Odonata from New Caledonia. 47 



shrivelled state of the abdomen, likewise due to immaturity, 

 precludes the proper examination of the vulvar lamina and 

 the supra-anal tubercle. The abdomen is conspicuously 

 lonoer (37 mm.) than that of Ris's insect (31 mm.), but the 

 measurement given by Marciu (34 mm.) is just mid-way 

 between them. In respect of the length of the hind wing, 

 however, our specimen agrees exactly with Ris's (35 mm.), 

 whereas Martin's measurement (31*5 mm.) is considerably 

 less. The brown cloud in the fore wings, lying between the 

 nodus and the apex, is a very characteristic feature of the 

 female of H.fidelis, and is not observable in the same sex of 

 H. oceanica, the only other representative of the genus known 

 to occur in New Caledonia. 



Genus Synthemis, Selys. 

 So far, the oidy species of Synthemis or any allied genus 

 known from New Caledonia has been the large and beautiful 

 one named by De Selys Synthemis miranda. The discovery 

 of the unique specimen, a broken female lacking segments 

 6-10 of the abdomen, was due to Father Montrouzier, who 

 is chiefly remembered by entomologists for his contibutions 

 to our knowlediic of the Coleoptera and Rhynchota of New 

 Caledonia and Woodlark Island. The original description, 

 published in 1871, has been supplemented by M. Rene Martin, 

 who has given us a photograph of the wing-venation and a 

 coloured figure of the entire specimen (Coll. Selys, Cord, 

 p. 82, pi. iii. fig. 19, 1906). In two respects, however, the 

 coloured figure is at variance with De Selys's description, 

 inasmuch as it represents the lateral thoracic stripes as green, 

 instead of yellow, and the gi'ound-colour of the abdomen as 

 brown, instead of steely black. The only other collector to 

 obtain the species has been Mr. IMontague, whose researches 

 have not only completed our knowedge of it in both its sexes, 

 but have also revealed the co-existence of three additional and 

 undescribed species of the same genus. The re-discovery 

 of Synthemis miranda in New Caledonia is an event of 

 considerable interest, and incidentally sets at rest doubts 

 which have been entertained in some quarters concerning the 

 true habitat of the species. Those doubts were the outcome 

 of a tradition to the effect that the type was found by De 

 Selys in a miliiner^s shop in Paris, where it was adorning a 

 lady^s hat. It is not easy to understand how such a tradition 

 could ever have arisen, or gained any measure of credence, 

 when it is remembered that De Selys himself expressly 

 declared that he received the specimen through Father 

 Montrouzier from New Caledonia. 



