Lesson CIX

The Daddy-Longlegs

Leading thought—These long-legged creatures have one pair of legs too many to allow them to be classed with the insects. They are more nearly related to the spiders, who also have eight legs. They are pretty creatures when examined closely, and they do many interesting things.

Method—Put a grandfather greybeard in a breeding cage or under a large tumbler, and let the pupils observe him at leisure. If you place a few drops of sweetened water at one side of the cage, the children will surely have an opportunity to see this amusing creature clean his legs.

Observations—1. Where did you find the harvestman? What did it do as soon as it was disturbed? How many names do you know for this little creature?

2. A “daddy” with such long legs certainly ought to have them studied. How many segments in each leg? How do the segments look? How do the legs look where they are fastened to the body? Which is the longest pair of legs? The next? The next? The shortest?

3. If you had such long stilts as he has, they would be about forty feet long. Would you lift yourself that high in the air? Does the “daddy” lift his body high or swing it near the ground? What shape is the body? Can you see if there is a distinct head? Can you see a black dot on top of the front end of the body? If you should see this dot through a microscope it would prove to be two bright black eyes. Why should the daddy’s eyes be on top?

4. Do you see a pair of organs that look like feelers at the front end of the body? These are called palpi. How does he use his palpi? Give him a little bruised or decaying fruit, and see him eat. Where do you think his mouth is? Where does he keep his palpi when he is not using them for eating?

5. Note what care he takes of his legs. How does he clean them? Which does he clean the oftenest? Do you think the very long second pair of legs is used as much for feeling as for walking? Put some object in front of the “daddy” and see him explore it with his legs. How much of the leg is used as a foot when the “daddy” stands or runs?

6. When running fast, how does the “daddy” carry his body? When exploring how does he carry it? Do you ever find the “daddy” with his body resting on the surface on which he is standing? When resting, are all eight of his legs on the ground? Which are in the air? Is the head end usually tilted up or down?

7. Do you see the daddy-longlegs early in the spring? When do you find him most often? How do you suppose he passes the winter in our climate? Have you ever seen a “daddy” with one leg much shorter than the other? How could you explain this?

8. Try and discover what the daddy-longlegs eats, and where he finds his food.