HENRY WATTERS, Chemist and Druggist, Corner of Sparks and Bank Streets, OTTAWA. ROBERTSON BROS., Booksellers and Stationers, 69 Rideau Street. Natural History Works supplied to order. C. P. WILLIMOTT & CO. 333 Wellington St., Ottawa. Mineralogists f Lapidaries Every variety of stone cut and polished. Large stock of cut stones to select from. Rock sections for microscope carefully pre- pared. Collections of named characteristic Canadian minerals from $1 upwards. Give us a call if you want something new. Send for catalogue. J. G. BUTTERWORTH & CO., ALL- RAIL COAL, 86 Sparks Street. WM. HOWE, Importer of Artists Materials aud Artistic luterior Decorations. Manufacturer of White Lead, Paiuts & Colors. Howe's Block, - - OTTAWA. A. J. STEPHENS, FINE SHOES. :{<» SPARKS ST. Boots and Shoes Made to Measure. M. M. PTZE, MEN'S OUTFITTER. 9!> SHARKS ST., OTTAWA, • - ONTARIO. PAYNTER & ABBOTT, B.A. Law-en, P>of. <).. LL.D., Ph. />., F.F.C.L, F.E.S.C, (Halifax.) Miss Katharine. . MPs fc Lees, Miss \ . Lees, W. A. D. Lees, Mrs. W. A. D. Lehmann, A., U.S.A., (Baton Rouge, La), U.S.A. LeSueur, W. I)., B.A. LeSueur, Mrs. \V. I). Lester, Miss M. E. Library, Leg. Assembly, (Quebec.) Library of Parliament. Lindsay A. Living, Miss A. Marion. Living, Miss M. Lovick, Miss t '•. Lowe, John. MacCabe, |. A., LL.D., F.A'.S.C. McConnell, R. G., B. I.. F.G.S.A. Mad Taken, fohn I.. B.A. MacKay, A.'ii. B.A., B. sv.. F.R..SC. (Halifax.) MacLaughlin, T. I. MacFarlane, T., M.E., F.A'.S.C. MacLeod, II. A. F., C.E. McLean, I D. McDougall, A. II.. /!..!. McDougall, P. A., M.D. McElhinney, M. P. McEvoy, fas., B.A.St . McGill, A'.. B.A., B.Sc. Mclnnes, Wm., B.A., F.G.S.A. McLaughlin, S. Mr Mmii. W. J. R., B..A. McNab, (.'has. McNanghton, II. F. Macoun, Piaf. [ohn, J/..L, F.L.S., F.K.S.C. Ifacoun, J. M. Marah, H. S., A.I.C. Matheson, D. Vfearns, Dr. E. A (U.S.A.) Meneilly, W. J., (Toronto.) Mills, Miss Margaret A. O'Brien, S. E. Udell, w. s. J'anet, Maurice. Paquet, F. X. Perley, Major Henry F., C.E. Poirier, Hon. P. S.,Af.A., (Shidiac, N.B.) Pratt, H. O. E., /-'.,/. Prevost, L. C, M.D. Prince, Pro/. E. E. B.A., F.L.S. Robert, 1. A., B.A.Sc. (Montreal.) Robertson, Prof. J. W. Robertson, X. Robins, R. N., (Sherbrooke, Que.) Ross, W. A., J.C.C., Rothwell, Miss Lina. Saint-Cyr, D. X., (Quebec.) Saunders, Fredk. A. Saunders, Prof. W., F.L.S. , F.A'.S.C, F.C.S. Saunders, W. E.. (London, Ont.) Scott, Duncan Campbell. Scott, Pred., (Toronto.) Scott,, P , J/./;., (Southampton, Ont.) Scott, W. Scott, W., B.A., (Toronto.) Scott, W. P., L /../■'. Scott, Miss Mary. Selwyn, A. R. C, C.M.G., LL.D., F. A'. S. , F. A'. S. C. , /•'. '../. Small, IP P.. Small, IP Beaumont, .)/./>. Smith, M iss Eloise. Smith, Miss Ethel M. Steckel, R , C.E. Summerby, Wm. f., M.A., (Russell, Ont.) Sutherland, ]. ( . , (Richmond, <^)ue. ) Sweetland, (ohn, .)/. P. S vines, Miss E. Svmes, P. P., A.K.C. Taylor, Rev. G. W., F.A'.S.C. (N'ictoiia. B.C.) Thayne, E. Stewart. Thompson, T. NY. Thorburn, fohn, J/..L. LL.D. Topley, IP" X. Topley, Mrs. II. N. Topley, Mrs. W. f. Treadwell, C. W., /■'../., B.C.L. The Ottawa Naturalist. 5 Twidale, A. P., (High Rock, Que.) White, W. R., Q.C., (Pembroke, Ont.) Tyndall, Miss A. (Cummings' Bridge.) Whiteaves, J, F., F.G.S., F.R.S.C., Tyrrell, J. B., B.A., B. St., F. G. S., F.G.S.A. F.G.S.A. Whitley, C. F., B.S.A. Whyte, Miss Isabella. Wa.4h.0rne, Rev. A. C, (St. Johns, Nfld.)Whyte, T. G. Wail, F. ('... B.A. Whyte Miss Ethel. Walker, T. L., J/..-/., (Kingston, Ont.) Whyte, Miss Marion. Wallace, J. W., M.D., (Buckingham, Whyte, R. B. Que.) Whyte, Mrs. R.B. Walsh, A. R. Willimolt, Chas. W. Warwick. F. W., B.Sc, (Buckingham, Willing, T. N., (Calgary, N.W.T.) Que.) Wilson, W. J. Watters, Henry. Wilson, Mrs. E. Watts, I. W. 11., A'.C.A. Wintle, E. D., (Montreal.) Weldon, Prof. R. C, ALP., (Halifax.) Wo >d, [osiah, M.P., (Sackville, N.B.) Weston, T. C, F.G.S.A. Wright, W. R. White, George R. Young, Rev. C. J., ALA., (Lansdowne, White, James, (Edmonton, Ont.) Ont.) White, Lieut. -Cot. Wm. CORRESPONDING MEMBERS. Hill, Albert ]., JL.A., C.E., New Westminster, B.C. Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, Department of Agriculture, Washington, U.S. Ormerod, Miss E. A,, F. R. Met. Soc, Torrington House, St. Albans, England. SMITH, PROF. John P., Rutger's College, New Brunswick, N.J. The Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. IX. OTTAWA, APRIL, 1895. No. 1. COLOURLESS BLOOD IN ANIMALS. By PROF. E. E. PRINCE, B.A., F.L.S., &c , Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa. We are so accustomed to think of that wonderful fluid, which circulates through the blood-vessels of animals, as essentially a red fluid, that it may be a matter of surprise to many that red blood is in reality very exceptional in the animal kingdom. In all the various classes of animals, irom the lowest to the highest, we recognize the remarkable fact that colourless blood is most general. In the highest forms there are corpuscles, coloured by that oxygen-loving substance, red haemo- globin ; but the presence of this coloured matter is so uncommon in the blood of the lower types, that examples of it are of extreme physiological interest. Thus, the earthworm and the leech have red blood ; but the presence of the red colour is not in the corpuscles, it is due to h emoglobin in the serum or fluid. The fluid is red. but the a rpuscles themselves, are colourless. Other worms (marine annelids) have emerald green blood, others yellow : but in most the fluid is destitute of colour. It is the same amongst insects, and arthropods generally. The heart, which passes down the back in these creatures, drives a clear corpusculated fluid over the body. Remarkable exceptions amongst these may be noted, however. Thus, a small Dipteran fly, Chironamus^ in its aquatic larval condition, is of a brilliant vermilion hue, due to the red blood visible through the transparent walls of the worm like body. Such exceptions only emphasi/e the fait more strongly that colourless blood prevails. Anyone who has studied the anatomy of a starfish, has noticed below the intricate water vascular system, a central ring or blood el encircling the mouth. This blood-ring is clear and transparent : and sends off a translucent radial blood vessel to each arm. The fluid The Ottawa Naturalist. 7 inside these tubes is colourless, slightly opalescent, and contains the characteristic corpuscles or floating cells present in all blood. This description of the nutrient fluid applies not to Echinoderms only, it is true, also, of mollusks, though there are some familiar exceptions. Certain cuttlefishes have green or even violet blood, while in the familiar Planorbis the blood is red. If from the simple dilated heart-tube of a shell-fish, say Unto, or of a beetle or lobster, we take a little of the watery blood, we may see, in the oxidised fluid, a faint blue tinge visible, due to haemocyanin, which tinge disappears under deoxidation. When we come to the vertebrates, the highest forms of animal life, we find in the simplest and most primitive of them, the worm-like lancelet {Amphioxus), colourless blood. Nay, in the early larval stages of other vertebrates, such as fishes, the blood is at first colourless, and the corpuscles exhibit no tint. Now it is well known that fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and higher animals, possess a circulation, called the lymphatic system, in which a clear corpusculated fluid flows. This lymphatic system is suffi- ciently distinct from the arteries and veins to be regarded as separate ; but its real importance has not been generally recognised. It is usually regarded as a supplementary and subordinate system. In view of the foregoing facts it would seem in reality that the lymphatic system repre- sents the primary blood-circulation. Physiologists have long been puzzled in interpreting the real nature of the red blood in man. The red-corpuscles are certainly not true cells, as Dr. Minot has shown, and they are not nucleated. The serum of red blood is almost identical with the lymph, and the white corpuscles are believed to be neither more nor less than lymph corpuscles or leucocytes originating in the lympha- tic glands. The red-blood system has thus overshadowed the colourless blood, or lymphatic system, in man and the highest vertebrates, and the latter system has been, to some extent, turned to other purposes ; the lymphatics of the digestive canal being now lacteals for conveying chyle into the red-blood system. In the lower vertebrates the lymphatics still play an important part, and retain much of their primitive character. In fishes, well-marked pulsating chambers or lymph hearts, connected with an elaborate system of capillaries and larger vessels, convey clear lymph fluid and floating 8 Colourless Blood in Animals. corpuscles. The lymph hearts occur in the tail region and are much more than mere ill-defined spaces in the tissues. They are distinct chambers with special walls, in which striated muscle fibres may be made out. A long lymphatic vessel passes midway along the lateral muscle masses receiving successive side branches, while two trunks run alongside the lateral neives, one on each side, and two pass along inside the spinal canal. Perhaps the amphibians, frogs especially, have this colourless blood-circulation best developed. Two definite lymph hearts occur, in the frog, between the short rib-like transverse processes of the 3rd and 4th vertebrae, and a second pair behind the hip-joint, on each side of the urostyle. These pulsating organs show striped muscle fibres. Other large lymph spaces, which do not however pulsate, occur on each side of the head, and a chain of irregular spaces, filled with fluid, run down each side of the back, with corresponding ventral vessels, and ramifications along the limbs. Lymph spaces and vessels have not been noticed so prominently in reptiles, except in tortoises and crocodiles. In the latter there are large abdominal spaces, and smaller chambers near the root of the tail. In the tail region in birds, during the early stages especially, there exist well-marked lymph spaces. The existence of a lymph or colourless blood circulation in so many groups of animals, including the highest vertebrates, must have some weighty significance. Its primitive character is demonstrated by the fact that the suspended corpuscles are nucleated cells, and quite unlike the red corpuscles of warm-blooded mammals. When we thus find in the lowest vertebrate (Amphioxus) and in the early stages of higher forms, such as larval fishes, that the red blocd circulation is absent there is every evidence that a colourless blood system is the original system, and that red-blood is a modified and secondary arrangement. The blood circulation in the invertebrates is then a primitive system, which persists in Amphioxus as the only system ; while "in fishesandthe lower vertebrates it maintains an importance almost equal to that of the red-blood circulation, but in the higher vertebrates, although itstill supplies co!< ' and serum to the red bio id, the latter circulation has largely supplanted it and deprived it of its original importam The Ottawa Naturalist. 9 THE RENSSELAER GRIT PLATEAU. By R. W. Ells, LL.D., F.R.S.C, F.G.S.A. A very interesting report has recently been published by Mr. T. Nelson Dale, of the U.S. Geological Survey, styled "The Rensselaer Grit Plateau in New York." His paper is of interest to Canadian geologists since the rocks there discussed form part of the series so carefully studied in the earlier years of the Canadian Survey by Sir William Logan and his assistants in the province of Quebec, and the adjoining stales to the south and described by him under the heading of " The Quebec Group." The area reported on by Mr. Dale was also examined very thoroughly by Sir William Logan, some thirty years ago, and his note books shew many careful measurements and sections of the rock there found which are evidently the extension southward down the valley of the Hudson, of the great series in Quebec which extends continuously from the extremity of the Gaspe Peninsula to the Vermont boundary. The arrangement and description of the strata as given by Mr. Dale, show that the same features are there found as in Quebec; and that the strata are practically the same in character. These rocks in Canada consist of green, gray, black and red or purple slates, with heavy beds of gritty sandstones which occasionally pass into fine conglomerates. In the description of the grit and associated elates stated by Mr. Dale on p. 306 of his report, they are said to consist of a dark green exceedingly tough, in some places calcareous, generally thick bedded granular rock in which the quartz grains are apparent and upon closer inspection the feldspar grains also." " This rock is interbedded with strata of purplish or greenish slate (phyl/ite), varying in thickness from a few inches to perhaps a hundred feet .... the thin purple phyllite layers along the west edge of the plateau, contain minute branching annelid trails or fucoidal impres- sions." The conglomerate portion of the grits is thus described : " the pebbles of irregular outline measure from two-tenths to eight-tenths inch in diameter and consist of white, pinkish or blueish quartz, reddish felspar, gneiss, slate and red quartzite and as to relative abundance, 10 The Rensselaer Grit Plateau. occurs in the order named."* These grits and conglomerates are now- regarded by Mr. Dale as the equivalents of the Oneida conglomerates of Upper Silurian age. The descriptions just quoted correspond so closely with those given by Sir Wm. Logan for the sandstone and slates of the Sillery formation as developed in Quebec and on the north-west coast of Newfoundland, that but little doubt can exist as to their being portions of the same geological series. The arrangement of strata at Rensselaer is evidently complicated by faults, folds and overturns as in Quebec which have been so extensive as in places to bring horizons, otherwise widely separated, contiguous to each other and in some cases even to have placed the newer formation beneath the older. Thus at Orleans Island, below Quebec, the strata which hold the Black-River-Trenton fauna, arc now beneath those holding the Sillery-Levis fauna, the whole series being apparently conformable. So also at several places along the coast below Meiis the Trenton beds are enfolded and appear to consti- tute an integral part of the Sillery red and green slates. From the description of the rocks of the Rensselaer area a precisely similar arrangement would appear to exist and the Sillery red and green slates, grits and fine conglomerates appear to form a higher portion of the series above the " Hudson River " or Trenton formation. The relations of the several series in the two districts of Quebec and New York appear to be very similar. It is therefore natural to suppose that the view taken by Sir Wrrv Logan, after a careful study of the strata in both countries, that these represent portions of the same great series, is a correct one ; and so strongly was he impressed with this fact that in the great geological map of Canada and the northern United States, (1866,) he so mapped them as portions of the Sillery and Levis formations, h is interesting to noteherealsothatinQuebecthe conclusions firstreached as t^> thestratigra- phical sequence of this series coincided almost exactly with those put forth by Mr. Dale in his recent report, in which the Sillery and Levis rocks were regarded as straligraphically newer than the Hudson River •The Rensselaer Grit Plateau in New York, by T. Nelson Dale, 13th Ann. Rep, L'.S Geol. Survey, pp. jo6, 307. The Ottawa Naturaeist. 11 division. Thus in a small volume called " Esquisse Geologique du Canada," published in connection with the Paris Exhibition, 1855, in the chapter relating to the rocks afterwards known as the "Quebec Group," after describing the Hudson River division near Quebec city and the overlying slates and conglomerates of Levis, Fit is stated that " this formation at Quebec is succeeded by red and green slates with thin bands of calcareous matter, and intercalated towards the summit with great masses of quartzose sandstone, often calcareous, and coloured by a mixture of argillaceous matter which is greenish or reddish. This series of sandstones and slates which has a total thickness of 1000 metres has been named by Logan the Sillery group, and appears to be the equiva- lent of that which has been named by the New York geologists the Shawangunk or Oneida conglomerate, which in central New York lies between the Richelieu slates and the Medina sandstone." Subsequently however the finding of Calciferous and Chazy fossils in the beds overlying the Hudson River portion led to a change of view as to the age of the Sillery and Levis rocks, and to their being placed in a much lower position in the geological scale. The subsequent detailed work on these rocks shewed that the Sillery grits and slates were of the horizon of the Potsdam sandstone, while the Levis lime- stones and slates associated, were Calciferous. As for the so-called Hudson River division, then supposed to be the lowest beds of the series, the work of Lap worth and Ami has shewn these to be presum- ably about the horizon of the Black River and Trenton. It would thus appear that in connection with the Rensselaer beds the order as proposed by Mr. Dale, may be subject to criticism ; more particularly when we consider the work done by Sir Win. Logan in this area, and the resemblance, in every particular, to the beds which we call the Sillery and Levis in Canada, and which the work of recent years has placed on a satisfactory basis. And it is interesting to note how the views of structure concerning the northern extension of these beds in Canada, abandoned forty years ago by Logan and his associates, have so lately been put forward by our fellow geologists south of the line. This may readily be regarded as a clear case of history repeating itself. itffLIBRARY 1l' The Relation of the Atmosphere to Agriculture. THE RELATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE TO AGRICULTURE* By FRANK T. SHUTT, M.A., F.I.C., Chief Chemist, Dominion Experimental Farm The fundamental principle to realize in the consideration of this question is that plants are living organisms, and as such, in order to develop and multiply, require food. Their requirements may be ascertained by several methods, chief among which is chemical analysis, by which also we arrive at the proximate and ultimate composition of plant constituents. A preliminary analysis of a plant, as for example the Tndian Corn, enables us to arrange its constituents under one or another of the following classes : WATER, ORGANIC MATTER, MINERAL MATTER or ASH. Taking as an illustration the Indian Corn plant, when approaching maturity, we find that it is made up of, WATER 72.O lbs. ORGANIC MATTER 26.6 " MINERAL MATTER or ASH 1. 4 " IOOO These materials have been derived and assimilated ':>. the plant from two sources, the atmosphere and the soil. With respect to the water contained in a plant, it is only necessary to point out that its source is soil-moisture, derived by the deposition of atmospheric aqueous vapour (chiefly rain), and that it has been taken up by the plant roots. The mineral constituents are also soil-derived. To be assimilated they must be in solution, and to this end atmospheric agencies and small quantities of acid exuded by the plant rootlets, assist. The organic matter of plants is composed of varying quantities of Note.- This is idensed report of an address delivered before the Central Experimental Farm Club, March 27th, 1S95. The Ottawa Naturalist. 13 the familiar substances, sugar, starch, fibre and a class of nitrogen- containing bodies known as albuminoids or proteids. Of these the gluten of wheat and other grains, forms a well known example. The sugar, starch, fibre and other non-nitrogenous organic con- stituents are built up by the physiological functions of the plant from the carbonic acid, which exists to the extent of 4 volumes in 10,000 volumes of the atmosphere. This absorption and assimilation takes place by means of the plant's chorophyil (or green colouring matter) in the presence of sunlight, oxygen by the same process being evolved. The carbon (the fundamental element in organic bodies) of the album- inoids is also derived from the same source. It will thus be seen that by far the greater part of the dry mat'.er of all plants is derived directly from the atmosphere. It may be pointed out in passing that in this way the carbonic acid exhaled by animals is utilized, and thus the approximate constancy in the proportions of the Atmospheric elements, maintained. The production and consumption of carbonic acid and oxygen thus effected, provides for the welfare of both plants and animals. PLANT CONSTITUENTS. The Organic elements The Inorganic elements f Carbon j Oxygen I Hydrogen } J 1 Carbonic Acid "\ Starch Water >pr Fibre J Oil Album- . inoids Aii- derived elements ^Nitrogen \ 'Calcium Phosphorus Magnesium Potassium Sodium Iron Silicon Sulphur S.»il derived elements. .Manganese / Until recent years, it was believed that all plants absorbed their nitrogen from nitrogen-containing bodies (chiefly humus) in the soil, and from this source only. It has now, however, been definitely ascertained, as the result of many carefully conducted experiments in Germany and England, that certain plants have the power of utilizing the free nitrogen of the air, building it up within their tissues into complex organic substances, as the albuminoids. These plants are known as the Legumes, comprising the well known plants, pea, bean 14 The Relation of the Atmosphere to Agriculture. clover, vetches, etc. The names of some of the principal scientists who have solved this problem are : Sir. J. H. Gilbert, who for more than half a century has been associated with Sir John B. Lawes in agricultural research, Wagner, Hellriegel, Willfarth, Frank and Warrington. Their successful work in determining beyond all doubt that the legumes have this power, marks the most important and valuable discovery in agricultural science of the present day. It means practically that the soil-nitrogen, exhausted by the growth of cereals and other farm crops, can be readily and cheaply restored by " green manuring" with one or other of the legumes — their nitrogen for the most part having been appropriated from the atmosphere. The exact way in which these plants are able to appropriate free nitrogen is not known, but the fact has been ascertained that the assimilation is directly connected with the presence and development of certain tubercles or nodules on the roots. These tubercles contain micro-organisms, whose apparent function it is to absorb the atmospheric nitrogen, present in the interstices of the soil, and convert it into com- pounds of its host. We have here an excellent example of symbiosis, and one which must in the future prove of immense value to agricul- turists and indirectly to the community in general. THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. The fourteenth meeting of the Royal Society of Canada will be held in Ottawa on the 15th, 16th and 17th of May, 1895. In a circular letter received from Dr. J. O. Bourinot, C.M.G., Hon. Secretary of the Royal Society, the members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club are invited to contribute papers or articles for the approaching meeting of that Society. Our President, Mr. F. T. Shutt, has been chosen by Council to represent us on that occasion. Any member of the Club desirous of submitting papers should communicate with him at as early a date as possible, so that the necessary arrangements may be made for their presentation before the proper section. The Ottawa Naturalist. 15 SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF COUNCIL, 1894-95. To the Members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club : — The Council elected by you on the 20th of March, 1894, has pleasure in reporting' that the past year, on the whole, has been a successful and prosperous one. Perhaps in no singleyear of the history of the club has the attendance at both the excursions or field days, in summer, and the evening soirees during the winter season, been so satisfactory. The membership list keeps up a high level, there being no less than 233 at present on the roll. Seven new members were added during the year. Three members were removed by death, viz : — Mr. Scott Barlow, Chief Draughtsman and Cartographer to the Geological Survey of Canada, Mr. P. H. Le Rossignol, B.A.Sc, Assistant Chemist, Central Experimental Farm, and Mr. H. R. Moore, B.A. Seventeen members, many of whom are non-resident members, have sent in their resignations. Your Council has held ten meetings during the year to carry on the routine work of the club, which includes the ' striking ' and arrangement of committees, the appointments of leaders in the various branches of the Club's work, and the nomination of the Editor of The Ottawa Naturalist and his staff. Early in the year, an effort was made by your Council to obtain a grant from the Ontario Legislature, but this proved unsuccessful. We are indebted to the Hon. E. H. Bronson for the manner in which he presented our claims before his colleagues in the Council. The Royal Society of Canada's invitation to send a delegate to its meeting in Ottawa last May was received and Mr. F. T. Shutt, who has acted in that capacity for some years past was again chosen to represent us. At the meeting, he presented the customary annual account of the work of the club, which is incorporated in the Transactions of the Royal Society ofCanada. The Council finds it necessary to draw the particular attention of the members of the club to the necessity of paying the annual club dues promptly. There are now 114 members in arrears. The amount of the subscription is small and when not handed in spontaneously- -the time and labour involved in collecting the dues is very great. 16 Sixteenth Annual Report. Three successful excursions were held in 1S94, under the auspices of the club. 1. Chelsea. — The first of these was to Chelsea, on the Gatineau Valley R.R., in May, when a number of Fellows of the Royal Society joined us as guests of the Club; 218 persons were present at this excursion which proved both enjoyable and profitable. 2. Wakefield. — This excursion was also largely attended. Some interesting work was done and valuable information obtained by members of the club. 3. Galetta. — The third excursion took place at this very interesting new locality for the club. The opening of the Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway has afforded special facilities to examine the region west of Ottawa and south of the Canadian Pacific Railway track. Besides the large and general excursions of the club held at more or less lengthy intervals during the summer, a number of members have availed themselves of the sub-excursion scheme, which has alw proved so important to the welfare of the club in this district. As a rule much better and closer work can be accomplished when a few members meet together and visit a certain definite locality with a special object in view. The Council recommends these sub-excursious to all the members of the club. The Ottawa Naturalist has been published by the Editor, Mr. \V. II. Harrington. We regret, however, to add, that the January number was not issued, but if the increased interest taken during the past year in recording facts and observations in this district and elsewhere be an earnest ol what the members of the club propose to do, then the success of the official organ of our club is assured for the future, and the NATURALIST will be tilled with the records of observers in all parts of Canada since our membership counts most of the leading men interested in the scientific growth and development ot our country. Tin: Ottawa N.vi URALIST is not a purely local publication. A perusal of the volume of 162 pages, just published, amply shows the wide scope of its articles. Our exchange list is an important one and the Library which the The Ottawa Naturalist. 17 Club possess is indicative of the high appreciation of the work done. From many quarters we hear of congratulatory remarks on our work and especially on our simple but practical methods of organizing for work. Seven soirees were held during the past winter, which as you are all aware have been remarkably well attended and proved highly interesting. The following is the programme as carried out by the Club during the past season, 1894-95. Programme of Soirees. Dec. 6th, 1894. MICROSCOPICAL SOIREE. Inaugural Remarks, Dr. G. M. Dawson, F.R.S. ; A Grain of Wheat, Prof. W. Saunders ; Microscopic structures in young fishes, etc., Prof. E. E. Prince. B.A , F.L S. Microscopes and slides were kindly furnished by Messrs. J. F. Whiteaves, Wm. Scott, G. M. Dawson, W. S. Odell, F. T. Shutt, A. Halkett, T. C. Weston, I). B. Dowling, W. Saunders, E. E. Prince, W. F. Ferrier, R. W. Ells and H. M. Am-'. Dec. 20th, 1894. GEOLOGY. i. How Rocks are Formed, Dr. R. W. Ells, F.R.S.C. 2. Crystals. (Illustrated by Models), W. F. Ferrier, B.A.Sc. 3. Report of the Geological Branch, H. M. Ami. 4. On the Shumardia limestones of Levis, Que, T. C. Weston, F.G.S.A. 5. Description of a new Caddis- fly (Phryganea ejecta) from the Pleistocene clays of Green's Creek, Prof. S. H. Scudder. Jan. 1 7 tli, 1S95. BOTANY. 1. Flowering of Plants, Mr. R. B. Whyte. 2. The Growth and Development of Fruit, Mr. J. Craig. Jan. 31st, 1895. CONCHOLOGV. 1. The present condition of Canadian Conchology, Rev. ('•. \V. Taylor, F.R.S.C. 2. How Shells grow, F. R. Latchford, B.A. 3. How to collect Shells, Prof. J. Macoun, F.L.S. 4. Report of the Concho- logical Section, Mr. Fletcher. Feb. 14th, 1S95. ENTOMOl The Ottawa Naturalist. 19 OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS' CLUB. Treasurer's Statement, Cluc Year ending 19TH March, 1895 RECEIPTS. Balance on hand from 1893-94 $ 25 92 Subscription fees received — Arrears of previous years $ 48 00 For current year 1 18 00 For 1895-96, paid in advance 8 00 j 74 00 Received for advertisements in " Naturalist " 37 00 " " Naturalists " sold 220 " " Authors' Extras " including arrears.. 17 25 Net proceeds of excursions , . 7 10 $263 47 EXPENDITURE. Printing " Ottawa Naturalist," Vol. VIII $192 28 Postage on same 15 93 Printing " Authors' Extras " 11 30 " Flora Ottawaensis, balance to date 1 20 General Printing and Stationery 13 92 " Postage 4 66 Expenses of Soirees 10 30 $249 59 Balance on hand 13 88 $263 47 A. G. KINGSTON, Treasurer. Audited and found correct. Ottawa Last, 4th April, 1895. T V." 1 Auditors. J. Ballantyne, ) 20 Notes, Reviews and Comments. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. Geology.— Ells, R. W., L L.D., F.R.S.C— " The Potsdam and Calci/ercus formations of Quebec and Eastern Ontario." Advance copy and Ex. Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, Vol. XI., Section IV., pp. 21-30, 1895— (distributed, 12th February 1895.) In this paper, the geographical distribution, local characters, palaeontological as well as stratigraphical relations of the Potsdam and Calciferous formations as they are found in Eastern Canada in particu- lar and in Eastern America in general are discussed. Dr. Ells points out also the relations of these two formations to the Levis and Upper Sillery. He correlates the Calciferous with the Levis of the vicinity of Quebec and the Potsdam with the Upper Sillery of the same region. He places all these in the Ordovician system — but refers the Lower Sillery to the Cambrian epoch. Dr. Ells concludes by staling : " It would appear, therefore, from all the evidence at our disposal, that the real line of division between the Cambrian and the Cambro-Silurian system should be placed at the close of the Georgia slate and Red Sandrock divisions, and that the scries from the base of the typical Potsdam to the summit of the Utica and Hudson River formations should constitute the system known as Cambro-Silurian or Ordovician. Ami, H. M. — "Notes on Canadian Fossil £r\oz<>a." Ex. Can. Rec. Science, Vol. VI., Xo. 4, pp. 222-221), Montreal, January, 1 S95. This paper is practically a lesume of Prof. Ulrich's work on the Bryozoa of the Lower Silurian in Minnesota,* in which attention is called to thirty-three species from Canada comprising twenty-one genera. Six additional species of Pryozoa referable to as many genera arc added to the above, but these were described by Prof. Ulrich's in Part II. of the Paleontology of Illinois, Section VI. The localities in Canada from which the species recorded were obtained, the horizon, references and other points of interest regarding these are n in them notes. .Ill of Final Rep. Geol. and Nat. 1 1 i»t . Survey of Minnesota, Mimic apoli The Ottawa Naturalist. 21 Ami, H. M. — " Notes on a Collection of Silurian Fossils from Cape George, Antigonish Co., Nova Scotia, with descriptions of four new species," Ex. Proc. and Trans. Nova Scotian Inst. Science, Halifax, 2nd Ser. Vol. I., pt. 4, pp. 411-415, October, 1894. Contains descriptions and notes on a collection of fossils made in Nova Scotia, by Messrs. Hugh Fletcher, and J. McDonald in 1886. Jones, Prof. T. Rupert F.R.S., F.G.S.— " On some fossil Ostracoda from Canada."