238 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Sympetrum striolatum was taken at the Black Pond, Surrey ; 

 Eeculver, Kent ; and Staines, Middlesex : S. sanguineum, both 

 sexes, at Wisley, Surrey (Mr. Watts) : and S. scoticum at the 

 Black Pond. Libellula depressa occurred at Hartford, Hunts 

 (J. Peck, June 14th), and at Burnham Beeches, Bucks (June 

 19th), and L. quadrimaculata at Burnham Beeches (June 19th), 

 and Holme, Hunts (June 20tb). A few more males of L. fnlva 

 were obtained near Huntingdon on June 23rd, 25th, and 28th. 

 All of them agreed with each other and with the single male 

 taken in 1909 in having the basal spot on the hind wing strongly 

 developed. In most of the specimens apical brown spots were 

 present on the fore wings alone, although one of them, probably 

 older than the rest, had similar spots on the hind wings also. 

 All were fully matured ; but one, with fore wings considerably 

 frayed, retained the immature fulvous coloration of the principal 

 nervures. The specimens were all of good size, the smallest of 

 them being 44 mm. in length, and 75*5 mm. in alar expanse, 

 and the maximum measurements obtainable from the series 

 being 48 mm. for length, and 81*5 mm. for expanse. All but 

 one of these males exhibited the copulation-marks to which Dr. 

 F. Piis has recently called attention, that is, the rubbing away 

 of the blue powder from segment five, or segments five and six, 

 through the female clinging with her spiny feet to that region 

 of the male abdomen during copulation, which in this species 

 is a protracted operation. 



The most interesting event which came to our knowledge 

 during the year was the occurrence of Somatochlora metallica in 

 Surrey. It will be remembered that as recently as 1908 the 

 species was found, for the first time in England, in a part of 

 Sussex. On June 26th, 1910, Mr. Watts took a fine male in a 

 Surrey locality, and subsequently handed it to us for examina- 

 tion. The abdomen was stouter than that of the two Sussex 

 specimens kindly given to us by Mr. E. E. Speyer, and re- 

 sembled more nearly in this respect Mr. J. J, F. X. King's 

 Scottish specimens. A few individuals were seen by ourselves 

 at the same place on one or two days in August, but another 

 capture could not be effected. Notwithstanding the close general 

 resemblance subsisting between S. metallica and Cordidia cenea, 

 we were quite satisfied that the scarcer insect was the one seen 

 on the occasions in question. When flying in brilliant sunshine, 

 metallica looked distinctly golden, and altogether unlike the other 

 species. Moreover, whenever it appeared about the level of the 

 water, some of the Agrioninae teeming there were sure to dart 

 towards it, a movement which obviously caused it annoyance. 

 This curious conduct towards metallica on the part of smaller 

 dragonflies was observed also by Mr. Speyer in Sussex, but we 

 have never noticed anything of the kind in the case of C. cenea 

 during our long acquaintance with that insect in Epping Forest. 



