804 



TINGIS TIPULIDjE. 



by also widening it by partially slitting the case on 

 the two opposite sides, and then adroitly introducing 

 between them two pieces of the requisite size. The 

 following practical observations are from the valuable 

 work of Mr. Curtis : " Wherever these insects take 

 possession, the only chance is to discard every thing 

 composed of wool or hair if possible ; and those things 

 that are indispensable should be constantly used, or 

 continually brushed and exposed to the light and air. 

 All mattresses, paillasses, and sofa-cushions should be 

 knotted with leather, not wool ; and carpets ought to 

 be cut out where book-cases and heavy furniture 

 stand, so that the edges may be frequently turned up 

 to be well brushed where there is no traffic. Moreen 

 curtains and bed-hangings are very soon attacked if 

 the room be shut up and darkened, and may be 

 greatly injured in a few weeks. Light, the clothes- 

 brush, and the cane are, I believe, the easiest and 

 best remedies against the moth. It is astonishing 

 how soon a house may be infested, for a few old 

 birds'-iiests, and even the cocoons of moths in the 

 garden, will enable them to feed and propagate ; when 

 a female moth finding her way into the house, a colony 

 is soon established, that it is very difficult to extirpate. 

 I have been compelled to forego having carpets in 

 my chambers from the devastations these little ani- 

 mals made ; they were revelling in multitudes under 

 my feet in the day, and flying about my candles by 

 night ; and I lately found that myriads had esta- 

 blished themselves under the sofa-covers, where they 

 luxuriated on the worsted knots that held the cushions 

 together ; they even attacked the small portion of 

 feather on my pens, and my painting-brushes were 

 frequently eaten up by them. This, however, I soon 

 remedied by dipping them into spirits of turpentine, 

 which is certain death to all insects. Cushions, &c. 

 that are infested, may be cured by moderate baking. 

 I have observed when any clothes have been attacked, 

 that the moths invariably prefer the black suits ; and 

 so 'rapid are their operations, that I have found a 

 caterpillar half grown on removing a coat which I had 

 worn a fortnight before." 



Mr. Waterton, whose observations as a practical 

 naturalist are allowed on all hands, strongly advocates 

 the constant use of corrosive sublimate dissolved in alco- 

 hol, as a perfect preservative against the attacks of in- 

 sects when applied to the skins of birds, quadrupeds, 

 wood, clothes, hats, the lining of carriages, furs, and 

 ornamental feathers. 



TINGIS (Fabricius). A genus of hemipterous 

 insects, belonging to the family Cinnecidae, and distin- 

 guished from the restricted genus Cimcx by having 

 the antennae terminated by an enlarged joint, the 

 third joint being longer than the rest ; the legs are 

 simple, and the wings and wing-cases of ordinary size ; 

 the latter are, however, often homogeneous, and not 

 divided intocorium and membrane, as in the majority 

 of the Linnaean Cimiccs. The species are numerous. 

 They reside upon plant?, puncturing the leaves of the 

 flowers, and causing them to produce a kind of gall. 



TTPULID.E (Leach ; TiPULAni^:, Latreille). 

 A very extensive family of dipterous insects, belong- 

 ing to the section Nemocera, having the sucker or 

 proboscis short, and terminated by two large fleshy 

 lips or beak-shaped, but perpendicular or bent beneath 

 the breast. It contains only a pair of lancets, being 

 in this respect very deficient in comparison with the 

 allied family Culicida;. The palpi are either turner 

 back, or are occasionally bent forwards ; but in the 



alter case these organs are short, and only one or 

 wo-jointed. 



This family corresponds with the genus Tipula of 

 Linnams, and, since the time of that author, has so 

 much increased in extent, that it has become neces- 

 sary to introduce a great number of sub-divisions and 

 enera, exhibiting great diversity of structure, although 

 referable to a single type, which is chiefly charac- 

 terised by the formation of the proboscis, which, with 

 a very few exceptions, is an instrument incapable of 

 inflicting that severe pain which follows the bite of 

 the common gnat, which is the type of the adjacent 

 family Culicidce; and fitted only to suck up fluids from 

 the surface of bodies, without the power of piercing 

 the slenderest pellicle ; a peculiarity of organisation 

 dependent upon the slight avidity for food manifested 

 by the Tipulida; when arrived at the perfect stale. 



The diversity of form exhibited by so numerous 

 a tribe of insects is especially observed to prevail in 

 the antenna?, the disposition of the nerves of the 

 wings, the form of the head, palpi, eyes, ocelli, and 

 abdomen, as well as in the length of the legs. The 

 tribes which' are consequently established upon 

 these modifications are conformed to the different 

 modes of life of the larvae, and the names which have 

 been given to them, indicate these differences. There 

 is generally a strong analogy between the characters 

 of the perfect insect and its mode of life in the larva 

 state. For example, the plumose antennae are found 

 in those Tipu/idte, of which the larvae are aquatic 

 (see CHIRONOMUS), whilst elongated trochanters are 

 found in those species which, whilst larvae, were resi- 

 dents in fungi. 



This family is divisible into the following divisions 

 or sub-families : 



1. Chironomides (Tipules culiciformes, Latreille). 



Male antennae plumose, larvae aquatic. 



2. Tipulides ( Tipules terricoles, Latreille). An- 

 tennae not feathered ; head produced into a 

 muzzle ; ocelli none ; larvae terrestrial. 



3. Mycetophilides (Tipulcs fungicoles, Latreille). 



Head not produced into a muzzle ; ocelli two 

 or three; trochanters elongated; tibiae strongly 

 spurred ; larvae fungivorous. 



4. Cccidomyidcs(TipulcsgaUicoles,\sa.lre\\\R). Head 



not produced into a muzzle ; ocelli none ; 

 trochanters of ordinary length ; antennae mo- 

 niliform ; larvae gallivorous. 



5. Bibionides ( Tipules florales , Latreille). An- 



tennae short, perfoliated, generally with fewer 



than twelve joints ; legs of ordinary length ; 



larvae often residing in rotten dung and other 



vegetable debris. 



The chief genera comprised in the sub-family Tipu- 

 lides are : Ctenophora, Pedicia, Tipula, Niphrotoma, 

 Rhipidia, Lasioptera, Limnobia, and Trichocera. The 

 typical genus Tipula is distinguished by having the 

 antenna? thirteen jointed, nearly setaceous and simple, 

 with the joints cylindrical ; the legs are long, and the 

 muzzle is moderately long and narrow. The species 

 of this genus are numerous, and are well known under 

 the names of crane-flies, Harry long-legs, &c. Many 

 of them are very common, especially in moist mea- 

 dows, where they may be seen rising in swarms at 

 every step, their legs serving them as stilts amongst 

 thj long grass. The females deposit their eggs in 

 the earth, introducing them to a short depth by the 

 assistance of the horny and sharpened ovipositor at 

 the extremity of the body. The caterpillars are fleshy 