— Ex. Geol. Mag. Dec. IV. Vol. II, No. 367, pp. 20-28, Pt. II., January, 1895. In this paper are described six new species of Ostracoda from col- lections made in the North West Territory of Canada and Manitoba. Three of these collections were made by Dr. G. M. Dawson, from the St. Mary River beds in 1S74 and 1881 :— Another collection was made by Mr. J. B. Tyrrell of the Geol. Surv. Dept. from the friable marl beds of the Rolling River district of Manitoba. The descriptions of the species by Prof. Jones comprise : I. Pleistocene of Rolling River, Manitoba. 1. Candona Candida, Miiller. 2. ? Ilyobates reptans, Baiid. 3. Cytberidea Tyrrellii, n. sp. II. St. Mary-River-Series. Milk R., N.W. T. (Loose.) 4. Pontocypris pyriformis, n. sp. 5. Cypris Dawsoni, n. sp. 6. Ilyocypris oblonga, n. sp. III. St. Mary-River-Series. Milk River, N.W.T. 7. Cythere, sp. indet. 8. Candona ? Sanctae-Mariae, n. sp. 9. Cytherella crucifera, n. sp. IV. St. Mary-River-Series. Old Man R., N.W.T. 10. Candona ?, sp. undet. Nine of these species are figured on PI. II. accompanying the text Prof. Jones adds a note stating that the hirigement being very rarely indicated, the generic relationships of the foregoing species are for the most part uncertain. This interesting contribution to our knowledge .}■> Notes, Reviews and Comments. of the more recent fossil Ostracoda of Canada, from the pen of Prof. T. Rupert Jones serves to increase our indebtedness to him for his zeal, patience and assiduity in working out the material which has been sent to him from Canada during the past thirty-six years. Conchology. — Recent Mollusca from the headwaters of the Ottawa. The following recent shells were collected by Mr. A. E. Barlow, of the Ceological Survey Department. These have been kindly determined by Mr. Whiteaves of the same department, as follows : — A. — Foot of Lake Temiscaming. Fresh Water Mollusca . pelecypoda. i. Sphserium secure, Prime. 2. " striatinum, Lamarck. 3. " sulcatum, Lamarck. 4. Pisidium abditum, Haldeman. 5. Anodonta, sp. gasteropoda. 6. Valvata sincera, Say. 7. " tricarinata, Say, 8. Amnicola porala, Say. 9. Physa heterostropha, Say. 10. Planorbis bicarinatus, Say. 11. " deflectus, Say. 12. " trivolvis, Say. 13. '" " var. macrostomus, Whiteaves. 14. Limnsea desidiosa, Say. 15 " humilis, Say. Land Mollusca. 16. Patula alternata, Say, sp. B. — Emerald Lake. From Emerald Lake at the head of the South Branch of the Opemican Creek, district of Nipissing, the following fresh-water shells were also obtained by Mr. Barlow, in a thick deposit of shell-marl : — 1. Sphserium sulcatum, Lamarck. 2. Planorbis trivolvis, Say, var. macrostomus, Whiteaves. Ornithology Winter Birds. — Bohemian Waxwing (Ampelis GABRULUS.) A Bock of 20 or 30 of these rare cold weather visitors has been spending the winter with us. They first appeared on the 8th of January and since then have frequently been seen The Ottawa Naturalist. 23 in different parts of the city, feeding on the berries of the rowan-trees (Pynts Americana). Their note is much like that of their summer cousins the cherry-birds, but louder and more incessant. Even during the worst days of the "cold wave," at the opening of February, their merry voices told how well earned was their old name of Bohemian Chatterer. The epithet Bohemian is probably applied with the meaning of gipsy in reference to their erratic migrations, for they have no special connection with Southern Germany. In winter they^may appear at uncertain times in almost any country of the north temperate zone ; and their summer home is in the extreme north, being bounded only by the last stretches of timber country. The few records of nests are from Lapland and Alaska. Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis). This bird, always a sparse winter resident in the open country, has' been growing noticeably commoner in Ottawa of late years. On a sunshiny winter morning his song from the top of poplar or maple is really pleasing, as well as a surprise from a bird of such hawklike build and habits. Perhaps he sings the praises of the introducer of the European sparrow, for, in the flocks of these birds, he seems to find a never-failing source of food. A. G Kingston. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. The winter meeting of the Geological Society of America was held at Baltimore, Md., Dec. 27th, 28th and 29th, and was largely attended by the Fellows. There were forty-eight papers on the list and most of these were read by the authors themselves. Prof. T. C. Chamberlin, of the University of Chicago presided. Dr. Adams, of McGill, and Dr. Ami, of the Geological Survey, were the only two Canadians present. At the opening meeting, Prof. W. B. Clark, of Johns Hopkins University, read a biographical notice of the late Dr. G. H. Williams, of whose life and work a brief sketch has already appeared in The Naturalist.* Dr. Ami read an appropriate memorial of the late Amos Bowman, F.G.S.A. at one time a member of this club. Among the papers read at this meeting the following were prepared by * Ottawa Naturalist, vol. VIII, No. 7, p. 113, 1894. _' I Editorial. Canadians: — i. A further contribution to our knowledge of the Laurentian, Dr. F. I). Adams. 2. On the honeycombed limestones in the bottom of Lake Huron, Dr. Roreet Bell. 3. On some dykes containing " Huronite," Alfred E. Barlow. These three papers were read in extenso and were well received. For a complete list of the papers read at the meeting the reader is referred to No. 1, Vol III, p. 99. of the "Journal of Geology," Chicago, Jan. -Feb., 1895, EDITORIAL. The Ottawa Naturalist is entering upon the ninth year of its existence and as in the past, will be the official organ of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club. The Council of the Club has appointed four of its number a Publishing Committee, and selected seven members of the club who are leaders in the various branches of the Club's work as Associate Editors. After careful consideration and discussion, the Publishing Com- mittee of Council has decided to change somewhat the dress and general appearance of The Naturalist. The present number has oeen unavoidably delayed. It is the purpose of the new committee and editorial staff to issue The Naturalist promptly on time. A number of advertisements have been secured from business firms and houses in the city. Tne attention of our members and Others, in whose hands The Naturalisi may fall is called to them. Members and con'.ributors will confer a favour on the Committee if they will send their articles on Geology, Botany, Entomology etc., at as early a date as possible. Records of observations, notes and papers on the Geology, Botany, Entomology, Zoology, Conchology and Ornithology of this district or of any part of the Dominion are earnestly solicited. The intention of the Publishing Committee and of the editorial staff is to increase the sphere of usefulness of The Ottawa Naturalist. Not less than 16 pp. will be published every month, and our purpose is to increase the amount of reading matter in proportion to the amount of MS. and funds at our disposal. With an increased revenue from an increasing membership, and from a larger number of paying advertisements, we hope to accomplish that purpose. We want new subscribers to our magazine and a much larger membership list to the club. The fee is very small, being only one dollar. Plank forms of application may be obtained from the secretary of the club from any member of Council, or from The Editor. ^[uaRAR1 The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. OTTAWA, MAY, 1895. No. ON SOME DYKES CONTAINING " HURONITE." By Alfred E. Barlow, M.A. Geological Survey Department, Ottawa, Canada. ( Read be fore the Geological Society of America, Baltimore, Dec. 28th, iSg4- ) The name Huronite was long ago given by Dr. Thomson of Glasgow, to certain light-yellowish green masses or crystals which occurred porphyritically embedded in a boulder of diabase found on the shores of Drummond Island, Lake Huron, specimens of which had been sent to him by the late Dr. Holmes of Montreal. Thomson regarded it as a new species and published a description and analysis of it in his Mineralogy of 1836. The occurrence of these crystals was first noticed by Dr. Bigsby in 1820, who writes of the rock containing them in a general way as "greenstone porphyries having a light-colored base and containing crystals of red or white felspar — seldom of both in the same block,"(i) This brief and general description would not have been sufficient for purposes of identification except for the fact that his manuscript report which formed the basis of this paper, (2) was lately pre- sented to the library of the Geological Survey of Canada. In the appendix Dr. Bigsby notes " among the debris of the shore of Lake Huron are por- phyries of greenstone with embedded crystals of red felspar or of four or six sided prisms of cream white colour, foliate fracture, cleavage about 6o°, yielding to the knife readily, translucent at the edges and of a feel slightly soapy. Their crystallization is seldom well defined, but some- times remarkably so." This clear and accurate description serves at (1) Trans. Geol. Soc. London, Vol. 1, p. 205. On the Geography and Geology of Lake Huron, read Feb. 21, March 7 and 21, 1823. (2) Notes on the Topography and Geological structure of the north-west portion of Lake Huron, addresseed officially to Dr. J. Wright, Inspector of Hospitals in Canada and dated Quebec, Feb. 23, 1821. "(Commit icated by permission of the Director ) 26 The Ottawa Naturalist. once to identify the substance composing these porphyntic crystals with the mineral described later by Dr. Thomson as " Huronite." The source of these boulders was not known and the mineral never found " in situ " until 1881 .when Dr. Robert Bell, (i)of Ottawa, in his examina- tion of the country to the north-east of Lake Superior, noticed the occurrence " of a dark grey crystalline diorite (in one place rendered por- phyritic by spots of light-greenish yellow felspar) on the neck of land se- parating Lake Mattawagaming from Lake Wabatongwashene.'' This rather brief description was altogether inadequate to connect the mineral with the Huronite which had previously been described by Thomson, and it was not until Dr. Harrington, of Montreal, visited the spot on professional business some year later, that the true identity of these " spots " was clearly established. In 1891, Dr. Selwyn, of Ottawa, happened to be- at the same locality which is situated between Missinaibi and Loch Alch Stations on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and he states that the dykes containing the Huronite cut both Huronian and Laurentian strata. During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1884, Drs. Girdwood and Ruttan made a collection of the principal rocks met with on the main line from Chalk River westward. This collection, they subsequently presented to McGill University. Among the specimens, was one of a dark green diabase with pheno- crysts of a mineral resembling Huronite scattered through it. This specimen had been obtained from a dyke cutting the granitoid gneisses a few miles north-west of Pogamasing Station. The microscopical examination, however, reveals the fact that the original DrutnmoiH Island boulder was not derived from either of these localities. Mr. W. G. Miller of the School of Mines, Kingston, who acted as Dr. Bell's Assistant in 1893, mentions the occurrence of a dyke containing Huronite near the contact between the granite and slates (Huronian) at Depot Lake in the northern part of the Township of Proctor, about fifteen miles north-east of Cook's Mills. From its geographical position and the direction of the glacial striae this would seem to be the most likely source of the Drummond Island boulder, although this cannot be ascertained with certainty as the specimen from the locality (i) Report, Geological Survey, Canada, 1S80-2, part c, p. 4. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 27 was lost. Mr. H. G. Skill, of Cobourg, Ontario, who assisted the writer in 1S91, discovered another dyke containing this mineral, about one quarter of a mile north of Murphy Lake, in Timber Limits 90' Algoma District. During the progress of his explorations in the peninsula of Labrador, Mr. A. P. Low, of the Geological Survey of Canada, noticed the presence of Huronite in a dyke cutting Laurentian gneisses about ten miles north of Lake Kawachagami on the portage route between the Rupert and Eastmain rivers and also in two dykes, each about two hundred yards wide, breaking through rocks of Cambrian age, on the west branch of the Hamilton River, fifteen and twenty miles respectively, below old Fort Nascavvpee, on Lake Petitsikapow. Dr. Harrington (private communication) has noticed loose pieces of diabase containing Huronite a few miles beyond Amyot Station. He also mentions the occurrence of a diabase dyke four inches in width, containing phenocrysts of the same mineral, a short distance east of the crossing of the Magpie River, near Otter Station, on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Prof. N. H. Winchell, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in his visit to the Lake Huron district, in 1SS9, made note of "the occurrence at Algoma of occasional very interesting boulders (1605). (1) They contain large and small rounded whitish green felspathic spots which are distributed somewhat like porphyritic crystals but they have not the regular periphery of crystals. They are in a matrix of ordinary diabase of dark green colour and the spots make the rock noticeable, their largest size being somewhat larger than an inch in diameter. Some of the boulders are put in the foundation of the great hotel which the Canadian Pacific Railroad (2) projected at Algoma, and that is where we saw them first. Dr. Selwyn recalled the dyke cutting the Animikie on the high ridge back of Silver Islet, as the only spot where such a rock is in place," Professor Winchell, who visited this place in 1879, has sent me a small chip from a specimen then collected, as well as fragments of the Algoma boulder (1) The number 1,605 refers to the number of the specimen in the rock series of the Geological Survey of Minnesota (2) iSth Annual Report, Geological Survey, Minnesota, 1889, pp. 58 and 63. 28 The Ottawa Naturalist. and a small sample from a dyke near Gunflint Lake north-west of Lake Superior. The phenocrysts of felspar in the Silver Islet specimen, according to Professor Winchell (i) are distinctly angular and not greenish, but greyish in colour. Under the microscope, these felspar phenocrysts are seen to be a plagioclase towards the basic end of the series (very probably labradorite) which has undergone only incipient alteration, whereas, in general the Huronite shows very great decom- position. The writer has seen numerous boulders of diabase containing this mineral in the region to the north and northeast of Lake Huron, especially on the shores of Lake Huron from Killarney westward to the mouth of the Spanish River, During the summer of 1893, the writer also noticed a boulder of dark green diabase, on the west shore of Bear Island on Lake Temagami, with plagioclase phenocrysts, which bore a very marked resemblance to the more altered Huronite. As the felspar seemed so fresh and glassy in places, it was thought an optical examination accompanied by a chemical analysis would throw a great deal of light on the original character and composition of Huronite. Dr. Harrington kindly under- took the analysis of this felspar, which proves it to be labradorite' Under the microscope most of these crystals are quite fresh, although certain portions are more or less clouded by the presence of decomposition products, which it is often difficult to resolve, even with the higher powers of the microscope. Certain of the crystals, however, show the same alteration, only in a lesser degree, as that which charac- terizes the Huronite. It will thus be seen that the mineral is by no means so rare as some have supposed, but has, on the contrary, a wide geographical distribu- tion. The sole reason of its not being discovered, "in situ," earlier seems to have been due to the necessarily hurried and imperfect explorations first undertaken through these wild and unsettled districts. In 1885, Dr. B. J. Harrington, of McGill University, Montreal, decided to undertake an examination of the Pogamasing mineral for purposes of comparison with that contained in the original Drummond (1) No. 601, 10th Annua] Report, Geological Survey, Minnesota, p. 56. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 29 Island boulder, a sample of winch was contained in the Holmes collec- tion in the Peter Redpath Museum. In the course of this investigation he discovered some very grave errors in Thomson's description. " The hardness for example is about 5^ instead of 3 J as stated by Thomson. Instead of being infusible it is distinctly fusible (F about 5) while it con- tains alkalies the presence of which is entirely ignored by Thomson. "(1) Dana, in an old edi'.ion (2) of his mineralogy mentions Huronite under Prehnite, evidently deeming it an allied mineral. In 1889,(3) the same author mentions Huronite along with Weissite and Iherite as a supposed altered form of Iolite (Cordierite). In the same edition (4) he also says " Thomson's Huronite is an impure anorthite-like felspar related to bytownite, according to T. S. Hunt (priv. contrib.), ex- cluding the 4'i6 per cent of water the Si02 would be 47 percent, of the remainder." Again, in the same edition, Dana states (5) "Huronite, Thomson (Min., I., 384, 1836) considered an altered mineral near fahlunite by T. S. Hunt, occurs in spherical masses in hornblendic boulders in the vicinity of Lake Huron." In the last edifion of Dana's Mineralogy (6) the author, Mr. E. S. Dana, places the mineral under anorthite on the authority of Dr. Harrington's paper in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, but Dana is wrong in referring the analysis made by Mr. N. N. Evans, to the Huronite of the Drummond Island boulder, for in reality it belongs to the Huronite found by Dr. Girdwood near Pogamasing. Michel-Levy and Lacroix(7) include Huronite among the decomposition products of Iolite or Cor- dierite. The failure to assign to Huronite its rightful mineralogical posi- tion arose from the fact that it was impossible to ascertain its true nature by chemical analysis. It remained for the microscope to dis- close its composite nature and to show its relation to the more widely known " Saussurite." (1) See Trans- Royal Sue. Canada, Section III, 1886, p. S2. (2) System of Mineralogy, 3rd edition, 1850, p. 313. (3) See System of Mineralogy, 1889, p. 301. (4) See Idem, page 34.) (5) See Idem, page 485. (6) System of MineraWy, 1892, p. 340. (7) Les Mineraux des Roches, 1S8S, p. 174. 30 The Ottawa Naturalist. tfcata cf JncAcs Crystals of Huronite in Diabase. i ii No. 995, Geological Survey of Canada Museum) From % mile N. of Murphy Lake, Algoma, Ont. The name " Huronite " has usually been restricted to yellowish green more or less rounded masses or phenocrysts, which rarely exceed two inches in diameter, embedded in a medium textured dark greenish or greyish groundmass. Many of the smaller and not a few of he larger individuals have an irregular or jagged outline owing to mag" matic corrosion and frequently exhibit small arms or bays which have been filled by the invading magma. Occasionally some are seen with a more or less perfect crystallographic outline and many exhibit one or more sharp crystal faces. The mineral is light yellowish-green in colour although portions of the crystals which hive undergone less alteration show a very pale flesh red or pink colour as in the case of the Murphy Lake and Eastmain specimens. The crystals weather to an opaque greyish-white forming very conspicuous spots in an other- wise dark coloured rock. Under the microscope the greenish colour is seen to be due to the more or less abundant development of On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 31 zoisite, epidote, sericite and chlorite at the expense of the original felspar. Some of the phenocrysts show a more or less perfect cleavage which is noticeably the case in the Eastmain specimen, although in the more hightly altered samples, as those from the vicinity of Missinaibi, little or none can be seen. Occasionally, crystals show macroscopically the lamellation due to polysynthetic twinning, as in some of those in the Murphy Lake diabase, but as a general rule these lamellae are either absent altogether or so faint that they cannot be detected. The mineral is sublranslucent, varies in lustre from pearly to waxy accord- ing to degree of alteration. The hardness varies from 5^ to 6, fusibility about 5, and the specific gravity, according to Mr. R. A. A. Johnston, of the Geological Survey of Canada, varies from 2725 in the East- main specimen to 2 935 in those from Missinaibi. The specific gravity, as would be expected, shows an increase in proportion to the the alteration. The microscopic examination in general reveals the fact that in every case the so-called " Huronite " is really a plagioclase near the basic end of the series which has undergone more or less complete "saussuritization." In most instances the development of zoisite epidote, sericite, chlorite, etc., at the expense of the original felspar has been so abundant as to leave only traces of the original twinning lammellse and occasionally to destroy all evidence of this structure. Specimens may be obtained from the large number of slides examined, showing a complete gradation of this decomposition from the pure glassy plagioclase (labradorite) composing many of the phenocrysts con- tained in the diabase from Temagami Lake to the completed Saussurite or Huronite in the porphyritic individuals of the Missinaibi rock. The matrix in which those phenocrysts are embedded is in general a typical diabase of dark greenish or greyish colour which likewise shows a wide difference in degree of alteration under the microscope. The speci- mens from Bear Island, Lake Temagami, show a very typical and fresh olivine-diabase. With the exception of some of the crystals of olivine, the rock is remarkably free from decomposition, while in the finer grained portion of the rock from Missinaibi all the component minerals have undergone great alteration. The plagioclase is more or less completely " saussuritized," the augite originally present wholly con- verted to hornblende (uralite) and the ilmenite replaced by the dull 32 The Ottawa Naturalist. gray almost opaque variety of sphene known as leucoxene. A strange fact noticed, moreover, is that frequently the less altered phenocrysts of Huronite occur in an exceedingly decomposed diabase as is the case in the Pogamasing and Eastmain specimens, while the more highly altered porphyritic individuals of this mineral are frequently developed in a groundmass more or less remarkable for its freshness. This is noticeably the case in the original specimen from the Drummond Island boulder. Tne first stage in the decomposition or " siussuritization " of the plagioclase shows a cloudiness due to the development of a dull, fine grained, more or less opaque material, with a higher index of refraction causing the granules to stand out in relief from the surrounding felspar. In many cases, even in the thinnest sections, this is beyond the highest power of the microscope to resolve into its component min- eral or minerals. This is accompanied, or immediately followed, by the development of sericite (hydrated muscovite) in small scales showing characteristic brilliant interference colours. The cleavage planes and fissures are seen to contain large scales and plates of this mineral, while certain other cracks and fissures are filled with chlorite and serpentine resulting from the decomposition of the bisilicates present. The smaller granules now coalesce and form larger masses and individuals of zoisite and epidote, while larger plates and scales of sericite are developed and the original plagioclase is finally replaced by a comparatively coarse grained aggregate consisting of zoisite, epidote, sericite, chlorite, calcite, and felspar. Where the alteration has been extreme, as in the case of the plagioclase originally piesent in the matrix of the Pogamasing specimen, the lime is more or less completely removed, and the alkaline portion of the plagioclase has crystallized into pure limpid grains of albite which seldom show twinning striations and are accordingly fre- quently mistaken for quartz with which they are often associated. The larger phenocrysts very frequently showed a marked difference both in the degree and character of the alteration of their central and peripheral portions. The zoisite and epidote were much more abund- ant in the zone or belt immediately surrounding the crystals, while muscovite is the prevailing decomposition product present in the cen- On Some Dykes Containing Huron ite. 33 tral portion. In the plagioclase of the matrix the decomposition pro- ducts are frequently grouped together in the central portion, leaving a comparatively clear and iresh periphery. Certain of the crystals of felspar are quite fresh and glassy, having for some reason escaped the alteration to which most have been subjected. With the single exception, perhaps, of the plagioclase originally contained in the fine-grained portion of the rock from Pogamasing the decomposition has not been of such extreme character that secondary albite has resulted and in every other instance the clear felspar sub- stance is certainly an unaltered survival of the original individual. The plagioclase of thegroundmass is usually in more or less elongated forms, but occasionally mutual interference has produced at times rounded contours. In composition — to judge from the measurements of the angle contained between the maximum extinction of adjacent lamellae — the plagioclase appears to be always near the basic end of the felspar series. Some of the angles obtained are high enough for anorthite, the most basic of the felspars, but generally the angles obtained indicated labradorite as the most frequent source of the Huronite. PETROGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS. i. Locality. — At Hudson's Bay Co.'s Post, Bear Island, Lake Temagami, District of Nipissing, Ontario. (From a boulder.) In the hand specimen the rock is a dark green, medium textured diabase in which numerous large phenocrysts of plagioclase are deve- loped. Most of these porphyritic crystals are more or less rounded owing to magmatic corrosion, although occasional individuals exhibit tolerably sharp and perfect crystallographic boundaries. Some of the crystals measure as much as three inches in diameter, but as a rule they vary from one to two inches across. They have in general a greenish tinge, although portions of some of the crystals show a flesh red colour. Most of this plagioclase is remarkably fresh and glassy, but the cleavage planes are very frequently coated with such alteration products as ser- pentine and chlorite derived from the decomposing bisilicates present in the matrix. The phenocrysts are often seen containing or invaded by portions of the finer-grained groundmass. This matrix weathers brownish or yellowish owing to the oxidation of the iron present, while 34: The Ottawa Naturalist. the phenocrysts of plagioclase become a dull greyish white, thus ren- dering the rock very conspicuous. In general the rock bears a very close megascopical resemblance to the diabase originally described as con- taining the Huronite while the phenocrysts themselves differ only in the degree of alteration they have undergone. The writer regards this diabase as the least altered representative of the series of rocks studied but which, under similar conditions, would have furnished a rock dif- fering but slightly, if at all, from any of the more decomposed speci- mens first noticed and described as containing " Huronite." An analysis of a portion of one of the least altered of these pheno- crysts of plagioclase, kindly undertaken by Dr. Harrington of McGill University, proves the species to be labradorite. The followiug are the results : Silica 54' 19 Alumina 28 ' 42 Ferric Oxide o 77 Ferrous Oxide 041 Manganous Oxide Trace Lime 1047 Magnesia o' 52 Soda 4-47 Potash o ' 63 Loss on ignition 59 100 47 The specific gravity of carefully selected fragments with the bottle was 2 679. Under the microscope the rock is seen to be a very typical and rather fresh olivine-diabase. In many instances the large phenocrysts are quite fresh and give the extinction angles characteristic of labra- dorite. Very often, however, irregular areas and patches have under- gone considerable " sericitization," the resulting scales of hydrated mus- covite being very minute. Occasionally this alteration is carried farther and both zoisite and epidoteare present in addition to the sericite as a result of secondary action. At times a narrow border surrounding those crystals exhibits a micro-perthitic structure. A careful examination ad- duced sufficient evidence to indicate clearly that a more extended alter- On Some Dykes Containing Hukonite. 35 tion of these phenocrysts of labradorite would produce the so called Huronite. The fine-grained portion of the rock in which these crystals have been developed is a fresh aggregate composed chiefly of plagio- clase (labradorite), augite and olivine. The ophitic or diabasic struc- ture is very pronounced. The plagioclase is usually idiomorphic form- ing an interlacing network of lath-shaped crystals, the interstices ot which are filled with augite and olivine. The augite possesses the red- dish colour and pleochroism so common in diabase, the larger grains showing frequent distortion and occasional dislocation. Both the fel- spar and augite exhibit undulatory extinction as an effect of pressure. The olivine, as usual, occurs in irregular, more or less rounded indi- viduals, only very rarely presenting sharp crystallographic outline. Com- monly, it is rather fresh, showing a colourless or light greenish sec- tion with characteristic high relief, rough surface and brilliant interfer- ence colours. It is rarely so fresh, however, as to be without traversing fissures filled with more or less opaque alteration products. In many instances the original olivine grain is represented by a greenish or yel- lowish material, probably serpentine. Small scales or grains of opaque iron ore (magnetite) are associated with this serpentine indicating that they were also a result of the decomposition of the olivine. Less fre- quently, perhaps, the olivine shows a very interesting and rather un- usual alteration to talc, but the resulting scales of this mineral were so small that this could not be ascertained beyond dispute. The talc is of a very pale green colour, slightly pleochroic, and exhibits very brilliant interference colours between crossed nicois. It occurs as a matted or felted aggregate of very minute scales filling the original olivine grain. The talc is usually accompanied by more or less opaque iron ore and occasionally some chlorite, (i) A considerable quantity of biotite is present which in some cases has undergone considerable ''bleaching" owing to the removal of iron, while in other cases it is altered to chlorite. Apatite is also a tolerably abun- dant accessory constituent. The magnetite occurs usually in irregu- lar black grains, most of which have resulted from the decomposi- (i) Vol. III. Geol., Wisconsin, p. 235. 36 Tue Ottawa Naturalist. tion of the olivine. Frequently, however, it occurs in tabular or rod- like forms, which are sometimes arranged in one set of parallel planes only, while in other cases they lie in two sets of planes intersecting one another. These rod-like forms penetrate all the constituents of the rock. In many instances the smaller rod like forms occur in associa- tion with the biotite, and their correspondence in position with the planes of cleavage of this mineral suggests that in these cases, at least, their formation has been due to secondary action (" Schillerization ,:), in- volving the elimination of the iron and the development of magnetite along the planes of easy cleavage. 2. Locality. — S.E. \, N.YV. £, Section 19, 65, 3, cutting on the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western R.R., just west of the narrows of Gunflint Lake, Minnesota. (1) Mr. U. S. Grant, who kindly sent me the speciment at Prof. \Y\n chell's request, says : " The rock is from one of the diabase sills (2) in the lower or iron-bearing member of the Animikie. The markedly porphyritic character is only local, the main part of the siil being wiihout phenocrysts. These porphyritic patches are sometimes rather sharply marked off from the main mass of the sill, but they usually pass into the non- porphyritic parts simply by a gradual loss of the large crystals. This sporadic development of large felspar phenocrysts in certain ol these Animikie sills is a rather common feature." Macroscopically the rock resembles very closely the boulder brought from lake Temagimi, being a dark green diabase with pheno- crysts of fresh plagioc'ase which exhibit the polysynthetic twin lamel- lation very beautifully. The microscope reveals a rock composed mainly of plagioclase and augite with pronounced ophitic structure. The augite when fresh is of the reddish and slightly pleochroic variety so common in diabase, but it shows abundant alteration to greenish or brownish green hornblende (uralite). The opaque iron ore has the same rod-like development noticed in the examination of the preceding rock. Biotite is present (1) Specimen No. 951, Geographical ami Natural History Survey ol Minnesota, collectoi 1 . S. Grant, see 22nd Annual Report, p. 82. (2) Logan hills ol Lawson, see Bulletin 8, Minnesota Survey. On Some Dykes Contaimm; Huromte. 