THE OAK. 



47 



and Spain being the nearest that do. Galls are of 

 several kinds, but grow upon a different species of 

 Rohur from any of ours, which are never knov/n 

 to bring these excrescences to maturity; the white 

 and imperforated are the best ; of all which, and 

 their several species, see Casp. Bauhinus, and the 

 excellent IMalphighius, in his ' Discourse de 

 Gallis,' and other morbous tumours raised by, and 

 producing insects, infecting the leaves, stalks, and 

 branches of this tree with a venomous liquor or 

 froth, wherein they lay and deposit their eggs, 

 which bore and perforate these excrescences when 

 the worms are hatched, so as we see them in galls." 



The apples of Sodom, or Dead Sea apples, 

 described by Josephus as being beautiful to the 

 eye, but composed internally of dust and bitter 

 ashes, are by some recent authors, with much 

 semblance of truth, considered to be galls of some 

 species of Oak, containing insects. 



I now come to speak of the flower and fruit of 

 the Oak. Of the former, every tree produces two 

 kinds ; the first containing stamens only, and there- 

 fore producing no fruit. These appear nearly as 

 soon as the leaves, consisting of yellow tasselled 

 threads, which wither and drop off as soon as they 

 have shed the pollen or fructifying dust, which 

 they contain ; unless, as I have stated above, they 

 happen to have been perforated by one of the 

 gall insects. The other kind of flower appears 

 soon after, and is even less conspicuous than the 

 first ; it is this which subsequently produces the 

 acorn. Of the acorn itself no description need be 

 given ; no other natural production, perhaps, has 

 served as a model for so many ornamental works 

 of art ; and this is to be attributed not so much 



