84 BritisJi Dragonflies. 



Immature Colouring-. 



In colour the immature male closely resembles the 

 female, and both, when lately emerged, have the 

 pterostigma }'ellow. 



Variation. 

 Besides great difference in size, there is also a wide 

 variation in both directions of the amount of the wing 

 coloured with saffron ; sometimes it is very extended, 

 at others almost obsolete. Occasionally the basal patch 

 on the fore-wings of the female is joined to that near 

 the cubital point, forming a saffron band. The cubital 

 saffron patch is occasional 1\^ found on the fore- wings 

 of the male. 



Early Stages. 



It is probable that this species seldom breeds in the 

 British Isles. 



Oviposition. 



There is, however, a description in the E. M. ]\I. of 

 the method of oviposition observed on August 27, 

 1871, in which year the species was very abundant 

 near London. It is related that numbers of pairs that 

 day, which was hot, swept down from the hills and 

 kept hovering over a small, shallow pond at the bottom 

 of Shirley Heath, near Cro}'don. Each male kept its 

 hold on the neck of the female with its anal claspers, 

 thus almost completely controlling her actions. Hovering 

 steadily at about half-a-foot's distance above the water, 

 each male jerked his partner violently down to the level 

 of the water ; then, dragging her up again, he just shifted 