37 and shows considerable " bleaching " and chloritization. The larger phenocrysts, which are probably labradorite, are mostly quite fresh and glassy, but irregular areas are more or less clouded by the development of minute scales of sericite or kaolin. The rock differs from the Temagami specimen in the absence of olivine and the advanced uralitization of the augite 3. Locality. — Landing at Silvei Islet, north shore of Lake Superior. Prof. Winchell thus describes this rock (601) : (1) '-A coarse porphy- ritic 'dioryte'in a dyke running parallel to and contiguous, to and passing into (602) a fine grained ' dioryte ' in the form of a dyke. The interval of transition is perhaps two feet wide, and the crystals of felspar are scatteringly disseminated through it on the south side, and wholly disappear on the north side. They run in the same direction a.s the dyke on Silver Islet. The whole is 45 feet wide, but is evenly divided between Nos. 601 and 602 from about a mile north of the ' Landing at Silver Islet."' The thin section under the microscope showed an aggregate of plagioclase (labradorite), augite, serpentine and opaque iron ore. The phenocrysts of plagioclase as well as the lath-shaped crystals pre- sent in the groundmass show more or less 'cloudiness' due to the development of minute scales of muscovite. Irregular fissures travers- ing the felspar are filled with yellowish green serpentine derived from that present in the surrounding matrix. The augite, which is quite fresh, has a reddish colour, and is slightly pleochroic. It occurs in irregular grains and areas filling in the spaces between the plagioclase laths. The yellowish green serpentine, which is abundant, is present in areas whose external form and internal arrangement at once suggest its alteration from olivine, which was no doubt originallv present. These phenocrysts of labradorite are much fresher than those to which the name " Huronite ': has usually been applied, but under similar conditions of alteration there is no doubt that they would become so decomposed as to be indistinguishable from this mineral. (1) Specimens Nos. 601 and 602, ioih Annual Report of Geological and Natura History Survey, Minnesota, page 56. 38 The Ottawa Naturalist. 4. Locality. — Knob or Fault Hill, west branch Hamilton River, 20 miles below old Fort Nascawpee on Lake Petitsikpow, (1) Labrador Peninsula. The specimen, according to Mr. A. P. Low", is from a dyke cutting the ferruginous limestones and shales of Knob or Fault Hill, a promi- nent topographical feature, as it rises rathet abruptly to the height of 350 feet above the surrounding country. The dyke occupies the sum- mit of the hill, while 200 feet below come in the stratified rocks through which it has been intruded. Neither the width of the dyke nor the nature of its contact with the bedded rocks could be ascertained owing to the accumulation of drift material, but it certainly cannot be much less than 200 yards. Microscopically the hand specimen shows a medium textured dark green almost black diabase containing occasional small and imperfect phenocrysts of a light greenish grey plagioclase which has undergone incipient " saussuritization." Under the microscope the rock is seen to be composed of an aggregate of plagiochse, augite, serpentine, and ilmenite. The augite is very fresh, Ins a light brownish red colour and shows a marked pleochroism. In general i;s foim is allotriomorphic, filling in the spaces between the felspar, but occasional individuals exhibit sharp and perfect crystal boundaru I'he plagioclase occurs in inu:e or less elongated lath-shaped crystals which are often somewhat stout and rounded thus producing a rather coarse ophitic structure. Many of the small individuals a»-e quite fre^i, but the larger ones show considerable alteration to sericite and epidote. The resulting " saussurite " is in no instance so abundantly developed as to destroy the polysynthetic twinning stri;r. I'he large amount of serpentine noticed in this rock has evidently resulted from the deconv position of olivine originally present. The serpentinization of the olivine is in every instance completed, and only the outline and structure of the serpentine individuals serve to indicate the mineral from which it has been derived. These occasionally show a network of fibrous ser- pi ntine which was fust produced, the greenish fibres standing perpen- dicular to the cracks along which they have been developed. Owing (1) Refer No. 4, \. p 28, Book II., Low, 21/6/94. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 39 to this parallel arrangement of the fibres, the serpentinous substance gives a faint but definite reaction with polarized light. The meshes of the net-like structure thus produced are filled with more finely devel- oped scales and fibres of serpentine which are nearly, if not, quite isotropic. These decomposed grains are often seen embedded in the fresh augite. The ilm*mite occurs in large irregular fragments or in small more or less rounded granules and in both cases shows character- istic alteration to leucoxene. The leucoxene is of the usual opaque grey colour, but sometimes brownish grey, and frequently show, especially in the thinner portions of the slide as also the smaller frag- ments, the brilliant chromatic polarization of sphene of which it is simply a variety. 5. Locality. — ^ mite north of Murphy Lake, Timber Limit, 90, District of Algoma, Ont. The specimen is from a dyke cutting rocks of Huronian age. The matrix is a normal datk green diabase whose ophitic structure is mega- scopically apparent. A freshly exposed surface shows the Huronite to be of the usual pale yellowish green colour, while the less altered por- tions of the crystals have a more or less pinkish or flesh red colour. In many of these individuals a somewhat indistinct cleavage and a rather faint striation due to multiple twinning may be seen. The matrix weathers a brownish colour while the phenocrysts become a dull opaque greyish white thus rendering portions of this rock which have been subjected to atmospheric action very conspicuous. Microscopically, the Huronite is seen to be labradorite which has undergone more or less " saussuritization." A narrow border usually surrounds these phenocrysts of labradorite which is free from the pro- ducts of decomposition, but immediately within this rim is a zone or band where the alteration has been extreme and here the resulting zoisite, epidote and sericite replace nearly, if not quite, all of the origi- nal felspar. The epidote and zoisite are present in irregular grains or masses, while the sericite, as usual, occurs in scales and plates. All of these alteration products have a more or less definite arrangement. The grains and imperfect crystals of epidote and zoisite are usually elongated in a direction corresponding more or less with the twinning striations 40 The Ottawa Naturalist. or in a direction nearly at right angles while the scales and plates ot sericite have a similar development. The specific gravity, ascertained by Mr. R. A. A, Johnston, of these porphyritic crystals was 2758. The matrix of these crystals is a rather fresh diabase with pro- nounced ophitic structure and composed chiefly of plagioclase an" augite. The plagioclase is idiomorphic and forms an interlacing net- work of lath-shaped crystals. Occasional crystals are rather fresh and glassy, but usually they exhibit the same alteration as the larger por- phyritic individuals, and apparently belong to the same species of felspar (labradorite). The decomposition products aggregate themselves to- ward the centre of the crystal leaving a somewhat fresh periphery. The augite is in general quite fresh, but occasionally an individual was seen partially altered into green, strongly trichroic hornblende. Twins are common. A considerable quantity of biotite is present which is al- ways more or less altered to chlorite, llmenite, an abundant consti- tuent, occurs in irregular grains and only shows incipient alteration to leucoxene. Occasional prisms of apatite were noticed, chiefly developed in the chloritized biotite. The more unaltered portions of the plagio- clase show the undulatory extinction due to pressure. Pynte is also an abundant constituent. 6. Locality. — Algoma Mills, north shore of Lake Huron, district of Algoma, Ontario. (1) The thin section exhibits a rock very similar to the one just des- cribed and must be regarded as being derived from a dyke almost anal- agous in character and composition to that exposed near Murphy Lake. The phenocrysts of labradorite show the usual alteration into an aggregate composed chiefly of muscovite, epidote and zoisite although considerable portions of some of the crystals are free from these de- composition products. The augite has a light yellowish colour and is only slightly pleochroic. Twins are common, the twinning plane and composition face beinc the orthopinacoid. Curved or distorted individuals were often noticed exhibiting the "From a boulder No. 1605, Geological Survey of Minnesota, series of rocks, 18th Annual report, [age 58. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 41 <( train shadows " due to pressure. A good proportion showed an in- cident uralitization. The plagioclase of the groundmass has also undergone more or less " saussuritization " and occurs in stout and rounded laths thus producing a rather coarse ophitic structure. The ilmenite present in irregular grains is often fresh but shows occasional incipient alteration to leucoxene. A small amount of chlorite is also present. 7. Locality — Shore of Drummond Island, Lake Huron, (from a boulder.) The slide was made from a fragment, obtained through the kind- ness of Dr. Harrington, from a duplicate specimen of the original boulder at present in the Holmes collection of the Peter Redpath Mu- seum of McGill University. The first examination and analysis by Dr. Thomson was rather imperfect as pointed out by Dr. Harrington (1) but it has been thought advisable to reproduce the analysis, though im- perfect, for purposes of rough comparison. This analysis is as follows : Silica 45 ' 80 Alumina 33 92 Ferrous Oxide 432 Lime 804 Magnesia 172 Loss on ignition 4. 16 97-96 The specific gravity, according to Dr. Thomson, is 2-8625. Under the microscope the phenocrysts of the so-called " Huronite " are seen to be a decomposed aggregate of zoisite, muscovite, epidote, calcite, chlo- rite and felspar. Occasionally there is a very narrow border of compa ratively unaltered felspar surrounding these individuals, in which traces of the very fine striation, due to multiple twinning, may be observed. Im- mediately within this band, however, the decomposition products are most abundant, and the original plagioclase is replaced almost altogether by epidote, zoisite and muscovite, their relative abundance being in the order mentioned, while the interior of the crystals is composed mainly of muscovite with a much less proportion of zoisite, epidote and felspar. (1) Trans. Royal Society of Canada, Section III., 18S6, p. 82. 42 The Ottawa Naturalist. The epidote and zoisite occur in irregular, often somewhat elongated masses or "grape-like" bunches which frequently show a more or less definite arrangemenr in accordance with the structure of the original felspar. Both minerals exhibit theii characteristic high relief, the epi- dote showing brilliant chromatic polarization colours, and yellow to colourless pleochroism, while the interference colours of the zoisite, as usual, are very low, dull bluish to yellowish. The sericite is of a very pale green, and occurs in scales or aggregates of scales and plates, show- ing customary brilliant polarization colours and parallel extinction. The sericite has, likewise, often a definite arrangement, but sometimes occurs in irregular or matted aggregates. The " saussuritization " of the origi- nal plagioclase has been usually so complete, that only traces of the twinning lamellae can be detected. The matrix in which these crystals are embedded is a diabase, composed essentially of plagioclase and augite. The plagioclase shows moie or less alteration, identical in cha- racter with that of the larger phenocrysts so that it must have had a similar composition. It occurs as lath-shaped, twin crystals, often con- sisting of only two lamellae, which pierce, and are often embedded in the augite. The augite occurs in more or less irregular masses, filling in the interstices between the felspar laths. It is light brownish in colour, exhibits a faint pleochroism, and the characteristic interrupted cleavages in cross-section. It is partially altered into green trichroic hornblende, and occasionally the alteration has been carried so far that chlorite has resulted. This uralitization has only proceeded to a limited extent. and is confined to a narrow margin surrounding the irregular fissures traversing the augite masses. Occasional twins were noticed, the twinning plane being the orthopinacoid. Ilmenite is abundant, but almost wholly converted into leucoxene- The fragments have generally jagged and irregular contours, hut occa- sionally, some are seen which possess a rather perfect crystallographic outline. The characteristic alteration along lines parallel to the faces of the rhombohedron produces alternating bands of greyish white leu- coxene, and black, unaltered ilmenite. The less altered portions of the plagioclase and the augite show uneven or wavy extinction, the " strain shadows " induced in the latter being especially well marked, On SoMe Dykes Containing Huronite. 43 and is a noticeable and interesting feature in connection with the rock. Additional evidence of pressure is furnished by the frequent distortion and even dislocation of both the plagioclase and augite individuals. 8. Locality. — About 4 miles N.YV. Pogamasing Station, main line, Canadian Pacific Railway, District of Algoma, Ont. The specimen was obtained from a dyke, cutting the granitoid gneisses of the Laurentian. The phenocrysts of " Huronite " have generally a rude, rounded outline, the largest of which are about two inches in diameter. Many of the smaller ones have irregular or jagged outline, and occasional individuals exhibit some of the sharp faces of the original crystal. The mineral is of the usual light, yellowish-green colour, shows the glistening surfaces of the indistinct cleavage and occa- sional faint-strire. It is sub-translucent, has a waxy lustre, and a some- what " soapy " feel. According to Dr. Harrington* " the hardness is 5.1, *Trans. Royal Soc. Canada, Sec. Ill, 1886, p. 82. or a little over, fusibility about 5, and specific gravity 2-814." An analysis of some of the material composing these phenocrysts was made by Mr. N. N. Evans, of McGill University, for Dr. Harrington, with the follow- ing results : Silica 47' 07 Alumina 32 49 Ferric Oxide 097 Lime 13 ■ 30 Magnesia 022 Potash 2 88 Soda 203 Loss on ignition 272 roi68 The matrix in which these crystals are developed is a fine-grained dark ^reen diabase, with abundantly disseminated particles of iron pyrites. Uuder the microscope the " Huronite " is seen to consist of an aggregate of epidote, zoisite, sericite and chlorite, but in the larger crystals especially, considerable areas of unaltered plagioclase exist which are quite fresh and glassy, and exhibit the twinning lamellae quite distinctly. The smaller phenocrysts, however, a^e altogether 44 Til k Ottawa Naturalist. decomposed so that there is" little or no evidence of the lamellation of the original felspar. The matrix in which these crystals are embedded is an exceedingly decomposed grouudmass made up of felspar, epidote, chlorite, hornblende and zoiaite, with larger individuals of augite in a more or less advanced stage of uralitization. The alteration to horn- blende is mainly marginal and has proceeded very unevenly, the core of unaltered augite, having thus a very irregular outline. The augite has a brownish colour and exhibits the characteristic interrupted cleavages in cross-section. The larger individuals are all twinned, the twinning plane being the orthopinacoid. The rock is so decomposed that the original ophilic structure is nearly, if not quite, obliterated. Very little trace, if any, remains of the original plagioclase of the ground mass, and instead small areas or fragments of a water-clear unstriated felspar (albite?) are present which are evidently secondary, as they contain minute embedded needless of the secondary epidote. This water clear secondary felspar has evidently been developed at the expense of the original plagioclase. ( i ) A considerable amount of ilmenite was originally present, but is now almost altogether decomposed to leucoxene. This greyish white translucent mineral occurs in masses which are generally irregular or have a rude rhombic outline, and frequently exhibits the very charac- teristic alteration along lines or zones parallel to the faces of the rhombohedron. The thinnest section shows the mineral to be made up of an aggregate of minute rounded grains with a high index of refraction and showing brilliant interference colours. (2) 9. Locality.— \o miles north of Lake KLawachagami, on the portage route between the Rupert and Eastnaain rivers, in the peninsula of Labrador, Geo. Survey of Canada, Eastmain River. (3) Macroscopirally a dark greenish grey gabbro with yellowish green phenocrysts of plagioclase. The phenocrysts have a tolerably sharp, through irregular outline, the larger ones being over an inch in diameter. Under the microscope the rock is seen to be composed mainly of plagioclase, augite and ilmenite. In places a coarse ophitic structure can 1 1 1 'Rail, British Petrography, p. 230. (2) Notes on the microscopic structure of some i<>oks <>f the Quebec Group- . I). Ada,n- Geo. Survey, Canada, Report Progress, 1880-82, p. 16, A. Reference X<>. 1. p. 12. Book II, 12/7/92, Low. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. \~> be seen and the specimen doubtless represents the " granitoid " structure so characteristic of the centre portion of most diabase dykes which nearer their margin exhibit the typical ophitic structure. The larger phenocrysts show a marked alteration. Most of the sections of these crystals are made up of innumerable minute scales and fibres of light greenish seri- ate arranged parallel to the polysynthetic twinning lines, and therefore even where the alteration has proceeded farthest the direction of the very fine striation may still be ascertained. Zoisite and epidote have aho been developed the former usually in mure or less elongated prisms or lath-shaped crystals, occurring either isolated or in irregularly disposed groups. The epidote is present in irregular grains or associ- ated with calcite filling certain fissures in the crystals. Some portions of the crystals which had ercaped alteration had a distinctly reddish colour and revealed the fine twinning stria?. The crystals are precisely similar to those decribed by Thompson as " Huronite." The specific gravity of these crystals, according to Mr. R. A. A. Johnston, is 2725 The augite has undergone more or less complete uralitization, although in most cases cores of unaltered material remain. During this process a certain amount of epidote present in the slide has been formed. The plagioclase of the matrix shows the same alteration or " saussuritization ' as the larger phenocrysts, the decomposition products aggregating them- selves towards the centre leaving a comparatively fresh periphery. Ilmenite is a rather abundant constituent and occasionally shows incipient alteration to leucoxene. Apatite is very abundant. The interlamination of quartz and felspar, known as granophyre, is present in considerable quantity. ro. Locality near Missinaibi Station, on the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, District of Algoma, Ont. The specimen examined was obtained by Dr. Selwyn from one of several dykes which cut both the Huronian and Laurentian rock exposed in this region. It is a medium grained dark greyish green diabase whose ophitic structure is megascopically apparent. The por- phyritic crystals vary from a pale greyish green to a light yellow green, weathering to a light grey on exposed surfaces. Very frequently they have tolerably good crystallographic boundaries, although in most cases 16 The Ottawa Naturalist. especially in the smaller individuals they have a rather irregular out- line. The specific gravity of these crystals ascertained by Mr. R. A. A. Johnston was 2935. Under the microscope these phenocrysts show a very advanced stage of alteration and the original plagioclase is now replaced by an aggre- gate of muscovite, zoisite, epidote, felspar and calcite. There is little or no trace left of the original twinning lamellae. The plagioclase laths present in the enclosing matrix show a similar alteration, although not. to so large an extent. The augite originally present is now replaced by hornblende (uralite) and often the alteration has proceeded so far that chlorite has resulted. These resulting products of decomposition fill the original allotriomorphic individuals of augite. These individuals as now present usually exhibit a deep gieen border of strongly trichroic hornblende, while the interior is occupied by an aggregate of interlacing fibres of light green hornblende with more or less chlorite. Traces of the characteristic interrupted cleavages of augite are present in occa- sional grains, but no unaltered cores now remain. The resemblence to other uralitic hornblende is, however, unmistakable. ( 1) The hornblende also bears a close resemblence to that present in the rock just described (No. 9) in which cores of the original augite are still present. The ilmenite present is more or less altered to leucoxene showing brilliant polarization colours (compare No. 8 ante). A considerable amount of biotite of a light brown colour on account of the "bleaching" it has undergone shows rather brilliant interference colours. The biotite has also been altered in many cases to chlorite. Granophyre structure was also noticed. //. Loca/ilv. — Lake Petitsikapow, about 15 miles below old Fort Nascawpee. West branch Hamilton River. Labrador Peninsula. (2) The dyke from which the sample was taken, according to Mr. Low, is 2co yards in width, coarsely crystalline in the centre where the porphyritic individuals of Huronite are often three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The dyke breaks through and alters sandstones, limestones (i) Williams' Appendix I., Part F. , Annual Report, Geological Survey of Vol. V., 1S.S9-90, p. 60. (2) Reference No. 4, p. 3c, Bk. II. Low, 23/6/94. On Some Dykes Containing Huronite. 47 and shales of Cambrian age, running almost parallel to their strike. The specimen was taken from near the middle of this dyke, and shows macroscopically a dark greenish grey, rather coarse grained diabase, in which are embedded numerous phenocrysts of altered greenish felspar (Huronite). The crystals of " Huronite," though much smaller than usual, are on the other hand much more abundant, so that it is often difficult to obtain even x small chip of the finer groundmass, in which they are embedded. The felspar of both the larger porphyritic indi- viduals and those present in the groundmass show great alteration, although the polysynthetic twinning lamellae may still be recognized. The decomposition products are mainly sericite and epidote. The specific gravity of these phenocrysts according to Mr. Johnston, i3 2.773. The augite when fresh (which is rarely the case except in very minute fragments), is of a reddish colour, and shows distinct pleochroison. A threat deal of chlorite is present. The ilmenite occurs in irregular grains as well as fragments, which have a more or less perfect crystallographic outline and occasional perfect rhombohedra were noticed. The alteration to leucoxene is very characteristic, this resulting form of sphene frequently exhibiting its characteristic brilliant chromatic polarization in thin sections. (1) Besides these larger frag- ments small rounded grains of a brownish grey translucent minera' occur with high index of refraction, and show brilliant interference colours. These occasionally show small granules in the centre of un- altered titanic iron ore, and thus reveal their derivation. Apatite is very abundant, and occurs in colourless prismatic needles which are frequently bent, cracked and broken. Pyrite is also a rather abundant accessory constituent. (1) Page 16 A, Report Geological Survey of Canada, 1SS0-2. 48 The Ottawa Naturalist. HUNTING THE BARREN GROUND CARIBOU. By Frank Russell, of the State University of Iowa. Vague rumors had reached Fort Rae concerning the whereabouts of the "deer " during the last week of October, but it was not until the first of November that a party left the post to hunt them. A few years ago the Barren Ground Caribou appeared about the fort regularly upon All Saints Day. They were often killed from the buildings, and throughout the winter might be found near the post. In 1877 an unbroken line of caribou crossed the frozen lake near the fort, they were fourteen days in passing and in such a mass that, in the words of an eye witness, "daylight could not be seen " through the column. They are now seldom seen within several miles of Rae. The "Fort Hunter,'-' Tenony, with seven of his followers was just starting upon a seventy-five mile journey toward the north on the evening of the first, when I learned of his intentions, and after agreeing to furnish a few " skins " of flour, tea, and tobacco, and to pay a skin a day for a dog driver it was settled that I might accompany them into the hunting grounds where another chief, Naohmby, had objected to my Lining three months before, on the ground that all the game would desert the country if pursued by a naturalist. I loaded my sled with thirty white fish, three days provisions for the dogs, and fifteen pounds of " dry meat " for the " boy," while I shared alternately with each of them during the trip, the rank, " hung fish " driving me to dried meat and the leathery slabs compelling me to return to the fish. As the " brigade" only intended getting clear of the fort that even- ing I preferred to remain and make an early start the nexf day. We left the fort at daylight on the second, Yahty running before my dogs. Our course was northward for twelve miles, to the end of the Northern Ann of the Great Slave Lake, whence a channel a hundred yards in width called Willow River continues for half a mile before expanding into a small lake extending toward the northeast and connecting by a number of " schnys " with Lac Brochet. Following the eastern shore of the small lake, we crossed a short portage and traversing a narrow Hunting the Barren Ground Caribou. soon as the outside was roasted the jaw was turned back and the tongue, one of the choicest bits of all, slightly cooked. The dogs were Hunting the Barren Ground Caribou. 51 well fed for the first time in months ; we gave them the quarters only^ and cracked the long bones for the marrow which, raw or roasted, is one of the greatest of Dog Rib luxuries. Look down in pity upon " the savage and his marrow bones " if you will, b'-it you might perhaps relish that same marrow if you had " hustled" for those bones yourself as I had done, or you might after running fifty miles pass your plate a second time for bouillon made of blood carried to camp in a caribou's stomach. Even the tendons were eaten and the feet also, after roasting them until the hoof could be knocked off. Although I lived some time with the Dog Ribs and spent over a year in their territory, I never knew of their eating the contents cf the cari- bou's stomach as do the Eskimos. The unborn calf, the udder of a milk-giving cow, the tongue, the marrow and back fat are the parts held in highest esteem. Tenony fulfilled his promise of returning after " five sleeps," but marched fifty miles against a heavy gale of wind upon the sixth day to do it. The caribou came but little nearer during the winter of 1893-84. I made three other trips in search of them and travelled five hundred miles in all, driving my own dogs after the first hunt with Tenony, Out of a large number secured, I selected eight choice specimens, and during the winter obtained the skin of an albino, for the museum of the State University of Iowa. Albinism is of rare occurrence among the Barren Ground Caribou. One of the oldest Dog Ribs assured me that he had never seen a ': white deer." Authorities differ as to the time when the antlers are cast. The new horn begins to grow late in April and the velvet is not all cleared off until November. The old males shed their antlers in December. While in the Barren Ground in March and April, I saw large numbers of both sexes with antlers, and on the 5th of April I killed a buck, four or five years of age, still bearing them. At that season we saw thousands of caribou in the vicinity of Bathurst Inlet, which had evidently wintered there and not approached the woods as in former years. It is said that only the females reach the sea coast where they drop their young in June. Yet I have seen both male and female caribou wading in the shoal water of the Arctic Ocean south of Herschel Island in July. 52 The Ottawa Naturalist. TOWN BIRDS. By W. A. D. Lees. {Read before the Ottawa Field Naturalist's Club, 14th March, iSgj.) After a year or two with little opportunity to be in the woods or on the waters where birds are most commonly found, one his not much to report of their doings, and hence I am constrained to-night to confine my remarks to "Town Birds." Everyone of us may see something of these as he goes about the city on his daily business, and to one who has not given the subject much attention it is astonishing what a num- ber of species are found even in the busiest streets. For the student of birds, as well as for those who have only a very casual acquaintance with them, there is always something new in store, even among the town birds. Seven years ago yesterday, near the corner of Maria and Metcalfe streets when I was only beginning, as they say with children, to " take notice " of birds, I came upon a flock of Purple Finches (I think the other name of Red Linnet, is a better one) and was thrilled by the brilliant colour of their plumage, which to my un- practised eye seemed as if stained by the rowan berries upon which they were feeding. Less than a month ago, at the same street corner, I saw my first flock of those erratic winter visitants the Bohemian Waxwings, and I do not think that either the lapse of years, or the number of birds I have come to know since those first red linnets, in any degree les- sened the thrill of pleasure with which I welcomed another new ac- quaintance to the list of my bird friends. The rowan trees along the streets and in public and private grounds, when in fruit, give us many opportunities of seeing birds which, like these Waxwings, visit us from the far north. Most of you will remem- ber how, some ten years ago, the Pine Grosbeaks came down in such numbers, and were so apparently indifferent to the presence of man, that they might almost be taken by hand as they fed upon the berries dropped by their hungry comrades in the trees, upon the snow be- neath. Almost every neglected vacant lot with its crop of weed seeds attracts in due time its roving flock of Redpolls, or their near relatives the Goldfinches, for these latter often spend the winter with us, escap- Town Birds. 