The Wonderful Ways of Insects and Spiders [ 275 



almost colorless larva, we note an immediate change in the leaf. 

 Vegetable fibers start to grow, radiating out from the little grub. 

 As this process goes on, a thin smooth crust forms around the 

 outer edges. 



Now the "oak apple" is formed, and the insect larva is com- 

 pletely surrounded by food and protected by its globular house. 

 Here it eats, completes its growth, changes to a pupa, and at last 

 emerges as a wasp, no more than a quarter-inch in length. 



Remarkable Types of Galls: The "apple oak" is but one of the 

 many kinds of galls. Thus, you may frequently see two different 

 types on goldenrod stems. One of them, made by a grub that 

 becomes a fly, is spherical in shape; the other, which is spindle- 

 shaped, develops into a tiny moth. 



Then there are the willow cone galls, produced by a little 

 gnat. It lays its eggs on the tip of the bud of a twig. This stops 

 the further growth of the twig, stunting the leaves into small scales 

 which overlap in rows around the larva. The very pretty galls 

 which you may find on wild rosebushes somewhat resemble small 

 chestnut burs but are pink and green when young. Later they 

 turn brown. 



Collecting Galls: In wintertime, collecting galls makes a fine out- 

 door activity. Many of them are dead and deserted by then, to be 

 sure; but in some the grubs are still resting and waiting for the 

 onset of warm weather. The collector will find it rewarding to 

 compare styles. A gall may be large or small, globular or spindle- 

 shaped; its covering may be smooth, shingled, or spiny. You can 

 succeed in identifying the insect builder once you become familiar 

 with these variations and the kinds of plants that each insect 

 characteristically chooses. 



THE INTERESTINGLY NAMED ANT LIONS 



The larva of the ant lion, one of nature's most remarkable 

 oddities, catches its prey in a trap. It is fairly easy to find the 

 traps it builds, for ant lions live on sandy stretches over most o 



