boil and eat them with the addition of a little pepper and vinegar, or at least the latter, whicl at the same time pro- motes their digestion . COCKROACH, or Blatta, L. a genus of insects, resembling the beetle, and consisting often species, the most remarkable of which is the orient alis, or eastern cocKroach. These inserts are frequently found* in America; they penetrate chests, drawers, &c. and do considerable injury to clothes. They seldom ap- pear till night, when they infest beds, and bite very severely, leav- ing an unpleasant smell. Their food is bread, meat, whether raw or dressed, linen, books, silk- worms, and their cods, kc. — According to Sir Hans Sloane, the Indians mix the ashes of die cockroach with sugar, and apply them to ulcers, in order to promote their suppura- tion. C 4 COCK's-