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The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ♦- (mearing "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, sic, " '^v ical of a dozen that we have seen in the last few miles. Not a vestige of a tree or shrub around tlie bare and comfort- less hovel ; a half starved geranium in the only window that fronted the roadway ; a group of shy children that refused our advances and scattered to the rear of the house on our approach ; a dog that growled sullen defiance and betook himself to the door where he showed his gleaming teeth in a very unmistakable way. It is not to be wondered at that we bade good-by«.' to civilization (?) on that hot July day, and betook ourselves to the grateful shade of the forest with the liveliesi relief and satisfaction. A great city is not the only place where we meet with extremes of wealth and poverty, of high life and low life. As we entered the woods and saw those aristocratic elms and maples and pines, we were impressed with their magnificence, and could not help thinking that if those poor settlers, wjien they carved homes for themselves in the wilderness had thought that they had other wants to satisfy than mere physical wants, they would have left standing one or two lordly forest trees and reared their humble roofs under their grateful shade. It seems to me that the Giver of all blessings would look down upon such a habitation as that and pronounce it " good." JIow much better is man, both physiciUly and intellectually, with trees as neighbours and companions, beneath whose cool shade he can rest himself and smoke his pipe in content- ment as he surveys his growing acres, and tliank God for them all. 15 THE RRSTIGOUCHE— WITH NOTES ON ITS FLORA. And yet in that whole settlement there was not a shade tree worthy the name, hut instead a onrnful line ot wretched dwellings strung along the road. The man had heen swallowed up in the wood chopper and he thinks only of chopping down the native growths clearino" up the vines and trees and shruhbery and sacrifictng everything to present utility. He begrudges a few inches of soil to the rightful owners, who would thankfully bless him every day of his busy Ufe for sparmg them. But instead of thinking of the tree as a friend the settler looks upon it as an enemy, one that must be rooted out and destroyed. And tree murderers are not confined to Madawaska County. But I started out to write notes on the flora of the Restigouche. A few miles from St. Leonard's we saw a honeysuckle which proved to be the Swamp Honeysuckle {Lonicera ohlongifolia), a plant new to our provincial flora. Through the settlement we found the same weeds ais- putin- the possession of the soil with the farmers as we find in other places. The Ox-eye Daisy and the Cone- flower {Rudbeckia hirta) in the grass-fields, the Wild Mustard in the grain fields, and a profusion of Campion flowers {Silene Cucabalus) on the roadside. When we entered the forest our road, which had to be cut at intervals, lay along beautiful stretches of woodland chiefly rock maple and yellow and gray birch, with a beautiful" under-shrubbery of Vibitrnum lantanoides. The gentle ascents were clothed with mosses, the Twin Flower {Limma boreaUs), scenting the woods with its ^rao-rant odor, and the White Oxalis {Oxalis acetosella), in contrast with sphagnums of the hollows with dense shrubbery of viburnums and cornuses, with pyrolas in bloom, and with some fine specimens of Ilabenaria orbicidata, its loose spike of greenish-white flowers with BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 16 their long spurs reminding one strongly of tropical orchids. This water shed, dividing the St. John from the Restigouche, is a gently undulating tableland, ele- vated about eight hundred or a thousand feet above the sea-level and well watered. Many of the streams trickle slowly through swamps and find their way either to the tributaries of the St. John or Restigouche. It has a soil, to judge from the vegetation upon it, nowhere exceeded in richness throughout tbis province, except in the alluvial valleys of its chief rivers. Derived from the disintegration of the underlying Silurian slates, the soil is apparently of considerable depth, remarkably free from stones, and would form a rich agricultural district if ren- dered more accessible by post road and railway. A rail- way across