1 82 British Dragonflies. 



Date. 



This is one of the later summer Dragonflies, the 

 commencement of whose period of flight seems to be 

 uncertain. Mr. R. C. Bradley records it on August 2 

 at Bournemouth, and Mr. S. Stevens exhibited one at 

 the Entomological Society of London on January 5, 

 1876, which he had picked up dead, or nearly so, in 

 his garden in the middle of November. Most of the 

 recorded captures have, however, taken place in 

 September. Those I have myself made (three in all) 

 were in that month, on the lOth, nth, and 12th, though 

 in three different years. 



Habits. 



It appears to be the usual custom of this species to 

 fly backwards and forwards and round about within a 

 very limited range, but at a considerable height above 

 the ground. As it is in addition very wary, it is almost 

 impossible for anyone to come within reach of a specimen 

 with the net. These habits are perhaps parth" responsible 

 for the fact that so few captures have been recorded, 

 although the species is, of course, undoubtedlx' scarce. 



Migration. 



Mr. F. M. Campbell, writing in the Entomologists' 

 Monthly Magazine for 1885, p. 192, sa}-s : "On 

 September 23, 1884, I witnessed a flight of Dragonflies 

 in r^rance on the banks of the Gironde, about se\-en 

 miles from St. Estephe. I first noticed it at 5 p.m., and 

 it lasted from one hour and a half to one hour and 

 three-quarters. The flies were from 5ft. to 15ft. ai)art, 

 and were taking a steady up-ri\er course, at a height 



