( ^356 ) 
till the publifhing of a curious piece^ concerning the Excrefcen* 
cUs of the Oaki and therefore 1 fliall be lefs earneft in the refu- 
tation of that opinion, which perhaps a more accurate fearch 
into Nature will in time make the Author of it himfcif find er- 
roneous. 
I prefume not to venture to decide tbis controverfy, my ex- 
perience in thefe matters being tooinfufficient, and my leifure 
and health but little to haftcn a convenient ftock of particulars, 
and a due examination of them ; yet before I leave this fub- 
je(5t> I am willing to run over and prefent you with a few ab- 
breviatedinfkancesof fomeof the feveral kinds of Vegetable 
Excrefcencies, and likewifefome un-obvious ways of Infedts 
feeding on plants 5 and thefe I fhall deliver in confirmation of 
the following Propofitions. 
1, That all are not truly Vegetable Excrefcencies that are 
reputed fucb. And here we may juftly name the Purple- K^rmes^ 
forexamplCj whofe hiftory you were pleafed to publilh in 
JSIumk 73. 1 his, I fay, both gives a clear light to the difcovery 
of thenatureof the J^fl!r/^^2C^mf/5 (a thing wholly unknown 
to the Ancients, as far as we can fee by their writings, and no 
lefs ignored by the raoderns,and yer , which is admirable, in 
very great efteem and continued in ufe for fome thoufands of 
years,) and alfo is an evident inftance, that fome things, con- 
fidently believed Vegetable Excrefcencies, are nofuch matter, 
but Artificial things meerly contiguous to the plant, and which 
hafe no other relatioa to it thau the /^^^^//«•fliellfifh to the 
Rfcck it cleaves. 
2. Generallyj Infed: Eggs laid upon the leaves of plants, or 
their refpe&ve worms feedi-ng on them do not occafion or 
raife Excrefcencies. This truth every body,rhat hath been the 
leaft curious, is an Eye-witnels of* Thus, for example, the 
Eggs of thQ common Red butter fly^ laid upon the Nettle, are 
I'lereon hatched without bliftering the plant into an Excref- 
cence, and the ft^ff haired or prickly f^^^r^///^?r/ harc^ 
them Eggs, feed upon the leaves without any ill imprefljon, 
pundure, or prejudice, fave that they make clean workj and 
eat all before them* I could produce f ome hundreds of inflan- 
ces,if this were to be doubted oL 
Some I nfeft-eggs, laid upon the leaves or other parts of - 
plants^ do^ as foon as hatched pierce and eater within the 
