4 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



series, No. 11, pi. ii, fig. 1). The last few abdominal segments 

 were closely appressed to the head of the female over the suture 

 between the eyes (the median eye-line of E. J. Tillyard, 1917, 

 'The Biology of Dragon-flies,' fig. 1, a, on p. 10, me.), and curling 

 tightly round to the back of the head, concealed the anal appen- 

 dages, which were deeply plunged into the cleft between the head 

 and the thorax, so that the details of clasping could not be ob- 

 served. But it seems impossible to suppose that the inferior 

 appendage bent forward so as to rest upon the top of the head, 

 as described by \Yilliamson for four Anisopterous genera, including 

 Sympetniin (E. B. Williamson, 1906, ' Entomological News,' vol. 

 xvii, p. 143), figured by Calvert and by "Walker in jEsclina constricta, 

 Say (P. P. Calvert, loc. cit., and E. M. Walker, loc. cit., and pi. ii, 

 figs. 2-4), and claimed by Tillyard {op. cit., j). 33) for Anisoptera 

 generally ; for the whole of the last segment appeared to be in 

 the post- cephalic valley, while the ninth segment lay over and 

 between the eyes, and closely ai)pressed to them. I had not, 

 however, in my mind, when the observation was made, the exact 

 position of the inferior appendage noted in the above descriptions ; 

 and w^ould hesitate, since I was not looking out especially for this 

 point, to claim the case of Si/mpetrum stiiolatuDt as an exception to 

 the general rule expounded by the authors quoted. The female's 

 thorax was bent on her head so as to oppose its lower surface to 

 the ventral surface of the male's abdomen, which she clasped in 

 the neighbourhood of the sixth, seventh and eighth segments 

 with all three pairs of hor legs. Her abdomen continued the 

 thoracic bending, and as it aj^proached the male abdomen, bent 

 slightl}^ away again, thus bringing the ovipositor opposite the 

 copulatory apparatus on the male's second abdominal segment. 

 The anal appendages of the female approximated to, but did not 

 touch, the ventral suiface of the male's thorax. When the 

 couple were first observed in the grass there was a pulsating 

 movement within the copulatory apparatus ; but this soon 

 slowed down, and after from five to ten minutes from their first 

 meeting the insects show^ed a restlessness, the female next 

 disconnected and straightened her abdomen, and the pair, in 

 the tandem position, first rose into the air for about ten feet and 

 then made directly for the pond. I failed to follow so as not to 

 lose them among the several ovipositing couples, but closely 

 observed one of these as the female constantly flicked, or quickly 

 stroked the water with the tip of her abdomen, irregularly, but 

 on the average of about once a second, and approximately in the 

 same place. The upstroke and the first part of the downstroke 

 were quick, but the downstroke after the abdomen touched the 

 water slightly slower, so that the female did not appear to be 

 merely dropping her eggs, but rather wiping them oft" her 

 abdomen on to the surface of the water, or just below it. 

 Doubtless the function of the male was to balance her during this 



