the calvert site...needs some infos

[Jill Strobridge]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Gorst" <Mark.Gorst at BTINTERNET.COM>

> "Crane Fly" is also known as the "daddy long legs" - it's flying
insect,
> looks more like a spider....

It has a short thorax, a long narrow abdomen about 1 inch or so [3-4cms]
in length and is an unprepossessing dull brownish grey colour with very
narrow long wings and terribly fragile jointed legs - at least as long
as its body.   They appear from goodness only knows where at the end of
summer and fly or crawl up the walls to try and get into the warmth of
houses in the cool evenings.    Once inside they will head for the
nearest light source but on the whole are fairly torpid and having found
somewhere warm and safe will stay there for hours or even days - usually
just out of reach.   The dreadful trait they have is a tendency to lose
their legs when frightened or struggling to escape so trying to pick one
up to liberate it out of the window can be a distressing experience.
In their larval form they are called "leatherjackets" and are a
favourite food of starlings.   Finally, some literary personage (CS
Lewis perhaps?) wrote a book of moral sensibleness to a young child
under the pseudonym of Daddy Long Legs, and though I was much encouraged
to read it, I never did.    Which probably explains a lot!

jill
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Jill Strobridge <jill at theta-orionis.freeserve.co.uk>
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