CHAPTER XIII 



COLORATION 



No Order of Insects can surpass the Odonata in the beauty, 

 variety and brilliancy of its coloration, except it be the Lepi- 

 doptera. In intricacy of colour-pattern the latter are undoubtedly 

 supreme. But practically the whole of the colouring of the Lepi- 

 doptera is found on the wings ; whereas, in the Odonata, not only 

 do we find certain groups with brilliantly-coloured wings, but there 

 is in nearly all cases a wonderful development of body-coloration 

 quite unequalled in the Lepidoptera or in any other Order. The 

 wings of Dragonflies have no efficient unit for the localization of 

 colour-pigment, such as the scales of Lepidoptera. It is not 

 surprising, then, that wing-colours are confined to special groups. 

 The wonder rather is, that those groups should have attained 

 such beauty as they possess, on so insufficient a basis as a wing 

 carrying neither hairs 1 nor scales. 



The Nature of Colours. 



No investigations have so far been carried out as to the nature 

 of colours in the Odonata. Hagen, however, who knew the 

 Order well, has given an excellent general classification of the 

 colours of insects, which seems readily applicable to the Dragonflies, 

 with slight modifications. Simple experiments are easily devised 

 to shew that Hagen's different types of colour do all exist in this 

 Order. Of these there are two principal kinds, the second divisible 

 into various separate types : 



1 Recently an undescribed species of Lestes from New Guinea has been found 

 with a curious development of hairs at the postero -distal end of the petiole of the 

 wing. This is quite unique hi Odonata. 



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