DRAGONFLIBS OF EPPING FOREST IN 1908. 7 



it is still further from varia, further still (in spite of some resem- 

 blance on the under side) from deione and parthenie, is the very 

 converse of britomartis, and has not even a superficial resem- 

 blance to any form of asteria. The earlier stages, when they 

 become known — which there is reason to hope may be during 

 next season — may give cause for the reconsideration of any 

 opinion now expressed, but so far as our present knowledge 

 extends, I feel no doubt that we should regard it as a distinct 

 species. The question of its phylogeny is most interestingly 

 disjussed in the same paper, and to this reference will have to 

 be made again. 



THE DRAGONFLIES OF EPPING FOREST IN 1908. 

 By F. W. & H. Campion. 



The season began with a backward spring, but at least the 

 usual number of dragonflies appeared with the beautiful weather 

 which came in June. By the end of August dragonflies had 

 become decidedly scarce, although a few of the common kinds 

 survived to enjoy the warm summer-like days of early October. 



Unusually late dates were recorded for Libellida depressa and 

 jEschna grandis. 



Erijthromma naias was added to the list of Odonata collected by 

 ourselves in Epping Forest. That list now consists of twenty- one 

 species, or exactly one half the total for the British Islands. 



An account of the captures made during the year is given 

 below, the species being named in the order in which they came 

 under our observation. 



(1) Pt/rrhosoma nymphidayvas, as is usual in our district, the 

 dragonfly earliest on the wing, and a single immature female was 

 obtained on May 10th. On May 31st a male was discovered 

 to have the right hind wing in a very rudimentary state. It is 

 a remarkable fact that we have in our collection quite a number 

 of dragonflies, belonging to various species, having the same 

 wing in a more or less undeveloped condition. P. nymphida was 

 not noticed after July 12th 



(2) Cordulia ceaea occurred very early in the season, a some- 

 what immature male being taken on May 17th. A week later 

 (May 24th) we obtained two newly-emerged females, from which 

 we learned that at that stage of development the abdomen is 

 emphatically purple, although the front of the thorax is already 

 green. The eyes were opaque brown, and the band between 

 segments two and three, instead of being yellow, was dirty white. 

 The wings were brownish, and the basal saffron was pale and 

 indistinct. The accessory membranes were satin-white, and the 

 pterostigmata grey. On June 7th two more females were taken, 

 both fine adult specimens. One of them had the wings very 



