Aischua. 1 87 



is useful as a secondary character that should be taken 

 in conjunction with others." 



Date. 



Judging b\' the accounts of the occurrence of this 

 species in Perthshire, June is the month for it, though 

 no doubt it would not be over b}- Juh'. 



Habits. 



In the Breadalbane localit}-, Mr. K. J. Morton notes 

 that it occurred singl\- in 1S95 o\er a considerable area, 

 and especiall}' affected the sunniest glades and openings, 

 both in the little birch woods which mark the course 

 i)f the burns down the hill-sides, and in the larger 

 woodlands on the lower ""round. It is a sun-lo\-inG" 

 thing, onl}- fl\'ing freel}- when the weather is reall\- warm; 

 it is fond of basking on light-coloured stones, but when 

 so resting is shy, and flies off at once if an}' attempt 

 is made to approach it. While the greater number of 

 examples were seen at the comparativeh' low altitude 

 of 500ft. or 6oDft., the species was also met with on the 

 "moss-hags" around a peat}' tarn at an elewation of 

 about 1700ft. Mr. Morton sa}'s that he has no hesitation 

 in expressing the opinion that its breeding-places are 

 such mountain tarns, whence the insects scatter them- 

 selves sporadicall}' over the glens in search of shelter, 

 warmth, and food.^ Mr. McLachlan speaks of those 

 he took at Rannoch in 1865, as being on the steep fern- 

 covered face of rock}' hills, where their capture was 

 most difficult. They never appeared to frequent the 



* E. M. M., 1895, p. 260. 



