358 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Dec., '06 



vicinity of Waterloo its banks usually have an abundance of 

 willows, while its course is narrowly margined by small timber. 

 Dragonflies were very scarce along the river, but I was told 

 they became abundant later in the summer. 



South of Waterloo is Elk Run, a small stream some 20 to 

 30 feet wide, which empties into Red Cedar River about six 

 miles below the town. Some trees grow along its course, and 

 my collection along it was made in an open woods. Its bed is 

 composed mostly of sand. 



A short distance to the northeast of the mouth of Elk Run 

 is a slough that has no trees or shrubs about it. This slough 

 is in a pasture tract of land and the cattle keep the vegetation 

 well eaten off, especially during the dry summer months, when 

 a large portion of the slough goes dry leaving only a string of 

 isolated ponds. 



The dragonfly season did not open in the locality of Water- 

 loo until after June ist. However, a very few specimens of 

 Anax junius and Ischnura verticalis were seen as early as May 

 2oth. By the time dragonflies began to fly I had only one day 

 and parts of two more to devote to the collection of Odonata. 

 There had been four consecutive warm days previous to June 

 7th, on the afternoon of which I made my first collection. 

 This hot, clear afternoon I collected about the slough north 

 of Waterloo, especially that portion near the edge of town. 

 Seventy-eight specimens were taken. The next morning, June 

 8th, which was hot and clear, I collected about the northern 

 portion of the same slough, taking between 170 and 180 speci- 

 mens. 



The following day collections were made along Elk Run in 

 the morning and about the slough near the mouth of Elk Run 

 in the afternoon. The morning for the most part was clear, 

 but shortly before noon it clouded up and by 2.30 o'clock it 

 was so cloudy and windy that I had to give up my collecting. 

 The high winds of this region are no little handicap to the 

 insect collector. The result of my morning's work along Elk 

 Run was more than 120 specimens. Calopteryx ccquabilis was 

 abundant along the banks in shady places. Those taken in 

 the afternoon around the slough were for the most part small 



