ODONATA IN 1900. 67 



On June 17th a fine female Cordiileg aster annidatus was taken 

 on Esher Common, Surrey. It was at rest on the vegetation by 

 the margin of the pond, and when captured did not attempt to 

 fly. It died in the box on the way home, and when captured 

 was, no doubt, in a moribund condition. What was its origin ? 

 But one locahty in the county— Ottershaw, near Chertsey — had 

 previously been recorded for the species. On June 3rd a male 

 was taken in the New Forest (F. M. B. Carr) by the side of the 

 nymph-case, from which it had recently emerged. The latter was 

 of a peculiar appearance — broad head and tiny prominent eyes, 

 sturdy form, and sharply tapering abdomen, hairy at the sutures. 

 The nymph apparently lives in the mud, for the dingy skin of 

 this specimen was somewhat encrusted with it. L. Cabot's 

 figure of the slightly immature nymph in his " Immature State 

 of the Odonata " gives a good idea of the full-grown form. 



Anax imperator was bred on June 13th. A nymph had 

 crawled up out of the water about 10 o'clock the previous 

 evening, but had fallen back again into the water. In all proba- 

 bility it must have crawled up again very quickly, for it had 

 emerged (a male), and was full-grown with wings expanded by 

 6 o'clock the next morning. By 6.30 it had flown off from its 

 support. As regards immature colouring, head, eyes, thorax, 

 and abdomen were in general yellowish green, but there was a 

 slightly bluish tinge on parts of the abdomen. The costal mar- 

 gin of the wings and the pterostigma were pale yellow. The 

 divisions between the segments of the abdomen were yellowish, 

 and they were of the same colour when, a day or two later, the 

 insect was killed. The segments themselves were then of a 

 strange lavender-green tint. The species was as usual pretty 

 plentiful on Esher Common, bnt very difficult to catch. 



On June 6th Brachytron pratense was taken (F. M. B. Carr) 

 at Hatchet Pond, in the New Forest. A nymph which was bred 

 early in June remained some days with its head above water 

 before disclosing the imago. 



One of the most striking features of the season was the com- 

 parative abundance of the usually scarce dragonfly Msclina 

 mixta ; but so wary an insect is it, that the captures in all pro- 

 bability have not been really numerous. A considerable number 

 of localities have, however, been added to the half dozen or so 

 previously known. These are — Surrey : near Elstead (W. J. L.) ; 

 Sussex : Worthing (F. Summerson) ; Camber Sands (? whether 

 1900. E. Connold) ; Kent: Shoreham (A. Buckstone) ; Kings- 

 gate (H. Sauze), Ramsgate and Hythe (C. Colthrup), Folkestone 

 (S. Hills) ; Hants: New Forest (W. J. L.) ; Dorset: Abbotsbury 

 (W. J. L.) ; Essex: Pitsea (H. J. Turner), Loughton (F. M. B. 

 Carr); Norfolk: Cromer (S. Blenkarn), Mundesley-on-Sea (S. 

 Kemp). On Esher Common the species was very plentiful. 

 There may have been an immigration, but if so females came 



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