286 tHE KNTOMOtiOQlSl'. 



October; I expected a few to lie over until the spring. I cannot 

 see why the pupae should be black, as no difference in the larvse 

 was exhibited. I am feeding them up in a room which is heated 

 from 8 a.m. to about 11 p.m., and under exact conditions of those 

 I reared last season. 

 Eingwood, 7th Nov., 1891. 



NOTES FKOM CHESHIRE AND NORTH WALES. 

 By J. AKKiiE. 



Continuing my notes from the catkin season (Entom. 143 — 

 145), May can be briefly described this year as a cold month, in 

 ■which, "with the exceptions of larvae of Odonestis Rotatoria and 

 Arctia caia, and an occasional sight of imagines of Spilosoma 

 menthastri, I saw little that was entomological out-of-doors. The 

 usual May storm occurred about the customary period, viz., on 

 the 16th and 17th, when the Welsh hills were white with a 

 general snowfall, and people in the streets might be heard 

 jocularly wishing each other a merry Christmas. June kept up 

 the character of a cold summer (see Entom. 126). Larvse of 

 S. menthastri, obtained at Aberdovey in the preceding July, 

 began to appear as perfect insects on the 13th. These included 

 the variety with soot-coloured tips to the upper wings, — all, be it 

 remembered, from the same batch of eggs. 



On June 13th I went to Delamere Forest, in search of two 

 species of dragon-flies, and was successful. No. 1 : Head, eyes, 

 thorax, and body bronze-blue, segmental divisions of body sky- 

 blue — Agrion imella. No. 2 : Head, eyes, and body ruby-red ; 

 thorax, with dorsal surface, metallic dark green — Agrion minium. 

 In both species the colours are permanent, the bodies slender, 

 and about an inch and a quarter long. Each wing bears the 

 usual dark spot on the costal margin near the ti]3. This spot is 

 much darker (black) in the case of A. minium. I then went to 

 Oakmere, intending to hunt for another species on the west side 

 of the lake. In my wanderings and digressions I forgot to steer, 

 and so found myself on the east side. But what a lovely scene ! 

 sylvan shades and grassy hillocks, on which the blue of the wild 

 hyacinth dominated the grassy-green stretches of heather — here 

 a long point of land reaching into the placid lake, and yellow 

 with a short, thick carpet of golden broom — sedges, bulrushes — 

 a wooded island far out in the centre — and pine trees circling 

 round the lake, sheltering many an uncouth bird, strange insect, 

 and lovely flower ! Up started a dragon-fly, and at last I secured 

 two specimens. Briefly described, the head, thorax, and body 

 are brown, the tint being deepened to very dark brown at the 

 head and anal segments. The wings have a brown shade, and, 



