INTRODUCTION XV 



of the galls cannot be expected to occur in England, 

 and several of our English forms do not appear in 

 those countries. It is not improbable, however, that 

 some of the continental species do occur in England, 

 and that they will be found when more workers are 

 engaged upon the subject. I have therefore prepared 

 a list of Mid-European oak galls with fullest details 

 obtainable, as a guide to the collector. The list must 

 not be regarded as complete (pp. 155-158). 



The history of British oak galls dates from a very 

 early period. 



The word " o-all " appears first in English literature 

 in ' Trevisa,' Barth., De P. R., XVII, civ (Tollem MS.), 

 where the following occurs : " The mall (Mandragora) 

 ha]? white leuse . . . and apples growe]? on ];e 

 leues, as galles gTowe]> on oaken leues." In 1481 

 Caxton uses the word " gall." Turner, in his ' Herbal,' 

 ii, 109 (1562) describes a gall as " the fruite of an 

 oke, and especially of the leve." In 1616 Surfl. and 

 Markh., in ' Country Farme,' p. 28, remark : " He 

 shall know a fruitfull and fertile yeare if he see the 

 Oke apples, commonly called Glals." 



In the last case the reference is to the oak-apple, 

 Teras terminalis. Probably very few other oak galls 

 had then been observed. In 1668, however, several 

 kinds were recorded. In a volume published in 1902, 

 (' Notes and Letters on the Natural History of 

 Norfolk, more especially on the Birds and Fishes ; 

 from t\ie MSS. of Sir Thomas Browne, M.D. [1605- 

 1682],' by Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S.), there are two 

 references of much value in showino- the circumstances 



o 



under which these galls were introduced to literature. 

 The fact is also revealed that Sir Thomas was aware 

 of galls on foreign oak trees. 



" The fourth letter to Dr. Merrett, Decemb. xxix 

 (1668). (Fol. 42 verso) .... 



" A paragraph might probably be annexed unto 

 Quercus. Though wee hawe not all the exotic oakes, 

 nor their excretions, yet these and probably more 



