(245) 5. The Odonata or Dragonflies of South Africa. By F. Kis. (With Plates V-XII aiid 77 text-figures). THE origin of the present paper is a request by Dr. L. Peringuey to the author to write a paper which would help the resident entomo-logist to get a reliable knowledge of the South African dragonflies. In 1908 the writer had published in " Schultze's Forschuugsreise im west-lichen und zeutralen Siidafrika " (' Denkschrift niediz.-naturw. Ges. Jena,' xiii, pp. 303-346, 1908) an annotated catalogue of the fauna herein discussed, and this catalogue, in the opinion of Dr. Periuguey, would have to be modified for the purpose above mentioned. The collection of the Schultze expedition being a small one, and other material available at the time very limited, the paper of 1908 was a compilation to a large extent; also 'its character as a catalogue made its value doubtful for the student who had no access to the libraries and collections of European cities. The need of the local collector and student was a descriptive and fully illustrated paper. But to attain this object an extensive collection was indispensable, and Dr. Peringuey kindly agreed to provide specimens for the purpose ; the results of his initiative reached me in a cousidei'able number of consignments, and were in the long run amply sufficient to serve as a basis for the present work. Moreover, the author had at his disposal an interesting collection of South African dragonflies made by Miss Margaret Fountaine, of Bath, loaned through the kindness of her friend, Mr. K. J. Morton, of Edinburgh, and an extensive lot of very interesting specimens from the British Museum, loaned through the good offices of Messrs. G. Meade-Waldo and Herbert Campion. At a somewhat later date Mr. E. B. Williamson, of Bluff ton, Indiana, U.S.A., forwarded a large collection, consisting of various lots sent him by Mr. G. F. Leigh, of Durban, Natal, and by Mr. G. A. K. Marshall, when this gentleman was a resident of Salisbury, Mashoualand. Other specimens from the Marshall collections were also included in the British Museum lots as well as in material sent for study by the Swedish Imperial Museum at Stockholm. The Congo Museum at 16
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