I so 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



(M. elegans has eight). The caudal lamellae are 

 more elliptoidal and the sides form an apical 

 angle of nearly 35^, small prickles occupy three- 

 fourths of the basal margins. The colour varies 

 with the creature's age, and after a moult it is 

 exceedingly transparent. The imagos are rare, 

 Parley Heath, in Hants, Kilmarnock, in Scotland, 

 and some few other localities being recorded for it. 



The nymphae of CCENAGRION are but little 

 known, only the type-species has been properly 

 described. They have the mask short and broad ; 

 the middle piece of the mandible has several 

 equally-deep notches. 



C. pulchellum has the mask reaching only to the 

 middle legs, capable of but slight motion. The 

 abdominal margins are spineless. The legs and 



Roesel and Geoffroy, however, figure this species 

 with rounded lamellae. The post-ocular spots 

 present in the imagines are very visible in these 

 nymphae just prior to the final change. The female 

 at that time is usually darker, and the dark tint is 

 retained by the exuviae. This species is generally 

 distributed and common in the imago state, but, 

 curiously enough, the larvae are uncommon. 



The nymph of ERYTHROMMA najas is un- 

 known, but its characters may perhaps resemble 

 those of its continental ally, E. viridulum. These 

 characters are : mask with median portion of 

 mandibles divided into six small tubercles, each 

 with a dot internally ; lamellae oval ; an incurved 

 abdomino-marginal spine, not provided with a false 

 joint at the bases of the caudal lamellae. 



Pyrrhosoma minium. 



Fig. 26 represents — a, the head and prothorax ; a, the left-hand mandible of the ■•mask;" b, side \-iew of terminal 



abdominal segments, showing appendages ; c, the end viewof abdominal margin at * ; d, three metacarpal spines. 



lamellae are short. The wing-sheaths are slightly 

 longer than in Lestes. This generally distributed 

 species is more common in the south than north ; 

 plentiful in the London district. 



C. puella is dull greenish-yellow, with small 

 black spots on the body and legs. The head is 

 nearly square, with three small tubercles occipitally. 

 The cylindrical abdomen has a falsely articulate 

 spine on the final segment laterally at the bases of 

 the caudal lamellae. According to the figure 

 accompanying Roster's paper, in the Italian 

 Entomological Society's Bulletin, the spotted 

 lamellae are rounded, but all the specimens of 

 which I have watched the metamorphosis have had 

 these organs pointed, as figured by Latreille. 



Roesel's doubtful figure of E. najas exhibits it 

 entirely of a Vandyke brown, legs lighter, hind 

 margin of body segments with small lighter semi- 

 circles.caudal lamellae oval, tri-fasciate. The 

 winged insect is rare. 



(To be concluded next month.) 



Query as to Fly's Tongue. — Will some quali- 

 fied reader kindly say what is the name of the 

 dipterous fly of which the " tongue"' is drawn on 

 page S3 of the first volume (1S65) of " Science- 

 Gossip " ? It is the right-hand figure of the two 

 there depicted, and is termed, in an editorial foot- 

 note, the "drone-fly."' — F. R. Brohenshire, 24, 

 Oxford Terrace, St. James's, Exeter. 



