NO.2107. DRA00NFLIE8, WASHINGTON AND OREGON— KENNEDY. 267 



fly up and out a distance of G to 10 feet from time to time to take 

 passing insects, returning each time to its resting place. On being 

 disturbed none ever hesitated to dart into the densest portion of the 

 bush on which it rested. Many, especially tenerals, rested on grass, 

 and such when attacked flew into the nearest bush. Even fully 

 developed imagoes were never on the wing for any great length of 

 time, seldom at any time flying more than 20 or 30 feet; but in spite 

 of then- apparently weak flight they were not easily taken, because 

 a single stroke with the net would send all the near-by individuals 

 into the bushes. 



On September 7 it was observed that they were more abundant about 

 the willow-fringed pools than formerly, where many couples were 

 now flying from bush to bush. On both September 7 and September 

 14, which was the last date on which collecting was done on the creek, 

 oviposition was in progress. 



In capturing the female the male flies toward her while she is on 

 the wing, or if she is alighted, as is the usual case, she flies up to meet 

 him, when he first seizes her head with his feet, then bending his 

 abdomen forward, seizes her prothorax with the claspers on the tip 

 of his abdomen. She usually copulates at once, which is a lengthy 

 process, the pair in copulation restlessly wandering from place to 

 place. (See fig. 17.) 



After many minutes in copulation they settle down on a vertical wil- 

 low twig from one-fourth to one-half an inch in diameter overhanging 

 some pool, or which may be even 3 feet back from the water and at a 

 distance of from 2 to 10 feet above the surface of the water, and begin 

 the tedious process of oviposition. (See fig. 16.) The male holds the 

 female during oviposition. The female draws the tip of her abdo- 

 men up until her body forms a loop with the ovipositor between her 

 legs, when she makes in the willow branch a downward thrust. On 

 examination of twigs it was fomid that no egg is laid in tliis first 

 downward thrust. Next she partly withdraws the ovipositor, making 

 a lateral thrust on the right side. This is for the first egg. A third 

 thrust is made in the same side by partially withdrawing the ovi- 

 positor first and aiming it forward of the second. A fourth thrust is 

 made forward of the third for the third egg. Then she twists the tip 

 of the abdomen around, making three thrusts on the left side, the 

 lower thrust first, the upper thrust last. In each of the six lateral 

 thrusts an egg has been laid with the small dark end at the point of 

 insertion. (See figs. 20 and 21.) After such a series of eggs has been 

 laid the female withdraws her ovipositor and the pair back down the 

 branch about one-fourth of an inch and repeat the process. One pair 

 was watched for an hour, at the end of which time the female took 

 longer rests between thrusts and finally ceased ovipositing. 



