insect is widely distributed over many of the south- eastern countries of the ancient world. It occurs abun- dantly in Spain (Kirby and Spence, Introduction to En- tomoloyy [18-28], i, 319, 320). It is found on the Quercus coccijha, or kermes oak, in Palestine (Kitto, Physical History, p. 219). Pliny speaks of the coccus as a red color much esteemed, which he distinguishes from pur- ple (fJkt. Ahit. ix, G5), and describes as a gay, red, lively bright, approaching the color of fire {il/iJ. and xxi, 22). All the ancients concur in saying that this dye was made from a sort of little grains which were gathered from the holm-oak (Theophrast. Hist. Plant, iii, 16; Pliny, xvi, 12; Dioscorides, iv, 48 ; Pausan. x, 36). They not only call them grains, but speak of them as the vegetable productions of the oak itself (Plutarch, Thesaur. p. 7) ; and Pliny (Hist. Nat. xvi, 12) calls them cusculia. from the Greek /coff/ci'AXfiv, which signifies "to cut little excrescences," because they cut or scrape off these small grains of the oak. Yet he was not entirely ignorant of their insect character, for he speaks of it be- coming a worm (xxiv, 4). It seems, however, that the color thus obtained was not durable (xxii, 3). It was known at a very early period in Canaan (Gen. xxxviii, 28) ; it was one of the colors of the high-priest's ephod (Exod. xxviii, 6), and of its girdle (ver. 8), of the breast- plate (ver. 15), and of cloths for sacred uses (Numb, iv, 8); it was used in cleansing the leper (Lev. xiv, 4), to indicate, as Abarbanel thinks, that a healthy complex- ion was restored to him. It was the dress of females in the time of Saul (2 Sam. i, 24) ; of opulent persons in later times (Lam. iv, 5); of the Babylonian and INIedian sokiiers, who also wore red shields (Nah. ii, 4; comp. "Scuta lectissimis coloribus distinguunt," Tacitus, Zie Hlor. Germ. c.G, andPhilostratus, Epist.de Laceda;mo7iiis). Three mistranslations of the word occur in our version, "She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her househfild are clothed with scarlet" (Prov. xxxi, 21). Since there is no connection between the color and a defence from the cold, it would be better rendered, as in the margin, "double garments." (Comp. Sept. h'SfSuj-tivoi; Vulg. vestiti duplicibus.') The next verse of the Sept. begins Aiaaag ^(kaivai; tnoitjat rtp arSpi avTijc, t>ke hath made double yarments for her husband. In Isa. i, 18 and Jer. iv, 30 the word should be ren- dered " scarlet," and not "crimson." The final reference to scarlet is in regard to pagan Rome, which, like all cities, is represented as a female ; and since everybody wore scarlet in Rome, and especially during war, she is described as being arrayed in that color. In Exod. xxxix, 3, it is said, " They did beat gold into their plates, and cut into wires, to work in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen," which is explained to mean that these five kinds — blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, and gold — were twisted into one thread; thus a thread of gold with six threads of blue, and so with the rest, after which they twisted all these threads into one (Braunins, i, 17, 26). It seems plain, from Exod. xxxv, 25, that the blue and purple and scarlet were spun by hand from wool already dyed of these colors. The white ground was invariably des- ignated by the term " fine linen." The cloth was thus in stripes or checks of different materials. Wilkinson remarks that the color was in like manner imparted by the Egyptians to the thread, etc. — that is, cloth was not dyed after being woven {Manners and Customs, iii, 125). It will have been perceived that great difficulty attends the attempt to determine the precise distinctions of colors known to the ancients by the various preceding names. The only possible method whereby they could have conveyed them to our minds would have been by comparing them to the colors of natural ol)jects, whose appearance was immutable and whose identitj' was be- yond question. Such an attempt has been made by bishop Wilkins in his Real Character. We may illus- trate the utility of these requisites by the color blue, which is defined to mean " the color produced or ex- posed to the view by the blowing away, or clearing
awaj', or dispersing of the clouds" (Encyclop. Metropol^. But, as is well known, the shades of etlieroal blue vary in different countries, and even in difftrent altitudes of the same country; hence the word Ijlue, if illustrated by this standard, would convey a different idea to the inhabitants of different regions. It is most likely that all our ideas of sensible impressions are liable to errors of association. It is, however, satisfactory to know that, like all other dubious matters, these are of minor im- portance. We add a further reference to (ioguet, Ori- (jin of Laws, A rts, and /Sciences, ii, 95, etc. (Edinb. 1764). — Kitto. See Colok.
The natural historj' of the kpkkoc may be thus sum- med up. It is a genus of insects belonging to the or- der Homoptera, of which the males have a single pair of wings and an obsolete mouth ; while the females have no wings, but a perfect mouth (i-ostrum) formed for piercing plants and sucking their juices. They live on trees and plants of various kinds. Upwards of thirty species are included in the catalogue of British insects; but of these many have probably been introduced on exotic plants. There are numerous species, many of which are known to yield rich dyes, and several have been employed in the arts. Up to the time of the dis- covery of America none could compete with the spe- cies which infests the ever- green oaks (Coccus ilicis') ; but that has been thrown into the shade by the su- perior productiveness, if not the superior color, of Mexican species (C. cacti'), whence we obtain cochi- neal. The insect called Ay-?-- mes by the Arabs is abun- dant wherever the tree on which it lives is common. All over the south of En- Excrescences on the Oak rope and throughout West- "^^'^'^ ^^ t"«^ ^"''"' '''''''«• ern Asia this occurs in extensive forests. The hills of the south of Judah about Hebron, the sides of Car- mel and of Tabor, the slopes of Gilead and Bashan, besides many other localities in Palestine, are sheeted with forests and groves of the evergreen oaks, from which a copious harvest of coccus may be annuallj' gathered. It is no wonder, then, that the dye was so early familiar to the people of Canaan. It is in that stage of the insect when the larva is about fully grown that it contains the coloring matter in greatest abun- dance. The little scales are picked from the tree and simply dried, when they yield their dj-e by infusion in water. To make this permanent, what is called a nior- dant is added — a substance which, having no coloring faculty in itself, acts chemically as a bond of union be- tween the dye and the textile material, and often mod- ifies the tint. The ancients used an impure alum for this purpose. Pliny tells us that thus was obtained from the kokkoq a color of the most brilliant character {Hist. Nat. ix, 65; xxi, 22). The hue now produced by the Kermes coccus with alum is a rich blood -red; but if the same mordant be used as with cochineal — solution of tin — it yields a scarlet fully as brilliant as that rich American dye, and perhaps more perma- nent (Bancroft, Pe7-m, Col. i, 404). The far greater proportion of coloring matter to the bulk in the latter will always, however, prevent the kei-mes from regain- ing its commercial importance. — Fairbairn, s. v. See Crimson.