No. 614] THE USES OF INSECT GALLS 169 



In the Materia Medica of China (Smith, 1871, p. 100) 

 it is called "food for the foodless" and is recommended 

 for medicinal use. It is said to differ little from those of 

 the European market and to have been used formerly in 

 making ink and in dyeing hair. 



As this gall is described by the Chinese as coming from 

 the "West" could it possibly be the Aleppo gall, the dis- 

 tribution of which is eastern Europe and western Asia? 



SCHLECHTENDALIA CHINENSIS (Bell) 



Besides the Cynipid galls many others have been re- 

 corded as of use to man. Most of them are merely in- 

 cluded in the native Materia Medica of China and India, 

 but a few have had other uses. 



The most important of these galls is the Chinese gall or 

 Woo-pei-tsze, produced by Schlechtendalia clunensls on 

 Rhus semialata, in northern India, China and Japan. It 

 has been known and used by the Chinese for many cen- 

 turies, perhaps even longer than the Aleppo gall has been 

 known in the West. It rivals the Aleppo gall in im- 

 portance and like the latter is still an important article 

 of commerce. 



The Chinese gall has been used in medicine, tanning, 

 and dyeing, and is now imported into Germany and the 

 United States for the manufacture of tannic acid, of 

 which it yields about 70 per cent. As this gall has been 

 fully treated in a paper by A. C. Baker, which has been 

 submitted for publication it is unnecessary to give details 

 here. 



Chebmes sp. (Baker) 



The gall identified by Kirby and Spence as that of 

 Aphis pini has been identified by Mr. A. C. Baker as 

 Chermes sp., possibly Chermes lapponicus Choi, possibly 

 some other. It occurs on spruce-fir in Lapland. 



Linnams states that this gall was used as food, and 



