A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



numbers ; owing however to its cautious habits, lofty flight and extreme 

 rapidity of movement, its capture is attended with some difficulty. It 

 is now well distributed in the Colchester district, and as all the inland 

 examples seem to be mature, while the majority of those found on the 

 coast are immature, this may afford a clue to a fuller knowledge of its 

 earlier stages than we at present possess. 



flL. cyanea, Miill., is by far the commonest as well as one of the 

 handsomest and most widely distributed of its family. 



SE. grandis, L., though recorded only from Colchester, Epping, 

 Wanstead, and St. Osyth, is so powerful on the wing that he would be 

 rash who ventured to set bounds to its local distribution, and probably it 

 is acquainted with every parish in the county. 



The Demoiselle Dragonflies (Calopteryx virgo and C. splendent) both 

 occur ; the former appears in the Epping list and is not uncommon 

 near Birch Park. The latter abounds beside ditches and streams in all 

 directions. 



Lestes dryas, Kirby, is one of our rarest species. A single specimen 

 was taken by Mr. C. R. Briggs near Leigh in 1891. 



L. sponsa, Hansem, occurs at Epping (Doubleday) and Wanstead 

 (F. A. Walker), and has recently been found at St. Osyth. 



[i/. virens, Charp.] is doubtfully British, and its only claim to 

 appear in our list is that Mr. Doubleday believed several specimens had 

 been taken by himself at Epping. 



Platycnemis pennipes, Pall., is also recorded from Epping by Double- 

 day, and there is a later record by Mr. C. R. Briggs. 



Erythromma naias, Hansem. Epping (H. Doubleday), Wanstead 

 (F. A. Walker). 



Pyrrhosoma nymphula, Sulz. (minium, Charp.), is common at Colchester, 

 Birch, Epping, and in many other localities. 



P. tenellum, Vill., formerly occurred at Epping, but there is no 

 evidence of any recent captures. 



Ischnura pumi/io, Charp., was stated by Doubleday in 1871 to be 

 ' rare about the red gravel pits in the Epping district.' 



L e/egans, Lind., is very common in the county, especially beside 

 marsh ditches near the coast. 



Agrion pulchellum, Lind. 'Epping, not common ' (Doubleday). 



A. puella^ L., is very common everywhere. 



Enallagma cyathigerum, Charp., has probably been generally over- 

 looked by Essex naturalists, as it is widely distributed elsewhere, and 

 should occur in many places besides Epping. 



The other sections of the Neuroptera occurring in this country 

 include the diminutive Psocidte, which are among the smallest British 

 insects, the Perlidte or Stoneflies, and the Ephemeridae or Mayflies. These 

 are known as Pseudo-Neuroptera. The curiously constructed Snake and 

 Scorpion flies and the beautiful golden-eyed Lacewings are classed as 

 Neuroptera Planipennia, and the Caddisflies as Trichoptera. 



All the species included in the following list have been found in the 



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