138 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the Delamere Forest localities in Cheshire, which he knows 

 so well. 



The fine autumn weather extended the season considerably 

 at its latter end. On Esher Common E. cyathigerum was last 

 seen on Sept. 17th, ALschna mixta on Sept. 24th, S. scoticum on 

 Oct. 15th, and S. striolatimi on Nov. 12th ; while Mr. W. H. 

 Harwood saw^^. mixta disporting over the river Colne, in Essex, 

 a few days before Oct. 21st. A^schna cyanea visited Mr. Briggs's 

 garden at Lynmouth on Oct. 21st, and Mr. F. N. Clarke sent 

 me a female, which was taken alive from a branch of ivy at 

 Tetbury, in Gloucestershire, on Nov. 12th. 



One of the most interesting events of the season was the visit 

 of Messrs. King and C. A. Briggs to Strathglass, in Inverness- 

 shire, in search of Somatochlora metallica. On the death of Dr. 

 Buchanan White, Mr. King was the sole entomologist who had 

 taken the insect in that its only known British habitat— a dis- 

 tinction which is now shared with him by the ardent neuropterist, 

 Mr. C. A. Briggs. S. metallica was met with for two months 

 from June 15th in Strathglass and Glen Affrick. The majority 

 seen were males, which were " not uncommon, but patience and 

 devotion in the highest degree " were needed for their capture, 

 and, laconically adds Mr. Briggs, " they got it." Somatochlora 

 arctica was taken in Strathglass in June, and in Glen Affrick 

 early in August, in the latter locality at an altitude of 1400 ft. ; 

 but it was not common. jEschna ccerulea was observed in widely 

 separated districts in Strathglass and Glen Affrick, at altitudes 

 varying from 400 ft. to 1200 ft., the last taken being a male on 

 Aug. 12th. It was rare and difficult to catch. Strathglass and 

 Glen Affrick constitute a new British locality for the last species, 

 making the third, all of which are in Scotland. 



Other species of Odonata observed by Mr. Briggs in Strath- 

 glass in July were E. cyathigerum and P. nymphula, which were 

 fairly common ; L. diibia, scarce ; L. sponsa, common, but 

 immature, at one little pond at Invercannick ; and Cordulegaster 

 antiulatus, which was not uncommon, and an easy capture. 



Unfortunately neither Mr. King nor Mr. Briggs succeeded in 

 obtaining nymphs of S. metallica, S. arctica, or .E. carulea, 

 though the latter obtained eggs of S. metallica, which he removed 

 from outside the vulvar scale of a worn female captured while 

 apparently ovipositing. Each egg was about half a millimetre 

 long, and from a quarter to a third of a millimetre wide. The 

 colour was pale yellow, and shape elliptical. It possessed a 

 rather long, slender, transparent pedicel at one end, which ap- 

 peared to belong to a thin transparent outer envelope of the egg. 

 The contents had a granular appearance. 



Another interesting expedition was one undertaken by Mr. 

 H. S. Fremlin to Stornoway, in the Outer Hebrides — a still more 

 distant hunting-ground. Though more especially interested in 



