186 [August, 



were made to catch the dragon-flies under such conditions, and one or two of us 

 tried a more orthodox working on shore. I " bottled " a good many, but am sorry 

 to say that more than one half of them were so rotten with the steaming they 

 underwent (the heat being very great) that they fell to pieces on attempts to pre- 

 pare them, although most of them were alive on the morning of the same day, and 

 I set only about a dozen specimens altogether. But in any case the following short 

 list embodies all that were actually caught by me : — 



Platycnemis pennipes, Pall., was in myriads, and probably formed more than 

 nine-tenths of the individuals seen ; a few were of the form lactea, Selys, which is 

 a true dimorphic condition common to both sexes, and not a seasonal or sexual 

 variation, nor due to immaturity : in the South European species known as latipes, 

 Ramb , there seems to be no blue form. Ischnura elegans, V. d. L., tolerably 

 common. Agrion jiuella, L., a few. A. pulchellum, V. d. L., was found in one 

 specimen amongst my captures ; Mr. Holland, of the Hope Museum, told me he 

 had recently taken it near Oxford, probably in another locality. In addition to the 

 foregoing, Erythromma and a Lestes were thought to have been seen, but none 

 were captured. — Id.: July \0th, 1902. 



Ischnura pumilio, Clip., in Ireland. — When working up some of my Irish 

 material I came across a specimen of Ischnura pumilio, Charp., taken by myself at 

 Westport on June 28th, 1886 ; the exact locality where it was taken was on the 

 Carabeg River, which flows through Lord Sligo's property. I do not think this 

 species has been recorded from Ireland previously. — James J. F. X. King, 1, Athol 

 Gardens Terrace, Kelvinside, Glasgow : June 17th, 1902. 



Dbttiuir]). 



John William May, F.E.S., died at 141, Finborough Road, Earl's Court, 

 London, on June 17th, in his 78th year. He was one of the oldest Members of the 

 Entomological Society of London, having been elected in 1860, and was on the 

 Council in 1883 and 1884. Though practically unknown to the present generation 

 of entomologists, he was formerly a nearly constant attendant at the meetings of the 

 Society, and at the social gatherings and excursions of the Entomological Club. 

 We last met him about two years ago, and remarked that time had made but slight 

 visible impression on the tall, erect, spare figure so familiar to us in years gone by. 

 He took a keen interest in entomology, and we think had amassed very considerable 

 collections, especially in Coleoptera and Hymenoptera : in the latter Order he had 

 a considerable collection of British parasitic forms of his own taking. But he 

 published little, if anything. Personally he was quiet, amiable, and retiring. 

 Probably the family was of Butch extraction ; at any rate, his father was in busi- 

 ness in the City of London as a Dutch shipbroker, and also held the position of 

 Consul General for the Netherlands. When we first met the son (about 1858) he 

 was in the business, and was Vice-Consul (succeeding to the higher office on the 

 death of his father). But for a good many years he had relinquished both busi- 

 ness and Consular duties. He was a Corresponding Member of the Entomological 

 Society of the Netherlands, and a Knight of the Netherlands' Lion. 



