550 [December 



either habitually or occasionally, one of these Willow-galls, and live 

 either upon the substance of the gall itself or upon the bodies of other 

 insects that live upon the substance of the gall. In the sino-le o-all 

 S. hrassicoides n. sp. there dwell the Cecidomyia which is the maker 

 of the gall — four inquilinous Cecidomyia — an inquilinous saw-fly 

 (Hymenoptera) — five distinct species of Microlepidoptera, some feed- 

 ing on the external leaves of the gall, and some burrowing into the 

 heart of the cabbage, but scarcely ever penetrating into the central 

 cell, so as to destroy the larva that provides them with food and lod"- 

 ing — two or three Coleoptera — a Psocus (Pseudoneuroptera) — a Hete- 

 ropterous insect found abundantly in several other willow-galls — an 

 Aphis which is also found on the leaves of the willow, but peculiarly 

 afiects this gall — and preying on the Aphides the larva of a Chrysopa 

 (Neuroptera) and the larva of a Syrphide (Diptera) — besides four or 

 five species of Chalcididfe, one Braconide Ichneumon (Hymenoptera) 

 and one Tachinide (Diptera), which prey on the Cecidomyia and 

 the Microlepidoptera — making altogether about two dozen distinct 

 species and representing every one of the eight Orders, if with 

 Sieboldt, Erichson and Hagen we refer Pseudoneui-optera to Orthop- 

 tera. If this one little gall and the insect that produces it were 

 swept out of existence, how the whole world of insects would be con- 

 vulsed as by an earthquake ! How many species would be compelled 

 to resort for food to other sources, thereby grievously disarranging the 

 due balance of Insect Life ! How many others would probably perish 

 from off the face of the earth, or be greatly reduced in numbers ! Yet 

 to the eye of the common observer this gall is nothing but an unmean- 

 ing mass of leaves, of the origin and history of which he knows noth- 

 ing and cares nothino' ! 



The Dervise in the Eastern Fable claimed to have discovered the 

 language of birds, while to the vulgar their notes were mere inarticu- 

 late sounds without passion and without meaning. The Entomoloo-ist 

 does not indeed pretend to understand the language of Insects, for, as 

 they all breathe through spiracles or brauchite, their mouths are ever- 

 lastingly dumb. But from signs and tokens well known to him he can 

 interpret their actions, and recognize at a glance what object they are 

 pursuing, whether sport, or love, or war. or food for themselves, or food 

 for their future progeny, or the construction of habitations either for 



