228 ■ [October, 



larum Europia^, 1810). It was observed in Switzerland by McLachlan 

 between August 12tli and 16th (Ent. Mo. Mag., vol. xvii, p. 141, 

 1880), while de Selys gives June and July as the months for the 

 insect in Italy (Mouographie des Libellulidees d'Europe, 184<0). 



Hitherto the known distribution of this dragon-fly in the British 

 Isles, as determined by authentic captures, has not exceeded the 

 boundaries of Inverness-shire ; in August last (1908), however, it 

 was my good fortune to discover it iti some numbers in a Sussex 

 locality near Tunbridge Wells. The history of the species in Great 

 Britain is by no means without interest, and it may be as well to 

 review this history as briefly as possible before relating my own 

 experience. 



On Plate XXVII of "An Exposition of English Insects," by 

 Moses Harris, which was published in 1782, there is a coloured flgure 

 of a Corduliine dragon-fly, accompanied by a description on piige 92, 

 and called Lihellula cenea. The figure has been mentioned by later 

 authors, such as Van der Linden, Burmeister, Curtis, Stephens, and 

 Evans, as representing SomatoMora metallica. Their reasons for doing 

 so are by no means clear, for there seems to be little in Harris' figure 

 or description to distinguish it from CorduUa cenea, Linn At any 

 rate, Hagen says in his " Synonymia Libellularum Europjearum " 

 (1840, p. 40) : — " Nescio quo jure Burmeister L. ceneum, Harris, hoc 

 loco citraverit, pertinet omnino ad C. csneam.'' 



Further, De Selys, in his " Eevue des Odonates " (1850, p. 70), 

 confirms Hagen's statement : — " H est tres-douteux qu'elle se trouve 

 reellemeut en Angleterre. On I'y a indiquee sur la foi de Van der 

 Linden qui cite ici la figure donnee par Harris, mais cette planche 

 represente Vcenea.'" 



Curtis, in 1829, includes " CorduUa metallica " in his " Guide to 

 an Arrangement of British Insects," and ^^ cenea, Haw. ?" is printed 

 below. In his " British Entomology " (1823-1840) he gives a short 

 description of " metallica,''^ referring again to Harris' figure in the 

 Synonyma, and afterwards follows : — " This species is admitted as 

 British on the authority of Van der Linden, but it is the female 

 he has represented." 



Stephens' " JSomenclature of British Insects," published in 

 1833, gives " metallica, van L.," as the second member of the genus 

 CorduUa, ad Harris' " csnea " as a synonym. 



In the Illustrations of British Entomology, Maudibulata " (vol. 

 ii, pp. 89 and 90), by the same author, there is a more or less accurate 



