Somewhat like this, which Malpighi saw, I had the good Fortune to see my self once some Years ago: And that was, the beautiful, shining Oak-Ball Ichneumon strike its Terebræ into an Oak-Apple divers Times, no doubt to lay its Eggs therein. And hence I apprehend we see many Vermicules towards the Outside of many of the Oak-Apples, which I guess were not what the Primitive Insects laid up in the Gem, from which the Oak-Apple had its Rise, but some other supervenient, additional Insects, laid in after the Apple was grown, and whilst it was tender and soft.
[cc] The Aleppo-Galls, wherewith we make Ink, may be reckoned of this Number, being hard, and no other than Cases of Insects which are bred in them; who when come to Maturity, gnaw their Way out of them; which is the Cause of those little Holes observable in them. Of the Insects bred in them, see Philos. Transact. Nᵒ. 245. Of this Number also are those little smooth Cases, as big as large Pepper-Corns, growing close to the Ribs under Oaken-Leaves, globous, but flattish; at first touched with a blushing red, afterwards growing brown; hollow within, and an hard thin Shell without. In this lieth commonly a rough, white Maggot, which becomes a little long winged, black Ichneumon-Fly, that eats a little Hole in the Side of the Gall, and so gets out.
[dd] For a Sample of the tender Balls, I shall choose the globous Ball, as round, and some as big as small Musket-Bullets, growing close to the Ribs, under Oaken-Leaves, of a greenish yellowish Colour, with a blush of red; their Skin smooth, with frequent Risings therein. Inwardly they are very soft and spongy; and in the very Center is a Case with a white Maggot therein, which becomes an Ichneumon-Fly, not much unlike the last. As to this Gall, there is one Thing I have observed somewhat peculiar, and I may say providential, and that is, that the Fly lies all the Winter in these Balls in its Infantile-State, and comes not to its Maturity till the following Spring. In the Autumn, and Winter, these Balls fall down with their Leaves to the Ground, and the Insect inclosed in them is there fenced against the Winter Frosts, partly by other Leaves falling pretty thick upon them, and especially by the thick, parenchymous, spongy Walls, afforded by the Galls themselves.
Another Sample shall be the large Oak-Balls, called Oak-Apples, growing in the Place of the Buds, whose Generation, Vegetation and Figure, may be seen in Malpig. de Gallis, p. 24. and Tab. 10. Fig. 33, &c. Out of these Galls, he saith various Species of Flies come, but he names only two, and they are the only two I ever saw come out of them: Frequenter (saith he) subnigræ sunt muscæ brevi munitæ terebrâ. Inter has aliquæ observantur aureæ, levi viridis tincturâ suffusæ, oblongâ pollentes terebrâ. These two differently coloured Flies, I take to be no other than Male and Female of the same Species. I have not observed Tails (which are their Terebræ) in all, as Malpighi seems to intimate: Perhaps they were hid in their Thecæ, and I could not discover them: But I rather think there were none, and that those were the Males: But in others, I have observed long, recurvous Tails, longer than their whole Bodies. And these I take to be the Females. And in the Oak-Apples themselves, I have seen the Aureliæ, some with, some without Tails. And I must confess, ’twas not without Admiration as well as Pleasure, that I have seen with what exact Neatness and Artifice, the Tail hath been wrapt about the Aurelia, whereby it is secured from either annoying the Insect, or being hurt it self.
[ee] See before [Note (z).]
[ff] As in [the preceding Note].
[gg] Of the rough or hairy Excrescences, those on the Briar, or Dog-Rose, are a good Instance. These Spongiolæ villosæ, as Mr. Ray, Gallæ rumosæ, as Dr. Malpighi calls them, are thus accounted for by the latter; Ex copiosis relictis ovis ita turbatur affluens [Rubi] succus, ut strumosa fiant complura tubercula simul confusè congesta, quæ utriculorum seriebus, & fibrarum implicatione contexta, ramosas propagines germinant, ita ut minima quasi sylva appareat. Qualibet propago ramos, hinc inde villosos edit. Hinc inde pili pariter crumpunt, &c.
These Balls are a safe Repository to the Insect all the Winter in its Vermicular-State. For the Eggs laid up, and hatched the Summer before, do not come to mature Insects until the Spring following, as Mr. Ray rightly observes in Cat. Cantab.
As to the Insects themselves, they are manifestly Ichneumon-Flies, having four Wings, their Alvus thick and large towards the Tail; and tapering up till it is small and slender at its setting on to the Thorax. But the Alvi or Bellies are not alike in all, though coloured alike. In some they are as is now described, and longer, without Terebræ, or Tails; in some shorter with Tails: And in some yet shorter, and thick, like the Belly of the Ant, or the Heart of Animals, as in those before, [Note (z).] But for a farther Description of them, I shall refer to Mr. Ray, Cat. Plant. circa Cantab. under Rosa Sylvest.
[hh] It being an Instance somewhat out of the Way, I shall pitch upon it for an Example here, viz. The gouty Swellings in the Body, and the Branches of the Blackberry-Bush; of which Malpighi hath given us two good Cuts in Tab. 17. Fig. 62. The Cause of these is manifestly from the Eggs of Insects laid in (whilst the Shoot is young and tender) as far as the Pith, and in some Places not so deep; Which for the Reasons before-mentioned, makes the young Shoots tumify, and grow knotty and gouty.