1873] 169 



no injury. The smaller slender-bodied species {Agrion, Galopteryx, 

 &c.) can be captured witb comparative ease, thougb even with them 

 one must not rely upon obtaining a second stroke if the first miss its 

 object. These frequent the sides of running brooks, reedy ponds 

 (especially those formed by the ' backwaters ' of rivers, which are 

 often isolated in summer, though connected with the stream in the 

 floods of winter), and weedy ditches. If there be a hedge-row in the 

 A-icinity, so much the better, as they will leave the margins of the 

 pond or ditch for the sheltered side of the hedge, where they may 

 be seen flying in swarms. Even the open expanse of a flowery 

 meadow far from water, and the rides in woods, are often haunted 

 by myriads of Agrions. Scarcely anything more beautiful exists in 

 nature than a stream over which are flying our native species of 

 Galopteryx ; but the sight of a forest rivulet frequented by some of 

 the brilliant exotic species must be a treat never to be forgotten. 



It must be borne in mind that dragon-flies are long-lived insects, 

 and, in some cases, several days elapse after hatching before the 

 colours are fully matured : thus the male of Lihellula depressa only 

 obtains its j^ulverulent blue colour by slow degrees ; for some days it 

 is yellow, like the female ; in a collection, it is always desirable to 

 have specimens thus comparatively immature. Very recently developed 

 examples are detected by the limp consistency of all their parts, and 

 especially by the wings, which, when the insect is feebly flying, look 

 as if (to use the apt expression of another observer) they had been 

 dipped in mucilage ; for the sake of understanding a species in all its 

 conditions, it is even advisable to retain some of these. 



With regard to the best means of conveying the insects home 



when caught, I can scarcely do better than quote the words of Dr. 



Hagen in the Entom. Weekly Intellig., vol. iv, p. 88. He says : — 



" In collecting the LihellidcB, I take a number of strips of paper doubled in two, 

 " and place the wings of a caught specimen between the folds, and, with a pin at each 

 " side of the wings, fasten it into my collecting box, without pinning the insect 

 " itself : thus, in a small box, you may pack many in a small compass, taking care 

 "not to put them within reach of each other's jaws." 



Or the insects may be killed or stupified by a sharp pinch, and then be 

 temporarily pinned in the box through the side of the thorax, the wings 

 being kept down by a simple paper brace pinned at each end. A more 

 elaborate plan is that explained by M. Blisson in the ' Annales dc la 

 Soc. Ent. de France' for 1840, who recommended that the insect 

 when caught be placed in a sort of paper shroud, covering almost the 

 whole insect excepting the head. With the slender-bodied small spe- 

 cies it is, I think, better to pin at once in the ordinary manner between 



