234 ATTRACTED BY PECULIAR COLOURS. 



Some of these insects (the Agrionidce) seem to be 

 attracted by particular colours. I have been in- 

 formed by a friend that they have repeatedly alighted 

 on the blue " float" of his fishing-line, and that even 

 five or six might be seen resting on it at the same 

 moment. My relative, Mr. Jellett of Ballymena, 

 observed, on the banks of the river near that town, 

 great numbers of a different genus flying about some 

 beech trees, and frequently alighting on the smooth 

 and shining stones. It occurred to him that the 

 light colour which the trunks exhibited in the sun- 

 shine might be the attraction which brought the 

 dragon-flies in such numbers to that place, rather 

 than to any other. He instantly determined to put 

 the accuracy of this idea to the test of experiment, 

 laid aside the dark portions of his dress, and stood 

 motionless, with his arms extended. A dragon fly 

 almost immediately alighted on his breast, and was 

 secured, another came in the course of a few minutes, 

 and I have now in my cabinet five or six specimens 

 taken on that occasion. They are of two species 

 {Calepteryx Virgo and C. Ludoviciand) ; both are 

 plentiful about the weir on the Barrow, near Portar- 

 lington, but I have never seen either of them in the 

 neighbourhood of Belfast. Strange that they should 

 have been found at two places, one a hundred and 

 thirty miles further north than the other, and yet 



