22 Bulletin oj the Brooklyn Entomological Society voi. viii 



parts and changes the natural color. The sap turned from its 

 proper channels, extravasates and flows round the eggs while 

 its surface is dried by the external air and hardens into a vaulted 

 form." 



It is known at present that the fluid ejected during oviposi- 

 tion is a lubricant and that the puncture jmade by the ovipositer 

 has nothing to do with the formation of thfe gall and it is supposed 

 that a larval fluid stimilates the growth of certain plant cells. 

 Taking everything into consideration, this explanation is not 

 much better than the previous one. 



As to transformations of insects, Swammerdam was of the 

 opinion that the changes from egg to larva and pupa to adult 

 were effected by the "evaporation of the superabundant fluids." 

 According to him the egg was nothing more than the insect itself 

 "which required the evaporation of the surrounding moisture 

 and casting of the old skin to bring it to its perfect form. " 



Coming back to galls again, the parasitism of these resiilt- 

 ing in different species emerging from one gall gave rise to the 

 fanciful theory that they were generated by the "vegetative 

 and sensitive soul in the plant. " This same theory also accounted 

 or was supposed to account for the presence of larvae in nuts and 

 fruits of different kinds. 



Two other promiinent naturalists in their day, Ray and 

 Godart found the same difficulty in explaining the issuance of- 

 parasites from lepidopterous larvae and pupae. They supposed 

 that if through some defect Nature cotdd not bring the cater- 

 pillar to maturity, in order that her aim would not be entirely 

 defeated, she formed it into insects of a smaller size. 



Plant lice and ants, always being found together, it was 

 concluded that the ants "shed upon the leaves of plants a sort 

 of plastic humour from which the lice were generated." More 

 than this, the atmosphere was loaded with countless numbers 

 of insect eggs, "so small as to elude the senses." These eggs 

 after meeting a -proper bed, hatched in a few hours and caused 

 what was known as a blight. 



Bonnett and Reaumur confused pollen and wax and thought 

 that the wax was collected by the bees from all sorts of trees 

 and plants and afterward kneaded by the feet of other bees into 

 plates. Even honey was believed by some to be "an emanation 