the northern part of New Brunswick from tbe Bay of Chaleur to the valley of the St. John, would open up for settlement tliis rich tract of watershed and the upper Restigouche, and bring into general view some of the most rugged and picturesque scenery of Eastern Canada. But this grand primeval wilderness would be blackened and desolated by forest tires, — the sure attendant of frontier settlements. The shrill whistle of the locomotive would be daily heard in those solitudes whose silence is only occasionally broken by the gentle sounds of tbe canoemaii's paddle, the whir of the angler's rod, the ringing echo of the sportsman's gun, or the clear strokes of the lumber- man's axe. The adventurous spirits who love these solitudes might wish that " the greatest good to the greatest inimber" would be indefinitely postponed, and that the difficulties in the way of railroad communica- tion may prove an insuperable obstacle in breaking up this sportsman's paradise. About four o'clock on the afternoon of July 2r)th, our ears were gladdened by the welcome sounds of rippling 17 THE RESTIOOUCHE — WITH NOTES ON ITS FLORA. waters, and in a few minutes we stood on the bank of the Restigouche, whose praises have been celebrated in poetry and prose by delighted anglers from both continents. Its clear waters now gliding swiftly over the pebbly bottom, now reposing in some quiet pool, gave the anglers an invitation to "cast" which was promptly accepted, and a few speckled beauties gave promise of sport and welcome additions to our not over-abundant camp supplies. We found the water very low — not deep enough in the shallow places to float a loaded canoe — and that meant work for the canoemei:. But who would object to a little work ni that clear mountain air and the prospect of a run of ov'er a hundred miles on the Restigouche ! We pitched our tent on that famous camping ground near the mouth ol the Waagan, the resting place for many years of voyageurs like ourselves — a pretty bit of meadow but whose edges were blackened by the flres of too careless campers of other years. The camp of the absent warden was taken possession of by our guides, and before sundown we had everything in good shape for a comfortable night. But we had reckoned without our hosts — the flies. They came in swarms — mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies, bite- 'em-no-see-'ems and others of the vile horde that are the anathema of woodsmen. We used all the resources at our command — smudges, veils, ointments and the mildest adjectives that our vocabulary would allow us to use, but they would not ott'. l^iey wanted tribute and, like Macbeth, they would have blood. We paid the tribute as calmly as we could, and gained in experience what we lost in flesh. I took a bottle of villanous ointment that caused me more discomfort than the flies ; a mosquito net kept out the largest and was not uncomfortable on hot days, with a breeze that would drive the air through it. A " smudge " is effective but it is as likely to drive you BULLfiTIN OP THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 18 out of the tent as the flies. The best plan we found was to choose a camping ground in the woods, and wlien we did so were nearly free from discomfort. One night, at the mouth of the Gounamitz, we slept on a sand beach. We never repeated that experiment. The recollections of the moonlight eftects on the blutf that towered more than a hundred feet from the water on the opposite side of the river, and the rugged beauties that the morning sunlight flashed back to us from those pinnacles of rock and tree, were no compensation for that night of sleepless torture. Never sleep on a sand beach ; choose a ground a trifle elevated and leafy; build two or three fires not far from the tent door ; keep good hours and close uo the tent early; then, if you haven't been dodging the fish warden through the day, and your conscience is clear in other respects, you will probably sleep soundly. The old route bet\veen the St. John and the Eesti- gouche was by canoe up the Grand River and into one of its small tributaries, the Waagansis ; thence by a " carry " of three miles into the Waagan, an aflluent of the Resti- gouche, and down that stream to the spot where we made our first camp. But that is now practically impossible owing to the filling up of the slow-running "Waagan, and the dense growth of bushes which