170 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



containing either its inquilines or parasites. The only Chalcid 

 I can find recorded as parasitic on this species is Eupelmus 

 azureus, by Ratzebing, in his 'Die Iclineumonen.' Like 

 many of the bud-galls this species has been confounded with 

 many others by different authors, more especially with 

 A. albopnnctata; in fact these species were only satisfactorily 

 separated in 1865 by Schlechtendal, and then he afterwards 

 mistook them the one for the other. This gall was first 

 described as British by Mr, Cameron (E. M. M. x. 85), under 

 Hartig's name, Ferruginea, who found them in Cadder Wood, 

 near Glasgow. I have also received the true Solitaria from 

 Mr. G. B. Rothera, who, with his friend Dr. Ransom, has 

 found it in Nottinghamshire. — E. A. Fitch. 



The Breeding of Gall-jiies. By E. A. Fitch, Esq. 



The flies may be bred from some galls very readily by 

 merely placing them into a chip or any other box, and letting 

 them bide their time, but others require more attention and 

 care, e.g., the succulent galls of Baccarum (the currant oak- 

 gall), Curvator (the kidney oak-gall), Terrainalis (the common 

 oak-apple), Megaptera (the oak-trunk gall), and many others, 

 which if collected in damp weather, or are slightly immature 

 and full of sap, are almost sure to mould ; in such cases the 

 better way is to leave them in the room for a day before 

 putting them away, and then to remove their covering every 

 day for a short time. I have found the thistle-gall of Urophora 

 Cardui very troublesome. 



The plan which recommends itself I think before all others 

 is one used I believe extensively by the breeders of Micro- 

 Lepidoptera, and which answers for galls admirably; that is 

 to procure some common gallipots and rub them down, so as 

 to have a smooth edge, on which a piece of good glass will 

 fit closely, and in this receptacle, which will be almost air- 

 tight, the galls may be kept; it is very convenient also for 

 examination, as the presence of mould or the exit of insects 

 may be seen at once, and the escape of the flies, if the pot be 

 ground smooth, will be impossible, which is not always the 

 case with various boxes; of course anything may be substi- 

 tuted for the gallipot, if it has a smooth edge and flat top. 



