﻿35.— 
  NOTE 
  ON 
  OVIPOSITION 
  OF 
  GYNACANTHA 
  BAINBRIG- 
  

  

  GEI* 
  (ODONATA). 
  

  

  (Plate 
  XLVI). 
  

  

  Btj 
  T. 
  Bainbrigge 
  Fletcher, 
  R.N., 
  F.L.S., 
  F.E.S., 
  F.Z.S. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  at 
  least 
  ten 
  in 
  India, 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Gynacantha 
  are 
  evening-flying 
  dragonflies, 
  appearing 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  about 
  

   sunset 
  and 
  hawking 
  swiftly 
  until 
  dark, 
  but 
  resting 
  by 
  day 
  in 
  shady 
  

   places. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  nothing 
  on 
  record 
  regarding 
  their 
  early 
  stages 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  discover 
  some 
  information 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  one 
  species, 
  especially 
  as 
  its 
  habits 
  seem 
  decidedly 
  abnormal 
  for 
  a 
  

   dragonfly. 
  

  

  Whilst 
  at 
  Margherita, 
  in 
  Assam, 
  in 
  May 
  1920, 
  I 
  noticed 
  several 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  Gynacantha 
  hainbriggei 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  at 
  sunset, 
  hovering 
  close 
  over 
  

   the 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  Lantana 
  bush 
  which 
  was 
  growing 
  alongside 
  

   a 
  small 
  culvert 
  passing 
  under 
  a 
  road 
  which 
  crossed 
  a 
  small 
  nala 
  through 
  

   a 
  Tea 
  Estate. 
  My 
  first 
  impression 
  was 
  that 
  this 
  hole 
  was 
  a 
  resting 
  

   place 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  took 
  shelter 
  during 
  the 
  daytime 
  ; 
  so 
  I 
  examined 
  

   it 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  expecting 
  to 
  disturb 
  some 
  Gynacantha 
  out 
  of 
  it, 
  but 
  

   it 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  empty. 
  Examination 
  of 
  the 
  hole 
  showed 
  that 
  above 
  

   its 
  entrance 
  was 
  a 
  vertical 
  bank 
  of 
  clayey 
  soil, 
  at 
  most 
  slightly 
  moist, 
  

   and 
  on 
  this 
  bank 
  grew 
  a 
  thick 
  Lantana 
  bush, 
  whilst 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  

   the 
  culvert 
  was 
  hidden 
  by 
  long 
  weeds 
  and 
  grass 
  until 
  I 
  cleared 
  these 
  

   away 
  and 
  revealed 
  the 
  entrance. 
  On 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  the 
  same 
  

   evening, 
  about 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  before 
  sunset 
  and 
  after 
  having 
  

   seen 
  Gynacantha 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  I 
  disturbed 
  from 
  the 
  hole 
  two 
  specimens, 
  

   both 
  of 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  females. 
  Later, 
  watching 
  by 
  the 
  hole, 
  

   I 
  saw 
  severi^l 
  females 
  enter 
  the 
  gap 
  in 
  the 
  weeds 
  and 
  settle 
  on 
  the 
  vertical 
  

   bank 
  of 
  eatth, 
  when 
  they 
  felt 
  the 
  earth 
  all 
  around 
  with 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  their 
  

   abdomens, 
  evidently 
  ovipositing 
  in 
  the 
  earth. 
  Sometimes, 
  when 
  a 
  

   female 
  was 
  thus 
  engaged, 
  another 
  specimen, 
  presumably 
  a 
  male, 
  would 
  

   be 
  dashing 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  gap, 
  as 
  if 
  waiting 
  for 
  

   the 
  female 
  to 
  emerge. 
  In 
  one 
  case 
  I 
  watched 
  a 
  female 
  change 
  her 
  

   position 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  four 
  times, 
  each 
  time 
  feeling 
  and 
  thrusting 
  with 
  

   her 
  abdomen. 
  On 
  this 
  evening 
  (18th 
  May) 
  I 
  caught 
  four 
  females 
  actually 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  ovipositing 
  in 
  this 
  small 
  patch 
  of 
  soil, 
  besides 
  two 
  other 
  

  

  * 
  Note. 
  — 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  reading 
  this 
  paper, 
  the 
  species 
  referred 
  to 
  was 
  ascribed 
  to 
  

   Q. 
  hyalina 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  called 
  on 
  Plate 
  XLVI. 
  Major 
  Fraser, 
  however, 
  has 
  since 
  re- 
  

   determined 
  the 
  insect 
  as 
  G. 
  bainhriggei. 
  — 
  T.B.P. 
  

  

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