THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 27 



yellow with black markings. Frequent rivers, creeks, and 

 lagoons, and are fond of settling on the ground. 



Sub-family Agrioninse. 



Lestes leda, Selys. 



,, annulosa, Selys. 



,, analis, Rambur. 

 Argiolestes icteromelas, Selys. 



„ grisea, Selys. 



Synlestes weyersii, Selys. 

 Nososticta solida, Selys. 

 Isosticta simplex, Martin, nov. sp. 

 Ischnura heterosticta, Burni. 



,, delicata, Selys. 

 Pseudagrion cyane, Selys. 



,, billinghursti, Martin, nov. sp. 



Xanthagrion erythroneurum, Selys. 

 Agriocnemis splendida, Martin, nov. sp. 

 Hemiphlebia mirabilis, Selys. 



The Agrionin^ are slender-bodied insects, mostly weak of 

 flight, and the majority frequent only ponds, lagoons, and marshes, 

 A. icteromelas and aS'. weyersii being exceptions. Some of the 

 species are very small, the rest medium, except /"*. billinghursti 

 and S. loeyersii, which are fairly large. They are of a variety of 

 colours, but all have a more or less metallic tinge. In nine out of 

 the fifteen species named the sexes are alike in colour. In the re- 

 maining six they are very different, and it is a fact worthy of note that 

 in all these six the males are blue or have blue somewhere on their 

 bodies ; none of the others have ; and this is also to be noticed in 

 Orthetrum caledonicum and Diphlebia lestoides. The only other 

 cases in my list where the sexes differ materially in colour are the 

 red Diplaces. Owing, I presume, to the weakness of their flight, 

 most of the Agrioninje appear to be gregarious, and when one of 

 a species is seen there are generally several more near. This is 

 especially the case with L. analis, which is our commonest Dragon- 

 fly, frequents reeds and rushes, and can be taken in scores in a 

 patch a few yards square. It is bronze and pink in color. S. 

 weyersii, A. spUndida, and //. mirabilis are brilliant metallic 

 green. The latter, a very small species, was only recorded from 

 Queensland before I took it. It is very local and rare here. 

 N. solida is a beautiful little insect, dark bronze with brilliant 

 orange thorax and the wings tinged with saffron. The males of 

 /. heterosticta and P. cyane are very similar at first sight — bronze 

 with anal segments brilliant blue — but the latter is only about half 

 the size of the former. The females are very different from each 

 other. The male /. delicata is red with blue anal segments ; 



