280 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



from the water-plants, but they dropped their eggs into the 

 water, apparently at random, while hovering upon the wing. 

 C. cenea is a beautiful creature to look at in the hand, but 

 it is not very attractive when seen hawking for its prey. An 

 exception must be made, however, in favour of its eyes, the 

 liquid emerald-green of which immediately arrests attention and 

 excites admiration. It is not so difficult to capture as are most 

 of the other larger dragonflies, for its flight, which is very 

 characteristic, is not so erratic, and it is not alarmed so 

 readily. Although it can fly strongly on occasion, it usually 

 glides over the water at one uniformly low level, and quite 

 close to the margins of the pond. It seems to avoid alighting 

 on low herbage, and to prefer resting on bushes surrounding the 

 pond. 



(7) Enallagma cijathigerum was collected pretty frequently 

 at the particular localities where it occurs from June 10th to 

 August 26th. On the first-named date a blue female was taken 

 attached 'per collum to a very brilliantly coloured male, and 

 a female of the typical form was obtained at Walthamstow on 

 July 8th. 



(8) Libellida quadrimaculata is always scarce in Epping 

 Forest, and for the only specimen obtained during 1906 our 

 thanks are due to a stranger. On June 17th, he, seeing us 

 engaged with other dragonflies, himself pursued and secured a 

 male, which he afterwards kindly gave to us. 



(9) Anax imperator was much commoner than usual, but a 

 male taken on July 1st was the only specimen secured. On the 

 date named we watched two females ovipositing, without any aid 

 from the males, in a shallow arm of a large pond. It has been 

 remarked that the sense of hearing in dragonflies appears to be 

 in a very rudimentary state, and we have obtained a striking 

 confirmation of this view. We were watching a male A. iinperator 

 at a pond abutting upon the main road through the forest. 

 Motor cars and bicycles and other vehicles were passing in an 

 incessant stream, but, although the pond was a fairly large one 

 and more retired ponds were near at hand, the insect continued 

 its flight, without manifesting the slightest alarm or irritation, 

 parallel with the road, and at a distance of not more than a few 

 feet from its noise and dust. 



(10) Mschna grandis was first seen and taken on July 22nd, 

 when it was common ; it afterwards became quite scarce, and 

 was not observed after the first week in September. 



(11) yE. cyanea. — This dragonfly, which is always abundant 

 with us, was first taken on July 29th. On September 30th we 

 came across a female so intent on oviposition as to pay little or 

 no heed to our near approach ; she was crawling along a fallen 

 tree-trunk lying beside a small pond much frequented by the 

 species, and inserting her ovipositor into the interstices of the 



