104 
DIPTERA. 
long legs. “ Crane-flies” and “ Daddy-long-legs” be¬ 
long to this family. In size and variety of structure 
these flies exceed all the other Nemocera. The genus 
Chionea , not found in this country, is quite destitute 
of wings, and is remarkable from its occurring only on 
newly-fallen snow in the winter. The species of this 
family have a transverse suture on the mesothorax, a 
character not occurring in the other groups. The 
Daddy-long-legs (Tipula oleracea ) is very common, and 
known to everyone (Plate IV., Fig. 6); the horny- 
pointed pincers terminating the abdomen in the female 
form the oviduct, by means of which she pierces the 
ground and lay her eggs in it. When engaged in laying 
eggs she moves over the grass with her body in a verticle 
position, with her fore-legs in the air; “ when upon the 
wing the fore-legs are placed horizontally, pointing for¬ 
ward, and the four hind ones stretched out in an opposite 
direction, the one forming the prow and the other the 
stern of the vessel through the air.” The eggs of the 
Daddy-long-legs are oval conical grains, black and 
shining. The larvae are very injurious in grass lands, as 
well as in gardens, amongst the cabbages—hence the 
specific name of this fly; but scarlet beans, lettuces, 
dahlias, carnatians, all sometimes suffer. The larvae, 
when full-grown, are about an inch long, cylindrical, 
and about as thick as a small goose quill; they have 
very tough skins, and in consequence, in some counties, 
they are called “Leather-jackets.” They move by wrig¬ 
gling along, for they have no feet. The pupae appear 
in August and September, at which time thousands of 
empty cases may often be seen protruding half way out 
of the earth amongst grass, and by the sides of gravel 
