889 
DRAGONFLY COLLECTING IN INT)IA. 
BY 
Major F. C. Fraser, I.M.S., F.E.S. 
{With 3 text figures.) 
I. The Pros and Cons of Dragonfly Collecting. 
Col. Evans in his able and helpful papers on eollecting and identifying 
Indian butterflies has much simplified my task of \vriting a similar paper on 
Indian dragonflies. 
Much of what he has said with regard to the distribution and evolution of 
butterflies is also applicable to the Odonata or dragonflies and it would be mere 
plagiarism were I to repeat it. 
I shall therefore confine my remarks to these two aspects in only so far as 
they differ from butterflies. 
Dragonflies are so familiar an item of the Indian land or waterscape that 
there is little fear of mixing them up with any other insect, nevertheless I am 
continually receiving specimens of ant-lions from amateur collectors, sent to me 
under the belief that they are really dragonflies. Ant-lions can be readily 
distinguished by their long antennse (or “ feelers ” as they are popularly called) 
which may or may not be clubbed. In dragonflies the antennse are very tiny 
objects and can be seen with difficulty. There are practically no other insects 
with which they may be confused even by amateurs. I shall go further into 
the structure of a dragonfly when discussing the question of classification. 
These insects are not nearly so popular with collectors as are butterflies or 
beetles and if one seeks to find the reason for this, they will be found to be any 
of the five detailed below. If I can dispel these seeming drawbacks I feel sure 
that many a collector, who has up to the present been confining his attentions 
to one of the more popular groups, will bestow a little time to the study of a 
much more interesting order of insects and thus find an added zest to life in the 
tropics. 
( i ) There is a mistaken belief that the species are few in number and that 
a collection would soon be so complete as to lose interest. Amateurs examining 
my collection nearly always express their astonishment at the great number and 
variety of dragonflies found within Indian limits, which now number close on 
four hundred species. 
( ii ) The brittleness and fragility of the insects which render them difficult 
to keep satisfactorily, especially by those who are accustomed to lengthy and 
frequent transfers. 
Kept and stored as detailed below, dragonflies will stand far more knocking 
about than a collection of butterflies. I frequently receive store boxes full of 
specimens and not a smgle one has been damaged or shaken loose, a striking 
testimony when one considers the merciless treatment meted out by the Indian 
Parcel Post. Dr. Ris tells me that he has sent large parts of his collection from 
Switzerland to America and back again without a single specimen being damaged. 
( iii ) The rapidity with which the beautiful colours fade after death, thus 
rendering the insects comparatively unattractive objects in a collection. 
Prepared as detailed below the colours may be retained after death almost 
as vivid as they were in life. Colouration however is not the only attraction 
of a dragonfly, the real beauty and interest lies in its mngs, the study of the 
venation of which is one of the most fascinating branches in the study of 
evolution of species. 
If as it has been truly said, the story of evolution is written on the wings 
of a butterfly, then it is doubly so on those of the dragonfly. 
( iv ) The large amount of room they take up when set out in store boxes, 
which is, it must be admitted, a serious objection. Especially is this so to the 
civil servant or military officer who is accustomed to frequent transfer from 
place to place. Store boxes multiply and take up a lot of room, which adds 
considerably to one’s kit. 
