DRAGONFLIES OF BPPING FOREST IN 1908. 9 



altogether, and herein may lie the explanation of their having 

 escaped our notice in previous years, although in 1900 Mr. F. 

 Enock bred the species from nymphs taken at Loughton (Entom. 

 1901, p. 68). No captures were made after June 28th, but the 

 species probably lasted for some time longer. 



(8) L. quadrimaculata was not uncommon in the central parts 

 of the Forest, where captures were made on June 28th. 



(9) Anax imperator was first met with on June 28th, when 

 two males were taken, one of them with wings in poor condition. 

 We think it incorrect to describe the eyes of this species as blue, 

 and that a truer description would be : — Eyes opaque green, 

 lightly shot with translucent blue on their upper surface. On 

 the same occasion a male, not taken, was observed to dash 

 through a swarm of Tortrix viridana, which were flying about an 

 oak-tree, and was seen to seize and fly ofif with one of the moths. 

 A specimen was noticed as late as August 2nd. 



(10) Mschna cyanea, usually such a common insect, was 

 decidedly scarce. A newly-emerged male was taken, with its 

 discarded nymph-skin, on July 5th, and provided us with a date 

 for the species earlier by sixteen days than our previous earliest 

 date. No specimen with the mature coloration was obtained 

 before August 16th (a male), but we continued to meet with the 

 insect until October 18th, when another male was taken. 



(11) M. grandis was first seen in flight on July 25th, and a 

 very immature female was taken on August 2nd, although the 

 species, in fully adult condition, was already common. On Aug. 9th, 

 by which time this insect had become extraordinarily abundant 

 everywhere in the Forest, a female taken while ovipositing had 

 segment six and the following segments of the abdomen wet from 

 immersion in the water. Another female, similarly engaged, 

 was netted on September 6th, and had more than half the seg- 

 ments (Nos. 5-10) in a wet state. On September 27th we watched 

 for a considerable time a specimen of M. grandis hawking over a 

 pond, and saw it take several insects in succession, some of 

 which it deliberately discarded after examination : this observa- 

 tion was interesting as showing that all is not prey that comes 

 to a dragonfly's jaws. A female was obtained as late as October 

 11th, and the species was again seen even a week after that. 



(12) Sijmpetriim striolatum. — Immature females made their 

 appearance on July 25th, but no males could be found before 

 August 9th. The species was never really common, and the last 

 capture was effected on October 18th. 



(13) S. sanguineum. — The only examples secured were a 

 freshly-emerged female (July 26th) and an adult male (Sept. 12th). 

 The first was obviously a native of the pond at which it occurred. 

 In the matter of coloration, the chief points which distinguished 

 this specimen from adult females appeared to be these : — Saffron 

 at base of wings inconspicuous ; pterostigmata greenish grey ; 