almost conceals it. I could scarcely believe that it had ever been passable for canoes. But we saw it at the height of an unusually dry season. One of the last plants that we saw on the borders of the Grand River Settlement was the Campion Flower {Silene Cucuhalus). It was the first to attract ourattention on the pebbly beaches of the Restigouche. It was almost constantly in sight on the whole course of the river. And yet it is not a native plant, but introduced on to this continent from the old world where it occupies wide areas 10 TIIK RESTIfiOUCHE WITH NOTES CtN ITS FLORA. from North Africa and India to the Arctic Ocean. It has evidently followed the footsteps of man,, both as settler and explorer, for it is as abundant on the upper St. John as on the Restigouche. Its inflated grayish-green calyx is beautifully veined and surmounted by white petals. Growing in dense clumps, it is an attractive plant. In the woods near by we found our common Hop {Humulus Liipulus) and from its position here and at other points on the river it is without doubt indigenous to our province. I saw some fine specimens in fruit of the Wake-Robin or Nodding Trillium ( Trillium cemuuni), and several species of wild gooseberry and currants {liibes). I shall only make mention in connection with this trip of those plants that are new or rare to the province, or those that are striking by their great abundance, luxuriance of growth, or other distinguishing features. I feel sure that this, the first descriptive account of the flora of the Restigouclie, will be full of interest to you, occupying as this river does, the northern limit of the province, and prior to the visit of I>r. Cox and Mr. Brittaiii, a few years ago, almost unknown to botanists, t wish to acknowledge at the outset my indebtedness to these gentlemen for lists ot the plants they collected ; to Messrs. R. ChalmerH and R. W. Ells of the Geological Survey Department, whose valuable reports on the surface geology and forest growths of Northern New Brunswick I have availed myself of to a full extent ; to Mr. Walter Dcane, of Cambridge, for his assistance in identil'ying doubtful species ; and chiefly to my sole companion of the voyage, Dr. W. F. Ganong, without whose knowledge of atfairs and wide experience in wood craft, the trip could not have been made., and whose genial comradeship will always remain as one of the pleasautest features of the trip. !« BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 20 Let me attempt to give you a tew general ideas of the topographical features of this northern heritage of ours. I m^y remind you that the chief watershed of New Brunswick extends from the extreme northwest limit of the province southeasterly to Bale Verte ; that the eastern slope extending from this is drained hy the Restigouche, Nipisiguit, Miramichi, and by a great number of smaller rivers. The south-western slope ia drained by the St. John and its tributaries, and by smaller rivers. Next to the St. John and Miramichi the Restigouche is the largest river in New Brunswick. It is 150 miles long and drains an area within the province, of 2,200 square miles, about one-fifth of that drained by the St. John, and less than one-half the ar-ea drained by the Miramichi, although as a whole, the basin of the Restigouche is nearly as great as that of the Miramichi. Its chief ttibutary from tlic south is the Upsal([uitch, and throe chief branches from the north {ire the Kntawam- kedgwick, the Patapcy, growing deeper as you descend the stream, flanked by l)ills rising very steep from the waters' edge, l»ut scarcely ever too steep not to admit of a luxuriant vegetation, chiefly evergreen. In the loops formed by its winding course there may be seen, at intervals, now a stretch of meadow land, now beautiful terraces from thirty to seventy feet above the river; but so suddenly does the stream change its course and rush to the opposite side again, that these meadows and terraces alternate from one side of the river to the other in quick succession. These level spots are clothed witli the most luxuriant vegetation, whose vivid green contrasts with the clear, flashing waters below them and the dark evergreen of the hillsides beyond. Can you imagine greater pleasure than this — to sit in a canoe, paddle in hand, and wind in and out at the rate of Ave or six miles an hour amid scenes like these? And how we wished when our journey