274 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



of many of the older authors are exceedingly doubtful. The 

 discrimination of the species of Callimenus by colour and the 

 form of the pronotum is very untrustworthy, and until quite 

 recently it was only to these characters that anyone paid atten- 

 tion when determining specimens of Callimenus. These charac- 

 ters have even been admitted for the separation of new species 

 (Fischer de Waldheim). 



For this reason a great part of the records of older and even 

 of many modern authors ought to be provisionally referred to 

 other species {e.g. the record of Professor Lindeman). Other 

 data may even refer to some new species, but not in every case 

 to C. oniscus, Charp. 



With regard to the bionomics of Callimenus, they are typical 

 natives of the steppe ; Girard* writes that the species of Calli- 

 menus occurs chiefly in dry regions. A. A. Brauner and I. A. 

 Pachossky found their specimens in meadows lying in valleys 

 and streams, and grown over with spear-grass. In Russia, as I 

 have noted in this connection, the genus is adapted to that 

 belt of the arcto-boreal zone which, in the language of S. Kor- 

 zhinsky, of the Academy, bears the name of " the typical 

 steppe." 



Werner, speaking of C. dilatatus, Stal, remarks : — " This 

 species appears to be widely distributed in the steppes of Asia 

 Minor. . . . The railway men know them well as the ' railway 

 beetle,' as it often stops on the railway banks, just like Testudo 

 ibera." 



Finally, Professor Lindeman saw Callimenus on the mud 

 volcanoes of Taman. 



All these data, it seems to me, support my view which I 

 expressed before, that Callimenus is one of the typical inhabitants 

 of the steppe. 



THE DRAGONFLIES OF EPPING FOREST IN 1907. 

 By F. W. & H. Campion. 



The prevalence of inclement weather during the summer 

 months occasioned a scarcity of dragonflies in our district, 

 but the warm and sunny days which came towards the end of 

 the season delayed the disappearance of certain species beyond 

 the usual period. No dragonflies were taken after September 

 22nd. 



The thirteen species enumerated below were collected during 

 the year : — 



(1) Pyrrhosoma nymphula was met with in small numbers 



* Traite Elem. d'Entom. ii. 1879, p. 166. 



