The Daddy-Long-Legs 
35 
advance of science. The long antennae 
and the prodigiously long noses were 
certainly not uselessly given, and perhaps 
one day we shall be startled at finding some 
great hidden use. 
In the meantime let us consider these 
mischievous little grubs with their tough 
skins and ceaselessly working jaws. About 
twelve months ago a certain London 
paper which has a considerable circulation, 
contained an article on agriculture, and 
especially dwelt upon birds as an aid or a 
hindrance to its development, and men- 
tioned seriously that a meeting of farmers 
and those interested in the subject had been 
held in one of our eastern counties, when 
it had been decided that there were too 
many rooks and starlings, and that they 
must be reduced in numbers or the crops 
would suffer badly ! Now rooks and star- 
lings are the known enemies of these little 
“ leather-jackets ” and feed to a great 
extent upon them. In fact, as shown 
before, they are unaffected by frost, as 
they only burrow more deeply, while in mild 
weather, the beaks of these birds are able 
to reach them. If farmers decide to do 
