THE CRANE-PLIES. 351 



The perfect insects of the genus Tipula, commonly 

 known under the name above given, or that of Crane- 

 flies, are too familiar to every one to need any de- 

 scription. They are constantly seen flying in a slug- 

 gish manner close over the grass in meadows, and 

 many of them may also be found abundantly in 

 gardens. The female is furnished with an ovipositor 

 composed of several valves, by means of which she 

 deposits her eggs in the ground, and the larvae, when 

 hatched, are of a cylindrical form, narrowed in front, 

 and furnished with four conical appendages at the 

 hinder extremity of the body. They pass the whole 

 of this period of their existence under ground, and 

 become converted there into naked pupae, which have 

 a pair of respiratory tubes on the head, and the ab- 

 dominal segments furnished with little spines, to 

 enable them to push their way to the surface of the 

 ground when about to emerge in the perfect state. 



Nearly allied to the common Daddy Long-legs are 

 some small, almost gnat-like flies, belonging to the 

 genus Trichocera, the larvae of which live in similar 

 situations with those of the true Tipulce, and also in 

 fungi, rotten wood, and other decaying vegetable mat- 

 ters. These flies, which are exceedingly abundant, are 

 remarkable for making their appearance in the winter, 

 whenever mild weather occurs, and the best-known 

 species has received the name of T. hiemalis from 

 this circumstance. It measures about a quarter of 

 an inch in length, and is of a black colour with clear 

 wings ; it may be found commonly on windows during 

 the winter months. 



The larvae of a great many other species live in 

 the interior of fungi, and a considerable number be- 

 longing to the genus Cecidomyia feed in galls formed 



R2 



