they are not killed by it. Some persons having observed this loathing of unwashed wool, have employed it with success for banishing these troublesome vermin from them: for this purpose, they either lay their cloth between layers of that wool, and, after letting it stand thus for some time, take it out, or rub the cloth hard with some of the unwashed wool, which being thus strongly impregnated with the smell, the moth avoids it carefully until the smell be difsipated. But not only is this insect destroyed by a strong smoke of tobacco; it is also killed by a decoction of its leaves: and it would appear, from some experiments made by a Mademoiselle de Métivier, of Bourdeaux, that wool or cloth that has been once steeped in such an infusion is so disgustful to these insects for a long time afterwards, that they will on no account touch it. Wool that has been so steeped takes as good a dye as if it had not had that preparation, unless it be pink colour, which is somewhat altered by it. Stuffs thus prepared may, therefore, be preserved from its attacks. Many persons content themselves with taking out the goods that are attacked by the moth grub, shaking them, and exposing them to the open air from time to time. This, doubtlefs, is of some service, as this insect delights in a close, smothered, obscure situation, where it thrives in the greatest perfection; and consequently it delights not in the open air: but shaking, unless it be done very carefully, and at a particular season of the year, produces very little effect; for it usually takes care to fix its case so firmly to the cloth by means of silken threads at each end, that it ad heres to it too strongly to be thus detached from it, unless when the grub is yet in its earliest infancy, and still very small, when they adhere so loosely as to admit of being shaken off with greater ease. This operation, then, ought to be performed about the beginning of September, when the larvæ are yet young. This is also the most proper season for destroying them by means of smoke or odours; for, as the season of the fly is then past, there is no risk of eggs being deposited upon the goods from that time till the next season. The loosest fabrics of cloth, such as baize, blankets, and fleecy hosiery, are preferred to those in which the threads are more twisted. If a piece of camblet and baize are put equally within reach of the grub, they will scarcely ever attack the camblet. One other singularity that seems to be peculiar to this insect remains to be noticed. Its excrements are invariably of the same colour with the material on which it feeds, whatever it may be; and, whatever has been the dye employed for producing that colour, it does not seem to be in the smallest degree altered by the animal process in passing through its body. If it be placed on a scarlet cloth, they are scarlet; if a blue cloth, they are blue; and so on; and always precisely of the same tinge of colour with the food. From this peculiarity it would seem, that this insect might be usefully employed by man in the preparation of pigments; and it is probable, that the colours thus obtained might pofsefs qualities that belong to none other, so that it is a proper object for experiment. tion of cochineal by means of allum, a much finer colour might probably be obtained from the fæces ejected by this insect when fed upon the purest scarlet. Had this pigment no other excellence, the very superiority it would possess in point of fineness of comminution would render it peculiarly desirable. It is said too, that these colours mix equally well with water or with oil: thus, therefore, might be obtained greens and blues of the most beautiful tints in a state of perfection, which cannot be obtained by the help of other pigments. But those tints which promise to be still more desirable than any other, are the fine white and black pigments that might be thus obtained, and which would blend with all other colours in such a way as to give them a general harmony that, perhaps, cannot be produced by any other object in náture. This promises also to supply a desideratum that has been long searched for in vain as of inestimable value. It is a fine opaque white for water colours; a white too which may be made of any tinge that may be wanted for the particular purpose in view: for there can be no doubt that the white produced from the silver hairs of an aged person would be of a very dif. ferent tint from that yielded by the flaxen hairs of a child. The same may be said of black. In this way also, if ladies must have colours for improving their complexion, they might prepare these for themselves (without being obliged to go to a shop for them) which would be at the same time of infinitely more beauty of tint than any that they can purchase, and free from those deleterious qualities to which the health, and even the lives, of so many amiable females fall sacri ་ heres to it too strongly to be thus detached from it, unless when the grub is yet in its earliest infancy, and still very small, when they adhere so loosely as to admit of being shaken off with greater ease. This operation, then, ought to be performed about the beginning of September, when the larvæ are yet young. This is also the most proper season for destroying them by means of smoke or odours; for, as the season of the fly is then past, there is no risk of eggs being deposited upon the goods from that time till the next season. The loosest fabrics of cloth, such as baize, blankets, and fleecy hosiery, are preferred to those in which the threads are more twisted. If a piece of camblet and baize are put equally within reach of the grub, they will scarcely ever attack the camblet. One other singularity that seems to be peculiar to this insect remains to be noticed. Its excrements are invariably of the same colour with the material on which it feeds, whatever it may be; and, whatever has been the dye employed for producing that colour, it does not seem to be in the smallest degree altered by the animal process in pafsing through its body. If it be placed on a scarlet cloth, they are scarlet; if a blue cloth, they are blue; and so on; and always precisely of the same tinge of colour with the food. From this peculiarity it would seem, that this insect might be usefully employed by man in the preparation of pigments; and it is probable, that the colours thus obtained might pofsefs qualities that belong to none other, so that it is a proper object for experiment. tion of cochineal by means of allum, a much finer colour might probably be obtained from the fæces ejected by this insect when fed upon the purest scarlet. Had this pigment no other excellence, the very superiority it would possess in point of fineness of comminution would render it peculiarly desirable. It is said too, that these colours mix equally well with water or with oil: thus, therefore, might be obtained greens and blues of the most beautiful tints in a state of perfection, which cannot be obtained by the help of other pigments. But those tints which promise to be still more desirable than any other, are the fine white and black pigments that might be thus obtained, and which would blend with all other colours in such a way as to give them a general harmony that, perhaps, cannot be produced by any other object in nature. This promises also to supply a desideratum that has been long searched for in vain as of inestimable value. It is a fine opaque white for water colours; a white too which may be made of any tinge that may be wanted for the particular purpose in view: for there can be no doubt that the white produced from the silver hairs of an aged person would be of a very different tint from that yielded by the flaxen hairs of a child. The same may be said of black. In this way also, if ladies must have colours for improving their complexion, they might prepare these for themselves (without being obliged to go to a shop for them) which would be at the same time of infinitely more beauty of tint than any that they can purchase, and free from those deleterious qualities to which the health, and even the lives, of so many amiable fernales fall sacri |