OF HARTING. 359 



of vast swarms of these insects would afford interest, 

 we beg to refer to Kirby and Spence. 



Libellula, the generic name conferred by one of their 

 early sponsors, Linnaeus, on the greater number of the 

 species which make up our next family, that of the 

 Dragon-flies, was suggested by the appearance of the 

 insects when at rest. In this position, their four 

 beautiful gauzy membraneous wings are extended at 

 right angles to the body on each side the thorax, like 

 the leaves of an open book, hence their name. Others 

 of the family are popularly known in some parts of 

 France as " demoiselles " (young ladies), from the 

 beautiful proportions of their slim elongated bodies, 

 their graceful appearance on wing, and their lovely 

 colours ; the latter, however, can only be appreciated 

 in the living insect, as, unfortunately for the collector, 

 they quickly fade after death. In Normandy we. 

 have heard dragon-flies, without distinction of species, 

 called " Priests," from a fancied resemblance of their 

 wings to some portion of a priest's surplice. This 

 family is very fairly represented here, but we have 

 only identified the CEshna grandis, a fine large insect, 

 which we have not infrequently watched in the act of 

 decimating the smaller insects under the trees in the 

 Park, at some distance from the pool in which we 

 have also found its larvae. Libellula vulgata, Libellula 

 depressa and Libellula quadri-maculata frequent the 

 ponds in the valley, two or three species of Agrion 

 the water-courses in the Downparks and East Hart- 

 ing meadows, and one beautiful species of Calepteryx 

 (virgo ?) we have taken on the banks of the Rother 

 at Ryefi elds. This is the " demoiselle " par excellence, 

 the two sexes of which differ so much from each other 

 in their colours, that they may readily be taken for 

 two distinct species, the male having a purple body 

 and a large blotch of the same colour near the tip of 

 each wing, while the female is uniformly green, with 

 unspotted and transparent wings. 



