2 [January, 



to be found most easily and most abundantly. Taking train to 

 Aatlial, a distance of some 15| miles from Ziiricb, a short walk 

 brought us to the peaty and swampy tract connected with the 

 Pfaffikon See, the desired locality. It required no experienced eye 

 to know that we were on good dragon-fly ground, for the insects 

 themselves soon appeared. One of the first to attract attention was 

 a big ^scJina, pronounced at once by Dr. Ris to be ^. isosceles, and 

 ver}' soon I had the pleasure of making the capture of this fine 

 species which so few British collectors have taken. I feared that it 

 might be over, but it proved to be not uncommon in one or two other 

 localities, although mostly rather worn. A very interesting species, 

 it is not equal to grandis in appearance or dash when on the wing. 

 Many of the commoner species put in an appearance: Anax imperator 

 occupied several stations ; Orthetrum cancellatum was flying about, 

 settling from time to time on drying peat, but wild as usual and most 

 difficult to catch. There were also odd examples of Lihellula quad- 

 rimaculata and tiijinpeirum scoticum, together with hosts of the 

 Agrions, such as A. pulcheUum, E. cijathigerum, I. elegans and E. nnjas. 

 Affrion hnstidatum also occurs here, but only one was taken by Dr. 

 Ris. So far, however, the primary object of our search had not been 

 seen, but at last in a wet place much overgrown with rushes and 

 Equisetum, Dr. Ris found one -the daintest little thing imaginable, 

 in bronzed green and blue, with a big yellowish pterostigma, but so 

 inconspicuous that it might easily have been overlooked. One or two 

 more were found, but it was evident that we had not yet reached the 

 head-quarters of the species. Further search brought us to a place 

 where the insect was more abundant, and while I simply collected. 

 Dr. Ris made some interesting observations on the colours of the $ 

 and believes that the same dimorphism exists in this species as in 

 Ischnura. This subject will, no doubt, receive full explanation from 

 himself. After we had dealt with N. speciosum, we had little time 

 left for other species, and as the day w'as already well advanced we 

 soon afterwards made our way to Wetzikon whence Dr. Ris returned 

 to Rheinau and I to Ziirich, both of us well pleased with out first 

 afternoon's work. 



Next day we arranged to devote entirely to the Metmenhasler 

 See, distant by rail about an hour from Zurich. The special attrac- 

 tion was Anax parthenope, a magnificent species which, as far as the 

 Zurich district is concerned, has made its head-quarters at this little 

 lake. In order to lose no opportunity of securing the species, we left 

 Ziirich before 8 o'clock in the morning, joining Dr. Ris at Oberglatt. 



