2 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



eluding an aberration, appears to be that the insects belong to a 

 form of S. striolatum somewhat resembling S. scoticum (probably 

 a local race), or else that both insects are hybrids between the 

 two species. Mr. McLachlan, who has examined the insects, 

 inclines to the latter opinion." A good figure accompanies this 

 record. 



Further, in * Entomologist ' for June, 1912, p. 171, Mr. Lucas 

 records a pair of dragonflies captured by Colonel Yerbury at 

 Lochinver, Eoss-shire (I presume Sutherland is meant), which 

 are said to be the very counterparts of the Stornoway specimens. 

 He gives to these examples the name of S. nigrescens, and con- 

 siders them either a new species or a very distinct race of 

 str'iolattmi. In his remarks there seems still to be a tendency to 

 associate the insects in some way with S. scoticum, and one is 

 tempted to regard his description as a little forced to maintain 

 this. Unfortunately Mr. Lucas does not compare his specimens 

 with those from other localities in Scotland, England, Ireland, 

 or elsewhere. There is accordingly room for some further 

 observations. 



When Mr. Lucas's original remarks appeared in 1900 I was 

 not greatly interested in the subject. In 1912 his suggestion of 

 the existence of a species of Sympetrum localized in the extreme 

 north-west of Scotland seemed inconceivable, and considering 

 the known powers of Sympetrum as a flier, the idea of a local 

 race restricted to the same region was almost equally difficult to 

 accept. After comparing the description with that of the var. 

 nigrifemur, which it at once recalled, I gave the matter no 

 further consideration until I received an enquiry from Dr. Ris 

 asking me what I knew of S. nigrescens, the description of which 

 had been brought under his notice by Mr. Herbert Campion. 

 With the ready co-operation of my friend and neighbour Mr. 

 William Evans, I was able without any delay to send Dr. Ris speci- 

 mens from the west of Scotland evidently similar to Mr. Lucas's, 

 and, together with these, series of S. striolatum from the north of 

 Ireland and the New Forest for comparison. Since then, by the 

 kind assistance of friends and correspondents, I have examined 

 quite a number of examples from different localities, and the 

 conclusion come to is that the form described by Lucas extends 

 with a certain amount of variation, both individual and local, 

 over the whole western fringe of Scotland ; while examples from 

 Ireland, especially from the north and west, although more variable 

 and in some respects intermediate, still retain some of the same 

 characters, and in any breaking up of the species into races 

 would fall to be associated with the Scottish form rather than 

 with the typical one. Fortunately Dr. Ris visited Brussels in 

 the autumn, and was able to re-examine the types of nigrifemur. 

 His conclusions on the whole subject will appear in the additions 

 to his great work on the Libellulinse, but I believe that I have 



