A HISTORY OF ESSEX numbers ; owing however to its cautious habits, lofty flight and extreme rapidity of movement, its capture is attended with some difficulty. It is now well distributed in the Colchester district, and as all the inland examples seem to be mature, while the majority of those found on the coast are immature, this may afford a clue to a fuller knowledge of its earlier stages than we at present possess. flL. cyanea, Miill., is by far the commonest as well as one of the handsomest and most widely distributed of its family. SE. grandis, L., though recorded only from Colchester, Epping, Wanstead, and St. Osyth, is so powerful on the wing that he would be rash who ventured to set bounds to its local distribution, and probably it is acquainted with every parish in the county. The Demoiselle Dragonflies (Calopteryx virgo and C. splendent) both occur ; the former appears in the Epping list and is not uncommon near Birch Park. The latter abounds beside ditches and streams in all directions. Lestes dryas, Kirby, is one of our rarest species. A single specimen was taken by Mr. C. R. Briggs near Leigh in 1891. L. sponsa, Hansem, occurs at Epping (Doubleday) and Wanstead (F. A. Walker), and has recently been found at St. Osyth. [i/. virens, Charp.] is doubtfully British, and its only claim to appear in our list is that Mr. Doubleday believed several specimens had been taken by himself at Epping. Platycnemis pennipes, Pall., is also recorded from Epping by Double- day, and there is a later record by Mr. C. R. Briggs. Erythromma naias, Hansem. Epping (H. Doubleday), Wanstead (F. A. Walker). Pyrrhosoma nymphula, Sulz. (minium, Charp.), is common at Colchester, Birch, Epping, and in many other localities. P. tenellum, Vill., formerly occurred at Epping, but there is no evidence of any recent captures. Ischnura pumi/io, Charp., was stated by Doubleday in 1871 to be ' rare about the red gravel pits in the Epping district.' L e/egans, Lind., is very common in the county, especially beside marsh ditches near the coast. Agrion pulchellum, Lind. 'Epping, not common ' (Doubleday). A. puella^ L., is very common everywhere. Enallagma cyathigerum, Charp., has probably been generally over- looked by Essex naturalists, as it is widely distributed elsewhere, and should occur in many places besides Epping. The other sections of the Neuroptera occurring in this country include the diminutive Psocidte, which are among the smallest British insects, the Perlidte or Stoneflies, and the Ephemeridae or Mayflies. These are known as Pseudo-Neuroptera. The curiously constructed Snake and Scorpion flies and the beautiful golden-eyed Lacewings are classed as Neuroptera Planipennia, and the Caddisflies as Trichoptera. All the species included in the following list have been found in the 96
