FLIES. 129 



he will, perchance, scare up myriads of those 

 mosquito-like flies, the daddy-long-legs, belonging 

 to the crane-fly family, that flutter along ahead 

 and again settle in the grass, or cling to the 

 bushes or the lowermost leaves of the trees. The 

 manner in which they take hold on the edges of 

 leaves with their fore claws, allowing the body to 

 dangle in the air, is very curious. 



There is one little yellowish green species 

 in this family — a modest fork-fly — so retiring, 

 indeed, that it loves to hide itself from your admir- 

 ing gaze. It does not hang and swing, as many 

 other kinds do, but sets firmly its six feet on the 

 under surfaces of the leaves and begins to vibrate 

 rapidly, as if its long, slender legs were full of 

 spiral springs. If not disturbed, it continues to 

 dance in this manner for a long time. Is not this 

 the method it has adopted for its protection ? 

 Besides the general color harmonizing so nicely 

 with the spray of plants, has it not further resorted 

 to this ingenious trick of deceiving the insect- 

 eating birds, by feigning death or by counterfeit- 

 ing a half-withered bit of leaf or twig, caught by a 

 caterpillar's or spider's web, that trembles in the 

 breeze .-' 



Under the barberry bush, by the stone wall, a 

 distinguished collector has established his cabinet, 

 and a number of very dry, but quite rare speci- 

 mens are seen mounted on his winding shelves. 



