32 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



femur and tibia; there are three tarsal joints to each leg, the basal 

 one being very small : all the legs have several longitudinal rows of 

 small dark points. The somewhat hairy abdomen tapers gradually to 

 the posterior extremity, and is irrorated with small black dots : the 

 segments are fairly equal, and each, except the tenth, is bounded 

 posteriorly by a line of about eight white dots : each segment except 

 the tenth has a lateral spine : a medio-dorsal pale line may just be 

 distinguished, and on each side of it, rather nearer the hinder edge of 

 each segment, is a pale mark : there is also a pale lateral line, but not 

 showing so distinctly as in P. minium. Very different from those of 

 the last species are the caudal lamellae : they are 8 mm. long, and of 

 much the same width throughout, about 2 mm. : the tip is rounded, 

 and each lamella is divided into two parts ; the basal half has the 

 margin toothed, especially on the upper edge of the central one and the 

 lower edge of the other two (for the outer ones are reversed in position) : 

 the decided nick on the more toothed margin is very noticeable : the 

 apical half of the lamella has an entire margin, '■= and bears three trans- 

 verse brown bands, and a longitudinal one along the median vein, 

 which is stout : the venules have their smaller branches conspicuously 

 dark in colour and arborescent in structure. The points and conical 

 projections at the end of the abdomen resemble those of P. minium. 



If these two descriptions are compared, it will be seen that 

 the species are closely allied, but, just as in the perfect insects, 

 the resemblances, though striking, are accompanied by numerous 

 points of difference. 



In the Libelluline group of dragonflies {Lihellulidce) are to 

 be found ten British species — Leucorrhinia dubia, Lind., Sympe- 

 triim vidgatum, Linn. {= striolatum, Charp.), S. Jiaveolum, Linn., 

 S. sanguiueum, Miill., S. scoticum, Don., Platetrum deprcssum, 

 Linn., Libellula quadrimacidata, Linn., L.fidva, Miill., Orthetrum 

 C(Eridescens, Fabr., 0. cancellatum, Linn., and one occasional 

 visitant, S.fonscolombii, Selys. Of these, during the season, I 

 secured six — S. rulgatum, S. scoticum, P. depressum, L. quadri- 

 maculata, 0. cceridescens, and 0. cancellatum. 



S. vulgatum I took commonly in Surrey and in the New 

 Forest. One I probably saw as early as June 28th, near Pyrford, 

 Surrey ; but my first capture was a female on July 5th in the 

 New Forest; and the last I saw were on Sept. 20th, at the 

 Black Pond, in Surrey. They were very plentiful near Wisley, in 

 Surrey, in the middle of the month last named. Specimens 

 vary considerably in size and in the amount of red in their 

 colouring : the wings, too, are sometimes very dark, age probably 

 being the cause of the darkening. S. scoticum I captured in two 

 localities only (both in Surrey), where, however, they were very 

 plentiful. The first one was met with on July llth, at the 

 Black Pond, and it was still on the wing there on Sept. 20th. 

 This species also varies considerably in size, a female taken 



-■' When a lamella is prepared in canada-balsam for viewing with a com- 

 pound microscope, the apex is found to be fringed with fairly long, but very 

 slender, colotu'less hairs, not shown in the figure. 



