Daddy-long-legs, or CRANE-FLY (Tipula oleracea), a familiar insect in the order Diptera, and a good type of its family Tipulidae. The body, the legs, and the antennæ are very long. The latter have an arched curvature, and are longer in the males; the front of the head projects prominently; the posterior body, which is connected with the thorax by a very thin bridge, is broader in the females. The middle of the body is gray, with brown stripes, the abdomen reddish-brown, the legs brownish-yellow, and in part blackish, the wings brown, varying to red and white. This common European insect is towards an inch in length, is abundant from July to October in meadows and gardens, and is familiar to every one. The female is often seen laying her numerous eggs in damp places on the ground; the eggs are small, black, and shining; the larvæ, known as 'leather-jackets,' live in the ground, and often do damage in vegetable gardens and fields; the pupæ have spines on their abdominal segments, by which they push their way out of the ground. Of the genus Tipula about ninety European species are known. The largest form (T. gigantea) measures over an inch, and is not uncommon in Britain. T. hortulana is very common in gardens. The genus Ctenophora, commoner in wooded districts, is nearly allied. They have stouter bodies, and usually brighter colours. See MIDGE.