was ended that we had gone more slowly ! Yet we only ran three or four hours, on an average, each day. I agree with the author of "Little Rivers" when he says : "A river is the most human and coni[)anionable of all inanimate things. It has a life, si character, a voice of its own,; and is as full of good fellowship as a sugar maple is of spp. * >^ * * T'lit) \\\'q of a river, like that of BULLKTIN OF TIIK NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 22 a human being, consists of the union of soul and body. They belono; together. They act and react on each other. The stream moulds and makes the shore ; hollowing out a bay here and building a long point there ; alluring the little bushes close to its side, and bending the tall slim trees over its current, s> ^cping a rocky ledge clean of everything but moss, and sending a still lagoon full of white arrow-heads und ros}' knot-weed far back into the meadow. The shore guides and controls the stream * * bending it into a hundred sinuous curves * * here hiding the water in a deep cleft overhung with green branches, and there spreading it out, like a mirror framed in daisies to reflect the sky and clouds, sometimes break- ing it with sudden turns and unexpected falls into musical laughter, sometimes soothing it into a sleepy motion like the flow of a dream." The author might have had the Restigouche in mind, for such a description suits it exactly. With patches of meadow and terrace, near each other, yet separated by the river, and with precipitous hills rising on all sides, the upper Restigouche can never be a countrv of farms. The smallness of the terraces and ft/ meadows, the precipito^b hillsides and wild scenery, are better suited for those fishing lodges, simply planned, all of them after the same pattern but in harmony with their surroundings, which we find farther down the river, ])erched above some salmon pool, and empty, except during the fishing season each year. About 12 o'clock on the day following our arrival at the Waagan our guides left for home and we began the des- cent of the river. The prospect before us of a fortnight in the wilderness, the " paddling our own canoe " through those rapids of the curving gorges ahead, our independ- ence of guides, the anti('i[tation of the discovery of some new plant, sent the blood dancing in our veins with ex- irt < i 23 TirK UKSTKiOUChi:- WITH NOTKS ON ITS FLOHA. hilarating Mow as we seized our paddles and shoved out into mid-stream. The success of our expedition and our own safety depend on the careful liandling of our canoe. Tenderly we lift it over shallows and guide it ('{irelully and slowly tlirough the swirling eddies as the river rushes past some precipitous hluti". Then, as we shoot out of the rapids and glides g^'iitl}' over some smoother current, we rest on our paddles and gaze for a moment on the wondrously beautiful scene around us. But it is onlv for a moment or two. The eager and impetuous stream ahead of us is chafing ovo" pebbles and rocks, and we must choose the course that promises the greatest safety and the least labor. But it is done salely ; and the caution and unerring instincts of the steersman were rewarded by not even the approach to an accident during the whole descent of the river. Here and there, as if to lighten our task, little brooks and larger streams came dashing in witii their supplies, and the river grew more expansive and deeper, but mv)re headstrong. Our course at first lay among gently elevated hills well back from the river, not more than fifty to one hundred feet in lieight, but the river seemed bent on diving farther and frrther into the recesses of the earth. The gorge deepened as we advanced, and the hills grew into mountains until they attained in places an altitude of a thousand feet and upwards. On our first afternoon we passed several fertile mea- dows where tlie Ostrich Fern {Onoclea Struthiopteris) grew in the greatest abundance, and so luxuriant that fronds six feet in height were not rare. This fern is probably the most abundant on the river, the rich alluvial soil and cool shady ravines furnishing a most congenial habitat. A shield fern {Aspidiuni aculeatmn var. Braunii) was fouiul growing with the Ostrich Fern in greater abundance than UULLKTIN OF TIIK NATURAL HISTOUY SOCIETY. 