I 



These elegant and beautiful insects, which are distinguished 

 from cognate genera by their rhomboidal stigma, are abun- 

 dant in June and July in marshes, the sides of rivers, ponds, 

 ditches, hedges, &c., where they fly about sedges, reeds, 

 rushes, and other aquatic plants, on which they often settle. 

 The French have given them the trivial name of Demoiselle, 

 but with us they bear the formidableappellation of Dragon-flies, 

 which they in some measure deserve, as, like the rest of the 

 Libellulid£E, they feed upon other insects, both in the larva 

 and imago states. It will be seen by the following list, that 

 there are many species, the sexes of which not only differ, 

 but from some cause or other individuals vary so much in 

 colour, that it is a difficult task sometimes to determine to 

 which species a variety belongs, and 1 think it not improbable I 

 that some of these may be hybrids. The caudal appendages 

 of the males vary so greatly, that Charpentier thinks they will i. 

 supply good specific characters. 



1. Platypoda Van. Lmd. — ScJtccff. Icon. t.A^S.f. 1./9. — Corea 

 Lea. — lacteum Char p. 

 This species has the 4? hinder tibiae dilated : it is found in 



Norfolk, the New Forest, and in Devonshire. 



2. Chloridion Charp. Hot. Ent. p. 14 'i—Schcef. t. 121./. 4 

 c?./. 5 ? . — Mesel. v. 2. t. 11. f. 6. 

 June, Lincolnshire, on the authority of the "Illustrations." 



3. fulvipes Step. — June, Coomb Wood. 



4. rufescens Lea. — This and the following species, excepting 

 Nos. 10. & 15. have been found in the vicinity of London. 



5. minium Harris^ Expo. t. 29. Jl 2 S - f- ^ ?. — Charp. — 

 sanguineum Van. L. — Schcef. t. 116./ 1 S ■ 



6. annulare Zi^a. 7. i\ixcQ.\.\xn\ Charp. p. 18. 



8. hastulatum Charp. p. 20? — Schayf. t. 120. f. 5 (S.f. 6 ?. 

 Is a var. of the next according to Vander Linden. 



9. Puella Lhm. — Roesel. 2. iab. 11. f. 7 S- — Schaf. t. 117. 

 /. 1 %.— Harris, Expo. t. 29. /. 4 (?./. 3 ? ? 



10. pulchellum Van. L. — Schcef. t. 120. f. 4^ ?. 

 June, Cosmore Common, near Glanville's Wootton, Mr. 



Dale. 



11. zonatum Leach. 12. xanthopterum 5/^?. 



13. elegans Van. L. 14. ezonatum Ste. 



15.rubellumFaw./v. — CurLB.E.pL732 ? .var. — ruf\pesDale. 

 Taken by Air. Dale on Parley Heath in July and August : 

 the specimen figured appears to be a fine variety of Vander 

 Linden's insect, and I believe it is the true rnjipes of Dale. 



Illecehrnm verticillatum, Whorled Knott-grass, from speci- 

 mens collected in bogs near the Land's End by Mr. William 

 Branch, was communicated by J. Janson, Esq. 



