no THE TREE BOOK 



odd little room the worm reposes securely until 

 the wind brings down the diseased branch and 

 so liberates it. Oak galls contain tannin — a 

 substance much used in making ink. Those in 

 our woods have not sufficient strength, however, 

 to make them valuable. The galls which ink 

 manufacturers use are the product of the dyer's 

 oak, an Asiatic species. 



Perhaps you may have noticed the little red- 

 cheeked "apples" borne by some of the heart- 

 leaved willows? These are the snug quarters 

 of the saw-fly larvae. Imagine living in a house 

 whose walls yield abundance of meat and drink I 

 But there are drawbacks even in such an ideal 

 existence. The birds mistake the small apples 

 for cherries, and many a plump grub furnishes 

 compensation for the disappointed ones. Then, 

 too, there is a little snout beetle which prospects 

 in late spring for a safe place to deposit her 

 eggs. She finds the small, fleshy lumps on the 

 willow leaf just to her liking. In a twinkling 

 she probes it with her beak, thrusts in an egg, 

 and goes her way little knowing or caring that 

 the odd little house already has an occupant. 

 And, indeed, so far as she is concerned it really 

 does not matter ! Her offspring is a hearty, vo- 

 racious little chap, entirely capable of taking 

 care of himself. He promptly eats the little 



