104 DIPTERA. 



long legs. "Crane-flies" and "Daddy-long-legs" be- 

 long to this family. In size and variety of structure 

 these flies exceed all the other Nemocera. The genus 

 Chionea, not found in this country, is quite destitute 

 of wings, and is remarkable from its occurring only on 

 newly-fallen snow in the winter. The species of this 

 family have a transverse suture on the mesothorax, a 

 character not occurring in the other grouj^s. The 

 Daddy-long-legs {Tipula oleracea) is very common, and 

 known to everyone (Plate IV., Fig. 6) ; the horny- 

 pointed pincers terminating the abdomen in the female 

 form the oviduct, by means of which she pierces the 

 ground and lay her eggs in it. When engaged in laying 

 eggs she moves over the grass with her body in a verticW-^-^i^^ 

 position, with her fore-legs in the air ; " when upon the 

 wing the fore-legs are placed horizontally, pointing for- 

 ward, and the four hind ones stretched out in an opposite 

 direction, the one forming the prow and the other the 

 stern of the vessel through the air." The eggs of the 

 Daddy-long-legs are oval conical grains, black and 

 shining. The larv?e are very injurious in grass lands, as 

 well as in gardens, amongst the cabbages — hence the 

 specific name of this fly ; but scarlet beans, lettuces, 

 dahlias, carnatians, all sometimes suffer. The larvae, 

 when full-grown, are about an inch long, cylindrical, 

 and about as thick as a small goose quill ; they have 

 very tough skins, and in consequence, in some counties, 

 they are called "Leather-jackets." They move by wrig- 

 gling along, for they have no feet. The pupa3 appear j 

 in August and September, at which time thousands of 

 empty cases may often be seen protruding half way out 

 of the earth amongst grass, and by the sides of gravel 



