350 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



tliree of the former — two males and one female — the last takeu as it was 

 ovipositiug by repeatedly dipping its abdomen, apparently at random, into 

 the water. Siill another member of the genus JEschna fell to my net, a 

 single male of ^-E. mixta. This dragonfly, when captured, was eating a 

 ladybird — an insect which is usually considered an unpalatable morsel. 

 Agrion 2^ueUa was still on the wing, and one A. pulchelium was secured. 

 With Lihellula scotica was now flying a congener, L. striolata [Sympetrum 

 vulgatiim], a single specimen of which i had, 1 believe, sigiited as early as 

 Aug, lOlh, Sept. 12th afforded no fresh species, but we noticed that, at 

 this part of the season at least, the larger dragouflies seemed to fly best 

 during the four or five hours at the middle of the day and then, as a 

 rule, only when the sun was shining. As exceptions to rule, however, I 

 ought to mention that 1 saw an jE. yrandis flymg in Oxford at 7 p.m. on 

 August 29th, and another jEschtta (probably cijanea), cii cling about, at 

 Morden, in Surrey, on the very dull afternoon of Sept. 15lh, Our last 

 expedition of the season took place on Sept. IQth, on a still and warm, 

 but autumnal afternoon. On this occasiuu L. scuttca and L. striolata were 

 well in evidence, and a few A. pueila were still about; but our attention 

 was chiefly taken up with ^E. juncea and jE. (jrundis, which were even 

 yet on the wing in fair numbeijs. i3oth species liad a propensity for 

 settling in the sun, on the trunks of the pines which fringe the margin 

 of the Pond, and while so resting were very difficult to see. Attempts to 

 reach them from the front were not successful, but if the tree was 

 approached from behind a stroke migbt be made wiUiout frightening the 

 insects, even with the net held in the hand, the slick being dispensed with 

 for the occasion. From this and other observations, it is clear that tlie 

 sight of a dragonfly is very keen, while the incident just mentioned would 

 seem to point to the fact that the sense of hearing is not well developed in 

 these insects. On this day an /Esclma (no donhi j aiicea) was noticed with 

 a very large object in its jaws. Presently something was allowed to fall, 

 which proved to be the larger part of a silver-y moth [Plusia gumma), from 

 which the dragonfly had bitten the head and front part of the thorax, 

 allowing the rest to fall to the ground. Our captures at this smgle pond 

 during 1894 and the preceding season have comprised fifteen species, 

 viz.: — Platetrum depressum, Libellula quadrimaculata, L. striolata [Sym- 

 petrum vulgatwii], L. scotica \_S. scoticum], Cordulia anea, Aaax formosus, 

 jEschna mixta, yE. juncea, }E. cyanea, jE. yrandis, Ayrion [Eiiallayma] 

 cyathiyerum, A. pulchelium, A. pueila, A. [Fyrr/iosoma} minium, A. [P.] 

 tenellum; while Calopteryx splendens and Bracliytron pratense I secured in 

 the same neighbourhood, though not at the Black Pond. — W. J. Lucas; 

 Gordon Road, Kiugston-ou-Thames, Nov. 12th, 1894. 



ToRTRicES AT NoRTHWOOD, MIDDLESEX. — In my note under thia 

 heading {ante, p. 323) the names of two species were unfortunately trans- 

 posed. I refer to Phoxopteryx lactana and Graplwlitha ramella. The two 

 forms mentioned are those of the last-named species, one of which resembles 

 P. lactana { = ramella of the 'Manual'), and the other is very similar to 

 Pcedisca bilunana. " G." yermarana should be Stiymonota yermarana. I 

 may add that S. internana was generally common wherever furze [Ulex 

 europcBUs) was plentiful, and two examples of Pentkina capraana were bred 

 from larvee iu sallow-shoots. — R. S. 



Collecting at Tunbridge Wells. — The season of 1894 has been, 

 in my opinion, a very bad one. Earlv in March i worked the sallows on 



