distribution map should be viewed with this in mind.
This species was reported by Doubleday (1871) as 'common and generally
distributed' in the Epping district, and Harwood's first county list (Harwood, 1903)
reported it as 'very common everywhere'. The Campion brothers observed it in the
Forest during the first decade of this century, noting the appearance of C. pulchellum-
like variations (Campion and Campion, 1906). They later contributed an article 'On the
Variations of Agrion puella Linn. (Odonata)' to the Entomologist (Campion and
Campion, 1910). The Campions also observed a male C. puella preying on a micro-
moth, Tortrix viridana (Campion and Campion, 1909) and studied the larval water mites
found on nymphs of C. puella and other damselfly species (Campion and Campion,
1909). Coenagrion puella also appeared on subsequent lists for numerous other sites in
Essex: Hatfield Forest (1939, 1940, D. A Ashwell), Wanstead Park (1897. F. A. Walker;
1949, E. E. Syms), Benfleet (? date, C. O. Hammond; 1949, E. B. Pinniger), Shelley (1949,
B. T. Ward), Coptford (1948, B. T. Ward).
During the survey-period. C. puella has been found to be well-distributed, and locally
abundant throughout the county, though perhaps more thinly distributed in the north-
west, south-east and extreme south-west than elsewhere. It has been reported from forty-
five out of a possible fifty-seven 10 km. squares in the county during this period. It
occurs in rivers and canals (e.g. Roman River. Chelmer/Blackwater, Stort Navigation,
River Lee), ponds, reservoirs, flooded pits (especially when these are shallow and richly
vegetated) and on some ditches in coastal marshes (though not ones which have been
recently dredged, or, seemingly, those with brackish water).
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