373 
PLANT GALLS— THORNER TO GOLLINGHAM. 
W. FALCONER, F.E.S. 
Members of the Union interested in plant galls assembled at 
Thorner station on the morning of August 26th last for the 
second field meeting of the year. The direct route between the 
two places was not followed, deviations being made to take in 
the most suitable localities — rather a long walk, perhaps, but 
varied, altogether interesting and undertaken in the best of 
weather. The district was a favourite hunting ground of the 
writer close on thirty years ago ; naturally in the interval many 
changes have taken place. On Scarcroft Hill the spinous form 
of Ononis arvensis (v. horrida Lange.) maintains its ground but 
Picris hieracioides has gone. Parnassia palustris and Asperula 
cynanchica, which were then abundant at Stubbing Moor, 
remain in greatly diminished numbers, but Astragalus danicus 
and Antennaria dioica appear to have died out. The bird’s 
nest fungus also once occurred there. Allium scorodoprasum 
no longer grows in the old grassgrown occupation road leading 
to Wothersome lake — a strange fact seeing that it is so prolific 
in bulbils both below and on the head. On the other hand, 
Thalictrum majus (a) flexuosum Reich, of Lee’s Flora, has 
spread considerably, not only there, but also in the bye-road 
leading to Compton Bank Top, as has also Allium oleraceum 
throughout the route.. Scarce, or only occasional then, 
nothing was seen of either columbine or Orchis pyramidalis 
in Dalton Lane. Matricaria suaveolens is a rapidly spreading 
and abundant incomer into the district ; Linaria minor and 
S tacky s arvensis were noticed amongst the weeds of cultivation 
on waste ground by Holme Farm on this side of Stubbing 
Moor. The above sufficiently indicates the route taken and 
the succession of the places visited. 
Summing up the results at the close of the day, 36 different 
species of plants had been found affected by 68 dilferent 
forms of galls. Two of the latter were of outstanding im- 
portance. Oligotrophus corni Gir. has not previously been 
recorded from the North of England. Mr. Greevz Fysher 
was the first to notice elongated swellings on the leaf petioles 
of the aspens in the angle of the E. Rigton and Bramham 
roads. On dissecting and microscopically examining them 
at home, they Were seen to contain one minute larva each, 
probably that of a very tiny moth, Nepticula argyropeza Zell., 
the county records of which, as given in Porritt’s Yorkshire 
Lepidoptera, are Sheffield and York, 1879. A competent 
micro-lepidopterist would probably, as the galls were plentiful, 
easily obtain specimens of the moth in the neighbourhood. 
Rhodites spinosissimae Gir. is also new to the county ; Perrisia 
1922 Dec. 1 
