COENAGRION SCITULUM, RAMBUR (ODONATA) 69
irregular and frequently striate; in the typical form the inflores-
cence is paroicous, and in the variety heteroicous, i.e. paroicous
or with terminal or lateral male flowers (H. N. Dixon, Student's
Handbook of British Mosses, 3rd ed., 1924). In December the
plants bore many old fruit stalks and quite young fruits were
also found. The genus Orthodontium is placed in the Bryaceae.
Dixon described O. gracile as a very rare and distinct species,
hardly known outside Britain except in two or three French
localities and several recently (1924) discovered stations in
California. The variety has been discovered in several English
vice-counties in recent years and appears to be spreading. In
habit it resembles the Dicranaceae rather than a Bryum, but
under the microscope the areolation reveals its affinities. All
the characters of the variety noted are said to be variable and
to indicate a certain amount of instability. Dixon surmised
that the variety may prove to be a distinct species.
A second station for this plant (also the variety) was found
on April 12th, 1947, between Ludgate Plain and Sewardstone-
bury.
COENAGRION SCITULUM; RAMBUR (ODONATA)
IN ESSEX
BY EDWARD B. PINNIGER, F.R.E.S.
WHEN the dragonfly Coenagrion scitulum Ramb. was dis-
covered in S.E. Essex in 1946 there was some doubt as
to whether the species was indigenous or merely a rare vagrant.
In view of this it is pleasing to be able to record that the insect
was seen again in 1947, thus indicating that the species may be
established here and able to breed in this country. As it seems
highly probable that scitulum may be found again in its original
locality and possibly in others around the Essex coastline, a full
account and description of the British specimens will be given.
On July 21st, 1946, I captured one male and two females of
the species on the salt marshes of the Thames Estuary. The day
was fine but rather windy, but despite the wind many dragonflies
were active on the wing. The male was taken first as it was
flying along a short length of ditch at about midday. In the
early afternoon two further examples, both females, were seen
flying along another ditch about three-quarters of a mile from
the place where the male had been taken. These ditches are
very stagnant and overgrown and full of Myriophyllum spicatum
L., and Scirpus maritimus L. ; the water is probably brackish
in places. A second male was captured by Mr. C. O. Hammond
almost a year later on June 21st, 1947, in the same area.