Mr Hardy on the Woody Oak Gall 249 



Lucker, by Mr Ackroyd of Oakroyd Hall, near Leeds. On 

 dissection I found in its stomach three trouts averaging about 

 3 ounces each in weight. Before the county was drained and 

 when bogs and marshes were abundant, the Bittern was not 

 altogether uncommon, but now it is rarely met with. 



T. H. Gibb. 

 Alnwick, January, 1872. 



On the Occurrence of the Devonshire Woody Gall of the 

 Oak on the Borders. By James Hardy. 



The Gall-fly that originates the woody gall of the oak, presents 

 one of the few instances, in which we can almost lay our finger 

 on the first arrival of an insect, native of another country, 

 upon our shores ; witness its becoming acclimatized on the 

 milder southern sea-board ; and then trace it issuing forth in 

 a gradual progress northwards ; till it promises a few years 

 hence to take its place beside the aboriginal species. In 1869 

 and 1870, several of the galls were collected in some of the 

 plantations of the Earl of Home, at Hirsel. Two of these 

 were sent to me, which I immediately recognized as counter- 

 parts of others with which I had been furnished by Mr Jerdon, 

 who had gathered them, several years since, at Malvern, 

 where they were plentiful. I have since been informed that 

 the gall is not uncommon in the district round Dunse, as for 

 example at Puttenmill. The gall there is more frequently 

 found in the scrubby oaks planted in hedges, than in planta- 

 tions. In England, also, it propagated itself along the hedges. 

 This season, I have a pretty group from the woods behind 

 Houndwood Church, where it is yet very scarce. The galls, 

 in this its most northern position, are rather small ; the 

 usual size being that of a boy's marble. They are situated at 

 the ends of twigs, singly or in pairs ; and are of a pale olive 

 brown colour, varying according to age. On showing a 

 number to the Club at the Cockburnspath meeting, Sir 

 Walter Elliot mentioned that he had seen the gall about Wolfe- 

 lee for the first time in 1870 ; but the Rev. J. F. Bigge said 

 that it was familiarly known in the vicinity of Stamfordham ; 

 — so that it had taken up its residence in Northumberland, 

 before crossing the Border line. This is confirmed by my 

 having found an old gall of a bygone season among fallen 

 leaves, in the ancient oak wood at Old Middleton, near Wooler. 



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