53 ing, in their sober garb of olive brown, the observation of those who only know them in the brilliant black and gold or Summer. Pine Sis- kins too may be looked for whenever and wherever the white cedars have cones, in the seeds of which they seem especially to delight, and wherever such small game abounds, one has not far to seek their hand- some and voluble but deceitful enemy the Shrike. Hawks too are more or less common according to the food supply, and my note-book gives me both winter and summer records of the Sparrow Hawk in the busiest parts of the city. A hawk was captured alive last fall at the City Hall square, and kept some time in confinement, but proving an undesirable pet, it passed from one owner to another and at last made its escape. I did not ascertain its species, but a remarkably tall legend connected with its final disappearance might readily suggest the possibility of its having been a Fish-hawk. Even such a man-hater as the Ruffed Grouse, or as we commonly, but I believe incorrectly, call him, the Partridge, occasionally pays the city a visit, and has been known to fly through the glass of a window and land on the dining room table, a place to which, under the strin- gency of the present game laws, he usually finds his way by a less d.'rect route, and, I might add, under a different name from either of the above. Turning now to the summer birds, many are almost too common to need mention : such, for instance as the omnivorous and belligerent House Sparrow, for whom the name English, or even European, is now more of a misnomer than ever, since he has annexed the whole Ameri- can continent. The Robin and the Song Sparrow may be heard and seen in all parts of the city, and the Night Hawk and Chimney Swift, in their season, are familiar objects to a 1 who even glance upward. One of the former seated on a flat roof forms the subject of a very good photograph, edited (if I may use the tern) by one of our members, who was quick enough to take advantage of the situation from the back window of a Sparks Street studio. Tree Swallows and Purple Martins are only a little less conmon. both species being regular summer boarders at the Albion Hotel, which has long sinceceased toentertain other guests 54 The Ottawa Naturalist. than these occupants of its sky parlors. Many a period of enforced wait- ting in an unattractive court room across the street has been pleasantly relieved by these same birds. From the windows of the same building I have often caught other little glimpses of bird-life without, which were in pleasing contrast with the glimpses of man life to be had within. Here I have seen amongst others, Chipping Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Warbling Vireos, Downy Woodpeckers, and Cedar Waxwings ; a pair of the last industriously ridding the ash trees of caterpillars, and so close that I could easily distinguish the red wax-like appendages to the wing-tips, from which the bird takes it name. These birds are in due season also industrious fly-catchers, working in exactly the same way as the true Tyrannise, and so it is a question if, after all, they do not earn a right to at least some of the fruit they so greedily consume. Amongst other birds more or less common in busy parts of the city may be named Bluebirds, Vesper Sparrows, and Savanna Sparrows, and even that handsome Woodpecker, from whose thirty or more names the American Ornithologist's Union has chosen " Flicker," appears in my note-book as a town bird. That surprises are often in store for the observer of town birds is shown by such records as those of a Brown Creeper climbing a tele- graph pole at the corner of Elgin and Queen streets, a Red-breasted Nuthatch on another telegraph pole at the corner of Elgin and Nepea-.i streets, and a Wood Peewee in the back -yard of a Sparks street hard- ware store. It will be noticed that in the above paper I have made no mention of the various small patches of wood-land in outlying parts of the city, such as those about Patterson's Creek, the old race-course, McKay's bush, and the like, where nine-tenths of all the birds that visit the dis- trict may be noted by a careful observer, while the Lovers' Walk and M.tj ).'s Hill Park, in the very heart of the city will furnish records of mmy of the rarest and most retiring of our wo)d-birds. Neither have I mentioned another favorite haunt of the birds on Sussex street where the very shyest of them are so tame that they never leave their perches, even on the nearest approach of man. I mean the Geolog;cal Survey Museum. *L LV3RARY Obituary. 55 James Dwight Dana. James Dwight Dana, one of the fathers of American Geological Science, died at his home in New Haven, Conn., Easter Sunday, the 14th day of April, 1895. He was born at Utica, N.Y., February 12th, 1813, and was therefore in his 83rd year. He graduated at Yale when only twenty years of age, and evinced great aptitude for the natural sciences and mathematics, Lor two years he was teacher of mathematics in the U.S. Navy. He is next seen as assistant to Prof. Silliman at Yale College. In 1838 he published " A System of Mineralogy," which won for him the admiration of the scientists of two continents as mineralogist and geoloist. In 1838, he sailed for the Southern and Pacific Oceans, with Lieut. Wilkes, in charge of the squadron, whose expedition lasted four years. UA Report on Crustacea" 1852-4. "Report on Zoophytes" 1846 ; " Report on the Geology of the Pacific, 1849 '■> besides " Science and the Bible" in Bibliotheca Sacra, published in 1856-7, occupied his time during the 15 years which followed his return from the Wilkes expedition. In 1885 Dana succeeded Prof. Silliman as Prof, of Natural History and Geology at Yale. His first " Manual of Geology '' was published in 1863 — this was followed by a " Text Book of Geology for Schools and Academies," 1864, and latterly " Corals and Coral Islands " in 1872. In this year he was awarded the Wollaston gold medal by the Geological Society of London. He was elected President of the American Association Adv. Science for the first time in 1854, and was an honorary, corresponding or active fellow of nearly all the Geological Societies of Europe und America. His con- tributions and numerous writings in Silliman's Journal as one of its editors, in the Trans. Acad. Nat. Sc. of Philadelphia, in the Proc. Amer. Acad. Sc. and Arts and in numerous other channels are too well known to be commented upon in a passing sketch like this. He had just completed the last edition of his " Manual of Geology " which had been used so extensively as a text book in the colleges and universities of America and Europe. His was a life of genuine usefulness to his generation. 56 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. Geology.— Bailey, Prof. L. W., M.A., Ph. D., F.R.S.C— " Pre- liminary Report on Geological investigations in south-western Nova Scotia" Being Report Q. of Vol. VI., Annual Report, Geological Survey of Canada, 1892-93, published 1895, 21 pp. Pending the publication of Dr. Bailey's final report addressed to the Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, the preliminary report here referred to has been published and forms part of the 6th Annual Report of the Geological Survey. The delineation of the granite areas in South- Western Nova Scotia, the South and Blue Mountains, Tusket Wedge, the Barrington area, the Shelbourne and Port Mouton areas are given and the reader is referred to Sir Archibald Geikie's descriptions of South- Eastern Ireland as applying, almost word for word, to the granites of South-Westem Nova Scotia. The Cambrian Succession, as seen in Queen's Co., is carefully described and the possible existence J pre- Cambrian rocks pointed out. As to the Devonian System our knowledge was still incomplete. On pp. 14 and 15, a brief summary of the palceontological results obtained by Dr. Ami after examining the col- lections in the Peter Redpath Museum and in the possesion of the C.eological Survey is given. Most of the collections from Nictau point to Eo-Devonian time. The Triassic and Post-Tertiary s)stem are next crscussed, and the economic minerals receive considerable attention. Matthew, G. F., Dr., M.A., F.R.S.C, "Early Protozoa^ "The Ameri- can Geologist"— Vol. XV., No. 3, pp. 146-153, March, 1895. In this paper the author reviews Mr. L. Cayeux's paper describing certain so called Pre-Cambrian Radiolaria. No less than 45 different kinds of rhizopods have been described and are figured on one plate. Mr. Cayeux's microscopic slides were examined both by Dr. G. J. Hinde, of London, England, and by Dr. Rust, of Hanover, Germany. These two gentlemen, whilst not agreeing with his (Cayeux's) conclu- sions, admitted that the forms were organic." Win. 111 1. 1., W. H., Prof.— " The Sltatigraphic base of the Taconic or Lo7oer Cambrian:'—" The American Geologist," Vol. XV, No. 3, pp. 153-162, March, 1895. Notes, Reviews and Comments. 57 This contains a general sketch of the history of geological investi- gations, both in Great Britain and America, regarding the base of the ■ fossiliferous series — of the lower Cambrian. The views held by Sedg" wick, Murchison, Dr. Hicks, by Barrande in Bohemia by Sir Archibald Geikie are freely quoted — whilst in America those of Dana, Logan, Walcott, Selwyn, Ells, Van Hise and others are also cited. Director Rowley's work in Newfoundland is likewise referred to, as well as Dr. Matthew's researches in New Brunswick. Taylor, Frank B. — f The Second Lake Algonquin!'' The American Geologist, Vol. XV., Nj. 3, pp. 162-179, March, 1895. This contains the concluding article by Mr. Taylor on the above subject as elaborated from data obtained in the North Bay and sur- rounding district around Lake Nipissing in Canada. "The attitude of the deformed plane;" the order of changes in Niagara and Lake Algonquin, the St. Clair Flats, evidence of recent elevation and tilting in contiguous regions — all are elaborately discussed. Mr. Taylor sums up his conclusions regarding the rise and fall of the waters in the straits and lake of Nipissing — of Superior and Lake Erie. The suggestive facts mentioned point," naturally, "to a correlation with the eastward uplift which deformed the Nipissing plane with the elevation of the north-eastern barrier of Lake Ontario and of the deposits of the Champlain submergence, in the Champlain, Lower St. Lawrence, and Hudson Bay areas. Girty, Geo. H.— Development of the coral htm oj Favosites Forbisi, Var. occidentals." — The American Geologist, Vol. XV., No. 3, pp. 131- 146, March, 1895. Mr. Girty, who has carried on his researches a-t Yale, under Dr. C. E. Beecher, describes five stages in the growth of the corallum of the above species. He carefully describes the interstilial cells or buds which can appear only when divergence of the older corallites permits — usually " in the angles where the older corallites meet." Favosites spinigeurs, Hall, and F. conicus, Hall, both Silurian co- rals, have also received attention and study for comparison, likewise F. hemisphericus. Mr. Girty observes the noticeable fact that the initial corallite in Favosites gives rise to buds which are (1) four in number, and (2) all on one side (dorsal) of the corallum. Favosites present* an 58 The Ottawa Naturalist. interesting form for the study of mural pores and their relations. The affinities of this genus are likewise discussed and seem to point to Aulopora and Romingeria — rather than any other genera of the per- forata excepting Michelinia and Pleurodictyum. The first stage of Pleurodictyum and of Favosites is an auloporoid stage represented by the initial cell. Geology of Aylmer — Onthe 27th of March, 1895, oneof our mem- bers, Mr. T. W. E. Sowter, delivered a lecture on the "Palaeontology and Geology of Aylmer at the Academy. The lecture proved to be very interesting and was illustrated by a large suite of specimens con- sisting of rocks and fossils, some new to science. We are pleased to state that we expect to receive a paper from Mr. Sowter on the above subject for the pages of the Naturalist in the near future. Zoology — Tunicata of the Pacific Coast of North America. 1. Perophora annectens, n. sp. By William E. RiTTER. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sc, Vol. IV, Part I, pp. 36-S5, Plates I. II. and III., ngs. 1-39. Sept., 1894. This is an interesting and exhaustive biological study of one of those interesting species of tunicates which abound along the rocky coasts and shores of the North American Pacific. The species here described for the first time is from Monterey Bay, California. The author gives first a general summary of our knowledge of simple and compound ascidians, and points out that with the result of his researches, the importance of this old classification becomes " nil" Perophora Hutchinsoni, from Australia, and P. viridis from the New England coast of North America are the latest forms brought under Wiegmann's genus established in 1835. Then follows a diagnosis of the species with a general description dealing with the mode of occur- rence of the ascidiczooids in their colonies. Their histological charac- ters are very ably described. This form is a particularly favorable one to study owing to its wonderful transparency. The test and the origin of its cells receives special attention. The results of Ritter's work con- firm those of Salensky and Kowalevsky on the same subject, showing that the cells of the tunicate test are not derived from the ectoderm but from the mesoderm. Dr. Ritter says : " I believe this to be due to the fact that the cellulose substance of the test is here being formed. . I have no evidence that the matrix or cellulose portion of the test is produced as a secretion of the mesodermal cells imbedded in it Notes, Reviews and Comments. 59 Selensky also regards the processes present as having to do with the formation of the cellulose substance." The musculature, the pharyngeal apparatus, interesting notes on the parasites of the tentacles, the branchial basket proper, the endostyle, the sub-neural gland, the digestive tract and its parasites, each received a share of careful description. Then the reproductive and circulatory systems are discussed. The movements of the heart and the character of the blood cells are also noted, some new light being thrown on the latter although Roule has arrived at very similar results from his researches on the simple ascidians from the Coast of Provence, France. Three plates accompanying the paper. The figures were nearly all out- lined by the author with the aid of an Abbe camera lucida. — H. M. Ami. Zoology— Verrill, A. ¥,.— Distribution of the Echinodeims of Nofth-eastern America. — Amer. J. Sc. & Arts, Vol. XLIX, 3rd Ser., No. 290, pp. 127-140, February, 1895, also ibid, No. 291, pp. 199- 212, March, 1895, New Haven, Conn. The following species of Fchinodermata from Canada and other British possessions in North .America are recorded in these interesting papers by Prof. Verrill. ASTER IOIDEA. No. Genera & Species. Pontaster hebitus . Pseudarchaster in- termadius Ctenodiscus crispa- tus Psilaster Floreae . Pentagonaster gra- nulans ........ Hippasteria phry- giana Tremaster mirabilis Solasler endeca Author. Sladen Sladen Dub. and Koren .... Verrill Perrier Agassiz Verrill Forties Locality. Nova Scotia and New foundland Nova Scotia Bay of Fundy. Banks off Nova Scotia. Banks off Nova Scotia. . Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia Bank; off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland . . . Bay of fundy, banks off Nova Scotia Remarks. Banks oft" the coa>t. A circum — po 1 a r species. Taken by ( ilouces- ter fishermen. Taken by Glouces- ter fishermen. On hard bottom- In 40 to 150 fath- oms. GO The Ottawa Naturalist. AS fEROIDEA — Continued. No, 9 10 1 1 12 •3 14 '5 16 •7 IS 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 Genera & Species. Solaster Syrtensis. . Si ilaster Farllii . . . . (allied to S. Daw- soni Ver. from coast of Brit. Col. Cros aster papposus Pteraster pulvillus Pteraster militaris. Crihrella pectinata Cribrella sanguino- lenta Pedicellaster typi- cus Author. Locality. Yerrill . Verrill. M u 11 and Troschel . . M. Sars. . . . Mull and Troschel . . Verrill.. Lutken . Stichaster albulus. Asterias vulgaris. Asterias stellionura Asterias enopla. . . . (a new species) Asterias polaris. . . . Leptasterias tenera. Leptasterias Groen- landica Leptasterias litto- ralis Hydrasterias ophi- odon ( Idinia Americana . M. Sars . . Verrill Banquereau, Nova Sco tia Hanks off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland .. Hay of Fundy, New- foundland Bay of Fundy, hanks off Nova Scotia and New- foundland Bay of Fundy . S t i m ps o n MSS. ... Perrier. ... Verrill... . rill Verrill. . Verrill. Verrill. Sladen Verrill. O&'C'V Bay of Fundy All along the eastern coast Gulf of St. Lawrence... Bay of Fundy, and off coast (if Nova Scotia . . Bay of Fundy, Labrador. Banks off Nova Scotia Off Nova Scotia Remarks. Anticosti, Gulf of St Lawrence, Labrador . Bay of Fundy, New foundland Gull of St. Lawrence, Bay of Fundy Coast of Nova Scotia, ( i nl f of St. Lawrence. . Off Halifax Banquereau, Nova Sco- tia 45 to So fathoms. From 170 to 300 fathoms. An arctic species. Common, 10 to 50 fathoms. Shallow water. On hard bottoms, ranges to Green- land. Ranges to the Arc- tic Ocean. Common, ranges to Greenland. Belongs to the cold areas. 40 to 300 fathom-. 53 to IOO fathom-. Large and abun- dant on she La- brador coast. Possibly L.Counpta Ranges to the Ar- tie Ocean. Collected in 1,250 fathoms by the " Challenger." Attains a great size. H. M. A. Club Notes, Etc. 61 CLUB NOTES. Annual Meeting" — At the Annual Meeting of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club held on Tuesday, March 19th, 1895, the following members were present : Dr. G. M. Dawson, C.M.G., F.R.S., president, in the chair ; Dr. R. W. Ells, Messrs. R. B. Whyte, W. Hague Har- rington, T. C. Weston, A. G. Kingston, Walter R. Billings, T. J. MacLaughlin, Frank T. Shutt, D. B. Dowling, Maurice Panet, R. H. Campbell, Andrew Halkett and H. M. Ami. The Sixteenth Annual Report of Council for 1894-95, was read by the Secretary, Dr. Ami, and showed that the Club was in# a flourishing condition.* The following were then elected members of the council for 1895-96, to which is added the name of the patron of the club, the standing committees of Council and leaders. patron : THE RT. HONOURABLE THE EARL OF ABERDEEN, GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA. lprcsiocnt : Mr. F. T. Shutt, M.A., F.I.C. I0ice=lpreeitt>ent0 : Mr. A. G. Kingston. Dr. H. M. Ami, M.A., F.G.S. librarian : Mr. S. B. Sinclair, B.A. (Xmmul School.) Secretary : treasurer : Mr. Andrew Halkett. Mr. D. B. Dowling, B.A.Sc. (Marine and Fisheries Dept.) [Geol. Survey Dept.) Committee : Prof. E. E. Prince, B.A., F.L.S. Mr. I anies Fletcher, F. L. S. , F. R. S. C. Mr.*W. F. Ferrier, B.A.Sc, F.G.S. Miss A. Shenick, B. Sc. " G. Harmer. " A. M. Living. StanMng Committees of Council: Publishing'. Dr. Ami, Prof. Prince, Mr. Dowling, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Ferrier. Excursions : Mr. Kingston, Mr. Dowling, Dr. Ami, Miss Shenick, Miss Living. Soirees: Prof. Prince, Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Halkett. Xeaocre : Geology : Dr. Ells, Mr. Ferrier, Dr, Ami. Botany: Mr. Whyte, Prof. Macoun, Mr. Craig. Entomology : Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Harrington, Mr. MacLaughlin. Concholo'gy : Mr. Latchford, Mr. Halkett, Mr. O'Brien. Ornithology : Mr. Kingston, Miss Harmer, Mr. Lees. Zoology : Prof. Prince, Mr. Whiteaves, Mr. Small. Excursions— The Excursion Committee and Council of the Club have before them an interesting series of excursions for the summer. The first general and spring excursion of the Club is to take place on the afternoon of Saturday, the 18th of May, when Chelsea, on the out- skirts of the Laurentide Hills, will be visited. It is needless to describe *Full report published in the April number of the Ottawa Naturalist, pp. 15 to 18. 62 The Ottawa Naturalist. the attractive features of the locality. Leaders in Botany, Geology, Entomology, Ornithology etc., will be present and a profitable as well as an enjoyable time is expected. The excursion (special) train will leave the C.P.R. (Union) Station, Ottawa, at 1.30p.m., returning, leave Chelsea at 6.30 p.m. Full round trip tickets can be obtained from members of the Excursion Committee or of Council at the station or previously— at the following rates : Members - - - 30 cents. Non-members - - 40 " Children half price. Sub-excursions — At a joint meeting of the Council and Leaders of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club, held in the Normal School, 26th April, 1895, ^ vvas unanimously agreed "That sub-excursions be arranged for Saturday afternoons, as in former years. Sub-excursion parties will assemble at the City Post Office beginning Saturday, May 4th, at 2.15 p.m. sharp — where leaders in different branches of the Club's work will be in attendance. Interesting localities within easy reach of the electric car system will be visited, and special oppor- tunities afforded to those who desire to study the flora and fauna of Ottawa and its environs. Fees — The new Treasurer elect, Mr. D. K. Dowling, Geological Survey Department, Ottawa, calls the attention of the members of the Club to the date which he has taken the trouble to place on the address slips informing each member of the time of expiring of his or her subscrip- tion. As the Naturalist cannot be published without funds, a prompt payment of the fees now due by members of the Club, will enable the publishing committee to carry on its work with greater facility and suc- cess. Membership fee, comprising subscription to Ottawa Natura- list, only one dollar. The Ottawa District— For purposes of Natural History and for more exactly defining the limits of the phrase " Ottawa District," it was unanimously agreed at the last Council meeting of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club to limit the territory included, to that which is comprised within a circle whose centre is Ottawa, with a radius of thirty miles. Meteorological Observations —The members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club are particularly indebted to Mr. R. F. Stupart, the new Superintendent of the Dominion Meteorological Service at Toronto, for a most valuable abstract of observations which we publish in this number of the Naturalist. Ottawa Camera Club — At the first meeting of the Council of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club, held since the annual meeting, it was unanimously agreed to extend an invitation to the members of the Ottawa Camera Cur. to attend our excursions at reduced members' rates. Meteorological Ousehvations. G3 Frequency of tbe Different Winds from Observation? *t 7 2i.iT)., 2 amd 9 p.m., Ott*w*, 1894. January . . February . March . . . April May . . June July .... August . . . September October . . November December Year N. 6 9 8 3 4 17 i i 7 5 70 N.E. 9 3 4 6 4 8 23 17 U 12 13 S.E. 67 7 12 20 17 170 o o 5 5 7 3 ■j 6 7 7 4 2 49 S. 3 8 6 11 '5 1 1 13 8 11 9 8 8 s. w. 1 1 1 5 12 13 9 10 21 21 15 10 15 1 1 16 W. 158 22 12 23 16 9 24 16 8 16 20 24 16 206 Heaviest snow storm of year, 29th January. Amount, 22 inches. Coldest day of year, 24th February. Mean Temp., 13.85. Last snow, 24th March. First thunder storm, 4th April. Last Frost, 15th April. Heaviest rain storm of year, 20th June. Amount, 1.64 inches. Warmest day, 19th July. Mean Temp., 77.80. First frost of season, 26th September. Thermometer, 29.5. First snow of season, 14th October. Not measurable. Last thunder storm, i6lh October. First measurable snow, 5th November. Amount, 1.5 inches. First record below zero, 26th December. N.W. Calm. 8 16 10 20 9 1 1 5 15 10 8 5 12 6 5 10 12 100 12 14 23 8 5 8 164 G4 The Ottawa Naturalist. 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"^ u — u I ^c: l) c u u ~ U K~ « (1 G t! -^ _cc . C^ ■— u- i- — ^ >l shading see sketch map accompanying this paper. Stratigraphy of the Camlsro-Silurian Rocks of E. Manitoba. G7 southern portion, the general inclination of this uneven floor, is possibly about parallel to the bedding of the overlying series, but farther north it is more abrupt, as at Dog Head, where a narrow channel has been eroded, and is kept free by cuirents in the lake, through the soft under- lying sandstone, a depth of 1 1 2 feet has been reached at a little over one half mile from the Archie in rocks of the east shore. THE WINNIPEG SANDSTONE. The basal beds of this series of'Cambro-Silurian rocks, is, on its eastern outcrop, a sandstone, which is probably a shore deposit of an advancing sea, and therefore, not altogether similar in age., to those to the south, at the base of the Cambro Silurian in Minnesota, but may possibly be a trifle later. The fossils found, so far, are rather indefinite, and would seem to be much the same as species in the next overlying series of limestones. Mr. Whiteaves, the palaeontologist of the Geological Survey, intends making a study of these in the near future. The exposures on the lake show a thickness of about 100 feet of friable fine grained sandstone with a few feet of dark grey green shales toward the upper part of the section. The lower half resting on the Archaean, is seen on the eastern end of Punk Island as a pure, clean fine-grained sandstone, lightly cemented, and very friable. In several places it is somewhat harder, and of a reddish colour/from a staining of iron oxide, derived from the Huronion beds immediately underlying portions of the island. On Deer Island, to the west of this, the upper part of the sandstone is seen, overlaid by limestone. The sand is in- terbedded with shaly bands, and the sections exposed at several points, show an irregularity in the deposition of this dark material. The sections of this sandstone and shale at the several localities on the lake are all near the eastern edge of this deposit, and probably near the ancient shore line. . Comparisons with sections elsewhere made in Manitoba in drill holes, show an increasing deposit of the shaly beds in the upper part of the sandstone. For example, at Selkirk, the drilling extended 36 feet below the limestone, through shales and soft rocks, before striking a porous layer of pebbles and sand. Again at Rosenfeld,* a much greater *On certain borings in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories by Dr. G. M. Dawson, Trans. Royal Society of Canada, Vol. IV, ft. IV, 1886. 08 The Ottawa Naturalist. distance from the eastern outcrop, 75 feet of shale is recorded above the sandstone, which is there, 50 leet in thickness, thus it is probable that these shales were being deposited at the same time as the upper part of the Winnipeg sandstones. The localities at which examples of these sandstones may be seen are, Elk. Island, Black Island, Deer Is- land, Punk Island, the shore from Little Grindstone Point to Grindstone Point, the shores near Bull Head, and the lower part of the cliffs near Dog Head. LOWER MOTTLED LIMESTONE. Just above the sandstone, horizontal beds of thin bedded mottled limestone form the principle part of the sections at Grindstone Point, Dog Head, Black Bear Island, Tamarack Island., Jack Head Island, and Swampy or Berens Island. The section given by these several exposures amounts to over 70 ft. The lowest beds are those seen at Deer Island and Grindstone Point, capping the sandstone. Immedia- tely above are the beds occuring at Dog Head, followed by the upper part of the Black Bear Island exposure. Those on Tamarack and Jack Head Islands are evidently higher, but belong to the same series, and form, altogether, a section of 65 feet. To the north of this line of section, on Swampy Island and Little Black Island, just to the west, small cliffs of this same mottled limestone occur. The upper part of the cliff on Little Black Island seems to be more fossiliferous than those previously seen, and are probably not represented in the foregoing section, or fill the gap between the Tamarack Island and Jack Head [sland sections. This might possibly add a few feet to the total given there, making a total thickness for this series of 70 feet. The character of the beds in this division is quite uniform and varies only in a slight degree in color. The lowest beds are somewhat darker and contain more earthy impurities, but they all have similar fucoidal markings on the surfaces of beds and through the section dark brownish streaks and blotches of finer grained material. The mass of the rock is made up of the debris of shells, etc., many very badly preserved. At Grindstone Point examples of a large cephalopod, probably a Poterioceras^ have been partially preserved in a vertical position so that frequently slabs of the thin bedded limestone contain sections of the body chamber over Stratigraphy of the Cambro-Stlurian Rocks op E. Manitoba. 69 12 inches in diameter. These break out readily, forming circular discs much resembling crude grindstones. The name for this prominent point on the lake may possibly have been derived from the finding of these ;' grindstones " on the shore as well as from the fact of there being there the material (sandstone) from which grindstones could be manu- factured. cat head beds. Above the lower mottled limestone are seen several sections of a fine grained evenly coloured yellow dolomitic limestone with numerous concretions or dark coloured chert filling cavities, apparently left by the decay of corals or soft bodied animals. Examples of these beds are seen in the high cliff at Cat Head and along the shore to Lynx Bay. At the western end of the section three miles west of Cat Head the cherty concretions attain large dimensions. Several aie over a foot in length and one measured 2 feet by 10 inches. The lower beds are fine grained, resembling lithographic stone and are very rich in fossil remains. The total thickness of these beds, as observed on the lake, is 68 feet. This includes the top beds of Cat Head and Outer Sturgeon Island which are similar in colour but coarser in texture, becoming finely crystalline. The area outlined on the sketch match is proposed as a diagram of the theoretical outcrop of these rocks, but owing to the mantle of drift exposures arenotalwaysto be had, thusinthesouthern part eastofSelkirkno exposures of this series at the surface so far are known, but the existence of similar beds is shown below the Selkirk rock in the drilling made for a well at Selkirk. Similarly no exposures west of Big Island are known, but on the beach on the westward side south of Icelandic River numer- ous fragments of the fine grained rocks are found. On Fisher Bay loose fragments are found on the islands, but the shores are all low arid there are no rock exposures. The south point of Reindeer Island is probably underlain by these rocks and fine grained yellow beds exposed at the base of cliffs on the mainland southwest of this island may prob- ably also belong to this series. The eastern end of Long Point is covered with drift deposit, but near the northern end of the lake at the 70 The Ottawa Naturalist. " First " and " Second " " Rocky Points " the upper part of the Cat Head beds are plainly seen in the lower beds of the cliff. UPPER MOTTLED LIMESTONE. Just above the yellow limestone beds, referred to as the Cat Head beds, there is found a series of mottled limestones somewhat similar to the lower limestone member. At the north end of the lake the beds are very much harder and more dolomitic than farther south. The section there is evidently much thinner, as between the base of the cliffs at the first Rocky Point and the Silurian rocks at the mouth of the Great Saskatchewan there can be only a very thin section which must include not only the upper mottled limestone but the Hudson River shales, etc. Farther to the south the section is slightly altered, the lower beds of these mottled limestones resemble those to the north, but higher up in the section the beds become darker in colour and are there only impure earthy limestones which are evidently grading up to the shales of the overlying Hudson River series. These lower beds are to be found at a point about nine miles north from Clark's Point, while at Clark's Point are seen the upper earthy limestones which with those at the mouth of the Little Saskatchewan River, form the transition beds to the Hudson River shales. The top of the upper mottled limestones is thus somewhat similar in appearance and constitution to the lowest member of the lower mottled and the top beds of the latter to the lower beds the former. These upper beds are thus described by Dr. R. Pell* as they occur on the Little Saskatchewan : — " At tin- head of the four mile rapid there is a small exposure of thinly bedded flat lying limestone; on the south side of the river and at the foot of the rapid, limestone interstratificd with shale is seen on both sides of the river. It is of yellowish and nish grey colour and has a magnesian character. I noticed a large obscure Ortho- ceras in one of the beds and collected a tolerably well preseived Pleurotomaria and a Rkynchonella resembling the Hudson River form of A', uicrebescais (Hall). On the Fisher River the only beds seen are near the mouth and they appear to be near the base of the upper mottled limestones not far above the Cat Head beds. They are light coloured mottled hme- stortes very much like those at East Selkirk and Lower Fort Garry. 1 - '.' ■/— — ' — ; — : ; i-1 .- - 1 ! — ■ - ■ •Report by Mr. R. Bell, Report of Progress, G.S.C, for 1874-5, PP- 3s- Stratigraphy of the Cambro-Silurian Rocks of E. Manitoba. 7 1 The exposures at the latter places have been frequently described and the building stone from these quarries has been largely used in con- structions in Winnipeg, they are therefore well known. The principal difference between these beds and those of the lower mottled limestone consists in the very white nature of the lighter portions, as also the general soft or chalky texture of the uncrystalline particles scattered throughout the whole mass leaving chalk or lime marks on the hands after handling. The mottling is ot a light brown and is in irregular patches, but so general as to affect the whole of the beds giving them a general yellowish tint. It dresses easily and makes very fine building and ornamental stone. The papers by Prof. Panton* and Mr. Mc- Charles* give graphic and full details regarding this stone. As to the thickness of the formation here, we were at first obliged to depend on a calculation based on the known dip of the beds at Grindstone Point of about 50 feet in six miles — assuming, however, that this dip is approximately the same at the south, the thickness of the limestone below Selkirk would be the total dip given in about 30 miles or 250 feet. Since the field work was finished a well has been drilled for the fish hatchery at Selkirk West and the bottom of the limestone passed through was found at 262 feet. Deducting then the thickness of the lower beds seen on Lake Winnipeg leaves about rio leet of the upper mottled rock of Selkirk. To this may be added about 20 feet for beds between Selkirk and Winnipeg of the transition type as at Clark's Point. There is a strong probability that the beds at East Selkirk and Lower Fort Garry are brought up by a small fault running easr and west very near the northern limits of the former.t The amount of the upthrow is very uncertain and we can assume that the main part of these expos- ures are to be added to the thickness given in the drilling. I would not hesitate therefore in calling the thickness of these beds down to the recognized yellow beds of the Cat Head type, at least 150 feet, making a total of 290 feet of the limestone series. To the north the upper •Transactions No. 15, 20 ami 27, Man. Historical and Scientific Society, Win- n'PeS- tThe foot -steps of time in the Red River Valley by A. McCharles, Transactions No. 27, Man. Historical and Scientific Society. 