Sj'inpctnuji. 79 



Female Imago. 



Face conspicuously yellow. The crimson of the male 

 is replaced b\- yellowish-brown. Hind-wings slightly 

 tinged with saffron at the base. Pterosiio-ma bright 

 )-ellow, enclosed within two strong black nervures. Anal 

 (r/^pciuiagcs c}dindrical, sharp, orange, about as long as 

 the last segment but one. Vulvar scale short, notched. 



Immature Colour. 



The m.ale resembles the female in the absence of 

 the red colouring. The pterostigma, the costal nervure, 

 and the lines on the legs (except the hind ones) only 

 take on a reddish colour in very adult specimens. 

 (De Selys.) 



Early Stages. 



It is extremeh' unlikely that .S". foiscolombii ever 

 breeds in the British Isles. 



Date. 



Surrey specimens in June, 1892. July and August in 

 Belgium (De Selys). 



Habits. 



Mr. C. A. Briggs speaks thus of the appearance and 

 habits of the males of this species, as observed by him 

 in Surre\- in 1892 : " When alive this Dragonfly is 

 certainh" a magnificent one, the vivid colouring being 

 very conspicuous even when the insect is on the wing. 

 Its flight is generally similar to that of its congener 

 striolatnm, the insect occasionally settling on bare 

 damp spots near the water. But on one very hot clay 



