1899] DADDY LONGLEGS. 29 



have commenced a crusade against the crows and destroyed large 

 numbers, so am afraid we will not get much help this year from 

 them."— (J. S.) 



I examined the sample sent carefully, and found no difference 

 between it and the characteristic form of the larva of T. oleracea. 



On May 30th the following communication was sent me by Mr. 

 Denis Best, from Holt Castle, near Worcester, regarding damage caused 

 to his young Strawberry plants by a grub of which he enclosed speci- 

 mens, and which proved on examination to be larvse of the Yellow or 

 Spotted Daddy Longlegs [T. maculosa). Mr. Best remarked: — 



" About two months ago I planted a piece of land, about five acres, 

 with Stirling Castle Strawberry-runners. The weather since planting 

 has been very much in their favour. I dressed the land with from 

 twenty-five to thirty tons of stable manure per acre. About a fortnight 

 ago I noticed that a good many of the young plants were dying off, 

 and on closer inspection I found a small grub at the roots of the 

 Strawberry-runners. If I cannot stop the roots being taken, I am 

 afraid my plant of Strawberries on this piece of land will be destroyed. 

 I am sending you with this one or two of the grubs." — (D. B.) 



The specimens sent were from about one-fourth or three-eighths of 

 an inch to rather over half an inch in length, and from the formation 

 of the truncated tail segment, which was furnished with two spreading 

 hook-like tubercles and two short teeth between them, appeared to be 

 certainly larvae of T, maculosa. 



Early in March, by favour of Messrs. Laxton, of Bedford, a letter 

 was forwarded to me from a Strawberry grower on a large scale in 

 North Wales, whose name I do not give for obvious business reasons, 

 requesting information as to how to prevent the ravages of a dark 

 coloured caterpillar-like grub which was cutting the roots, and feeding 

 in the hearts of the Strawberry plants. 



On March 21st, according to my request, our inquirer forwarded to 

 me samples of the "grubs or caterpillars," which he mentioned as 

 having been causing great destruction in his Strawberry beds. These 

 proved to be Tipula larvaB (Daddy Longlegs grubs) of various sizes, 

 some of them apparently of T. oleracea, the Cabbage kind, and some 

 with power of protruding tubercles at the side of the truncated caudal 

 extremity were T. maculosa. Mr. mentioned : — 



"My Strawberries are infested with the caterpillars now" [that is, 

 at time of writing, March 21st, which is a point worth noting for 

 practical consideration. — E. A. 0.] . "Their action is to cut the roots 

 of the plants and eat into the heart of them. When they have quite 

 killed a plant, the caterpillars appear to go off to another plant, which 

 is alive. It is rather strange that the three years' old plants are those 

 chiefly affected. We see little damage done to the plants one and two 