72 The Ottawa Naturalist. beds are found to decrease greatly in thickness and as noted before gradually thin out to less than one hundred feet north of the mouth of the Saskatchewan. Farther to the south at Rosenfeld, the evidence of drilling gives a thickness of limestone, undoubtedly the same series, of 305 feet,* thus showing a slight tendency to increase in that direction. HUDSON RIVER REDS. Under the city of Winnipeg, red, impure limestones are reached in drilling for wells. The surface of the underlying rock slopes very abruptly to the east, the depths at which it is found varying from 60 feet on the west, and undermost of the city, but increasing suddenly to 112 feet at the outer end of Point Douglas f This seems to be about the extent of these soft beds to the east. They extend west, and are to be found at Little Stony Mountain in an undisturbed state, capped by beds of an ashy coloured dolomite. The thickness of this part of the forma- tion is indefinite, but part of the section has been recorded by Prof. Panton, from the exposure at Stony Mountain. Here the dolomite seen at Little Stony Mountain, appears at the surface on the top of the hill, dipping slightly to the southeast, showing a tilting up of the under- lying beds, and a consequent break in the section between this place and Stonewall. The section recoided amounts to i 10 feet. ! " The following is n veriical section of the ruck, as observed during the digging of a well at the southwest part, upon which the Provincial Penitentiary is located." i- 20 feet solid hard stone like that at the quarries 2 —4 feet thin layers of the same. ; 2 feet x>lid rock. 4—6 leet thin and broken. 5—8 feet yellowish rock, quite ochreous. 6 --IO feet reddish layer, f^ill of fossil shells. 7 60 feet, a mixture of yellow and red, containing some flinty material." between the top of the Stony Mountain beds, and those at Stone- wall, where the rocks appear to be Niagara, there are no exposures, but at the latter place the section in the quarry seems to be very similar in "Trans. Royal Scciety, Canada, Vol. IV. 1886. ^Transactions No. 27, Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society, Winnipeg. ! transactions No. 15, season 1S94-5, Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society, Winnipeg. Stratigraphy of the Cambro-Silurian Rocks of E. Manitoba. 73 some respects to the upper part of the Stony Mountain section, but the fossils found are quite distinct. They evidently belong to a higher horizon. The gap in the series is evidently made up of soft shaly beds with possibly some sandstone at the base of the Niagara. The section given by Dr. G. M. Dawson for the Rosenfeld well* I would be inclined to interpret as passing through the equivalent of the Stonewall beds as well as the Hudson River, of Stony Mountain, referred by him to the Maquoqueta shales of Wisconsin, and would arrange part after the following : 7 — limestone, - - - - 15 feet' 8 — red shale - - - - 5 feet 9— grey shale - - - - 10 feet -Niagara. 10 — limestone 30 feet 11 — line grey sandstone, 40 feet 12-chalky limestone - 30 feet] . Hudson River of St Mountain. 13 — red shale - - - 160 feet J ' 14 — cream colored limestone, 305 feet Winnipeg limestone, Trenton and Galena 15 — red shales - - - - 75 feet \ Winnipeg sandstone and associated 16 — soft sandstone - - ,- 50 feet/ shales. This would leave the Hudson River section with a thickness of 1 go feet, which is not far from the probable thickness in the southern part of the province as this formation thins out toward the north, and is not seen in the section on either the Little Saskatchewan or Great Saskatchewan rivers. If we had a series containing several successive bads of limestone, there would, in all probability, be something seen of it on the northwest shore of the lake, between Saskatchewan river and Selkirk Island, where we have the Silurian or Niagara beds, and the top of the upper mottled or Galena limestone. On the Little Saskatche- wan the probable representative is in the shales recorded by Dr. Bell at the head of the four mile rapid. A summary, then, of the several beds could be placed in the form of a section, in decending order, giving the total thickness for the Cambro-Silurian of this district, as less than six hundred feet : Hudson River Shales 190 feet Uppei Mottled Limestone 150 feet Cambro-Silurian -J Cat Head Beds 70 leet tied 70 feet idstone 100 feet Lower Mottled \_ Winnipeg Sane 5S0 feet Trans. Royal Society of Canada, \\>1. IV, 1SS6. 74 Thk Ottawa Naturalist. the well at selkirk. In the spring of 1894, a supply of water for the Selkirk fish hatchery, other than that of the Red River, being required, a well was drilled and a supply obtained after penetrating three hundred feet. The first or upper part was through 97 feet of til!, then to a depth of 264 feet in limestone, reaching a dark shale, in which sandy layers, containing gravel, gave a sufficient supply of water. The specimens obtained from the drilling, show that the limestone through which the drilling was made, consists in the upper half of semi-crystalline light yellow beds, similar in a great measure to those rocks exposed at Selkirk and Lower Fort Garry. At a depth of 185 feet, or 88 feet below the top of the limestone, a series of beds about 9 Let in thickness, were called by the drillers, sandstone, but it is found from the specimens to be mostly a band of fine grained limestone, through which cherty masses are scattered. The percentage of silica is low, being under ten. Examples of this rock are very probably to be seen at Cat Head, on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg, where the cliff is of a fine yellow magnesian limestone, and the lower beds well pitted with small cherty concretions. The specimens from the lower part of the limestone in the well, are all of a light colorued limestone, somewhat coarser in texture than at the middle of the section, and are, no doubt, similar to the limestone of the shores of the lake at Grindstone Point and Dog Head. The thickness from the cherty layer to the base of the limestone was 79 feet, or a trifle more than that measured on the lake. EXCURSION No. 2., O. F. N. C. Excursion to Galetta. — Arrangements are neaily completed for the Club's second Excursion, which will be held on Saturday afternoon, 15th June, 1895. Galetta, a charming village on the Mississippi River, about thirty miles from Ottawa, along the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Ry., is the place selected. This is one of the most interesting and newest localities visited by the Club, and col- lectors ol plants, insects, shells, rocks or other objects of Natural History, will find Galetta a perfect treasure land. There is excellent fishing, besides interesting outcrops of crystalline limestone and many beautiful bits of woodland, foresc and stream scenery for members of the Camera Club. Rates, etc- Excursion train with Naturalists', etc., leave at 1.30 p.m., reaching Galetta at 2.30 p.m., return at sundown. Members tickets, fifty cents; non-members, sixty cents; children, half-price. Tickets to be obtained at the station or from members of the Council or of the Kxcursion Committee. The Royal Society of Canada. 75 m THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. The fourteenth meeting of the Royal Society of Canada was held in Ottawa, May 15th, 16th, and 17th, under the presidency of Mr- }. M. Le Moine, of Quebec. The meeting was full of interest. A large attendance of fellows at the various sittings of the different sections for the reading of papers, coupled with an unusually large attendance and in- creased interest in the public lectures and entertainments, mark this meeting as one of the most successful in the history of the Society. The four sections of French Literature, etc., of English Literature, of the Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences, of the Geological and Biological Sciences, met in the Provincial Normal School. There were thirty titles and abstracts of papers to be read before these sections, according to the programme, viz : six in section I ; eight in section JI ; nine in section III ; and seven in section IV. Of the papers read, the following fall more or less directly in line with researches carried on by members of the Ottawa Field Natura- lists' Club, and are here noted : /. The Geology of the proposed Ottawa Ship Canal. By K. IV. Ells, L.L.D., ami A. E. Barlow, M.A. The route of the proposed ship canal, via the Ottawa, the Mattavva and French Rivers, and Lake Nipissing, is of great interest, both from the geological and com- mercial standpoint. It furnishes a comparatively short waterway between the great lakes and the head of ship navigation on the St. Lawrence, and crosses, for several hundreds of miles, the great series of Laurentian or Archaean rocks, nearly at right angles to their strike. In the eastern portion of this Laurentian complex is included the typical area described by Sir William Logan as the Grenville series, which in- cludes foliated and stratified gneisses, granites, syenites, crystalline limestone, anor- thosites, etc. These extend westward along; the Ottawa for nearly two hundred miles, while in the western part of the section, these characteristic rocks have given place to a great development of granites anil syenites, in places, foliated, but fre- quently massive. From their characters, as seen both in the field and under the microscope, these latter are clearly intrusive, anil in large part are more recent in age than the crystalline limestone and associated gneisses which they have replaced. Areas of Huronian rocks, known as the Hastings series, also occur, while the sedi- mentary formations from the Potsdam to the Utica, both inclusive, have an extensive development along the lower Ottawa, and occasional small outliers of fossiliferous limestone are seen in the vicinity of Mattawa, and on the islands in the eastern portion of Lake Nipissing. Heavy deposits of sand, gravel and clay also occur at various points along the several river channels, and form an important geological feature. 2. Note on the occurrence of Primnoa Reseda on the Coast of British Columbia. By J. F. ll'hiteaves. P. reseda is a large tree like Alcyonarian coral, which was known to I'allas and Linnaeus more than a hundred years ago. On the eastern side of the Atlantic its 76 The Ottawa Naturalist. ascertained geographical range is from the Cape de Verde to the Folar Sea, and on the western side of that ocean a few specimens of it have been dredged in deep water in the bay of Fundy ond on St. George's Banks, by the U.S. Fish Commission, between the years 1864 and 1872. Hitherto it has not been recorded as occurring in the Pacific. In the fall of 1S94, however, Mr. Otto J. Klotz, D.T.S., of this city, presented to the museum of the Geological Survey Department a fine specimen of a coral, collected by himself at Work Inlet, near Fort Simpson, B.C.. which Professor Verrill has identified with this species. The specimen is upwards of three feet in height, and a little more than two feet in the maximum spread of its branches. Another specimen of P. leseda which is said to have been collected on the north coast of the Oueen Charlotte Islands, has recently been given to Professor Mncoun by Mr. C. F. Anderson, of Comox, V.I. 3. Note on Tertiary Fossil Plants from the -.icinity of the City of Vancouver, B. C. By Sir William Dawson, F.A'.S., &r~c. The paper relates to a series of beds holding lignite and vegetable fossilss and estimated at 3,0x1 feet or more in thickness which occurs in the southern part of British Columbia, between Burrard Iniet and the United States boundary. These bids have been noticed in the Reports of the Geological Survey by .Messrs. Richardson, Bowman, and by Dr. G. M Dawson, and are believed to be newer than the Cretaceous coal-measures of Nanaiino and Comox, and probably equivalent to the " Puget Group " of the United States geologists in the State of Washington. Collections of the fossil plants have been made at various times by officers of the Geological Survey, who are mentioned in the paper, and more recently by Mr. <'.. F. Monckton, of Vancouver, who has kindly placed his material in the hands of the author, along with that previously entrusted to him by the Geological Survey. The species contained in the several collections are mentioned in the paper, and are compared with those of the Puget group, as de-cribed by Newberry and Les quercux, and with those of other localities in British Columbia and the United States. The conclusion as to the agt of the flora is similar to that arrived at by Newberry for the Puget flora, or that it is equivalent to the Upper Laramie or Fort Union group. It thus intervenes in date between the Upper Cretaceous of Nanaimo and the Oligocene or Lower Miocene of the Similkameen district, already noticed in the Transactions of the Royal Society, and is therefore of Eocene age, filling a gap hitherto existing in the mesozoic flora of the West Coast. Much undoubtedly remains to be known of this interesting flora, ami as the for- mation containing it, which seems to be estuarine in character, extends over a wide area in British Columbia and Washington, and is of considerable thickness, more especially in its extension south of the Canadian boundary, it may prove to include several sub-divisions representing the long interval between the Cretaceous and the Middle Tertiary. 4. Account of I nv3siig.it ions on the psychic development of young animals, an J its physical correlation. By Prof. T. Wesley Mills, M. A., M.D., etc. The account of investigation on the psychic development of young animals and its physical correlation, which was begun last year in a paper on the Dog, will be tinued in a series of papers, to be presented at the meeting of this year. These will embrace reports of investigations on : I. The Mongrel dog, and the Mongrel and the pure-bred dog compared. II. The Cat. III. The Dog and the Cat compared. IV. The Rabbit and the Guinea fig. V. Birds. In these papeis the same plan will be followed as in the paper on the Dog pre- sented to the Society last year, i.e., after an introduction there will follow a diary or daily history of progress in development, and final remarks on the latter, with some of the main conclusions to be drawn from the lacts stated in the diary. An attempt will be made throughout to correlate physical development with psychic develop- ment. The Royal Society of Canada. 77 j. Organic Remains of the Little K. Group, No. 4. By G. F. Mallheiv, D. Sc. This is a short article describing the remainder of the air-breathers, so far known, from the Plant Beds of the Little R. Group, to consist of one Insect, three Arachnids, and one Crustacean. The insect is a wingless one belonging to the order Thysanura, and is related to the modern Springtails. No similar insect of anything like such great antiquity has been known hitherto. Only one of the Arachnids is sufficiently well preserved to give a fair idea of the structure of the animal ; in the other two only the abdomen is preserved. The most complete of these Arachnids is something like Anthracomartus of the coal-measures, but has a wider and shorter cephalothorax. The crustacean described is Amphipellis paradoxus, Salter, which is referred provisionally to the Isopocls. 6. Note sur I 'ouvrage de f~. Cornut, intitule: " Canadensiuin Plantarum ffisloria. Par Algr. J. K. Ltflamme. Valeur scientifique de cet ouvrage. Par qui les plantes etudiees par Cornut ont- elles ete transporters du Canada en France ? Et, comme la plupart ont ete decrites d'apres des echantillons vivants ; oil Cornut a-t-il vu ces echantillons ! 7. Some Variations in Epiqita repens. By Mr. G. U. Hay. 8. The Chemical Composition of ' Andradite from two localities in Ontario. By Prof. B. f. /Partington, B.A, Ph.D. The paper gives the results of the examination of a black garnet, (Andradite) which occurs in association with the magnetic iron oie of the '■ Paxton .Mine.'' Lut- terworth, Ontario ; and also ot a brown andradite which is present in the Nepheline Syenite of Dungannon. The first was found to be free from titanuim, while the latter is titaniferous. 9. The Present Position of American Anthropology. By Prof, fo'iu Campbe'l, l.I.P. 10. On the Estimation of Starch. By Thomas Macfarlane, Chief Analyst of Canada. 11. Viscosity in Liquids, and /nsfrumsnts for i.'s Measurement. By Anthony McGill, M..4. Presented by Mr. Macfarlane. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. Entomology. — Ormerod, Eleanor A. F., R. Met. Sor, et\ — Report of Observations of Injurious Insects and Common Farm Pests, during the year 1894, with Methods of Prevention and Remedy. Eight- eenth Report, Our illustrious Corresponding Member gives evidence in this very valuable report, of her continued devotion to the study of Economic Entomology, and of her excellent ability to clearly describe the results of her investigations. A large number of the more injurious insects are treated of at considerable length ; the report consisting of 122 pages (> The Ottawa Naturalist. and an appendix of 62 pages, on the Warble Fly or Ox Bot fly, besides index, etc. A very interesting chapter deals with the development and injuries of four species of Eelworms, or Threadworms, and the account of a serious attack of certain Ground-beetles, or Carabid.e, upon straw- berry plants, is most interesting, because insects of this family are, in general, predaceous in their habits, and beneficial rather than obnoxious. The Caterpillars of two moths are described as apple pests, and that of a butterfly, as attacking cherry. Currants suffered from the attacks of the moth, Sesia ti'pidiformis, which is also injurious to this plant in Ottawa, and the Red Spider infested the gooseberry. Mangolds suffered from Millepedes of several species, and turnips from insects belonging to several orders. It is regretted that a fuller synopsis cannot be given of this admirable report, which will add to the reputation already gained by the author for reliable and thoroughly scientific work. — YV. H.H. Ornithology. — A well marked Bird Wave. — The White- crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a sparrow which generally keeps well together in its northward migration, the interval between the first and last observed individuals seldom covering more than 10 or 12 days, during the whole of which their pretty mating ditty can be heard almost hourly. This year the advance guard reached this region dur- ing the warm spell which made the second week in May seem so much like luly. The first record was made on the 6th, and stragglers were seen up to the 1 ith, when the sudden drop in the temperature repulsed* them wholly. Not a Whitecrown was seen or heard — except a solitary one on the 16th— until Sunday, the 20th, when with a slightly warmer and hazy weather, they suddenly re-appeared in full force. On Sunday, Monda) and Tuesday they literally swarmed about the gardens and weedy vacant lots. Their song could be heard incessantly as long as daylight lasted. Even the House Sparrows were outnumbered, and their pugnacity overawed. The two species could be seen feeding peacefully side by side, the first instance, perhaps, of any native bird establishing a mollis vivendi with this little bully. In a solid body as they came, the White-Crowns appear to have passed on to their northern breeding grounds : on Wednesday, the Notes, Reviews and Comments. 79 22nd May, two or three only were observed and since that none. The genus is represented here in summer by the whiie-f/iroa/ed Sparrow or Peabody bird (Z albicollis) whose full, pure song <; Old .... Tom .... Peabody, Peabcdy, Peabody " rising from ravine or moist thicket, is so familiar all summer long. Another rendering common in the Gatineau country is " Jim . . . Jim . . . Sow-the-wheat, sow -the- n-heat, sow-the-wheat. The song of the White Crown while bearing some family resemblance to this, has not the same clearness and ful- ness of tone, but approaches nearer to that of the Vesper and Savanna sparrows. A. G. Kingston. Natural Science Association, Iroquois. — TheNatural Science Association, in connection with the High School, at Iroquois, Ont., has, of late, come into immediate touch with several members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club. This association has for its object* " the encourage- ment of original scientific investigation and mutual assistance in the study of the Natural Sciences, by discussions, lectures, papers, and critical readings from scientific authors, and by the supply of such periodicals, magazines, etc., as shall be deemed advisable." Duri -,g the past winter a very interesting and instructive programme has been carried out. The association is really alive to the fact that natural science studies help in developing the mental, moral, as well as the spiritual and even the commercial side of man The following are the officers of the Association : Honorary President, Arthur Forward, B. A.; President, J. A. Jackson, B.A.; Vice-President, Mary McGinn; Secretary, James Warren, B.A.; Treasurer, David Coi.i.ison ; Scienct Master, R. H. Knox, B.A. ; Councillors, Herbert Donnelly, Cyrus Munroe, Carrie Moore ; Curator. George Clarke; Patron*, John IIarknf.ss, M.D., II. II. Ross, M. A., M. P., W. A. Whitney, M.A. *\Sect. i, rait 3, of the Constitution. Ircquois Nat. Sc. Assoc. 80 The Ottawa Naturalist. Excursion No. I. — As announced, the first field day of the O.K.N. Club for the season of 1895 was held on Saturday, 18th May. It has generally been found that the country lying immediately south of the first range of the Laurentides shows the effects of advancing spring earlier than any other portion of the Ottawa district and conse- quently some point in that neighbourhood has always been in favour for the May excursion. This year Chelsea was chosen. A special train on the Ottawa and Gatineau Railway, starting at 1.30 p.m., carried nearly 200 members of the club and their friends. By invitation there were present several members of the Royal Society of Canada, the annual meeting of which had closed on the preceding day, as well as a large contingent of the Ottawa Camera Club and of the students of the Provincial Normal School. Upon reaching Chelsea, about 2 o'clock, the paity, as usual, divided into several sections, each accompanying its own leader to the point of greatest interest in some favourite branch of natural history. The Geological section under Dr. R. VV. Ells visited Old Chelsea and a mica mine on the mountain side above that little village. The Botanical and Entomological sections under Mr. (as. Fletcher and Mr. W. H. Harrington took the woods in the direction of the Gatineau : while the rocky gorge of that river and the picturesque rapids above Messrs. Gilmour & Hughson's mills attracted most of the members of the Camera Club. Everywhere, vegetation, even the native plants and trees, showed unmistakable signs of having suffered from the recent severe frosts, following the treacherously warm spell of the 5th to the 1 nh May. The afternoon, though breezy, was pleasant ; but unfortunately the hour set aside for the examination and remarks of the leaders upon the specimens collected was marred by a slight rainstorm. Many of the party sought the shelter of the cars, but a fair audience braved the weather on the open platform of the station, where short addresses were delivered by Dr A. R. C Selwyn, president of the Royal Society, Prof. Goodwin, of Queen's University, and Mr. Kane, of St. John, N.B. The botanical specimens collected were then named and com- mented upon by Messrs. R. I'.. Whyte and J. Cra'g, the insects by Mr. j. Fletcher and the rocks and minerals by Dr. Ells. * The party returned to Ottawa about 7 p.m. ^ LIBRARY p* The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. _ OTTAWA, JULY, 1895. No. 4- CILIA. By PROFESSOR EDWARD E. Prince, Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa Anyone who has watched the minute organisms, seen in a drop of pond-water under the microscope, must have been struck by the extremely active motions of many of them. Simple in structure, and destitute of limbs, they rush across at a furious rate, or glide smoothly and swiftly in serpentine fashion, or spin round and round in endless gyrations. How ate these astonishing movements produced? They are due to cilia, the simplest and most insignificant of all organs of locomotion. These organs are widespread in the animal kingdom, though, curiously enough the Arthropods, that large class of animals embracing crustaceans, insects, spiders, centipedes, etc., do not possess them, so far as naturalists have been able to ascertain. As a rule they are very small and abundantly scattered, but they may be few and of considerable length, when they are then distinguished as flagella, not cilia. A flagellum and a cilium are, however, structurally and functionally the same. Flagella occur in plants as well as in animals, and the spores of some algae art: so active, when swimming about, that they may be readily mistaken for minute infusorian animal- cule. Certainbacilli, too, possessone ormort flagella, and like the Monads, the lowliest of all animal organisms, are able to progress with consider- able speed. Noctiluca is a remarkable flagellate animal, like a small particle of jelly. It swims through the water by means of its lashing flagellum, and it often occurs in such countless myriads at the surface of the sea, that being phosphorescent and able to admit light, the waves are brilliantly illuminated over considerable areas. In contrast to Noctiluca, we find that in Paramcecium, the commonest of ciliated infusorians, minute cilia occur thickly all over the surface of the body, 82 The Ottawa Naturalist. and extend even into the funnel-shaped mouth. Noctiluca is a good example of a flagellate creature. Paramcecium is a type of a ciliated animalcule. In the latter the cilia serve not only to drive the creature about, they carry food into its mouth. They perform this latter lunction also in the bell shaped Votticella, and in Sientor, the trumpet animalcule. These microscopic animals are rooted by a stalk, and the circle of cilia, around the mouth-opening, sweeps in floating particles of food. When Vorticella becomes detached the cilia, at once, carry it swiftly about from point to point. Cilia, again, are chiefly food-carriers in those lowly animal forms, the sponges. The substance of a sponge is traversed by channels provided with waving cilia. While carrying in food and aiding nutrition the cilia assist in respiration by maintaining a constant circulation of water. Nutrition and respiration are also accomplished in aquatic mollusca by means of cilia. The river mussels, for example, inhale constant streams of water. These streams are pro- duced by the countless cilia, with which the gills are covered. If a fragment of a gill be torn off the cilia immediately carry it through the water most vigorously. The intestine in these molluscs, is also ciliated, and in the pond snails the tentacles and various parts of the body are richly so. Again, among the zoophytes cilia though present are cf inferior importance. They stud the crown of tentacles and line the stive tract, just as they do in certain worms, notably the tube- building species. In such marine annelids as Terebella, the gills, cirri, and tentacles, which form a crown around the head of the animal, are ciliated and it has been observed that, when the tube is being built. particles of sand and mud are driven along the tentacles to the pro trusible proboscis by means of these cilia. The branchial cilia aid in respiration. While some worms are non-ciliated, others are so abundantly clothed with them, that the surface of the body exhibits a constant shimmering appearance. Certain ciliated pate lies subserve sensory functions, such as smell, etc., but the excretory or " segmental "organs, i h.uai teristic of the Vermes, always possess a ciliated canal for ensuring the outflow of waste products. The digestive tube also in these creatures is observed to be lined with cilia¥in most cases. Cilia. 83 Important, however, as cilia are, in adult stages of the animals referred to, they are not of inferior importance to the newly hatched young. Sponges, starfishes, zoophytes, jellyfish, worms, etc., pass through a ciliated larval condition, with rare exceptions, and the cilia as in the active Infusorians aid in progressive locomotion. It might appear that in the highest animals, provided with special limbs for locomotion and with complicated respiratory and digestive organs, there is no necessity for cilia. It is not so. They are often of importance in the Vertebrates, although sometimes they may be found to persist, when the necessity for them has apparently gone. Thus Amphioxus, the lowest of fishes, possesses a ciliated skin, in the young condition. Larval lampreys, too, exhibit delicate hairs upon the external integument, a remnant no doubt of the ciliated condition, though the hairs are now rigid. The usefulness of such cilia and brist- les is difficult to discover. Similarly, the cilia which line the gullet in newly-hatched fishes, such as the haddock, have no doubt merely an ancestral meaning. No food passes down the gullet, for the creature is mouthless and subsists by absorbing the contents of the yolk-sac. The cilia soon disappear, though in many Vertebrates, such as the the frog, the mouth, throat, air-passages, stomach, etc., are ciliated through life1. Nor are they absent from the highest animals, but even in man, they occur in the nasal passages, the respiratory tubes, certain auditory canals, the secretory ducts in the tongue and many organs, the ovarian passages, and other cavities ; but their use now appears mainly to be the expulsion of matters hurtful to the sensitive epithelial surfaces referred to. The central canal in the human spinal cord is lined by ciliated cells in childhood, but these cells are obliterated later. We thus see how important is the part played by these minute and insignifi- cant organs. They are efficient for locomotion, they aid in securing food, they assist in excretion, they act protectively by driving hurtful matters away. It remains to briefly describe cilia and their mode of action. A cilium is simply a thread like continuation of the protoplasmic cell to which it is attached. Its base, under the highest microscopic powers, differs optically from the tip ; but practically the cilium is merely a 84 The Ottawa Naturalist. thread of undifferentiated protoplasm. From the surface of a cell there may project one to fifty cilia. This surface may appear like a hyaline layer, but it is a false appearance, and is due to the swollen bases of the cilia. Each cilium, indeed, is enlarged at its base, but narrows immediately above. This narrow neck is succeeded by a swollen portion which gradually becomes attenuated towards the tip. They vary in length, those i -3000th of an inch long being of medium size, some are shorter, others longer. Vigorous lashing movements are characteristic of cilia. The movements are too rapid to be distinctly seen, the vibrations being usually 700 to 800 per minute. If a fragment of the ciliated lining, say the mucous membrane from the roof of a frog's mouth, be microscopically examined in normal salt solution, the surface shows an unceasing shimmering appearance, com- parable to a rapidly waving field of barley. Each cilium, it has been found, is erect and straight. Then it bends rapidly on itself, and, very much more slowly, resumes the straight condition. The force of the vibrations is in one direction, and as successive rows of cilia do not bend simultaneously, but in regular succession, the result is a progres- sive rythmic undulation. When the cilia are arranged in a circle or crown, as in a Rotifer, say Melicerta, the appearance produced is that of a swiftly rotating wheel. Hence the Rotifers have been erroneously called wheel-animalcules. The vibrations of the cilia continue for some time after death : but, in an injured, feeble, or dying condition, they are abnormally slow, and can then be best observed. Heat (up to 104" F.) increases their vigour, carbonic acid gas arrests them, while under the influence ot oxygen, and of induced electrical currents, the vibrations may be repeatedly revived. They are independent of nervous control. They are automatic and as inexplicable as the inherent contractibility of muscle. Ranvier's experiments, indeed, show that the living protoplasm, of which cilia are composed, is essentially the same as that of ordinary protoplasmic cells. /£«£> Acetylene. 