INJURIOUS INSECTS. 257 



insects, their long legs being analogous to those of the spider, 

 and their light airy structure enabling many of them to alight and 

 walk upon the surface of water, without sinking into it. 



This family, in many respects, closely resembles that of Culici- 

 dce, to which the insects which we call musketoes belong. 13oth 

 these families are distinguished from all other two-winged insects 

 by their antenna:; or horns, Avhich are somewhat long ami thread- 

 like, that is, of much the same diameter throughout their entire 

 length, and composed of at least six, and generally, as many as 

 fourteen or sixteen joints — the other two-winged insects^ which 

 would all be designateil as flies, in common parlance, have on the 

 other hand but two or three short, thick joints to their antennge, 

 with a small but conspicuous bristle usually proceeding from the 

 side or tip of the last joint. The long and slender body, small^ 

 round head, and legs remarkably long and slim, are other marks 

 by which the Culicidae and Tipulida are readily known. They 

 fly, moreover, both by night and day, but when by day, mostly 

 in shady and moist situations. When flying, their legs are gener- 

 ally extended for the purpose of balancing the body, though this 

 renders their progression slow, compared with that of most other 

 insects when on the wing. Many of the smaller species are ac- 

 customed to collect together in swarms in the air, and flit about 

 in a kind of dance. 



The Culicida^ are furnished with a long, projecting, thread-like 

 proboscis, or sheath, containing a sucker composed of about five 

 minute needles, enabling them to pierce the skin and suck the 

 blood of the larger animals. This is the prominent distinguish- 

 ing character between them and the Tipulidse ; the latter having 

 no proboscis, or but a short and feeble one, bent downwards to- 

 I wards the breast, and incapable of being advanced forwards and 

 •serving the purpose to which it is applied by the musketoe. 



The Tipulidffi then, possess at most only a muzzle or short pro- 

 boscis, containing but a pair of needle-like threads, so weak that 

 this organ seems only adapted for sucking up the exposed, or but 

 (i islightly covered fluids of particular vegetable tissues. The per- 

 (J jfect insect, in reality, exhibits but a slight inclination for food of 

 any kind. The family appears to be well marked, and natural 3 

 its several members presenting an aspect strikingly analogous to 

 each other, and resembling that of the well known musketoe. Of 



