16 THK ENTOMOI.OCiiSX's KKCOKD. 



I^^OTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



AuoiADFs sYLVANus. — Oil Juns 2oth last, I took while ou the beach 

 at the foot of low cliffs on the Hampshire coast a remarlaible male 

 specimen of this species. The position of the markings is more or less 

 similar to the normal, but the colouring is quite distinct. 



The normal bright yellow ground colouring of both fore- and hind- 

 wings is replaced by white, which is also the colour of the six spots 

 near the apex of tlie forcwiugs, and also of the costal margin ; the 

 normal broad brown marginal area of the outer and inner margins of 

 both fore- and hindwings is replaced by a greyish brown, the wing 

 rays being also of the same colour. 



The sexual mark is large, and is rather broader than usual towards 

 the base, and is quite black. 



The longer hairs of the basal area of all four wings are of a greyish 

 indigo blue colour on a dark greyish brown ground colour, giving this 

 portion of the wings a distinct bluish tint, and this greyish blue effect 

 also extends in a thin line along the inner margins of the forewingsas 

 far as the outer area. 



The body and thorax, instead of being the usual dark brown colour, 

 have a greyish blue effect similar to that of the basal area, the colour 

 being apparently the combined effect of dark brown, greyish blue, and 

 white hairs. There is no sign whatever of fulvous or yellow scales, or 

 hairs anywhere on either wings or body. 



If identification is possible from the foregoing description, the 

 writer would be glad to be informed of the probable name of this 

 variety. — E. Barnard Ckuickshank. December 12t/i, 1921. 



A NoTK ON Somerset Dragonflies. — On July 11th last I visited 

 Maiden Down, which lies beside the Taunton-Exeter road, and is about 

 2 miles over the Devon border and some 5 miles beyond Wellington, 

 Somerset. The object of the visit was to take a series of Plebeius 

 ae<jon [anjiis), which was there plentiful, the Down being covered with 

 heather and Ilex nanus, the dwarf furze. The Down is divided by a 

 boggy stream which owing to the drought was nearly dry. At the lower 

 end of this stream I took 2 male Cordtdef/aster annidatUH, and (hthetium 

 caerulescena was common along the bog, 4 c? s and 3 $ s being easily 

 netted. In the afternoon my nephew, J. R. Paterson, caught a S 

 Agrion which turned out a prize, the local A. }ne)runale. I am not a 

 dragonfly collector myself but was capturing the above for Mr. H. H. 

 Slater, .Joint Recorder and Secretary of the Somerset Arch, and Nat. 

 Hist. Society. Upon enquiry I find A. mercitriale to be a new record 

 for Devon, not having been previously taken west of Dorset. 



On July 25th I made a special visit with Mr. Slater to try and 

 capture A. mercnriale on the Somerset side of the border. We went 

 for this purpose to " The Merry Harriers Inn on the Blagdon Hills 

 some o miles below Taunton, where there was similar ground. The 

 day turned out dull with a wind and little was on the wing. We again 

 took C. annidatiiH, and found O. caeriilesreits in a worn state. About 

 12.30 (summer time) the sun shone for about half a minute and I 

 succeeded in taking a S^ A. rneroiriale. I afterwards found that 

 the spot was some 40 yds. over the Devon border. If the 

 drought has not exterminated the dragonflies I hope however to 