85 ACETYLENE, THE NEW ILLUMINANT. By Henry S. Marsh, A.I.C., Assistant Chemist, Central Experimental Farm. The value of Acetylene as an illuminating gas is perhaps one of the most importantquestions amongst the manyat present being discussed by those concerned in the lighting of our houses and thoroughfares. The preparation of Acetylene gas by the action of water on the " carbides" has been known for some fifty years, but probably owing to our ignorance of the valuable properties of this gas, or the difficulty in obtaining it pure and in quantity, Acetylene as an illuminant was practically unnoticed until 1892. In that year, Maquenne pre- pared it by heating together, at a high temperature, barium carbonate, magnesium and charcoal ; the resulting product when treated with water yielding the gas Acetylene. In 1893, Travers obtained Acetylene from calcium carbide, prepared by strongly heat- ing together calcium chloride, charcoal and sodium, in a similar manner to that already referred to. The product, calcium carbide, evolves Acetylene when treated with water. (Proc. Chem. Soc, 1893.) These results, however, while valuable and interesting as scientific records, were of little commercial importance, owing to the expense necessary in obtaining the materials of manufacture. The possibility of producing Acetylene on a large scale and at a reasonable cost, by the process discovered by Wilson, has within the past year been demonstrated by scientists and experts in both England and America. Mr. T. L. Wilson made his discovery by chance, as is very often the case. While aiming^at the attainment of an entirely different object, Mr. Wilson experimenting in his laboratory at Spray, North Carolina, U S.A. (Jour. Soc. Chem. Industry, Jan. 1895), obtained after one of his fusions, a black, brittle mass, which on being brought into contact with water, rapidly effervesced with evolution of Acetylene. ; On further investigation, he came to the conclusion that the brittle, black mass was calcium carbide. It had been produced by fusing together finely powdered lime and coke in an electric furnace 86 The Ottawa Naturalist. with a current of 4,000 to 5,000 amperes. The equation which repre- sents the action of water on this product, is as follows : — CaC, + H.,0 = C,H, + CaO. Calcium carbide + water = acetylene + calcium oxide. Calcium carbide (CaC;.) is a dark gray, very brittle, porous-look- ing substance with a Sp. gr. of 2^22 at 18 degrees Centigrade. It con- tains 62 5 per cent, of calcium and 37 5 per cent, of carbon. On being brought into contact with water, as above stated, a double decomposition takes place, the calcium of the "carbide" combining with the oxygen of the water to form calcium oxide, or, to speak more correctly, owing to excess of water present, slaked lime; the carbon at the same time uniting with the hydrogen of the water to form Acety- lene (C.r-L), which is readily recognized by its penetrating odour, closely resembling garlic. Acetylene is a colourless gas having a Specific gravity of oor at normal temperature and pressure; 11 volumes of the gas are soluble in one volume of water. The gas when inhaled possesses the same poisonous properties as carbon monoxide, but to a greater extent. Prof. Vivian 15. Lewes, of London, England, in a paper read before the Society of Arts, says that, " owing to the intense richness of Acetylene, it can only be consumed in small, flat flame burners, but under these conditions emits a light greater than that given by any other known gas ; its illuminating value, calculated to a consumption of 5 cubic feet an hour, being no less than 240 candles." It may be liquified (according to Andsell) at a pressure of 215 atmospheres at zero centigrade. This property suggested to some the probable use of liquid Acetylene for portable lamps, lighting of railway carriages, etc., since thus a. large volume of the gas can be stored in a very small space. It has, however, been pointed out that a sudden shock to the liquid or compressed gas frequently causes decomposition with violence. Hence, this use of Acetylene would probably be attended with danger. The carbide of calcium might be used for the purposes just referred to without any such risk, and consequently has been proposed as a convenient and cheap form to be used where liquid Acetylene would be desirable on the grounds of portability. Specially designed Ottawa Phyllopods. 87 lamps might be easily constructed for the production of Acetylene directly from the carbide. The latter, for railway work, could be stored in steel cylinders (the same in which oil gas in the Pintsch system at present is compressed), and by a self-adjusting stopcock the water could be brought in contact with the carbide, thus evolving the gas steadily, and illuminat- ing the cars with a white, cool flame. The same principle, with minor alterations in detail, has been suggested with regard to "acetylene lamps " for use where other gas could not be obtained, such as country houses, etc. Such lamps would contain the carbide in the stand or pedestal, and the water simply be allowed to drop onto it. The gas so liberated could be burned from a small steatite " hole " burner. Another novel suggestion is its use for bicycle lamps and for camp lights. However, the chief use of the gas would be in enriching water gas or low grade coal gas, for which, providing its poisonous qualities did not disqualify it, Acetylene would prove of the greatest value. We have not as yet any precise data as to the cost of calcium carbide, although some authorities have stated its price at about $15 to $20 per ton, and experiments carried out on a practical working scale have shown that one ton of the carbide yields on the nice addition of water between 10,000 and 1 i,coo cubic feet of Acetylene. At the same time, about 1,500 pounds of lime are produced, a material of some value in gas works. A consideration of the marvellous illuminating power of this gas together with its simple and cheap production, leaves very little doubt but that its manufacture bids fair to become a very formidable rival of the foremost gas-enrichment processes now in practice. OTTAWA PHYLLOPODS. By Andrew Halkett. Two years ago, when examining a shallow pool near New Edin- burgh, I saw some transparent little creatures actively swimming about. Were they the larva." of some insect ? I caught a number of specimens and on placing them in a glass jar and observing their structure and move- ments, set about determining what they were, as they were quite new The Ottawa Naturalist to me. Probably few Ottawa naturalists have had the opportunity of studying these wonderful little creatures, and I venture, therefore, to present a few notes on their structure and peculiarities. They are crustaceans, of the order Phyllopoda, suborder Branchi- opoda. The body, which is of a glassy transparency, is about half an inch long, the head being very distinct, though there is no line of demarcation between the thorax and abdomen. The eyes, an ten rse, limbs, heart and forked tail, when examined through the microscope, are very beautiful . They are typical Entomostraca, for the body is divided up into segments. The anterior antenna: are short and delicate and difficult to distinguish. In the male the head is large, broad, and the posterior antenna; are converted into claspers, having the base very thick and massive, while the tip is knobbed or raiher hooked. The eyes are very remarkable and quite unlike any other crustacean, so low in zoological position. Carl Gegenbaur, in his "Elements of Compa- rative Anatomy," draws special attention to the unusually interesting character of the eyes. The Entomostraca, as a rule, possess very simple eye spots, but in the Phyllopods, as Gegenbaur states, " we meet with a facetting of the inner surface of the cuticle covering the eye, the facet- corresponding to the crystalline cones." 1 he German anatomist further points out " by their power of movement, and their position immediately below the chitinous carapace the eyes of the Branchiopoda form an intermediate step towards those in which the chitinous carapace takes a more direct share in forming the optic organ." Further, the position of the eye, on a stalk-hke process (in Anemia and Branchipus) presents a point of affinity to the higher crustaceans, such as lobsters, crabs, etc., which possess projecting stalked eyes. The last segments of the body form a long slender tail, the ter- minal fork being exquisite in appearance, for under the microscope it is like burnished gold, and studded with innumerable glassy haiis. In front of the tail, the body is furnished with a large number of limbs, so in dified as to perform the double function of locomotion and respira- tion. They are virtually gill feet. The heart is a long tube, made up of a series of chambers, and, as is usual in Arthropods, it is dorsal. I he ' in ulation of the blood, driven by this pulsating heart tube in the Ottawa Phyllopods. 89 back, can be watched through the microscope. A number of specimens were seen to be provided with a pouch immediately behind the limbs. These were females. This pouch is continually swayed about irom side to side, and contains opaque, globular eggs. From these eggs minute creatures, like small mites, emerge in the nauplius or larval condition. As the shallow pools inhabited by these creatures are liable to dry up, the eggs which drop to the bottom possess amazing vitality. They can endure heat and dryness for long periods; but the young hatch out immediately the ponds are filled by a rainfall. I have reason to know this, for the pond from which I obtained the Phyllopods in 1893 was, soon after, dried up. I waited patiently for a year and again visited the spot, but could obtain none. The pond was dried up, and if any Phyllopods had hatched out they had wholly disappeared. On Good Friday, this year, I went to the place and found the water culd and icy, so that there were few forms of life visible, and no sign of the beautiful creatures I was looking for. Eight days later, however, I went again. It was evening and the water was warm. They had now appeared in abundance, and were swimming ab ut in shoals, like tiny minnows. They dart away when startled just as a fish does, but soon tire and are readily captured. Several visits to the pond enabled me to take a great number, sufficient for purposes of study; but the pond soon dried up, and no more were to be had. They glide about in a vessel of water and are never for a moment still. If noticed closelv, they are seen to swim back downward with the numerous feet turned towards the surface of the water. No creatures could be imagined more active, delicate and graceful in their movements. Their structure and peculiar habits of life and development are of the highest interest, and they appear to be extremely local in their occurrence. A closely rel ited species is Artemia the Brine Shrimp which lives in saline waters such as Great Salt Lake. Packard tells us that a Russian naturalist found by experiment that it was possible to convert the Brine Shrimp Artemia into the fresh-water Branchipus by reducing the salty character of the water. This experiment has been much ques- tioned, and it must be granted that such an alleged conversion of one species into another is astonishing. At any rate Phyllopods in their habits and breeding are unquestionably most remarkable creatures. In conclusion I wish to express my indebtedness to Professor Prince Dominion Commissioner ot Fisheries, for suggestions in making these notes upon this interesting crustacean. 90 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. RECENT GEOLOGICAL PUBLICATION'S. i. Taylor, Frank ¥>. — Niagara and the Great Lakes, Amer. J. Sc. and Arts, Vol. XLIX., 3rd Ser., No. 292, New Haven, April 1895, PP- 249 27°- 2. BEECHER, Chas E. — Structure and Appendages of Triundeus, ibid. PP- 307-3n, PL HI- 3. Chalmers, Robert. —On the Glacial Lake St. Lawrence of Professor Warren Uphams, ibid., pp. 273-275. 4. Wright, G. Frederick. — Observations upon the Glacial Phenomena of Newfoundland, Labrador and Southern Greenland, ibid., pp. 86-94. 5. Williams, H. S. — On the Recurrence of Devonian Fossils in Strata <>f Carboniferous As;e, ibid., pp. 94-101. 6. Coleman, A. P, Ph. I)., etc — Antholite from Elzevir, Ontario. \mer. J. Sc. and Arts, Vol. XLVIIL, 3rd Ser., No. 286, New Haven, Oct. 1894, pp. 281-283. 7. Dana, James I ). -Manual of Geology, 4th edition, New York,. [895, 1,088 pages; contains 1.574 illustrations besides two geological maps. 8. Hoffmann, G. C. -Chemical Contributions, tic. Geological Survey of Canada. Part Annual Report V., Ottawa, 1895. Contains a large amount of valuable information on the geological resources of all the Provinces of Canada and espe< tally of British Columbia. Entomology. - Tntm-ai. Abundanci 01 Meloid I \k\ 1 - On Saturday afternoon, June 81b, near the steps leading down to the Canoe Club House at RocklifTe Park, my attention was caught by a number of small bees which were busy upon the blue flowers of a Cynoglossum. These bees belonged to a common species, Halictus disats,\\W\ch is black, with white bauds upon the abdomen, and somewhat fulvous pubescence on the legs and thorax. The individuals which had attracted my attention, however, had apparently a bright rufescenl 01 orange thorax, and I recognized immediately that they were carrying, albeit unwillingly, numerous little larvae, which are known as triungu- lins, the first stage in the life of blister-beetles. Continuing my stroll along the river road eastward, I found that around every plant in bloom, and especially around the abundant clumps of raspberry, the swarming bees carried their load of the little active larvae. The bee Notes, Reviews and Comments. 91 already mentioned was the most abundant and also the most generally infested ; there did not seem to be an individual exempted. Several other species, however, had more or less adherents, those most con- spicuous being Prosopis affinis and Ceratina duplet. Several infested individuals of a small wasp — Odynerus albophaleratus — were also observed. On the other hand, some species of bees seemed to be exempt. Honey-bees — Apis mellifica — were very numerous about the raspberries, but I could not find that one of these carried a larva, and this was aUo the case with the large Andrena nivalis, which was abund- ant. A careful eximination of the flowering plants disclosed only a few of the larvae crawling about the blossoms, but the number carried by the bees was quite extraordinary. The larva lurks upon the blossom until a bee visits it, and then crawling actively upon the unfortunate pilferer of sweets, clings firmly to its thorax. It is a slender little thing, orange-red in colour, except the black eyes, and somewhat pediculus- like in shape. The legs are long and provided with long claws, and these enable the larva to obtain a firm hold upon the hairs with which the bees are more or less clothed, and it is then transported to the cells constructed by the host tor its own future brood, and therein finding suitable provision, lives as a parasite, and undergoes interesting changes before it appears as a beetle, the name of which I cannot give, for, although I have often taken them, my knowledge of these larvae is too scanty for a determination of the species. The larvae, as stated, attach themselves about the thorax of the bee, and so numerous were they upon this occasion that they seriously embarrassed the flight of their unwilling hosts. Numerous bees could be seen dropping upon the fuliaje and endeavoring to comb off with their legs the undesired swarm, but in vain, so lightly did the intiuders cling. Above and below they clustered, at the base of the wings and among the legs, clinging to the hairs of the bee or to one another. My estimate of the number carried by each individual of Halictus discus was betweeen 40 and 50, and to verify this I collected four individuals not more conspicuously burdened than their neighbors. One of these I have pinned in my collection with the swarm upon it, and the remaining three were found to cany 165 larvae, or an average of 55 for each bee. When we take into account the hundreds, indeed I may say thousands, of these bees which were similarly infested, we will get some idea of the immense number of the larvae which had developed in the limited area examined. VV. H. H. 92 Tiik Ottawa Naturalist. Erekia Discoidalis, Kirby. — Some years ago a few specimens of this very lare arctic butterfly were taken at Sudbury, < )nt., by Mr. J. D. Evans, on 12th May. Ever since that time the leaders of the Entomological branch have made great efforts to obtain eggs of this species so as to breed the lanae through their different stages, to record the life history, and to describe the appearance of the young caterpillars. Although known to occur in comparative abundance at Calgary, N. VV. T., no one could succeed in getting the eggs until this season, when Mr. T. N. Willing, the Provincial Secretary of the Botanical Society of Canada for the Northwest Territories, and one of our members, succeeded in obtaining eggs which he sent to Ottawa. The eggs were laid on May lo'.h and hatched on the 29th. The small caterpillars fed readily on lawn grass, Poa pratensis, and several kinds of fine leaved sedges, Can'ces, and are now growing rapidly ; the first moult was passed on June 7th and the second on the 18th. The young larvae were 2)4 millemeters in length when first hatched, 5 mm. after first moult and 9 mm. after 2nd moult. The'general appearance of these little caterpillars may be thus described : Slender caterpillar?, whitish in colour, with a dark brown stripe down the middle of the back and three lateral stripes along each side. The uppermost of these is broken up into separate elongated blotches, and the lowest has on its lower margin the small black spiracles. Below these is a wid2, yellowish white, conspicuous stripe ; the lower surface is mottled thickly with reddish brown, and bears a narrow white stripe along the sides, lying just above the bases of the legs. After the first moult the colour is darker and the skin has many more bristles than in the first stage: after the second moult the body is so much darker that the general colour would be described as brown. J- •' . Ornithology. — A Nev Birp for Eastern Ontario.- — Mr. F. A. Saunders reports the appearance of a Dickcissel, Spiza a/Hfricqna, at the Central Experimental Farm. Previous to this, the only record of this species for Canada was made at the most southerly point of the Dominion, — Point Pelee, Lake Erie. The presence of so distinguished a Southerner in Ottawa being Notes, Reviews and Comments. 93 worthy of a mark of special attention from the local students of bird life, visits to the farm were made, on Mr. Saunders invitation, by Mr. W. A. D Lees and the writer, both of whom obtained very satisfactory interviews at close quarters. The bird is a male in tine plumage ; the sulphur-yellow breast, black throat patch and white chin are well marked, as well as the ashy tracts on the sides of the head. Mr. Saunders has seen it daily since 15th June, always haunting the same locality on the farm, an area of not more than three acres, and singing almost all day long. He has not been able, so far, to find either mate or nest, though once or twice a bird has been seen which he hoped might prove to be the female dickcissel, but which would not permit him to come near enough for identification. In the hope that they may be nesting it has been thought best not to "collect" the male bird. They will be protected on the Experimental Farm, and possibly may return another year. Since the above observation was made Mr. \Y. E Saunders of London, Ont., who was the first to discover the dickcissel at Point Pelee in 1884, writes that he has seen several of the species this season in the County of Middlesex. A G. K. The Air at Ottawa.— Mr. F. T. Shutt, F.I.C., President of the O.F.N. Club and Mr. Anthony McGill have sent the Ottawa Naturalist a copy of their recent paper entitled : " Some Observations on the quality of air at Ottawa."* In this paper the authors give some of the results obtained by them in the work they undertook at the instance of the Department of Public Works to examine the air of the House of Commons Chamber at Ottawa. The methods employed are described, and the results appear in the form of estimations of the carbonic acid present in the air on Parliament Hill. The authors say : — " It will be seen that the quantity (of carbonic acid) varied from 3-0682 volumes per 10,000 on the 11th June to 37177 per 10,000 on 13th June." The experiments were made in 1892 and the presence of CO_, was estimated by Pettenkofer's Process. The mean amount of carbanic acid gas (omitting the first estimition made) is 3-5918 volumes p^r id, odd Co.n;nred with results obtained in other cities the qu of the air on Parliament Hill is excellent. — H.M.A. ^> *Trans. Royal Society of Canada, Vol. XII, Sec. Ill, 1894. m^z lit! LIBRARY 94 The Ottawa Naturalist. EXCURSIONS. Excursion No. 2, Galetta. — Weather of ihe bright, exhilarat- ing order ; a large gathering of enthusiastic naturalists, and a region rich in scenery and varied in the natural products, all combined to make the excursion to Galetta on the 15th of June one of the most enjoyable in the history of the Club's outings. About 140 excursionists gathered at Elgin street station at 1.45 in the afternoon, from whence they were taken by the Parry Sound rail- way to Galetta, some 35 miles distant. The train slowed up at McDougall's and Graham's Crossings, where the numbers were swelled by the addition of parties from the Experimental Farm and Richmond Road. The railway passes through some of the finest agricultural districts of Carleton County, now " in verdure clad " with the green of the meadows and grain fields. The village of Galetta is reached in an hour. Here the party is met and cordially welcomed by Mr. G. C Whyte, a brother of the well- known enthusiast in botany, Mr. R. B. Whyte, at whose recommenda- tion the locality at Galetta was chosen. The town hall was kindly placed at our disposal, and was used as a storing room for wraps and lunch baskets. The next move was to collect forces, designate leaders for the various branches, and begin the serious business of the afternoon. It was at this time that the unavoidable absence of such well appreciated and willing leaders as Mi. Fletcher, Drs, Ami and Ells, was felt and deeply regretted. President Shutt then explained the geography of the district and asked Messrs. Whyte and Craig to lead in the search for botanical 1 miens ; while Prof. Prince, Messrs. Halkett, Whiteaves and Ferrier represented the zoological and geological sections. The principal exploring grounds lay along the banks of the Missis- sippi, a tributary of the Ottawa, and in the vicinity of Chats Lake. It may be interesting to note here that Galetta is situated on a spur of the same Laurentian formation which crosses the Ottawa River at the Chats Falls. This ridge of gneiss crops out prominently at Excursions. 95 Galetta and adds much to the variety and beauty of the scenery by causing a series of interesting falls at the point of intersection by the Mississippi. The power furnished by these falls is utilized to operate grist and woolen mills in the village ; the long lines of comfortable looking frieze displayed upon the stretchers testified to activity in business. It may hardly be taken for granted that all the excursionists were true field naturalists, and therefore came solely to pry into nature's secrets, From the happy appearance of many interesting groups of from two to a dozen persons who were not communing with nature it is safe to say that secrets of another order were made, interchanged and investigated during the afternoon. However that may be, it was a well satisfied party which gathered at six o'clock at the call of the President in Whyte's beautiful grove 'neath " the murmuring pines and the hemlocks " —in fact to hear an account of the different "finds" by the leaders of the different sections. It was much to be regretted that Geology and Entomology were not represented owing to absence or modesty on the part of the leaders. Prof. Prince, Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, spoke interest- ingly regarding some specimens which he had succeeded in capturing. In the Botanical section an interesting collection was exhibited by Messrs. Whyte and Craig. Among the specimens collected were good representations of the Wild Orange Red Lily, L. Phiiadelphicum, which Mr Whyte recom- mended for garden cultivation, and the Carolina or thornless rose, R. Carolina. Flowering branches of PoientiUa fruticosa, shrubby five finger, were also shown and described by Mr. Whyte as a most desirable shrub and one whose beauty was enhanced by cultivation. This region seemed to be particularly rich in climbing plants, as Mr. Craig extolled the merits of four useful and ornamental species, mentioning Virginia creeper, Ampelopsis quinquefolia ; Climbing Hitter Sweet, Celastrus scandens ; Moonseed, Menispermum Canadense ; and Climbing Bindweed, Polygonum cilinode. Several honeysuckles were shown in fruit and in flower, the most beautiful at that time being 96 The Ottawa Naturalist. the Hairy honeysuckle L. hirsuta, Eaton. This was covered with its charming orange yellow colored flowers, making it most attractive. Others exhibited were the native Wolf Willow, Eleagnus, of the North- west in fruit, and Saskatoon, Amelancliier, in addition to representations of our. best conifers. President Shutt added some interesting remarks on the role of the Leguminosae in agriculture, and congratulated the club on its success- ful outing. Mr. Sinclair, 15. A , of the Normal School also spoke felicitously of the benefit of such excursions. A number of members of the Ottawa Camera Club who were of the party succeeded in getting several interesting views of the Mississippi Falls. The 8.30 train brought to Ottawa a cheerful and thoroughly satisfied party of excursionists* each with a strong desire to say "Rah !! for Galetta. J. C. July and August Excursions.— Owing to the absence from town of a number of the officers and members of the O. F. N. Club, it has been decided not to hold any field day during July. It is probable that the August Naur \i is 1 will contain an announce- ment of one, to take place about the middle of that month. THE LATE PROFESSOR HUXLEY. British Science has lost one of its foremost leaders by the death of Professor Huxley. He was recognized the world over as the greatest of modern biologists and he was not only a profound original discoverer he was also one of the best popular expounders of science. His con- tributions to science were of a voluminous and varied character, and in the field of Comparative Anatomy his work was especially brilliant and successful As a lecturer he had but one rival, viz. : the late Professor Tyndall, and the interesting circumstance may be recalled at this time, that both these scientists were, in the course of their career, candidates for Professorships in one of our Canadian Universities (Toronto). British S< ieiv e may look with just pride upon the achievements of the late Professor Huxley E. E. P. TraiirriMininw The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. OTTAWA, AUGUST, 1895. No. 5. * ARGON: A NEWLY DISCOVERED CONSTITUENT OF THE ATMOSPHERE. By Frank T. Shutt, M.A., F.I.C., F.C.S. Our first knowledge regarding the chemical constitution of the atmosphere may be said to date from Priestley's time. In 1774 this English chemist discovered Oxygen by the experiment, now historical, of heating the red oxide of mercury by means ot the sun's rays, collect- ed and focussed by a burning glass. He worked out somewhat its chemical properties and made known its essential characteristic as the great supporter of animal life and of combustion. He termed it " Dephlogisticated air" because, as he said, " it is so pure, so free from phlogiston," — the hypothetical principal of inflammability of an obsolete theory. Two years previously, Rutherford, Professor of Botany in Edin- burgh, had experimented with the residual gas produced by respiration of animals in closed vessels containing air. He found it to contain a gas (carbonic acid) that could be absorbed by caustic potash and further a colourless gas, which could not thus be absorbed, that extinguished the flame of a candle and did not support animal life. This was the discovery of phlogisticated air or Nitrogen. Scheele, a Sweedish chemist, was, perhaps, the first to recognize clearly that the atmosphere consisted of these two gases. He confirmed the results of Priestley and Rutherford, bringing them together and establishing from them the dual character of the atmosphere. So far, however, all the work was of a qualitative character. Cavendish, another English chemist (1731-1810), was the one who established by careful, thorough and skilful quanitative work the com- fRead before the Toronto University Club of Ottawa, May 10th, 1895. 98 The Ottawa Naturalist. position by weight and by volume of the atmosphere. This was in 1781. It is supposed that Cavendish made no less than 400 analyses of the air. The mean result of his labours was that too volumes of air contain 20.83 parts by volume of oxygen. Since that time Gay-Lussac and Humbolt, Davy, Thomson, Kuppfer and, later by more accurate methods, Regnault, Bunsen, Lewy, Stas, Dumas, Boussingault and others, have carefully analysed the air. Their results serve practically to corroborate those of Cavendish. It is now well known that the amount of oxygen in normal air varies at different times and in different localities, but the work of all the most careful investigators goes to show that the limit of variation lies within 20.9 and 21.0 volumes of oxygen per 100 of air. Consider, ing this, we may well marvel at the high degree of accuracy of this quantitative work of Cavendish — more especially when we think of the apparatus and methods of his day. For more than a hundred years then, it has been thought that the atmosphere consisted chiefly of a mixture of the elementary gases, oxygen and nitrogen. We have also for many years recognized as present in the aerial ocean that envelopes our globe, small and variable quantities of carbonic acid [3 to 4 volumes per 10,000] and vapour of water. Under artificial circumstances, traces of sulphuretted hydrogen, ammonia, nitric and other acid?, organic matter, etc., are noticed. We now have to chronicle a further step in our knowledge of the atmosphere's composition. Lord Rayleigh, the eminent English physicist, and William Ram- say, professor of chemistry at University College, London, at the meet, ing of the British Association held in Oxford in August last, surprised the world — scientific and lay — by the announcement that they had discovered another atmospheric constituent. To give you some idea how these scientists came to make the discovery of this constituent — which the weight of the proof indicates to be an element hitherto unknown — I shall make tree use of an abstract of a paper read by them before the Royal Society on the 31st of January of the present year. Priestley had discovered oxygen by chance ; the present discovery was the result of an elaborate Akgox. 99 and careful series of experiments — extending over a period of several years — conducted and repeated on thoroughly scientific lines, by means of physical and chemical methods, the outcome of the combined labours and knowledge of physicists and chemists of the age, which I think we may safely say is the most brilliant, and withal the most accurate that science has ever known Lord Rayleigh had previously proved that nitrogen extracted from chemical compounds was about one-half per cent, lighter than " atmos- pheric nitrogen." Thus, the [mean] result for the weights of nitrogen gas in the globe, prepared from the following compounds : — Nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, ammonia nitrite, urea was 2.2990, while that for "atmos- pheric nitrogen " prepared and purified by the best hitherto known methods was 2.3102. Reduced to standard conditions, their figures give 1 2505 grms of "chemical" nitrogen and 1.2572 grms of "atmos- pheric " nitrogen per litre. This difference, though small, was quite sufficient to arouse in the mind of Lord Rayleigh the suspicion that " atmospheric nitrogen " was not pure nitrogen. We may very briefly at this stage consider the details of one method for the preparation of nitrogen, used in these investigations of Lord Rayleigh and Prof. Ramsay: By the ignition of the metal magnesium in nitrogen, a compound of the two is formed, (magnesium nitride) which on subsequent treatment with water yields ammonia ; from the latter by many methods the combined nitrogen may be determined. As magnesium nitride, nitrogen was extracted from the air, then liberated with water and carefully estimated. The result obtained proved that, prepared in this way, nitrogen — which in the first stages of the method of preparation was part of the atmosphere — was practically identical in physical cdnstants with nitrogen from chemical compounds. It was, therefore, conjectured that nitrogen separated from the atmosphere by all the methods save the one just quoted, was not pure nitrogen. What then was its impurity? In other words, is there not another gaseous constituent in the atmosphere unknown? We have now stated briefly the grounds for suspecting a hitherto undiscovered constituent in the air. In a review of this character it is 100 Tin-; Ottawa Naturalist. impossible to give an account of all the experiments these scientists mule in order to make sure that the discrepancy in weight already referred to was not due to impurities. Suffice it to say that all possibility of the nitrogen prepared from chemical compounds being a mixture, was shown by varied and careful experiments to be without any foundation. methods of preparation Of the elements that combine directly with nitrogen, magnesium * was chosen as the best. When nitrogen is passed over this metal in a hard glass tube heated to redness, absorption takes place with incandescence. The authors state that from 7 to 8 litres of nitrogen can be absorbed in a single tube. The nitride so formed is a porous, dirty orange coloured substance. Red hot magnesium therefore was used to absorb or gel rid of the nitrogen, while red hot copper was similarly used to combine with the oxygen of the air experimented upon. The method of Cavendish, by " sparking" nitrogen with oxygen in the presence of an alkaline liquid, was employed by the authors in then- earlier experiments. This finally resulted in obtaining a small quantity t residual gas, proportional to the volume of air operated upon, which ould not be further oxidised. Its spectrum proved that it was not nitrogen. It was, in fact, the newly discovered element, argon. The abstract then gives the details of an experiment in which the oxygen of the air under trial was absorbed by red copper. This left a g of the density of 14.88. This, as the investigators say, while not con- clusive, was encouraging. Then by passing backwards and forwards such "atmospheric nitrogen" over red hot magnesium tiny obtained alter 10 days about 1500C.C. of this heavier gas. This was treated with a large num- ber of chemical absorbents to purify it, and as a result they had 200 c.c. "I a gas of the density of 16.1. Still further absorption yielded a gas with 1 density of 19.09. This on " sparking " with oxygen eliminated the last traces of nitrogen, the remaining gas having 20.0 as its density. This showed, by spectrum analysis, lines not reconcilable with any known element. The method of atmolysis was then tried. Atmospheric nitrogen, after separation of oxygen by red hot copper, was diffused through a number of tobacco pipe stems, The nitrogen so obtained was denser Argon. 