THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 171 



is not SO generally known that a legend is currently received, 

 that the King being hungry, the oak in compassion produced 

 these apples for his especial benefit, and has continued to 

 produce them, on every 29th of May, from that time to the 

 present. King Charles' apples are still annually collected in 

 great numbers, and, when the finder or purchaser can afford 

 it, are covered with gold-leaf. Methinks these apples must 

 have been bitter pills for the fugitive monarch, even though 

 gilded, which, however, I believe a somewhat modern inno- 

 vation ; be this as it may, the oak-bough, with its scarcely 

 expanded leaves and its gilded apples, are every year ex- 

 hibited in commemoration of the monarch's escape. In the 

 ' Book of Days,' by Robert Chambers, will be found a full, 

 true and particular account of the King's escape, and a very 

 pleasant description of Oak-apple day in the country. (See 

 vol. i. p. 693—700). 



So much for the galls ; and now a few words about their 

 inhabitants : let me entreat my readers to study the life- 

 history of these inhabitants; and this is the course I recom- 

 mend : — Procure fifty jam-pots, more or less as you may 

 require : as soon as you have found a gall, and this, in the 

 country, is the occupation of only a few minutes, transfer it 

 to jam-pot No. 1 ; then open a book already prepared, and 

 having pages numbered 1 to 50, therein make the first 

 entry, " Bedeguar of the dog-rose, gathered 22nd September, 

 1866." No 2 perhaps may be " Bedeguar of the sweet-briar, 

 gathered 22nd September, 1866 ;" No. 3, " Root-gall of the 

 oak, gathered 22nd September, 1866 ;" and so on, until every 

 jam-pot has become a nursery, each one being covered with 

 a flat square piece of glass. Look at your nurseries from day 

 to day, and you will soon perceive, on the surface of the 

 glass, insects of diverse forms and colours ; you will be 

 astonished at their variety and beauty. Next procure a basin 

 of hot water, 140° Fahr. is about the temperature, take off" 

 any glass that has an insect on it, hold it over the basin, give 

 it a gentle tap, and the insect will immediately be seen 

 floating quite dead on the surface of the water, with its wings 

 and legs extended. Now prepare a number of small pieces 

 of card, and write on one of them the number of the jam-pot, 

 and the date on which the card is used ; thus, " No. 1. — 

 1, X. '66" the month always interposing between the day 



