ROSE WILLOW. 69 



We must notice yet another common instance, though one 

 perhaps more beautiful than all the preceding, wherein, at the 

 Gall-fly's creative touch, the willow is made to blossom like 

 the rose ; so closely to simulate, by extraneous foliage, the floral 

 form and colour, as to deceive the fathers of botany, as well as 

 no doubt many modern observers. One of the former, old 

 Gerarde describes, and gives a figure of the rose willow, under 

 the assured belief that all "its blushing honours/' or, as he desig- 

 nates them, all its ' ' gallant shew," could be none other than the 

 tree's natural produce ; whereas its mimic roses spring forth in 

 reality at insect instigation, much in the same way as the 

 moss-like tufts of the Bedeguar ; only that, instead of spines, 

 the willow shoots into leaflets resembling in colour and ar- 

 rangement the petals of a rose. The change of hue from 

 green to red has been attributed to an acid in the animal juice 

 infused with the intruded egg. 



Besides the Gall-fly, properly so called, there are several other 

 insects which cause by their punctures a variety of vegetable 

 excrescences somewhat resembling those described. Amongst 

 these are the thistle-fly,"* gall-gnat,t a few minute beetles, and 

 several sorts of Aphides. 



As works of wonder, all the comparatively great effects 

 which arise from these tiny causes are worthy of description, as 

 well as notice ; but they are too large and too varied for the 

 little limits of our page. It remains, moreover, to complete our 



* Tephritis Cardui. t Cecidomyia, 



