100 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Pond on May 26th, while it was extremely plentiful at Byfleet on 

 June 3rd, and was on the wing at Wisley Pond the same day. 

 The last specimens I saw were at the Black Pond on June 9th. 



But few specimens of Platetrum depressum came under my 

 notice last season, but I observed it near Esher on June 2nd, 

 near Byfleet on June 3rd, and near Eipley on June 23rd. 



Seven specimens of the none too common species, Brachytron 

 pratense, were secured near Byfleet and at Wisley Pond on one 

 occasion only, June 3rd. 



Anaxformosus, the finest of our dragon flies, first put in an 

 appearance at the Black Pond on June 2nd, but was not secured 

 till the 4th, when three females, two of which fell to the net, were 

 disturbed in dull weather from a small ditch on Esher Common. 

 I last noticed the species on July 6th. In 1895 it was secured 

 more than a month later, on Aug. 10th. Chobham Common is 

 another Surrey locality, where it was on the wing last season on 

 June 16th. 



Of the genus Sympetrum, the commonest two species, S, 

 scoticum and S. vulgaium, often crossed my path. The former 

 was first noticed on the wing on July 27th, at the Black Pond, 

 and was still out in good numbers on Sept. 29th. Of the other 

 species, S. vulgatum, one was taken near the Black Pond on 

 June 30th, but I did not take another till July 29th. This species 

 also continued on the wing till Sept. 29th. 



Three species only of the grand genus Mschna fell to my lot 

 last season. M. r/randis was first sighted on June 23rd, and was 

 about in most places I visited till Sept. 10th. M. cyanea began 

 to appear about July 1st, while my last capture was made on 

 Sept. 15th. I saw one at least, however, as late as Sept. 29th. 

 A much scarcer insect than the two already noticed — J^. juncea 

 — which closely resembles M. cyanea, but may easily be dis- 

 tinguished from it, amongst other means, by the long ptero- 

 stigma, was first certainly seen on Aug. 15th in Talbot Woods, 

 near Bournemouth, when, strange to say, a female was taken 

 paired with a male M. cyanea. A male was secured on Sept. 7th 

 at Wisley Hut Pond, and another on Sept. 9th at the Black 

 Pond, where also others were seen till the end of the month ; 

 but so wary were they that no further specimens were secured.^ 



It will be noticed that most of my collecting was done in 

 Surrey. During a visit to Oxford in August I saw, on the 8th, a 

 few specimens of what, I take it, were S. vulgatum flying over 

 a pond at Dry Sandford; but besides saw no species except 

 M. cyanea and JE. grandis, which, however, were plentiful, 

 especially near Bagley Wood. A specimen that I took to belong 

 to the latter species was noticed hunting on Aug. 1st, at 8 p.m. 

 and one on Aug. 8th, at 7.45 a.m. 



During a visit to Somerset, from Aug. 26th to Sept. 6th, in 

 which a good deal of ground was covered, dragonflies were noticed 



