BRITISH GALLS. 103 
ing to the same order as the ichneumons, but parasitic 
upon vegetables and not on animals. Their scientific 
name is Cynipide, and they are popularly known as 
GALL FLIES, because they cause those singular excres- 
cences which are so familiar to us under the name of 
Galls. This group comprises a vast number of species, 
all of which have a strong family resemblance, though 
they greatly differ from each other in size, form, and 
colour. 
In the accompanying illustration are given several 
examples of British Galls, most of which are tolerably 
common in this country, and some of which can be 
found in plenty. 
In the left hand upper corner of the illustration is 
a figure of an oak-leaf, upon which are two globular 
projections. These are the well-known “ cherry-galls,” 
which are made by a little insect. They are beautifully 
coloured, some being entirely scarlet, while others are 
white, orange, and red, in various gradations, some- 
thing like the colour of a nearly ripe peach, or those 
of a Newtown pippin. Perhaps they bear more resem- 
blance to the apple than to the peach, because their 
surface is highly polished and shining, much like that 
of the American apple. 
These galls may be found in profusion upon the 
oak-leaves, and are most plentiful upon pollard oaks, 
upon the youngest trees, or upon the oak underwood 
that sprouts around a felled trunk. In such cases 
the leaves are much larger, and fuller of juice than 
those which spring from adult trees, and the develop- 
ment of the gall is proportionately increased. Wher- 
ever there is a thick growth of oaken underwood, the 
numberless galls which stud the leaves have a remark- 
