THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
87 
Captures at Darenth Wood . — The fol- 
lowing are my principal captures during 
the last week in May: — 
Agrilus biguttatus, 
„ viridis, 
Leptura sexgutlata, 
Cryptocephalus 6-punctatus, 
„ lineola. 
— H. J. Harding, 1, York Street, Church 
Street, Shoreditch ; June 1. 
Duplicate Coleoptera . — I have some 
duplicate specimens of Nitidula dis- 
coidea, N. colon and Trox scaber, which 
I shall be glad to exchange for my 
numerous desiderata in Coleoptera. Gen- 
tlemen will oblige by writing before 
sending boxes. — R. G. Keeley, 11, 
Sydney Terrace, Marlborough Road, 
Chelsea, S. W. ; June 7. 
COULD NOT THE INDEX BE 
IMPROVED? 
TO THE EDITOR OE THE ‘INTELLI- 
GENCER.’ 
Sir, — In its peculiarity as a weekly 
journal, the * Intelligencer ’ of course 
contains many communications which 
are only of momentary importance. Yet 
often, interwoven with these small notices, 
are frequently discoveries, or remarks on 
habit which ought not to be lost to 
Science. My winter occupation in biblio- 
graphical works, and my wadings through 
larger and smaller journals, have satis- 
factorily convinced me that, even where 
we possess a good Index, such matters 
often get lost, since few have time and 
opportunity out of the multitude of 
ephemeral articles to separate those of 
real importance. My proposal would 
therefore be, that each year should be 
given (in the ‘Annual’) a more complete 
resume than has hitherto appeared of all 
the important new matter which has been 
published in the last volume of the ‘ In- 
telligencer.’ 
If this were carried on regularly, then 
every ten years a condensed abstract of 
these resumes might be given, and if all 
were thus kept in perfectly systematic 
order a mass of information might be 
given in a very few pages. 
I consider this proposal of mine really 
a practicable one, and I have been obliged 
to admit that to arrange in a bibliography 
the numerous short notices out of the 
‘ Entomological Magazine,’ ‘ Zoologist,’ 
&c., so that they can be easily rendered 
serviceable to the student, is an im- 
possibility ; and thus, year after year, a 
mass of materials collected with so much 
labour becomes lost. 
Dr. Hagen. 
Konigsberg. 
ON PRESERVING DRAGONFLIES. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE ‘INTELLI- 
GENCER.’ 
Sir, — In reply to the complaints (Intel, 
iii. p. 15) respecting the difficulty your 
correspondent “ C. D. S.” finds in pre- 
paring his specimens, I wish to make a 
few observations. 
1. It is a very delicate piece of mani- 
pulation, preparing good specimens of 
dragonflies, and hence it is that I pro- 
pose, of the common species, to catch a 
great number, and only to retain those 
specimens which preserve their colours: 
this plan is especially useful for those 
who have not much superfluous time. 
Even amongst the larger species (such as 
JEschna grandis ) there are always some 
specimens which will keep. If the 
dragonflies are sought early in the 
morning (at which time the wild-flying 
species are more easily caught) the pro- 
babilities are great that some recently 
hatched specimens may be met with 
which have not yet broken their fast. 
