RESPIKATION OF THE DRAGONFLY NYMPH. 211 



the captor observed it from three o'clock till half-past three in 

 the afternoon coming up from the seashore over the low cliffs, 

 and that they passed him almost continually in little parties of 

 fours and fives at the rate, he estimated, of about five or ten per 

 minute, and when he left the banks the flight seemed to show no 

 signs of abating. The weather was warm and sunny, and the 

 wind westerly. They mostly sailed inland without stopping on 

 the sea-banks, and appeared to come direct from the sea. Mr. 

 Bolam adds that, though he is quite familiar with the appearance 

 of the insect, it is not common near Berwick. 



Though a week later than the Margate flight, this may be 

 part of the migration noticed on the Continent, which will pro- 

 bably turn out to be of this species, and of which we hope to 

 hear more definitely when the observations appear in the entomo- 

 logical papers— newspaper entomology being, as a rule, useless 

 for scientific purposes. 

 July 16th, 1900. 



NOTES ON THE RESPIRATION OF THE DRAGONFLY 



NYMPH. 



By Rev. Arthur East. 



So little attention seems to have been devoted to the powers 

 of breathing common air possessed by the dragonfly nymph, that 

 a few somewhat elementary notes may perhaps be acceptable. 



Two specimens of Mschna cyanea were taken from a pond in 

 my garden in January of this year, and observations were made 

 as to the length of time the nymph could live out of water. The 

 nymphs were 20 mm. long when captured, and were restored to 

 the water at varying intervals, and for different lengths of time ; 

 when out of water they were kept in a bottle with damp weed, 

 and they fed, of course, only when restored to the water, so that 

 the following summary of absence from the water means equally 

 the time they went without food. The two nymphs observed 

 are designated A and B : — 



A. Nymph of Mschna cyanea. 



Captured Jan. 1st, 1900, and put in bottle with damp weed. 

 Restored to water Jan. 3rd for 2 minutes. 



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