24 L^rew I * we bad ever seen it ])efore. Tti* fronds are usually a foot or so in height but one frond measured three feet in height. The deep green eolor of this fern and the light brown ehafty scales of the stipe and rachis make it one of the most beautiful and desirable of our ferns. The most common Ranunculus alouii; the Kestii'-ouche was Ranun- cuius septe/ntrionalif!, especially on its upper waters, but li.f.(imii>ida var. reptans was met with commoidy on sandy shores, and 11. tricophijllus in the shallow water of the })onds or bogans, where it is found with the Arrow-head {Sagitiaria variabilis) and its many varieties, their white dowers covering the waters in greatest jtrofiision. TFun- ter's Brook, about five miles below the Waagan, invited an exploration. It Hows into the Restigouche from the south through a rocky gorge whose shelving and i)rccipi- tous sides of calcareous slates were clothed with mosses and ferns of the most luxuriant growth. The common Rock Fern {Folypodiumvuhjare) which has been considered rare in northern countries is very abundant liere. One frond measured eighteen to twentv inches in heiffbt. The green Spleenwort {Aspleniam viride), the Bladder ferns {Cystopleris balbifeni and C. fragilis) and the Spleenwort (Aspleninm. f.heb/pteroides) were growing here in unwonted size and varietv. The trees along the Restigouche are largely evergreen which would give a sond^re character to the deep valley, but for the sparkling waters and the numerous windings wbicli bring other characteristics ra[iidly into view. Of evergreens the White Spruce {Picea alba) is the most abundant. The Black Spruce {Picea rn'gra) is much rarer, while very few pines, and these only of one species, tlie White Pine {Pinits Strobas), are to be seen along the river. The Cedar {Thuya occidentalis)^ is cpiite common, so also is the Balsam Fir {Abies balsamea), whose long, slender -i Mil n 25 THE RKSTKJOUCHE — WITH NOTES OX iTS FLORA. trunks often rising to Hie height of seventy or eighty feet and clothed with Old Man's Beard ( Usnea harbata), are a conspicuous object along the banks. No tiimaracks were seen on the banks of the Upper Restigouche and but few farther down. Of deciduous trees, the balsam poplar {Poptdus balsmmfera) is the most abundant on the low grounds, and is found everywhere along the river. Elms, black, white and yellow birches, the white and black ash, maple, especially the red maple [Acer rubrum)^ with alders. Willows and sumachs are quite common. The second day's run brought us to the mouth of the Grounamitz (Little Forks) about fifteen miles below the mouth of the Waagan. This is the tirst large tributary of the Restigouche and tlows in from the north. The scenery about the mouth is very wild and picturesque, the clift's rising from the river to the height of over one hundred feet. At the base of these cliffs we found firrowinff that delicate and beautiful fern the VAiiY Brake {PellcBii gracilis), and the Asplenium viride, lichens and mosses in the greatest variety and abundance, gi..ng promise of rare and perhaps new species had we taken the opportunity to collect them. Patches of dandelion and ox-eye daisy and the song of a robin remind us we are not beyond the pale of civilization. Here we find a violet { Viola pnmaUvfolia), rare in this province. A mile below the forks of the Gounamitz is Boston Brook, evidently a favored camping ground. Here we found growing in considerable abundance a vetch with yellow Howers {Lat/iyrus imitevsis), the only place on the river where we noticed it. Below Boston Brook the country changes to a marked extent from a hilly to a level country, but oidy for a mile or two, — a good site for a frontier settlement. A short distance further down, just below BULLETIN OF THK NATURAL HISTOKV SoriK'IV. 26 Jarditie's Brook, the Silurian lodsfes cropping out remind us of the Upper St. John and its flora. Here we find the first wild rose met with on the trip [Mosa Carolina)^ two anemones [Ayiemoiie Pennsybuimce) and A. cylindrical the Painted Cnp {Castilleia pdllida var se})tevtri.onalis), Hedysarum boreale, the Poison Ivy, {Bhtts toxicodendron)^ the Bilherry {Amelanchier Canadensis), Lobelia Kalmii and others — all Upper St. John plants. Our fourth camping ground was near the mouth of the Kedgewiek which here comes in from the north and is the laru:est afti uent of the Resti2:ouche. There is a fine stretch of meadow land here and a good farm, the first met with on the river, owned hy Mr. Mowjitt. We went ahout half a