248 THE entomologist's record. 



A good accouut of these galls may be fouud in The Entomologisf ^ 

 vols. IX. and XI. 



My botany lias got so rusty, that my knowledge of the oak antliers is 

 practically merelj^ what I have observed whilst looking for these galls. 

 They appear to consist of two cells, like most other stamens, the filament 

 ])assing between them close to the base ; but each cell is again so sub- 

 divided into two portions, that, perhaps, the anther is pro])erly four- 

 celled ; if so the cells are arranged two and two. The gall of schJechtendaJi 

 begins in the filament or between the anthers. The two cells of the 

 anther continue to adhere together at their apices, but the growing gall 

 separates their bases, and in doing so leaves them attached as described, 

 two and two ; and whilst the gall proper is whitish, the anthers remain 

 greenish, and so are conspicuously mapped out on the upper surface of 

 the gall — perhaps I ought to say the surface skin of the anthers, 

 for their substance soon forms a portion of the gall. The little gall, 

 which is hardly as large as a millet seed, is therefore flattened back and 

 front when the gall appears between the anthers, is rounded below, and 

 has two sloping surfaces to each side on top, each of these sloping sur- 

 faces, formed by an anther cell, has a groove down its centre marking 

 the subdivision of each cell into two, and these grooves, meeting at the 

 top, form, with the grooves between the two anther cells, a cruciform 

 arrangement of furrows at the apex. 



The ripest have already a very firm texture. One I opened 

 contained a small larva. Another contained two larvfe, one rather 

 h'igger than the other. Whether the second was a proper tenant or an 

 inquiline, I know not. 



About May 21, galls kept in the house were fully ripe ; that is, the 

 gall proper was rounded, and of firm, almost woody, texture ; the 

 remains of the anthers forming projections on the surface were easily 

 rubbed off, as well as some loose tissue at the base, whilst the small 

 larva already nearly filled the whole interior, leaving the Avoodj' shell 

 only. 



S cJiJ edit end) di is said to remain lo months in this condition, and the 

 woody character of the galls favours this supposition. Lying on the 

 ground they no doubt escape the dangers of desiccation, but hoAv so^ 

 small a particle can escape the many other dangers that must surround 

 it, is difficult to understand ; doubtless only a small proportion do escape, 

 the enormous numbers that occur on a favorable tree, being no doubt 

 necessary to meet the gTcat destruction that occurs at this period. 



The dates of aprilinm this jeav (1895), in which things were late,. 

 ]>ut went forward most rapidly under a high temperature when they 

 did begin, are : — April 29tli. Early oak trees show buds well open, 

 one or two aprilinus discoverable with difticult3\ May 2nd: Buds 

 generally bursting, with shoots an inch long, but hardly anything like 

 leaves on aprilinm trees, xipritinus fully developed, a majority empty. 

 May 6th : Leaves an inch long, ajn-ilinus shrivelled and collapsed. 

 May 12tli : Anthers shewing greener and larger than normal for galls 

 of sclilechtendali. May 14th : Galls of schlechtendali distinct. Ma^^ 16th r 

 Galls of schlechtendali falling. May 21st : Galls of schlechtendali fully 

 developed. 



Some few precocious oaks were quite a week earlier than these 

 dates, but these, probably from want of search, yielded no galls of 

 aprilinus. 