101 than that of atmospheric nitrogen not so treated. This served to corroborate their previous results and conjectures. The preparation of argon on a large scale is a tedious process. It involves first the separation of the oxygen by red hot copper and the drying by chemicals of the remaining gas. It is then passed several times over magnesium turnings heated to bright redness. For this purpose mercury gas holders and a Sprengel vacuum pump are used. It takes at least two days to effect perfect elimination of the last traces of nitrogen. The density of this gas — argon — as calculated from a mixture with oxygen, is 19.7, and on the assumption of its proportional amount in atmospheric nitrogen -20.6. As prepared from Nitride of magnesium, the average density from a number of determinations in 19.90. This gas gave no spectrum of nitrogen in the vacuum tube. It would avail little for me to give here a minute account of the characteristic lines of the spectrum of argon. Mr. Crookes, whose assistance as an authority on spectrum analysis was asked, has made a careful record of the wave-lengths. Part of the evidence from this work would seem to indicate that argon is a mixture and not an element, since two distinct spectra at different temperatures were noticed. We however, know that the spectrum of certain elements is apt to vary with the temperature and pressure under which the experiment is made. Mr. Crookes concludes "that Lord Rayleigh and Prof. Ramsay have added one, if not two, to the family of elementary bodies " Argon is about two and a half times as soluble in water as nitrogen. It has been proved that dissolved gases from rain water furnish " nitrogen" considerably heavier than true pure nitrogen. This greater solubility of argon has already suggested a method for its preparation. To Professor Olszewski, of Cracow, was first assigned the task of determining argon's physical constants, His results are that it has a lower critical point and a lower boiling point than oxygen. He has liquefied it and, further, solidified it to white crystals. At ordinary tem- perature it is a colourless, odourless gas. The ratio of its specific heat, the result of a number of experiments, calculated from the velocity of sound in it, is 1.66. That for diatomic gases varies from 1.29 to 1.42. From the fact now recorded it appears to be l(»i' The Ottawa Naturalist. a gas in which all the energy is translational ; in other words, its molecule consists of one atom, and in this respect resembles mercury gas at a high temperature. All attempts — and they have been many — to combine a-gon with other elements have failed. Conditions have been altered, but with the same result. It, therefore, well deserves the name given it, whuh is derived from the Greek and means inert. So far, its inertness is without a parallel in chemical science. I ought to mention that within the last month, M. Berthelot has announced that he has by means of the silent electric discharge got argon to combine with several organic bodies. Details of these results are promised at an early date. Avogadro's hypothesis demands that the density of a gas should be half its molecular weight. The density of argon is 20 [approximately], its molecular we'ght must therefore be 40. The physical data go to show that it is monatomir, i.e. the atom and l"ne molecule are identical, hence its atomic weight, if it be an element, is 40. The definite physi- cal constants obtained by Olszewski certainly go to prove its elementary nature. Finally, is there a place for a new element of such atomic weight in Mendeleef's periodic system? It does not appear so. The question, therefore, arises, whether the periodic classification of the elements that of late years has received no such attention from chemists, is altogether a 1 omplete and accurate one. May there not be elements that do not find a place there? Further work will no doubt throw light on this 1111] ortant matter. Argon has been sought for in mineral and vegetable matter, but so far in vain. The atmosphere, of winch it constitutes about one one hundred and twenty fifth part by volume, appears to be its only habitat. It is altogether too early to ask regarding the commen nil or utilitarian value o( this discovery. I have no doubt that ere long we shall know of the part— perhaps a very important part— that it plays in the economy of nature and probably in the arts and manufactures of the day. This discovery undoubtedly marks the highest achievement in the chemistry of the times, but it must not be forgotten that a very large part of the work was plotted and successfully carried out by one who occupies a first place among the advanced physicist's of the day. A Morning Among Moose. 103 A MORNING AMONG MOOSE. By Prof. Edward E. Prince, Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa. Some months ago, when on an official tour in New Brunswick, a very unusual opportunity offered itself of seeing a small herd of Moo-ie under conditions resembling in many respects those characteristic of the wild state. Everybody is familiar with the magnificent head of our largest native mammal, and the imposing palmate horns are a common orna- ment about our houses and hotels ; but there are comparatively few people who have ever beheld a living moose, and fewer still who have seen this noble animal in his native haunts. It was with no ordinary pleasure that, quite unexpectedly, I found myself one morning with a tew hours at liberty, and was thus enabled in company with a friend, to take a drive of four or five miles with the view of seeing the moose. We retched the small trjct of forest country where, we had been in- formed, the moose were located, and having found the owner, he most willingly volunteered to show us his splendid captives. The personage in question was a quaint character — a veiitable Robinson Crusoe in appearance and habits of life. From his log hut he led us along a tangled forest path, through an extensive wo ded area covering some hundreds of acres securely fenced in. We soon saw signs of moose. All the young shoots of certain trees had been nibbled off, or rather had been sharply nipped ofl, as if by a sharp, clean bite. In some places hardly a young leaf or terminal bud could be seen. The moose, as is well known, prefers above all things the young green tender sprigs on the branches of certain trees. We also noticed on the path at several points dung traces, quite unlike those of the cow, horse or sheep, being in fact olive brown ovoid bodies, not unlike nut megs in shape and size. The trees now became thicker and the foliage more dense, and our guide warned us to walk more slowly and carefully, and to avoid treading on dead dry branches Though partly domesticated the moose, we were informed, never wholly 104 The Ottawa Naturalist. loses the fear produced by unexpected sounds, and moves off in alarm on hearing the cracking of dry branches in the distance, or other warning noises. We were further warned that if we suddenly came upon one of the huge " pets " of which we were in quest, it was advisable to dodge immediately behind a tree. "Always keep a tree between you and the moose," said our guide, for the instinctive habit of suddenly striking out with his ponderous fore-foot is never got rid of. So power- ful is the stroke of the sharp cloven hoof that, like the slash of a sabre, its effect is almost always fatal, as many a hunter has found to his cost. As we advanced slowly and noiselessly our guide called in a soothing tone," Coom," "Coom," n Coom," just as a dairy maid calls her favourite calf, and ere long signalled to us to stop. Then our guide putting up his hand pointed to a small clear space in the midst of large trees. Lo ! under the leafy roof we could just distinguish two large br'own masses on the ground. There were a couple of moose demurely chewing the cud in this shady retreat ! The colour of the hide, a daik chocolate, so perfectly harmonized with the shadows and tree trunks around, that the outlines of the two animals could be discerned only with difficulty. Both had their heads turned away from us, and the back alone was visible, much of the body being hidden by the intervening undergrowth. The explanation of the peculiar position in which moose rest dm the day is easy. The back is always turned towards the direction whence the wind blows. As the wind changes the moose change then position. On this occasion the wind was from the north, and we were moving south, so that a very slight wind blew towards them from us. The moose is endowed with a sense of smell so acute, that anything approaching from the windward side is at once detected by them with- out the aid of eyes or ears. The head being turned in the opposite direction, the eyes and ears are thus able to detect any approaching danger from that quarter. Such is the universal habit of the moose. He detects danger by scent in one direction, by sight and sound in the other direction. With his back turned towards the wind the moo?e is able to detect danger from whatever quarter it comes. This was soon demonstrated, for, as we came nearer, one of them rose quickly and turned round in our direction, eyeing us sullenly. He was a magnifi- A Morning Among Moose. L05 cent anim.il with widespreading antlers and a height at the shoulders of at least seven feet. His stout limbs of a pale ochre colour, like the trunks of young trees, his sides deep brown, like faded foliage in shadow, his head and back much paler and glistening as if frosted, resembling a mass of leaves with the light glancing across them. We were able to view at eight or ten yards distance this kingly quadruped, always remembering the precaution to keep within reach of a stout cedar or beech. There was no difficulty in noting the peculiar features of the living moose so utterly unlike the crude and unshapely stuffed skins which we usually see. The short deep body, the monstrous towering shoulders surmounted by a bushy erect mane, the thick abbreviated neck, the long and ponderous head, and, above all, the gracefully curved snout, with pendulous upper lip, almost as mobile as the elephant's trunk, all combined to give a peculiar weird grandeur to the animal. It is impossible in a museum specimen to produce certain graceful features in this uncou'.h giant. Thus the soft roundness ot the ears is always lost, and the elegant curve of the slit-hke nostrils it is impossible to preserve after death The strange, somewhat " lack lustre " eye, to adopt Shakespeare's expression, is ludicrously small tor so large a creature. It is, it must be admitted, a wicked eye. very un- like the large liquid eye in most of the deer tribe, nor has it the benignant intelligence of that organ which we see in the elephant, or the inoffensive inquiring look of the whale's eye. as viewed at half a dozen yards' distance from a fishing boat : but it resembles rather the suspicious ill-natured eye of the bull or the rhinoceros. The eye in iact is dull, dark, and with hardly any indication of white. loom the thioatof the bull hung the elegant tail like "bell," a bushy append: which leaches its full development only when the creature is adult. The huge trumpet-like ears are extremely bushy, similar to the condi- tion of the brown bear, and as mobile and rapid in movement as the ears of a horse. The living moose combines many of the general features of the horse, the deer, and.the pig. Indeed the young calf-moose is strik- ingly pig-like in appearance, on account of the long snout, the large pointed ears, small eyes and sloping back. 100 The Ottawa Naturalist. Our guide assured us that he had captured, when practically full grown, the splendid bull-moose which we had the privilege ol seeing, and had brought it from the wild Quebec country, north of the Lower St. Lawrence to New Brunswick on a rudely constructed raft — a mai vellous instance of a hunters skill, perseverence and success. Taking a stout maple branch in his right hand he walked up to his colossal pets, holding out a piece of turnip as a dainty bribe, and uttering his cry " Coom," " Coom." The cow moose rose and readily took the piece offered, but the bull was more reserved and only after much persuasion condescended to accept a fragment of the turnip, leisurely stretching out his head and seizing the piece with his elastic lips after the manner of a horse. Our guide patted the creature familiarly, and seemed to take no such precautions as would cessary for a stranger to take. It is true he was cautious in approaching the bull at first : but the animal was clearly semi-domesticated. When tin rose, the absence of horns and of the bell, and the meagre character of the upright mane took away from her appearance. Her size too is rather smaller, and the ears appear", if anything, larger and more prominent : but the absence of horns may account for that. She lacks the mi; giandeur of the bull. Soon a small calf-moose, about as large as a 12 hands pony, appeared in response to repeated calls. It was about a year old and appeared quite tame, pushing its huge nose under the armpits of its master, a\\(\ exhibiting signs of affection. The lips far less pendulous and mobile in the call A further walk of a quarter ol a mile enabled us to see another cow, whose ears were crumpled a shorn at the tip. This animal when newly captured, and titd abou1 the neck, head and ears with ropes, had been frost bitten, and had lost the tips of the last-named organs. Finally a fifth moose was seen, a calf born in captivity, and so tame as to jump over a fence at the command ol master. It was a surprise to see a heavy, uncouth, almost unwieldy, animal such as this, take a fence four or five feet high with greater lightness and ease than a hunter Our gmde not being pleased with his juvenile pet's performance, administered one or two blows with his cudgel, whereupon the creature cried in a sharp, ill-natured manner, A Morning Among Moose. 107 not unlike the cry of a horse in pain or anger, but less loud and strong. Indeed the sound was ludicrously weak and shrill for a quadruped of such large dimensions. This feeble, ill-natured cry resembled strongly the weak cry of the monstrous rhinocerous, the voice of which is so ill- proportioned to the animal's size. It was interesting to note that our departure was watched with the utmost keenness and suspicion by the moose. They followed us with ears and eyes, turning round when necessary to observe our movements as we hurried away. It was an impressive spectacle to see in the dis- tance the two massive captives standing in their leafy retreat, the pale grey horns of the bull rising majestically amongst the branches. Cases of tame moose are familiar enough in Canada : but it is a rare experience, except to the hunter, to see a herd of moose under conditions so resembling the wild state. One gained some notion of their appearance in the forest. One sad reflection only could not be avoided, arising from the probability that in spite of laudable steps to preserve these noble monarchs o/ cur Canadian forests, the cruelty ar.d barbarity of man is almost certain ere long to exterminate them. Not merely pot-hunters, who slay the helpless mother-moose just before and after bearing her young, but professed sportsmen, have no mercy. Their relentless efforts may ere long deprive our Dominion of the moose in our forests as they have already robbed us of the royal buffalo on our prairies, unless severe and righteous measures be effec- tively carried out. 108 Thk Ottawa Naturalist. LIST OF NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS GROWING AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA, JULY, 1895. By W. T. Mai oun. Interesting and numerous as are the species and varieties of trees and shrubs fron foreign countries now growing at the Central Experi- mental Farm, which by their beauty and peculiarities of form, leaf, flower and fruit attract so much attention from visitors, it must be a satisfaction to Canadians to know that a large number of our native trees and shrubs play no small part in the pleasing effect produced by the tasteful grouping of the various species and varieties on the orna~ mental grounds. In the arboretum many of our native trees and shrubs may now be studied with much profit by those interested in botany and while more species are yet to be added, the local botanist will see at the Farm many that are not to be found in the Ottawa district. It was thought that a list of the native trees and shrubs growing at the Central Experimental Farm, in cultivation or otherwise, would prove of Mime value to the members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club, and the accompanying list is herewith submitted. Tile classification is according to Prof. M icoun's "Catalogue ot ' ' inadian Plants." The distribution of each species is given ; whether it is a tree or shrub ; its hardiness at Ottawa; and when ornamental mention is made of the fact. A few woody climbers are also included. There will be found in the list the names of 178 species and varieties. I. RANUNCULACE^ Crowfoot Family 1 CLEMATIS, Finn. (Virgin's Bower.) (i ) (' \ 1 i: in 11 1 akis, DC. Whorl-leaved Clematis. ; ( int. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Woody climber ; hardy ; (lowers ornamental. (2.) ( '. Virginiana, \.^nn. Virginian Clematis. N.S ; N.B. ; Que. . Ont. ; Man. Woody ' limber, hardy ; ll twers ornamental. List of Mativk Trees, Etc. 109 (3.) C. LIGUSTICIFOLIAj Nutt. N.VV.T. ; B.C. Woody climber ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. II. M AG NOLIACEiE-- Magnolia Family. 17 LIRIODENDRON, Linn. (Tulip Tree ) (78). L. Tultpifera, Linn. Whitewood. Western Ontario. Large tree ; semi-hardy; leaves and flowers ornamental. 18. MAGNOLIA, Linn. (Magnolia.) (79.) M. acuminata, Linn. Cucumber Tree. Western Ontario. Large tree ; semi-hardy ; leaves and flowers ornamental. IV. MENISPERMACEiE-Moonseed Family. 20. MENISPERMUM, Linn. (Moonseed.) (81). M. Canadense, Linn. Canadian Moonseed. Que. ; Out. ; Man. Woody climber ; hardy. V. BERBERIDACEiE Barberry Family 21. HERBERTS, Linn. (Barberry.) (84). B. Aquifolium, Pursh. Oregon Grape. B.C. Low shrub ; semi-hardy. XIX. HYPERICACEiE-St John's Wort Family. 97. HYPERICUM, Linn. (St. John's Wort.) (344). H. Kalmianum, Linn. Shrubby St. John's Wort. Ontario. Low shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. XXI. TILIACE^— Linden Family. 105. TILIA, Linn. (Basswood. Linden.) (366). T. Americana, Linn. Basswood. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Large tree ; hardy. lit) The Ottawa Naturalist. XXIV. RUTACE^ Rue Family 112. XANTHOXYLUM, Colden. (Prickly Ash.) (392.) X. Americanum, Mill. Northern Prickly Ash. Que. ; Ont. Tall shrub ; hardy . 113. PTELEA, Lmn. (Hop Tree.) (393.) P. trifoliata, Linn. Shrubby "Trefoil. Western Ontai i. 1. Tall shrub ; hardy. XXV. ILICINE^ Holly Family. 115. ILEX, Linn. (Hollj (395-) L veriicillata, Gray. N.S. ; Que. ; Ont. Shi ub " hardy ; fruit ornamc ntal. XXVI. CELASTRACEiE Staff-tree Family. [ 17. CELAS1 RUS, Linn. (Staff-tree.) vndens, Linn. Wax-work. Bitter-swe 1 Climbing shrub ; hardy; fruit ornamental. 118. EUONYMUS, Tourn. (Spindle-Tree.) (399.) !'. \ik«ii" rpurkus, Jacq. Burning Hush. ( >ntarii >. Tall Shrub ; hardy ; fruit ornamental. XXVII. RHAMNACE/E. Buckthorn Family. [20. CEANOTHUS, Linn. (New Jersey Tea.) ( (mi 1 C. AMERICANUS, Linn. ( )ntario. I .( iw shrub ; hardy 121. RHAMNUS, Tourn. (Buckthorn.) I ^5 ) R. alnifolia, l.'I ler. \ B . Que. ; Ont. . Man. ; N.W.T. I ,• iw shrub ; hardy. List op Native Treks, Etc. XXVIII. VITACEiE-Vine Family. 122. VITIS, Tourn. (Grape.) (408 ) V. Labrusca, Linn. Northern Fox Grape. Western Ontario. Climbing shrub; hardy. (409.) V. cordifolia, Lam. Frost Grape. N S. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ( limbing shrub ; hardy. 123. AMPELOPSIS, Michx. (Virginian Creeper.) (411.) A. QUINQUEFOLIA, Michx. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Climbing shrub ; hardy ; leaves ornamental. XXIX. SAPINDACE^-Soapberry Family. 124. STAPHYLEA, Linn. (Bladder Nut.) (412.) S. trifolia, Linn. American Bladder Nut. Que. ; Ont. Tall shrub ; hardy. 125. ACER, Tourn. (Maple.) (414.) A. Pennsylvanicu.m, Linn N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. Small tree ; hardy. (415.) A. spicatum, Lam. Mountain Maple. N.S. ; N B ; Que. ; Ont.; Man. Tall shrub ; hardy. (417.) A. circinatum, Pursh. Vine Maple. BC. Tall shrub or small tree, semi-hardy. (418.) A. glabrum, Torrey. B.C. Tall shrub ; hardy. (419.) A. saccharum, Wang. Sugar Maple. N.S.; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree : hardy ; leaves ornamental in Autumn. 11 Striped Maple. 112 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS ♦Chapman's Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America. If supply may be taken as an index of demand, the large number of books upon ornithology which have appeared within the last few years furnishes an encouraging proof of a growing desire for closer acquaintance with bird life, both on the part of the nature-lover and of the scientific student. Probably no book that has appeared for a long period is so well fitted to satisfy the needs of both these classes as the one whose title has just been quoted. Accuracy and fullness of des- cription, covering all external characters, including every phase of of seasonal and sexual plumage in each species, have been attained without an undue use of technical language ; and these specific descrip- tions alternate throughout the body of the work with delightful sketches of the habits of each bird. Many of the life-histories are from such well known writers as Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller, Miss Florence Mer- riam, William Brewster, Ernest E. Thompson, Bradford Torrey, etc. The author is by profession a closet naturalist, but his chapter on " The Study of Birds out of Doors " can only have been written by one who is a lover, as well as a student, of birds, and whose acquaintance with them must have begun at a period when professional methods and closet work were as yet matters of the future. Still the curator of the museum comes to the surface in the following recommendation : "If you would name birds without a gun, by all means first visit a museum and with text-book in hand study those species which you have previouly found [by reference to the nearest local list] are to be looked for near your home. This preliminary introduction will serve to ripen your acquaintance in the field." One field student can remember how a preliminary acquaintance with a row of mounted birds standing " at attention ' on the shelf of a museum has only served to deaden the Handbook of Hirds of Eastern North America— with Keys i>> the Species an. I Descriptions ol then Plumages, Nestsand Eggs, their Distribution ami Migrations, &c. By frank M. Chapman, Assistant Curatoi of the Department "I Mammalogy ami Ornithologj in the American Museum ol Natural History, New York City, etc. New V'ork: 1'. Appleton & Company, 1895. l2 "" '•< x'v- ^ 421 PP- Notes, Reviews and Comments. 113 interest that would otherwise have been felt in their living relatives . On the otherhand, an illusive song, a few unsatisfying glimpses through the leaves, or over the distant tree-tops can awaken a keenness of hunt- ing instinct that, following its object through thicket and marsh and stumbling over two or three false identifications, will end in a knowledge, born of deep friendship between man and bird, that can be come at in no other way. Such a plan may be too. slow for this end of the century, but its results have a sta) ing-power about them Afterwards when inspecting the museum specimens, the student will know what points he should study most carefully ; and whenever that song is heard again the leaves grow greener and the air fresher and other things come back to mind that to miss would be loss indeed. Among the most valuable features in the book are the Keys. They are not, as is too often the case with natural history keys, so extremely analytic and complicated that the student can only establish the iden- tity of the specimen at the risk of losing his own. '! here is a short systematic Key to the Orders and Families, and under each family a Key to the Species. In the latter all systematic arrangement, in the scientific sense, is abandoned. The author's motto is: If the Keys wil' identify they will have accomplished their purpose . For example, the Finch family is divided into three groups : I . Under parts with red . II . Under parts with no red and without distinct streaks. Ill . Under parts without red and with numerous streaks. Each of these groups is again divided by other prominent color markings, until at the third sub-division the several species are reached . This plan will be found an excellent one for field identification, and by checking results with the accurate descriptions in the body of the work, all dangei of error may be avoided . For some cf the larger families, as the Finches and the Warbles, there is also a Field Key to the Adult Males in Breeding Plumage. Though not too large to be carried in the pecket, the work is a gem of the art of bookmaking. In addition to upwards of ioo cuts of bills, feet, etc., scattered through the text, there is a colored frontispiece, "Bob-white," a Color Chart, and 18 full page plates in "half- 11+ The Ottawa Naturalist. tone." The Color Chart is somewhat disappointing ; what should be the brighter colors are altogether wanting in brightness. '1 he half-tone plates, however, are all that can be desired. The Clapper Rail, Spotted Sandpiper and Young, Least Flycatcher and Phoebe, Meadowlark, and Wood and Wilson's Thrushes seem almost alive. A. G. K. Archaeology.- -Notes on the Antiquities of Lark Deschenes. Along the shores of Lake Deschenes are many points of Archaeo- logical interest ; and it is in the hope that some of the members of the Field Naturalists' Club may devote their time to a more special investiga- tion of this branch of scientific research that I now call attention to some of them. It is needless to say that the Ottawa River, of which this lake is an expansion, was, during the French regime, the great highway between the region of the great lakes and the French settlements on the St. Lawrence. Indians and "coureurs de bois " engaged in the fur trade, as well as governors of Canada, either in voyages of discovery or expeditions against their Indian enemies, traversed the waters of this river. It was at times, also, the objective point of war parties of hostile Iroquois, who, after the subjugation of their Huron kinsmen, carried the tomahawk, in a war of extermination, far into the wilds to the north of the Ottawa. Some vi the descendants of the Indians and voyageurs who took part in these stirring scenes, connected with the pioneer days of New (•'ranee, are now living in Avlmer and vicinity; and it would be well to ire from them the traditions and stories attaching to points of local interest before the present generation passes away. On the Ontario shore of the lake, at Raymond's point opposite Aylmer, is the site of an old Indian workshop where flint weapons have been fabricated. My attention was first called to it, some time ago, by Jacob Smith of the Interior Department, its discoverer. Mr. Smith shewed the writer some flint arrow heads, and a spear head of the same material, which he had discovered at this place. Notes, Reviews and Comments. 115 Narcisse Noel of Aylmer, in companv with the writer, also found some imperfect arrow-heads at this place, which appear to have bten rejected by the ancient workmen. For about ioo yards along the shore, between high and low water mark, the rocks are littered with chips and shreds of black flint, which are also washed out of the gravel at high water mark after heavy rains. These flints resemble those found in great abundance in the Trenton limestone at Hull, from which place it is just possible they may have been taken. It is said that these flint chips have also been found on Snake Island a short distance from here, so that this locality seems to offer opportunities to the archaeolo- gist that should not be overlooked. Some years ago a quantity of human bones was found buried in the sand on the Light-house Island just above Aylmer, which the late Dr. CM. Church, to whom tney were presented, regarded as typical of the North American Indian. A short time ago, at Pointe a la Bataille about 10 miles above Aylmer on the Ontario shore of the lake, Joseph Leclaire of Aylmer discovered a large " cache "of bullets. As Mr. Leclaire bought home nearly halt a bagfull without exhausting the find, it does not appear credible that so large a quantity of ammunition could have been "cached" by hunters; but, judging from the name of the place, one inclines rather to the supposition that this store had some connection, in the past, with the movements of war parties, either white or Indian, operating along the lake. An interesting tradition, told by the old " voyageurs " now living in Aylmer, is associated with Lapote's and Sand Points lying respec. tively to the east and west of Sand Bay at the mouth of Constance Creek about 15 miles above Aylmer. The tradition is a follows: — Many years ago, during the French regime, a party of " coureurs de hois" were encamped at the former point ; while Sand Point to the west of the bay was occuied by a superior force of Indians, probably a war party of hostile Iroquois. An encounter was imminent and it remained to be seen which party would circumvent the other. The French fur traders, whose daring and brilliant exploits at this period are a matter of history, were not to be taken by surprise. Leaving their camp fires 116 The Ottawa Naturalist. burning on the high rocky shore at Lapote's Point, to deceive their wily enemies, the little band of intrepid Frenchmen traversed the forest to the east of the bay, forded Constance Creek, passed beneath the shadow of the pine groves on the sand hills to the north of the bay and fell suddenly on the Indian camp on Sand Point. The encounter was sharp and terrific and resulted in the utter defeat and route of the Indians. Wm . Baillie, of Aylmer, informed the writer that a great many bones are scattered over this point ; and Mr. Montgomery, who recent- ly lived in the vicinity, stated that his two sons discovered, at this place, an almost perfect human skeleton . Mr. Baillie also states that some years ago, on the eastern shore of the bay, a number of copper kettles, of ancient design, were unearthed. These facts would seem to cor- roborate, to some extent, the above tradition and invite a closer investigation of the subject. The weird Indian legends of prolonged conflicts with W'endigoes, supposed to have inhabited the sand dunes of Sand Point, should also be collected before the generation of old men, now retaining them, have passed away. The old Indian portage at the Chats should also be a point of great interest to the archaeologist . The remains of old bullets, badly decayed, have been found by the writer in the crevices of the rocks at this place, strongly suggestive of the times when these "carrying places" were disputed, foot by foot, by hostile war parties. An old copper coin and other ancient works of art, found on the lake shore at Aylmer, as well as an iron tomahawk of peculiar design discovered by S . H. Rdey some two miles inland from this place, are matters of interest. Finally, I might say that members of the Field Naturalists' Club who wish to make a careful examination of places alluded to in the above will soon be in a position to do so. Capt. Davis will shortly have a steamboat running between Britannia and the Quyon, which will enable us to make any of these places the objective point of an excursion of the club. Traditions and folk-lore stories associated with Fake Deschenes should then be collected and recorded before the hand of time has placed them beyond our reach. W. Edwin Sowtkr Aylmer, (Hie., July 29th, 1895. ,, (LIBRARY) 3D LIBRA The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER. 1895. No. 6. CRYSTALS.