mile up the Kedgewiek, found several rare carices, and an evening primrose {CEtiot/iera Oakesia.na. A little helow the mouth of the Kedgewiek on the right hank of the river is the fishinsj; lodcfc of Col. Rovrers, of New York, who owns the famous fishing pool known as "Jimmy's Hole " where the water is from thirty to forty feet deep, a steep wall of white rock rising from the eastern side; and next is Soldier's Gulch, the best salmon pool on the river, A little helow on a picturesque little nook at a bend of the river we come upon the summer camp of Mr. Ayer, of Bangor, and two miles farther we reach Down's Gulch, a fine camping ground. Here we found the Grass of J*arnassu8 {Parnassia Caroliniana), Tojieldla ylutinosa^ Hedysarum horeale, Astragalus alpinus, very abundant along the lower river, the purple fringed Orchis [Ilabenaria psycodes), the Rock Strawberry [Fragariavesca), Anemone cylJndrica, several rare carices and several species of juncus. For the next ten miles we pass through some of the most striking and picturesque scenery on the Restigouche. The river makes sudden turns, and leaps tumultuously from rapid to rapid, vainly strikes against the base of «, iiii; 27 TIIR RKSTIOOTCTIF, WITH \OTKS ON ITS FLORA. \ rocky eminonoo and recoils, seething and foaming, to take a great sweep to the right, and seek a sullen repose in the great black pool beyond. There seems scarcely room enough for the river in the narrow gorge through which it rushes, careering to almost every quarter of the compass. Salmon pools are frequent and very deep. The hills rise to tlio height of six hundred to eight hundred feet, and the presence of more deciduous trees, such as maples and birches renders the foliage less sombre than farther up the river. Opi)Osite the frequent bends in the river are numerous terraces from thirty to fifty feet high, some of them, especially those at Red Bank and the mouth of the J^atapedia, being of considerable extent and all in the most picturesque and beautiful situations imaginable, sloping down to the edge of deep pools and giving the (^[»|)oi'tuiiity to view from their vantage ground scenery that cannot be equalled in these provinces. Nearly all these terraces have fishing lodges ]»uilt upon them owned by the Restigouche Salmon Club. The Devil's Half- Acre, as might Ik^ su}>posed, is one of the wildest and most rugged spots, and is a precipitous blutl", whose roekv bas{i is surmounted bv calcareous slates, rising from the river to a height of some three hundred feet. His satanic majesty's preserve, however, was a ver}' good botanical ground. The Buffalo-berry {^he.pherdio Caiuu/evftis), Polypoduim vulgarc. Woodsia Ilvensis^ Soly(ogo sqiwrros'!, PutmtUld (irguta, roses and pyrolas occurred, and several lieath plants were seen here, although this family is somewhat rare on the Restigouche. Nearly opposite the mouth of the Patapedia (Pata-peo-jaw, with a strong em})basis on the last syllable, is the local name) is a large farm owned bv Mr. Wver, and there is con- siderable interval land in the vicinity. Although the palmon season w^s about over there was one angler who I f i ! BULLKTIN OF THK NATIH^AL KISTOHY SOCIETY. 28 was paying his second visit to the famous pool at the mouth of the Patapedia — the Rev. Dr. Rainsford of New^ York, and the next morning we enjoyed salmon fishing — by proxy. Cross Point is a romantic spot on this most picturesque part of the river. Climbing to the top of the rocky and dizzy height which is surmounted by a rough wooden cross, we overlook a magnificent stretch of endless hills and gorges. Three hundred feet below us the river flows in a northeast direction and curving round, forming an oval peninsula, takes a directly opposite course. So closely does the river double on itself that one can sit on the narrow mountain ledge, about the width of a saddle, with a foot dangling over each stream. It is not a spot that would insure peaceful dreams for the following night if one remained very long upon it. From the mouth of the Patapedia down we have Quebec Province on our left and New Brunswick on our right, for from the mouth of this river to the Bay of Chaleur the Restigouche forms the boundary line between the two provinces. Our camping ground on the night of 3xot July was Tom's Island, which we reached just at dark ; a clear, cold night with frost or a very near approach to it — and no flies ! This