189&0 9 



we eventually got seventeen, all (J s, not one $ being taken or seen. 

 The first twelve ^s were taken on June 8th, the last two on the 17th, 



On the 10th, which, perhaps, was the hottest day of the whole 

 yea]', we saw the J" fairly commonly, but only caught three, owing to 

 a singular habit that we noticed on that day only, of settling on 

 solitary rushes growing in the pond at some distance from the shore, 

 and letting their wings droop. In this safe place they practically set 

 us at defiance. I spent a long time wading after them, but even when 

 an occasional cloud was passing, whenever 1 nearly got within striking 

 distance, they flew away, only to settle again a few yards oft, when 

 the process was repeated and continued. On the other days their 

 habits were similar to those of S. striolatum. 



1 presume that there can be no doubt that these S. Fonscolombii 

 were part of an immigrant swarm, but there are two circumstances 

 to which I should like to draw attention. JTirst, the total absence of 

 the ? : no doubt, as a rule, in this genus the $ is either much rarer, 

 or is of more retired habits than the ^ ; but still, if the $ had been 

 there, 1 think that one at least must have been seen, if not taken, for 

 we were specially on the look out for them. The other point is, that 

 the extremely early date would seem to show that they must have 

 come from a much warmer climate, possibly North Africa. 



Another good species taken was Erytkromma Naias, of which, at 

 the latter end of the month, we caught three, and lost three more. 



A third local insect, so far as the iSouth of England is concerned, 

 was JEschna juncea, two ^ and one $ of which we took on September 

 17th (Ent. Mo. Mag., new series, iii, p. 268). 



The complete list of our captures at the Hut Pond is : — Flatetrmn dej^ressum, 

 common j liibeUuia quadrimaculata, common, yar. prcenubiLa, tliree specimens ; 

 Orthetrum canceLlatum, fairly common ; iSympetruni Fonscoionibii, 17 J , striolatum, 

 common, scoticum, common ; Anax Jormosus, one taken, others seen ; Urackytron 

 prate)ise, 1 J,l :^; yi^sckna Juncea, 2 (J , i f' , ct/auea,t-dirij common, (jirandis,ta,irl.y 

 common ; Calopteryx spiendens, sparingly, evidently wanderers j Lieates sponsa, 

 abundant; I'Latycneuiis pennipes, sparingly; JiinaUayma cyatkigerum, abundant; 

 Agrion jmella ; Iscknura etegans, common ; ±lrytliromma naias, a few. 



i'ive species, not including the sporadic iS. ftaveolam, might fairly be hoped for 

 another season, viz., Orthetrum ccerulescens, Cordulia cenea, Caiopteryx virgo, 

 Jfyrrkosoma minium, and -^. teneUum. Ihe last species, indeed, has been recoi'ded 

 from Weybridge, only some three miles oE, by Mr. McLaclilan. 



On the banks of the Ouse, or " New UuL," near Ely, at a place where last year 

 Sympetrum sang aiiieum was fairly common this year i only saw one, but Agrion 

 pulckeiium was m abundance. 



At JBookham Common, Surrey, where last year 8. striolatum and S. scoticum 

 were common, and where I took one $ ? vulgatum, this year i only saw scoticum 

 very sparingly. This is strange, as at the Hut Pond scoticum was common enough 

 in all stages of maturity, including the var. pallidistigma of Stephens. 



55, Lincoln's Inn Melds : 



jSoveinber Ylth, 1892. 



