Seasonal Notes. — September 221 



form is Schenck's gall (S. albipes), a yellowish egg-shaped gall 

 occurring on the edges of the leaves in May. 



The capped spangle gall (N. fumipennis) is smaller and 

 redder than lenticulavis : the margin is slightly uplifted as 

 in the preceding species, but there is no umbo or projection 

 in its centre. The spring form is the hairy pea-gall (5. bicolov) 

 appearing on the leaves in June, and easily distinguished 

 by the short white hairs which cover it. 



The silk button gall (N. numismatis) resembles a small 

 button covered with golden-brown silk radiating from a 

 depression in its centre. It is sometimes remarkably abun- 

 dant, and competes with lenticulavis for the possession of a 

 leaf. In August, 1904, we found three oak leaves with no 

 fewer than 1,741 of these galls upon them in the proportion of 

 502, 558 and 681. 



There are no indications that spangle galls will be very 



abundant this year. 



On Leaf Miners. 



Bramble leaves, showing two very dissimilar mines, are 

 not infrequently met with in autumn. One, the familiar ser- 

 pentine burrow, beginning as a minute thread and gradually 

 increasing in width, is the work of the larva of a brilliant 

 little golden-brown moth (Nepticula auvella). Leaves attacked 

 by this miner do not pucker. In the equally familiar burrow 

 of Tischeria margined, the gallery, though slender at first, 

 rapidly widens out, and finally appears as a large whitish 

 blotch covering nearly half the leaf. The burrow is slightly 

 puckered at its edges. The larva is green with a black head 

 and two black marks on the back of the second segment ; the 

 moth has bright yellow fore-wings. The moths of these leaf 

 miners may be bred by keeping mined leaves in small bottles, 

 care being taken that they do not become too moist or 

 too dry. 



The following note is taken from H, T. Stainton's excellent 

 article on "Leaf Mining Larvae," in the third volume of 



Science Gossip (1867) : — ■ 

 17 



