THE DRAGONFLIES OF EPPING FOREST. 279 



which held her per collum, poised himself on his wings in an 

 almost erect position. The species was not met with after 

 ■Inly 22nd. 



(4) Isclinura elegans was first taken on June 3rd ; it was 

 afterwards very abundant, especially at the end of July, and was 

 collected regularly until September 8th, the latest date which we 

 have yet recorded for the species. A female with the ground 

 colour of the thorax purple was obtained on June 10th. On July 

 15th we took a very curious female in cop. with a normal male. 

 The proximal two-thirds of segment eight were of a colour ap- 

 proaching to that seen in the same segment in var. infuscans 

 (dark orange-brown), but the distal third of the segment was 

 occupied by a dorsal black spot having a semicircular front 

 margin. Moreover, there was a thin line of blue at the anterior 

 margin of the segment, and a strong line of blue at the posterior 

 margin. The spots behind the eyes were bright blue, the stripes 

 on the Wiorax were dull blue, and the sides of the thorax bright 

 green. The smallest male of which we have any knowledge was 

 taken on July 22nd ; its measurements were 28 mm. in length, 

 and 31*5 mm. across the hind wings. 



Var. infuscans was procured on July 1st and 15th, one only 

 on each occasion. In the first specimen, which was taken 

 in cop. with a typical male, segment eight was of so dark a 

 hue as to be indistinguishable, so far as colour was concerned, 

 from the other segments of the abdomen. Such a specimen 

 might, if seen alone, be easily mistaken for the female of 

 /. pumilio. 



(5) Libellida depressa was, as in former years, found to be 

 common at the shallower ponds. The earliest specimen was 

 seen on June 3rd ; it was secured, and proved to be an incom- 

 pletely coloured male. The latest observation made was on July 

 22nd. It is a curious fact that, unlike other observers, we have 

 never seen L. depressa flying except over water. 



(6) Cordulia cenea. — Single specimens of this species — then 

 entirely new to us in the living state — were obtained at ponds near 

 Loughton, June 5th and 10th. A little later it became quite com- 

 mon at a locality further to the north, where we took no fewer than 

 eight examples on June 17th, and four more on July 1st, the last 

 occasion upon which we saw it. All the specimens taken were 

 males, and no immature individuals were noticed. Our atten- 

 tion was drawn by Mr. Lucas to the large size of these insects, 

 and, upon measuring them, we found the smallest to be 49'5 mm. 

 in length and 71 mm. across the hind wings, and the largest 

 to be 535 mm. long and 72 mm. in expanse. Females were 

 very seldom seen — probably they were actually very scarce — but 

 on July 1st we had opportunities for watching two of the sex 

 engaged in the business of oviposition. While so employed they 

 neither received assistance from the males nor sought support 



