cover'd with a kind of Bark of a blackish Colour.

In the Reign of King Sigifmund III. in the Year 1601. there was fuch Quantity of them in Poland, that a Duty was paid on them; but at prefent, the Jews carry fome thither only out of Curiosity.

The Author gives us the following curious. Particulars of this third Sort of Coccus, borrow'd from his own Experience.

In the Month of June and July, he gathered the Cocci, part of which adher'd to the Plant Polygamus, and others not. He put them in a Glass in the Air, and expos'd them to the Sun, about the 24th of July; out of which Coccus, there came out fome fix-footed Worms, larger or fmaller, according to the Bignefs of the Coccus, and of a purple Colour.

The Worms of the firft Magnitude were larger, fmaller, or longer, according to the different Pofitions of their Bodies. If thefe Worms are plac'd towards the Sun at Noon, they ftir and crawl, endeavour to get out of the Glafs, and move from one fide to the other; but towards Night, when the Weather is either. cold or wet, they contract themfelves in the form of a fmall round Ball, like as they appear'd before they were hatch'd.

Our Author could not discover any difference. of Sex in these Worms, but fays, that without any Food, expos'd only to the Air and Heat of the Sun, they lived fourteen Days or more; after which they shorten'd and contracted a little, and continued motionlefs; but before this, they twisted themselves in a wonderful Manner, and fhone like purple.

A little after, feveral of them began to be cover'd all over with a kind of Silk or Cotton, but fo thin, as to be imperceptible to the naked Eye. This covering is fometimes fpherical, and fometimes an irregular Figure, but extreamly beautiful.

Laft Year, in the Month of July, our Author examin'd with a Microfcope one of thefe Worms, when cover'd over with a kind of Cotton, and found in it above fifty Eggs juft hatch'd. The Worm was contracted in the middle of the Cotton, and without any figns of Life. Our Author had the Curiofity to prefs the Worm with his Finger, when he then difcover'd in the hinder-part thereof a little round Hole, out of which there came Blood, and in this Blood he found upward of twenty Eggs, not yet hatch'd, and are of the fame Size and Figure with the former.

Thefe Eggs are oblong, of a reddish Colour, tranfparent, and fo very fmall, that they appear to the Eye no bigger than a Point. If thefe Eggs are expos'd to the Sun, about the 24th of Auguft out of each Egg there comes a little Worm of an oval Form, and of a dark reddish, Colour, but no bigger than a Point, and fo finall that it cannot be difcern'd, unless plac'd on Black Paper.

The first Day after thefe Eggs Are hatch'd, the Coccus's carry with them the Shell of their Eggs, which cleave to their hinder parts by fome of the fmall Hairs that grow under their Bellies.

When thefe Worms are firft put into a Glafs, they grow very faft, but afterwards are benumed, in proportion as the Air grows cold. Their motion returns but flowly, with the heat

of

of the Sun; four Weeks after, they have no motion, which the Author believes to proceed from the want of Food.

As to what becomes of thefe Worms in the Fields, and how they are again changed in thofe new Shells, in their very beginning, our Author only gives us a mere conjecture, and therefore we shall not relate it in this Place.

The Author teils us another Particular occafionally, viz. that among the Cocci put into a Glafs, a fort of Butterfly, fomewhat bigger than a common Fly, is fometimes difcover'd. Tis of a pale Colour, now and then red, and lives only two Days; though in another place,he fays, that he kept fome of them a Fortnight and. upwards.

This Kind of Butterfly our Author thinks draws its Origin from a little Worm; which in the Months of July and Auguft is found fometimes among the Coccus's, and which leaves Eggs among them; from which Eggs, other Worms like this are produc'd. And confequently, that Count Marfilius is in the wrong, to fuppofe that this kind of Infect is form'd of the Coccus themfelves.n

The Author now fums up what he had before. obferv'd, as follows:

I. That Coccum ex Ilice, the Scarlet-Oak Coccus, is a fix-footed Infect, without either Wings, Covering, Motion or Difference of Sex, 'tis of a spherical Form, of a Vegetable Kind: That it grows and contains feveral Eggs; whence by the means of the Sun, Infects like the former iffue out.

II. That Secondly, the Polish Coccus, or which is the fame, the Root Coccus, is alfo a fix-footed Infect, without Wings or difference of Sex; which adheres to the Root of the above-mention'd Plant, called Polygonum, and continues there without motion, in the Form of a spherical Grain, when it grows and increafes, and becomes a kind of Vegetable. That the fame Infect afterwards produces other Infects, different from the former, though they have feveral properties in common with it. Thefe Second Worms do not increase, continue without Food, and don't discover any difference of Sex; they contain abundance of Eggs, and, in time, are covered with a kind of Cotton, are deprived of Motion, contract themfelves and lay Eggs, which afterwards by the help of the Sun produce fmall Infects like to the firft.

Infomuch, fays the Author, that the Polish, or Root Coccus, differs only from the Scarlet- Oak Coccus, in that the former undergoes no Metamorphofis, when the Infect which iffues out of its Egg to be nourished, changes into a Coccus, properly fo call'd; after which, out of this comes another Infect, which is perfect, and has no need of Nourishment, it being only defigned to lay Eggs, and then it dies; whilft that the Scarlet Oak Coccus is produced from In Infect, without undergoing any Metamorphofis. All that this Coccus does, is to carry and hatch Eggs, after which it alfo dies.

As to the Coccum Americanum, or the American Coccus, or Cochineal, the Author believes that 'tis like the Polish Coccus in many respects.

These feveral Particulars are reprefented at the end of the Differtation in Copper-Plates, and

painted

painted in their natural Colours, which we could have wifh'd to place here.

The Author concludes with obferving, that he must defer examining the medicinal Ufes of the Coccus, as well as that with regard to Dying, to another Opportunity; and in the mean time to cenfure the Poles for not making a proper Advantage of the Coccus's which are found in fuch great abundance in their Country.

We have been the longer on this Extract, because the Phænomena are new and curious; and that the Work itself whence it is taken, is not to be purchased of our Bookfellers.

ARTICLE VI.

STATE of Learning.

LEIP SICK.

I. UST publish'd here, Chrift. And. Teuberi Tractatus Philelogico-Exegeticus de utilitate Linguæ Anglicana, in explanatione Scriptura demonftrata: That is, Chrift. And. Teuberus's Philological Treatife, in which he demonstrates the Usefulness of the English Tongue in the Explication of the Holy Scriptures.

II. Frid. Ottonis Menkenii de Vita, Moribus, Scriptis, Meritifque Hieronymi Fracaftorii Commentatio: That is, Frid. Otto Menkenius's Commentary on Hieron. Fracaftorius's Life, Morals, Writings and Merit. III. Th.

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