26 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



^ESCHNA CCERULEA, STROM, A BOREAL 

 DRAGON-FLY. 



By KENNETH J. MORTON, F.E.S. 



jEscHNA CCERULEA was formerly commonly known by the 

 name SE. borcalis, Zett., but Mr. M'Lachlan, in a recently 

 published article on the subject (" E. M. M.," vol. xxxiv. 

 p. 226), has shown in a satisfactory way that the name 

 which was applied by Strom certainly refers to this species 

 and has priority. For a long time it remained one of the 

 less-known European members of the family, but recently it 

 has been taken rather freely in our Highlands. It is one 

 of our most interesting insects, and when alive and fully 

 adult one of our most beautiful. 



The first observation of its existence in this country was 

 made by a Mr. Wilson, as recorded by De Selys in the 

 " Revue des Odonates " (1850), where Wilson is said to have 

 taken a specimen in " one of the Northern Counties," which 

 specimen was presented by him to De Selys. Dr. Hagen's 

 notice in his ' Synopsis,' published in the " Entomologist's 

 Annual," 1857, was based on this, and the species was not 

 made more particularly known as British until Mr. M'Lachlan 

 found it in Rannoch in June 1864. From that time down 

 to 1 890 no further mention is found of it, and there was 

 even a doubt expressed as to its survival. In the last- 

 named year Mr. King and I took a few examples in Rannoch 

 (" E. M. M.," vol. xxv. p. 383), and in 1895 I took it more 

 commonly about the foot of Glen Lochay, also in Perthshire. 

 In June of the present year Briggs, King, Porritt, and myself 

 went to Rannoch, and when I left on 2ist June SE. ccerulea 

 was just appearing. From the reports afterwards received 

 from these gentlemen, the species must have occurred in 

 numbers which, in the light of former experiences, must be 

 considered almost phenomenal. 



In July last I again met with cocrulea in Glen Lochay, 

 much more commonly than in 1895, an d I was enabled to 

 observe it over a wider area than on my previous visit. It 

 occurred at least 7 miles up the Glen, and in one of the 