island, situated at the mouth of Tom Ferguson's Brook, proved so interesting in its variety of plants that we spent the greater part of the next day in investigating them The island — or rather peninsula at low water — forms the apex of a bend in the river. The isthmus connecting it with the right hand bank of the river is of Upper Silurian limestone, highly tilted, and no doubt underlies the island. The central portion of the island is about one hundred yards long and twenty wide in the broadest part, covered with alluvial soil, and i II III I s 29 THE HKSTIfiOUCHE WITH NOTES ON ITS FLORA. bearing a dense vegetation, with a margin extending up river about four hundred yards of more stony material bearing shrubs and low herbs. It can readily be seen that an island in this position at a point w^here the river almost doubles on itself, and with a stream flowing into it from a direction opposite to that of the river would be in a good position to receive plant seed and should have a varied plant growth, and so it proved. In this limited area and on the adjoining isthmus we found over one hundred differ- ent bpecies of flowering plants. The examination of the island proved so interesting that I must make it the subject of a separate article. I observed here the Iluronian Tansy ( Tanacetum Huronense), its first station on the river, and further east, I believe, than it has ever been noted on the continent. We camped over Sunday on a terrace overlooking the chain of rocks, having passed safely through Hero's Rapids, the most dangerous on the river. Here we found Butterwort {Pinguicula vulgaris), the Shrubby Cinque-foi\ {Potentilla fruticosa), the Cleft-leaved Anemone {Anemone multijida), the Ground-nut or Wild Bean {Apios hiberosa), the Wild Onion {Allium Schoenoprasum), the Marsh Marigold {Caltha palustris), the Primrose or Cowslip {Primula Mistassinica), Pellcea gracilis, Desmodium Cana- dense, the Milk-vetch {Astragalus oroboides), the Beach Plum {Prunus pumila), Oxytropus campestris var. caerulea, the Bearberry {Ardostaphylos Uva-ursi), the Milkweed {Asclepias Cornuti), the Rattlesnake-root {Nabalus racemo- sus, the Pab Touch-me-not {Tmpatiens imllida), and other interesting forms. Pinguicula vulgaris, which was discovered by Dr. Cox and Mr. Brittain on their trip down the Restigouche a few years ago, is a most interesting addition to our New Brunswick flora. It is probably in this provinco confined BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 30 to the Restigouche, and, so far as determined, occupies a narrow strip extending about twenty miles, from the Chain of Rocks to half a mile below Morissey's Rock. It belongs to the insectivorous plants, and one might wish that it was found in much greater abundance through the whole length of the Restigouche. Its area of distribution is wide, extending over the Arctic and subarctic regions of ^orth America, Europe and Asia. On the Restigouche it is found with the nrimrose, mosses, and other plants loving like situations, on wet rocks over which flow waters from cold springs. It has two-lipped flowers of a violet blue color borne singly on the top of slender scapes, about six inches high, which spring trom the centre of a rosette of leaves of a yellowish-green color, which rest on the rock or ground. The margin of each leaf is turned upward forming a kind of trough, and the whole upper surface of the leaves is covered with minute glands, which secrete a kind of mucilage, entrapping midges and other small insects. Like our Sundew (Drosera rottmdifolia), these glands are not stimulated to action by drops of rain or the pressure upon them of minute grains of mineral substance, l)ut when an organic body, such as an insect, is brought in contact with them they are stimulated and pour forth, in addition to the mucilage, an acid secretion whicb has the power to dissolve animal substances, behaving exactly as does the gastric Juice in the animal stomach, digesting tbe unfortunate insect that alights upon the leaves. In the Drosera the tentacles which are found upon the upper surface of the leaves in such abundance aid in capturing the insects. In Pingideula the upturned edge of the leaf performs that oflice. If the insect attempts to crawl over this margin the edge curves over still further imprisoning the insect nnd pushing it toward the middle to bring it in contact with as many glands as possible. After