894 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NAl URAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIII. 
An extension to the stick as described by Ck)l. Evans is useful but must not be 
too long or you will lose the nice balance a net should always have. Mr. Bain- 
brigge Fletcher always uses a small folding net which clamps on to the end of 
a stick. I always carry one of these as a spare and can catch most things in it. 
Mr. Fletcher is very expert in the use of this net which can be purchased at 
the Army and Navy Stores or any Entomological dealers. 
Dragonfly larvae must be dredged for, as they lie up in weed or burrow in 
the muddy bottoms of streams. Leafy debris in pools of streams is a fruitful 
source for some species, whilst others cling to rocks and unless seen are difficult 
to obtain. The mass of weed, leafy debris or mud must be spread out on a 
cleared spot of groimd and left for a time as most species feign death after being 
taken from water. As soon as they begin to dry, they are stirred into activity 
and can be easily detected. 
Exuvia must be sought for clinging to reeds, grass, sedges or water plants, 
whilst others invariably ascend rocks bordering the tanks and streams they in- 
habit. Others scale trees and I have found exuvia at a height of over six feet 
from the gromid. 
Ywmg larvae unless rare or wanted for study should be replaced in their watery 
home, adults being the most likely to breed out into the wmged state. Larvae 
must be kept in surroundmgs closely assimilating those from which they have 
been taken and frequent aereation is essential. Weed should be added to the 
breeding tanks for this purpose and water poured in from a height daily. Too 
many larvae must not be kept in one tank as they are terrible cannibals, and 
rarities are best kept apart or they may fall victims to other commoner species. 
When dragonflies emerge they are soft, colourless insects and take some time 
in drjdng. At least 48 hours are necessary for the colours to develop and for 
this purpose I place my specimens in a warm sunny room where they can fly 
about or cUng to the curtains exposed to the sunlight. 
When netting dragonflies full account must be taken of their habits. Many 
species never come to rest save at the end of the day or when the sun goes in and 
then vanish to the depths of jungles or ascend far out of reach to the tops of 
trees. These must be taken when on the wing and it is safer to strike at them 
from behmd. 
A full face shot at a swift species on the wing nearly always fails, it is best to 
let them pass and then follow up with a swift stroke which will usually be suc- 
cessful. In stalking a dragonfly, it should always be approached from behind 
or below ; from behmd when in flight and from below and behind when at rest. 
Other species take short flights with frequent rests and for such it is better to 
allow them to come to rest before attemptmg to capture them, when they should 
be approached from below and behind where possible. Other species again, 
like butterflies, show great inquisitiveness and the steady, slow approach of 
a net appears to fascinate them so that the final stroke is almost invariably suc- 
cessful. 
Small species have fi-equently to be beaten up and are taken without any 
difficulty. Night flyers lie up under the cover of bushes and must be beaten up. 
Such species when roused soon seek a fresh shelter and with care and a keen eye- 
sight are traced to their new lair where they may be easily taken. 
Females as a general rule, only come to water when they wish to lay their eggs 
and so are less often seen than males. The weaker sex may often be found 
hiding up in jungle adjacent to water supplies and are usually perched on promi- 
nent or bare and dead twigs. 
Every large body of water will be fomid to possess its omi fauna, determined 
by the factor as to whether the larvae live in still or running waters. Some 
species of dragonfly are often foimd flying in local swarms far from water, e.g., 
Pantala flavescens, which I have never once seen over water although probably 
the commonest dragonfly in India. 
Modem species usually frequent open or cultivated areas, whilst archaic ones 
keep to jungles and jimgly streams. Weedy ponds are better than weedless ones, 
probably because the latter give no shelter to the larvae. 
