PREFACE. 



Little b\- way of Preface should be required in the 

 case of a book for which there exists an admitted 

 demand. That the Dragonflies have been neglected may 

 be — no doubt is — due to the fact that the information 

 about them has hitherto been so widely scattered in the 

 magazines and general entomological literature as to be 

 far from readily accessible. Consequently, the first 

 attemjDt to collect the scattered facts, and to make such 

 additions as were possible, will necessarily leave much 

 to be done in the future, more especially as regards 

 the earlier stages of the insects. 



An interesting phase of the subject beyond the mere 

 classification and other book work, is that which deals 

 with the habits of the insects in their nativ^e haunts, 

 and this in the past has been scarcely touched upon. 

 I am onl}- too mindful of the fact that in the present 

 work the account of the distribution of the various 

 species is often very scant}-. This arises from two 

 causes, the paucit}- of field-workers and the apparent 

 dislike of man}' to record their captures, more par- 

 ticularh' in the case of the commoner insects. 