absorption 31 THE RESTir.OUCHE -WITH NOTES OK ITS FLORA. is accomplished, which usually occupies from twenty to thirty hours, the leaf expands again exposing the bleached remains of the insect, and setting a fresh trap for others. The leaves of Pinguiculaare greasy to the touch hence its name from pinguis, fat. Its common name, Butterwort, is for the same reason. A short distance below the Chain of Rocks we heard the sharp click of a mowing machine, a sign that we were approaching the outer world again and beyond was a small settlement (Mann Settlement) with further incontestable evidence of civilization — a school house. A short dis- tance below was Deeside, a settlement which contains a church. On Green Island, near Deeside, we found growing in great abundance the Blood-root {Sanguinaria Canadensis) and the Pappoose-root {Caulophyilum thalic- troides) another St. John River plant. Here too we found the Black Cherry {Primus serotina). Soon we came to the mouth of the Upsalquitch with a fine club house, belonging to the Upsalquitch Salmon Club, fronting on the main river, and a little farther down a few yards below the mouth of the Upsalquitch is the fishing lodge of Dean Sage of Albany, the author of a finely illustrated book on the Restigouche. Opposite the mouth of the Upsalquitch is the settlement of Runnymede, on a rich alluvial meadow, the joint tribute of the Upsalquitch and Restigouche. But the last bend in the river brought into viow a more imposing sight — the Squaw Cap Mountain and about two miles north of it and a little on our left, Slate Mountain. These twin peaks, the highest land along the Restigouche, rise to the height each of two thousand feet, or fully one thousand feet higher than the Sugar Loaf at Campbellton. It was half past two o'clock that day when we began the ascent of the Squaw Cap, and we were BULLETIN OP THE VATURAL HISaOKY SOCIETY. 32 back again at half past seven — total distance ten miles, and some of that was hard climbing, but it was worth it. For three miles our course lay along Squaw Cap Brook, a clear stream whose ice cold waters were very grateful. Mr. Jas. Harris, whose farm is about a mile in from the Upsalquitch, was our guide, ife showed us a part of his farm where the grass fields were completely covered by a weed whose presence has not been before noted in this province, a Hawkweed {Hieracium pnealtuni). It is an ill favored plant about a foot high, hairy with yellow flowers in an open cyme, and a rosette of leaves which rest on the ground. So completely had these rosettes of leaves taken possession of the ground that every other form of vegetation was killed — even the grass. We had never seen a weed so completely master of the situation, and that is saying a great deal. Mr. Harris is almost in despair at the advances ot this pest which threatens to cover his entire farm. There was a wonderfully luxuriant flora along that wood road which led to the base of the S([uaw Cap. The tall Joe Pye weed with its broad heads of rp.gged purple flowers towered above us full}' eight to ten feet high ; the Meadow-rue [Thalidriun polygamum) with its rich white and green flowers looked more delicately beautiful in this dense vegetation than ever before. Pyrolas covered the ground everywhere in those mossy woods with their racemes of nodding white or rose colored flowers. Orchids of brilliant hues grew so luxuriantly in those woods that we could imagine ourselves in tropical forests. But what is that orchid Avith the deep green leaves reticulated with white, and bearing a racenje of delicate browni>
  • rs, is a good feature in the Hora, as it indicates the absence of a barren, rocky and water-soaked country, such as these ])lants delight in. And notwithstanding the shortness of the season and (he f)roximity of this plateau to a hill country on each side, it should (;ontain considerable areas of good farming land, available for settlement. Mr. S. W. Kain said that a number of the plants referred to in the paper were of a subarctic type- Ati/)i(liiimjraffrans especially. This taken in connection with the fact that the estuary of the Restigouche, and Bay Chaleur were frozen over early in the fall and only opened in May, would seem to show that further \)otanieal exploration in this [)art of the province might ri^sult in the discovery of more plants of u northern character tiuin are now recorded. \ f ':^t^i^(^' K-.-w^'ff V, ^