SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



177 



ocelli present, arranged in a triangle ; thoracic 

 spiracles hidden. Antennae seven-jointed ; wing- 

 sheaths as in Libellulae.— AGRIONID.E. 



Labium bi-lobate.— AGRIONINM. 



Mask with lozenge- shaped opening ; respiration 

 by rectum as well as by caudal branchiae. — 



AGRION. 



Middle caudal lamella two-thirds the length of 

 the laterals. — a. virgo. 



Middle lamella about half the length of laterals. 

 — a. splendens. 



Labium tri-lobate; caudal lamellae much ramified 

 by tracheae.— CCEN AGRION 'IN JE. 



Head hammer-like ; antennal-joints nearly equal; 

 limbs bare. — lestes. 



Caudal lamellae long, spotted, acute at point. — 

 l. barbara. 



Caudal lamellae long, equal, very broad at the 

 rounded' extremity. — L. virens. 



Caudal lamellae long, equal, spotted, narrow at 

 the rounded extremity.- — l. viridis. 



Eyes occupying greater part of head ; thorax 

 with a spine on each side ; caudal lamellae long, 

 equal, lanceolate, spotted at intervals.— platyc- 

 nemis pennipes. 



Metacarpus of legs with trifad, lanceolate, and 

 hairy spines ; head sub-quadrate ; hinder angles 

 furnished with small blunt processes ; ninth 

 abdominal segment with two recurved hooks, final 

 segment hooked below ; numerous short incurved 

 spines on trefoliate margin of final abdominal 

 segment. — pyrrhosoma minium. 



Head quadrate, without blunt processes ; legs 

 spineless. — micronympha. 



Caudal lamellae obtuse at end, with one margin 

 only furnished with hairs. — m. pumilio. 



Caudal lamellae acute at end, with both margins 

 haired. — m. elegans. 



Caudal lamellae short, rounded at ends, a small, 

 blunt tooth on last body-segment on either side. — 



CCENAGRION pwlla. 



{Caudal lamellae ovoid, equal, sides nearly 

 parallel ; last abdominal-segment with a long 

 inwardly-curved tooth on each side. — ery- 

 thromma najas. 

 Having now given as good descriptions as lay in 

 my power of all the known British Larvae, it may 

 be as well if, in concluding, I briefly summarize 

 our position. Of the reputed British species of 

 Dragon-flies, but thirty-seven are known to be un- 

 doubtedly indigenous, the remaining eight being 

 merely casual visitants. These last are Leucorrhinia 

 pectoralis, Sympetrum meridionale, S. fonscolombii, 

 Lindenia fo-rcipata, Gomphus flavipes and Lestes viridis, 

 Virens and Barbara. The larvae of the first, the 

 fifth, and the last three have been noticed in this 

 paper, and may, at some future date, together with 

 the others, be found to occur " native" here. Of 

 the really native species I have given descriptions 



of twenty-eight distributed amongst eighteen genera, 

 besides a doubtful diagnosis in the case of E. najas. 

 Of the remaining nine species the larvae should be 

 looked for wherever the perfect insects have been 

 recorded to occur. Leucorrhinia d.ubia may be 

 sought for on the extensive moors of North Britain, 

 as may also Sympetrum scoticum, which is also 

 common in the south. S. flaveolum, Leptetrum Julva, 

 and Orthetrum ccerulescens are marsh and fen species ; 

 Lestes dryas (Nympha, Selys), and sponsa, as well as 

 Pyrrhosoma nymphula [Minium, Harris), and tenellum 

 will probably be found in ponds and marshes ; 

 Ccenagrion pulchellum and Enallagma cyathigerum may 

 be sought for in ponds and canals, in the vicinity 

 of the new red sandstone (surface) formation, and 

 C. mercuriale is almost confined to the waters of the 

 New Forest. My rearing of Pyrrhosoma minium 

 shows that the patient observer is likely to soon 

 obtain some reward for his labours. 



Making no reference to merely popular writers, 

 the Bibliography of the British Dragonfly larvae is 

 as follows : — F. Brauer, " Neuroptera Austriaca " ; 

 Burmeister, " Handbuch der Entomologie," vol. 

 ii. ; L. Cabot, " Memoirs of the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology," Harvard College, Nos. 5, S 

 and 17 ; De Geer, " Histoire des Insectes," vol. 

 ii. ; Donovan, " British Insects," vol. ii. ; 

 L. Dufour, " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," 

 vol. xvii. (Zoological Series), 1852 ; Drury, " Illus- 

 trations of Natural History," vol. i. ; W. F. Evans, 

 " British Libellulinae," 1845 ; G. L. Frisch, 

 " Beschreibung von allerlei Insecten im Teutsch- 

 land," vol. viii. ; Geoffroy, " Histoire des In- 

 sectes aux environs de Paris," vol. ii. ; M. Harris, 

 " English Insects," 1776; H. A. Hagen, " Synopsis 

 des larves des Calopterygines, Compte Rendu 

 Societe Entomologique, Beige"; Ueber Leon 

 Dufour's " Libellen Larven, Stettiner Entomolo- 

 gische Zeitung," vol. xiv. ; "Monograph of Gom- 

 phina Larvae," Transactions of American Entomo- 

 logical Society, vol. xii. ; Lyonet, " Histoire des 

 Insectes," vol. ii. ; Von Muraldt, " Ephemeris 

 Academiae Naturis Curiosorum," Decuria ii., Anno 

 ii. ; A. S. Packard, Jnr., "Memoirs of the Peabody 

 Academy, U.S.A." vol. i., (2) and "Guide to the 

 Study of Insects"; J. Rennie, "Insect Trans- 

 formations," 1830 ; Reaumur, " Histoire des 

 Insectes," 1742; Roesel, "Insecten-belustingung," 

 vol. ii. ; Allessandro Roster, "Bulletino Societa 

 Entomologica Italiano," vols, xviii. and xx. ; 

 Stephens, "British Entomology," vol. vi. ; West- 

 wood, " Modern Classification of Insects," vol. ii. 



In conclusion I must acknowledge my general 

 indebtedness to the above and other authors for 

 much of my information, and for certain of the 

 accompanying figures, which, with the exception of 

 the details and fig. 9, are drawn slightly less than 

 full size. 



Bloomsbury, September 15//; 1854. 



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