* By W. F. Fkrrier, B.A.Sc, F.CS. Lithologist to the Geological Survey of Canada. I have nothing original to offer you on this subject, nor are my remarks intended to constitute a lecture on crystallography, but merely to bring to your notice some interes.ing facts with regard to those won- derful forms which we call crystals, and more especially to trace out the progress made in the study of them since the earliest times. The sub. ject is so vast that it will only be possible for me to call attention to some of the more prominent and interesting facts, which constitute, as it were, the milestones along the road of our knowledge of the subject. At the outset we are confronted with the question " What is a crystal ? " So many definitions have been given that it is somewhat difficult to select one which is expressed in simple terms and at the same time is comprehensive and accurate. E. S. Dana says :— " Structure in Inorganic nature is a result of mathematical symmetry in the action of cohesive attraction. The forms produced are regular solids called crystals ; whence morphology is, in the Inorganic kingdom, called CRYSTALLOLOGY. It is the science of structure in this kingdom ot nature." He subdivides the subject as follows :— ( treating of forms resulting from } crystallization. Crystallography Crystallology I ^ Crystallogeny j treating of the methods of making - crystals, and the theories of their ( origin. (Read before the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club, Dec. 20th. 1894.) 118 The Ottawa Naturalist. Naumann's definition of a crystal is a very concise and satisfactory one. It is this : — " Any rigid inorganic body possessing an essential and original (primitive) more or less regular polyhedric (many-sided) form which is directly coniiected with its physical properties." This latter clause of the definition is very important as explaining why cleavage fragments, pseudomorphs &c are not to be termed crystals. To the question why calcite, for instance, should assume one form of crystal, and garnet another, science can return no answer, but must content itself with determining and describing these curious and multi- farious forms. The word -crystal" is derived from the Greek word '-/cpuffraXXo^" meaning " ice". The ancients first give this name to the variety of quartz which we call " Rock-crystal, " because, from its transparency, its usual freedom from color, and the way in which it was found to en- close other bodies, they iraigined it had been formed by the action of intense cold on water, which thus becime extraordinarily hardened. The name was later transferred to pure transparent stones, such as were after used for seals and engraved gems. Some of the old writings on this subject are very amusing. Albertus Magnus, in the imdJle of the 13th century, gravely relates how the intense cold on the summits of some lofty mountains dries the ice so thoroughly that it becomes crystal. Even as late as 1672 the 'learned Robert Bjyle goes into a long dissertation to prove that crystal could not be ice, adducing as two of the strongest proofs of this, first, the fact that ice floats on water and crystal does not, and, secondly, that Mada- gascar, India, and other countries in the torrid zone, abound in crystal, and he could not believe tint any ice, however hard, could withstand the heat of those countries. Later the term "crystal" was applied to any mineral naturally limited by plane faces. It was not until 1669 that any important discovery re-arding the properties of crystals was made, and then it was thu Nicolaus Steno, a Danish physician, discovered for the first time the constancy of angles in Rock-crystal. But it is generally admitted that Ste.no himself did not fully grasp the importance of his dis- Crystals. ikj covery, which was more a deduction from the mathematical form of the particular body he observed than a broad generalization from a series of observations ofdifferent bodies. Itmust bebornein mind that the ancients knew and had described crystals of certain minerals as having a constant number of faces (or planes) arranged in a particular way. But Steno went further than this and shewed that another constant existed. He cut a number of sections of variously shaped prisms of quartz (r.) at right angles to the edges of the prism, and (2.) at right angles to the edge formed by a face of a pyramid with a face of the prism and found in the first case (see Fig. 1 ) that the angles of any one section were equal to each /*/ ff\ Ar ^ Fig. 1. 5 \ , other and also to every angle of the other similar sections, and in the second case (see Fig. 2) he found that the sections had two angles equal V Fig 2. lob anl four angles equal to r,except when the prism was absent in the crystal, when the section was a four-sided figure with two opposite angles equal to b, as shewn on the left in Fig. 2. His inference was that in all specimens of Rock-crystal correspond- ing pairs of faces have the same inclination. Thus was taken the first step towards the discovery of one of the three great fundamental laws governing the formation of crystals, which has been enunciated thus : — the law of CONSTANCY OF ANGLES. Crystals of the same substance, whether natural or formed in the laboratory, are essentially constant in the angle of inclination between like planes. Fora whole century the law discovered by Steno was not elaborated until, 120 The Ottawa Naturalist. in the year 1772. Rome Delisle,a pupil of Linnaeus, shewed that the various shapes possessed by crystals of the same substance, natural or artificial, are all intimately related to each other. He formed a large collection of natural crystals which he carefully studied and was particularly interested by the fact that the same mineral often occurred in widely different forms. His studies led him totheconclusionth.it the shape of every crystal of the same substance is such as can be derived by a particular process from a certain fundamental figure called the Primitive Form, the shape and angles of which depend only on the nature of the subs, tance itself. All the multitudinous forms which asubstance such as pyrite (sulphide of iron) assumes,he found could be produced by replacing the edges or the solid angles of the primitive form by single planes or groups of planes, but always in such a manner that the total alteration is similarly related to all parts of the primitive form which are geometri- cally similar. Thus, as a simple example, by cutting off the angles of a cube it may be converted into an octahedron. These planes of replacement were regarded by him as being secondary and more or less accidental. Werner in his treatise " On the External Characters of Minerals " had employed the terms Abstumpfnng^ truncation, '/jischarfiing ^= bevel- ling, 'Luspitzung = acumination, in speaking of similar variations or changes from the fundamental form of crystal, but it is thought that Delisle did not know of this at the time he wrote. Delisle set to work to determine the primitive forms of all substances, which work was greatly facilitated by the invention at this time of the goniometer. This instrument was invented by a Frenchman named Carangeau, who prepared the clay-models used by Delisle to illustrate his theory. It was designed for the measurement of solid angles, particularly those of crystals, and was of the form known as the common or contact goniometer. A much more elaborate and accurate instrument for the same pur- pose is the reflecting goniometer of Dr. Wollaston, devised by him in 1809, of which several elaborate modifications are now employed by crystallo- Hiaphers. Carangeau's goniometer consisted essentially of a graduated arc and two moveable arms. Its form may be learned by referring to the figures given in almost all text-books of mineralogy. The great Crystals. 121 objection to it is that it is impossible to employ it in the case of very small crystals, whilst the reflecting goniometer may be used to measure accurately the angles of crystals only ,';,th of an inch in size. Rome Delisle, as the result of his researches, came to the conclusion that the primitive forms of all known substances were only six in number, namely : — i. The cube. 2. The regular octahedron. 3. The regular tetrahedron. 4. The rhombohedron. 5. The octahedron with a rhombic base. 6. The double six-sided pyramid. These were announced in his treatise on Crystallography published in 1783, in which he figures no less than 500 distinct forms of crystals. The weak point of his theory was the fact that the whole series of forms of any one substance could be derived not only from the primitive form, but from almost any of the series, thus rendering it impossible to lay d nvn an exact rule as to which of these was to be regarded as the true primitive form. He was guided in his choice by the largeness of development and frequency of occurrence of particular faces and the simplicity of the figure they formed. Thus he chose both cube and regular octahedron, although, as we now know, these forms really belong to one and the same series and may be derived the one from the other. Many of his contemporaries doubted not only his choice of primitive forms but the very existence of the series, and Buffon's objections, as set forth in his " Natural History of Minerals" published ten years later (1783), bore testimony to the difficulty of the important step taken by Rome Delisle. It was far from being obvious that all the crystalline forms of a mineral belong to one series. As early as 1773, Bergman, a celebrated Swedish chemist, shewed in his writings that he recognized the importance of cleavage, and by it he tried to explain the relationship of the various forms assumed by the same mineral, which had so interested and puzzled Delisle, who, however, assigned little or no importance to cleavage, speaking, as he does in the preface to his treatise mentioned above, most contempt- 122 The Ottawa Naturalist. uously of the " brise-cristaitx" or "crystalloclastes." But Bergman did not p'oceed far enough, and it remained for another to fully develop the theory of the structure of crystals as indicated by their cleavage. In 17S4 the Able Haiiy made his remarkable discovery, which, like Newton's immortal one, was the result of a mere accident. A six-sided prism of calcite (carbonate of lime) had been broken from a large group in the cabinet of M. Defrance, and he noticed that the fractures were smooth and polished, not irregular as in the case of ken glass. He then commenced splitting-up the crystal with his knife and finally reduced the six-sided prism to a rhombohedron Extending his experiment to other minerals Haiiy arrived at the con elusion that the kernel obtained from a mineral by cleavage was to he regarded as its true primitive form. E. S. Dana defines cleavage as the tendency to break or cleave along certain planes due to regularity of internal structure and fracture, produced, in addition to external symmetry of form, by crystallization; and he states two principles : — (1) In any species, the direction in which cleavage takes place is always parallel to some plane which either actually occurs in the crystals or may ex;st there in accordance with certain general laws. (2) Cleavage is uniform as to ease parallel to all like planes. That is to say that if it may be obtained parallel to one of the faces of a regular octahedron, for instance, it may be obtained with the same facility parallel to each of the remaining octahedral faces. Haiiy's primitive forms were ten in number, four more than those of Rome de ITsle . They were : — The cube. 2. The regular octahedron. 3. The regular tetrahedron. 4. The rhombic dodecahedron. 5. The rhombohedron, obtuse or acute. 6. The octahedron, with square, rectangular, or rhombic base. 7. The four-sided prism, with edges at right angles to the base, the base being either a square, a rectangle, a rhomb, or merely a parallelo- gram. Crystals. 1 23 8. The four-sided prism, with edges inclined obliquely to the base, me base being either a rectangle, a rhomb, or merely a parallelogram. 9. The regular six-sided prism, 10. The double six-sided pyramid. He also grouped all these forms in a general way thus: — 1. Figures bounded by parallelograms. 2. Figures bounded by eight triangles. 3. The regular tetrahedron. 4. The regular six-sided prism. 5. The double six-sided pyramid. Hauy was let by his study of cleavage to frame a theory regarding the structure of crystals and to discover a second great law governing their formation, namely the one which connects the secondary faces with those of the primitive form. He found that the kernels which he obtained by cleavage could be split up,apparently indefinitely, into smaller fragments of the same shape, and, not believing that this process could go on to infinity, came to the conclusion that every crystal of the same substance could, theoretically at least, be cleaved into minute bricks of a definite size and shape though two small to be separately visible, and therefore that with these bricks a crystal possessing any of the forms in which the particular mineral occurs, might be built up. As the simplest illustration take the case where the bricks are little cubes The conditions to be produced are that the built-up crystal must possess cleavage, and at all its parts the faces obtainable by cleavage are to have the same directions, also that its outer surface must consist of a series of plane faces. A cube composed of these little bricks could be increased in- definitely in size by adding layers of these bricks to each of its faces. Conversely, it might be decreased in size by taking away the layers. But suppose that the decrease takes place by the regular subtraction of one or several ranges of bricks in each successive layer ; theory, by calculating the number of these ranges required for a particular form, can represent all known forms of crystals and also indicate possible forms for a particular mineral which may not yet have been observed in th 6&C4 124 The Ottawa Naturalist. natural crystals. Figs. 3 and 4 will serve to illustrate what we have just been discussing. A | i ! 1 ■ L pzn 4\ ' ' ; , 1 1 1 ' 1 ■ ! ! : 1 1 1 : III 1 M ' I 1 : 1 1 ' 1 1 ] 1 1 1 i 1 1 ! ' Fig. 3. Fig. -t. Fig. 3 illustrates a cube composed of little cubical bricks, some rows of which are removed to shew the resulting step like arrangement of the layers. All the edges of the steps lie in one plane, as seen in F'g- 4 If we remember that the little bricks are supposed to be so minute as to be separately invisible, it will be seen that the steps will appear to lie wholly in the plane, which thus forms a secondary face equally in clined to two faces of the cube. Haiiy also shewed how a rhombic dodecahedron resulted from the application of successive layers of these little bricks, each less by one row all round, to the faces of the primitive cube, and of course the same result may be obtained by subtracting rows in the same man- ner. (See Fig 4.) Fig. He also assumed in some cases that the decrease was parallel, not to the edges of the crystal, but to a diagonal, taking the angles as its point of departure. His theory established the fact that the various Crystals. 1 25 forms of crystals are not irregular or accidental, but definite, and based on certain fixed laws; and he pointed out that whilst certain forms are derivable from a given nucleus, there are others which cannot occur. Moreover he observed that when any change in a crystal took place by its combination with other forms, all similar parts (angles, edges and faces) were modified in the same way. Most important of all, he shewed that these changes could be indicated by rational co efficients. Thus Haiiy became the discoverer of two of the three great laws of crystallography, namely, the law of symmetry, and the law of WHOLE NUMBERS. The Other, THE LAW OF CONSTANCY OF ANGLES, we have already mentioned. Let us consider for a moment Haiiy's two laws, taking first : — THE LAW OF SYMMETRY. E. S, Dana enunciates this as follows: "The symmetry of crystals is based upon the law that either : I. All parts of a crystal similar in position with reference to the axes are similar in planes or modification, or it. Each half of the similar parts of a crystal, alternate or symmetrical in position or relation to the other half, may be alone similar in its planes or modifications. The forms resulting according to the first method are termed holohedral forms and those according to the second, hemihedral.''' An easy experimental way of studying the symmetry of crystals is to cut one, or the model .of one, in two, and place the parts against the surface of a mirror, which may or may not produce the exact ap- pearance, of the original crystal. If it does produce the exact appearance we have severed the crystal in a plane of symmetry. By referring to Fig. 6 it will readily be seen that a cube, for in stance, possesses nine such planes, indicated by the dotted lines. Fig. 6. In a sphere there would of course be an infinite number of these planes. 126 The Ottawa Naturalist. Now with regard to the second law : — the law of whole numbers. The meaning of this is simply that Haiiy found that the secondary faces had only such positions as would result from the omission of whole numbers of rows of bricks and from the layers having a thickness measured by some multiple of that of a single brick. He actually proved by measurements that the number of bricks in the width or height of a step rarely exceeds six But Hauy's theory of the structure of crystals had many weak points in it which speedily became objects of attack. One of his first critics was Weiss, Professor of Mineralogy at Berlin, who translated Hauy's work into German, in 1S04. He shewed that Hauy's " primitive forms," as professor Nichol puts it, "erred both in excess and defect," and that the " bricks" were not needed at all to explain the facts observed, in fact, the planes, so-called, built up of them, would not reflect light. Bernhardi, a doctor residing in Erfurt, pointed out that the dimensions of the " primitive forms " could not be determined from themselves, their height depending on another form. Also that various crystals, which he named, were much more readily explained from other forms than those taken by Haiiy as their " primitives ". In fact, numberless objections were raised ; thus, it by no means follows that because a crystal miy be reduced to a certain form by cleavage, that its growth has resulted from the grouping together of fragments having that form ; again, some minerals have no cleavage, whilst others cleave only in one or two directions; again, it is hard to conceive of a crystal built up, for instance, of little octahedrons, which, in order to have their faces parallel to the cleavages of the resulting crystal, and be parallel to each other, would have only their angular points in contact, thus form- ing a most skeleton-like and unstable structure. But Hauy's theory, pointing as it did to the great importance of the angles of the faces and cleavages of crystals, served to direct attention to them, and led to their more accurate study and determination. It was not so much Hauy's data that required correction, but the substitution of a better theory to connect his facts was needed. The development of the atomic theory of the constitution of Crystals. 127 matter furnished this, and, instead of "bricks", we reason about " atomic groups," whose centres of mass are arranged in straight lines and parallel planes, as were the centres of the "bricks" in Haiiy's original theory. Weiss was the first, in 180S to point out the importance of the axes of crystals, although Haiiy had referred to them. He says :— "The axis is truly the line governing every figure round which the whole is uniformally disposed. All the parts look to it, and by it they are bound together as by a common chain and mutual contact." These axes, it must be borne in mind, are not mere geo- metrical lines; but it is in reference to them that the forces work which have formed the crystals. Weiss proceeded to arrange Haiiy's primitive forms into four classes, each distinguished by a purely geometrical character; and then from these four classes of sets of lines, he deduced all the primitive forms by the construction of planes passing: — i. Through ends of three lines. 2. Through ends of two of the lines and parallel to the third. 3. Through an end of one of the lines and parallel to two of them That is, these pianes passed through the end of a line, or else did not meet it at all. These axes were, in fact, the coordinates of the crystal faces of the primitive forms of Haiiy. By taking points along .each of these lines at distances equal to twice, three times, four times, etc., the original length, he found, constructing planes as before, that he obtained a set including all the secondary planes described by Haiiy as occurring in actual crystals. Thus he was enabled to devise a very simple system of designating the various faces of crystals, which also greatly facilitated the calcula- tion of their angles. Haiiy had attempted this in conformity with his theory, but his symbols were complex and unwieldy. It is a curious coincidence that at the same time as Weiss was developing his system, Mohs, Werner's successor at Freiberg, working quite independently, arrived at the same division of crystals into four classes, but by a very differem process of reasoning. These four classes he termed " Systems of Crystallization." I2fi The Ottawa Naturalist. Mohs also shewed that since all the similar edges and solid angles of his fundamental figures were to be similarly altered, the existence of one derived plane necessitated, as in Rome Delisle's theory, the simultaneous existence of a number of others having definite positions. Such a set of faces he called a simple form. If the faces of more than one simple form are present, the resulting form was termed a combination. At this time Sir David Brewster was engaged in his wonderful researches on the optical properties of crystals, and the results of his experiments on the polarization of light brought out in such a remark- able manner the intimate relations existing between their behaviour with regard to light passing through them, and the number of kinds of axes they possessed, that Whewcll has justly said, "Sir D. Brewster's optical experiments must have led to a classification of crystals into the above systems, or something nearly equivalent, even if the crystals had not been so arranged by attention to their forms." Sometimes crystals were observed by both Weiss and Mohs which, instead of being complete simple forms, like the regular octahedron, presented only half the regular number of faces, as, for example, the regular tetrahedron, which may be derived from the regular octahedron by suppressing its alternate faces. Delisle and Haiiy hid regarded the tetrahedron as a distinct kind of primitive form, but Weiss and Mohs found it necessary to postulate that simple forms may not only be complete, but semi-complete also, pointing out, however, that the half which presents itself is not an arbitrary one, but can always be derived systematically from the complete simple form The complete simple forms were termed holohedraly and the semi- complete ones hemihedral. In 1822, Mohs added two more systems of crystallization to the four already described by Weiss and himself; but Weiss brought forward very strong objections to their recognition, and their independance was not fully established until 1833, when the actions on light of crystals belonging to these systems were first studied. They were what we now call the monocUnic and tiiclinic systems. The researches of Weiss and Mohs may be said to have given to Crystals. 129 crystallography its present form, in all essential points, as a pure science, and subsequent progress has been along the lines of working out details rather than modifying its foundations. The accompanying table, (page 130), will shew at a glance the six systems of crystallization now recognized, with their principle synonyms and examples of minerals for each system. Very often crystals are met with in which one or more parts are reversed with regard to the others, often presenting the appearance of two crystals symmetrically united. These are termed twin crystals, but the theory of their formation is too elaborate to be gone into in the present paper. Time will not permit me, either, to go into details respecting the various methods of designating the faces of crystals by numbers or symbols, and of calculating their angles. That of Naumann is, perhaps, the one most employed. This subject belongs, however.more to pure geometric crystallography, and will be found fully explained in the text-bocks. I can only briefly mention here some of the many wonderful physical properties possessed by crystals. The researches of Brewster on polarized light have already been referred to. The discovery that the shape of the cleavage-form is intimately related to the action of the crystal upon light is due to him ; and his researches, as already mentioned, confirmed the existence of the two additional systems of crystallization recognized somewhat doubt- fully by.Mohs. One of the most remarkable discoveries of recent times was the mathematical demonstration by von Lang, Quenstedt, and others, that six, and only six, systems of symmetry are possible for all crystallized matter. In 1822, Mitscherlich announced his discovery of isomorphism, the property which substances analogous in chemical composition possess of crystallizing in forms closely resembling each other, and with only a slight difference between their corresponding angles. A good example is siderite and dolomite, the crystal form being a rhombohedron. Mitscherlich also pointed out that the same substance (simple or compound) may crystallize in two distinct systems (dimorphism), or even in three or more (trimorphism and polymorphism) Thus the sulphide of iron crystallizes in the isometric system ( pvrite), and also in the orthorhombic system {marcasite). 130 Tiik Ottawa Naturalist. SYSTEMS OF CRYSTALLIZATION. Name. [si imetric. — Tessttlar, Mohs & Haidinger. Isometric, 1 lansmann. Tes ri ral, Naumann. Regular, Weiss & Rose. Cubic, Dufrenoy & Miller. Monometric, Dana (early editions.) II. Tetragonal. — Pyramidal, Mohs. Zwei-und-einaxigt , Weiss. Tetragonal, Naumann. Monodimetric, I lausmann. Quadratic, vjn Kobell. /?//// ?V", Dana (early editions) III. Hexagonal. Rhombohcdral, Mohs. Drt i-und-einaz ige, Weiss. Hexagonal, Naumann. Monotrimelrit , Hausmann. NO'J E. This System liasa Kin >M- bohedral division, which includes forms with only 3 planes of symmetry. IV. Ok 1 11 RHOMBIC. - Prismatic or Orthotype, Mohs. Ein-unif-i inaxige, Weiss. Rhombi, and Anisoinetric, Naumann. Trimetric and Orthorhombic , J lausmann. Trimetric, Dana, (early edi- tions.) V. MONOCl INIC — ffemiprismalic and ffemior- thotype, Mohs. Zwk i-und-eingliederige, Weiss. Monoclinohi dial, Naumann. Clino hombic, von Kobell. Hausmann, Des Cloiszeaux. Augilic, I laidinger. ,.7. , Miller. Mouosynimetric, Groth. \ 1- J u I< 1 [NIC. '/', tar 10 prismatic, Mohs. Ein-tmd-eingliederige, Weiss. Triclinohedral, Naumann. Clinorhomboidal, von K Anot thic, Haidinger, Miller, & 1 >es Cloiszeaux. I ymmet'ir, < Jroth. Axi s. Three, of equal length, intersecting each other at right angles. Three, intersectine each other at right angles. The lateral ones equal in length ; the vertical a varying one Planes of Symmetry. Nint Four, the three equal lateral ones inter- secting at angles of 60 and the vertical one, at right angles to these, varying in length. Three, of u n eq u a 1 length, intersecting each other at right angles. Three, of unequal length, two inter secting at righl angles and the third intersecting one 01 the others obliquely. Three, of u n e q u a 1 length, all the in- tersections oblique. Five. IIfx. proper. S e v e 11 ; 3 at 60 J ; one normal to these; three auxilia ry. Rhom.Div T h r e e a I 120". Examples. Fluor Spar. Galena. I'yrite. Zircon. Vesuvianite. Cassiterite. Oalcite. Quartz. Apatite. Three, at right Barite. angles to each other. One. None Topaz. Aragonite. Augite. Gy] sum. Orlhoclase. Anorthite. Albite. Cyanite. Crystals. 131 The magnetic and electric properties of crystals, and their relations to heat, all shew the same intimate connection and dependence on their crystalline form observed in the case of their optic properties. For fuller details of the subject treated of in this paper I would refer you to the many excellent text-books of mineralogy, and to the articles treating of the various divisions of the subject in the encyclopaedias. A most excellent little work is that by Mr. Fletcher of the British Museum, from which I have freely quoted. In conclusion I would call your attention to the (act that we Canadians have in our own country a vast unexplored field of research in crystallography. Canada has afforded the most magnificent crystals of many mineral species, which the world has ever seen. I need only mention the superb and unrivaled crystals of zircon, apatite, phlogopite, sphene tScc. which grace the museums of Europe and this continent. Many of our localities present unusually favorable conditions for studying the mode of formation of the various crystallized minerals, and if my remarks this evening awaken in some of my hearers an interest in the fascinating study of the wonderful laws governing structure in inorganic nature, my object will be accomplished. CLUB EXCURSION TO PAUGAN FALLS. The last Excursion of the season will be held on Saturday, 14th instant, to Paugan Falls, on the Gatineau. The train will leave Llnion Station at 9.45 a.m.; returning, reaching Ottawa at 8.00 p.m. This is a new locality to members of the Club, and must prove of great interest, both as a collecting ground, and from its scenic beauty. Members will assist the Club by notifying their frtends of the Excursion. Rates — Members, Adults, 60c. Non-Members, 70c. Children, half-price. 132 The Ottawa Naturalist. LIST OF NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS GROWING AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM. OTTAWA, JULY, 1895. By \V. T. MACOUN. Koi the first part "l this Paper, see August number of the Ottawa Naitkui-i SAPINDACEiE -(continued ) (419) Acer nigrum, Michx. Ontario. Large tree ; hardy. (420). A. qasycarpum, Ehrh. Silver, or White Maple. N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental in Autumn (421.) A. rubrum, Linn. Red, or Soft Maple. Large tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental in Autumn. 126. NEGUNDO, Mcench. (Ash-leaved Maple.) (422.) N. aceroides, Moench. Box-Elder. Ont. ; Man ; N.W.T. Tree ; hardy. XXX ANACARDIACE^E-Sumach Family. 127. RHUS, Linn. (Sumach.) (423.) R. i vim una, Linn. Stag-horn Sumach. X.S ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Tall shrub or small tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental in autumn. (424 ) R. GLABRA, Linn. Smooth Sumach. VS. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. Tall shrub ; hardy. (427.) R. Toxicodkndrox, Linn. Boison Ivy. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Small climbing shrub ; hardy. List of Native Trees, &c. 1 33 (429.) R. aromatica. Ait. Fragrant SurrTach. Ont. Shrub ; hardy. Var. trilobata, Gray. N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy. XXXI. LEGUMINOS^— Pea Family. 138. AMORPHA, Linn. (False Indigo.) (480.) A. canescens, Nutt. Lead Plant. Man. Shrub ; hardy. (481.) A. fruticosa, Linn. False Indigo Man. Shrub ; hardy. 153. GYMNOCLADUS, Lam. (Kentucky Coffee Tree.) (566.) G. Canadensis, Lam. Western Ontario. Large tree ; hardy. XXXII. ROSACEA— Rose Family. 155. PRUNUS, Tourn. (Plum. Cherry.) (568.) P. Americana, Marshall. Wild Plum. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Small tree ; hardy. (569.) P. maritima, Wang. Beach Plum. N. B.; Shrub ; hardy. (570.) P. pumila, Linn. Sand or Dwarf Cherry. N.B. ; Que.; Ont.; Man. Shrub ; hardy. (571.) P. Pennsylvania, Linn. Bird Cherry. NS ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tree ; hardy. \CAf ^(library 1.", i The Ottawa Naturalist. (573.) P. Virginiana, Linn. Choke Cherry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. ; Man.; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tall shrub, or small tree; hardy. (575-) F. serotina, Ehrh. Black Cherry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 157. SPIR.EA, Linn. (Meadowsweet.) (577.) S. salicifolia, Linn. Common Meadow-sweet.) N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. Shrub; hardy; flowers ornamental. (578.) S. tomentosa, Linn. Hardhack. Steeple Bush. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental (579.) S. betulifolia, Pallas. Birch-leaved Spiraea. N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub recently planted. (580.) S. Douglasii, Hook. B.C. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. (581.) S. discolor, Pursh. var. aki.ki ••< u.ia, Watson. B.C. Shrub ; hardy. 158. NEILLIA, Don. (Nine Bark.) (584.) N. OPULIFOLIA, Benth. and Hook. Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. 160. RUBUS, Tourn. (Bramble.) (586.) R. odoratus, Linn. Purple, Flowering Raspberry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. (587.) R. Nutkanus, Mocins. White, Flowering Raspberry. Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T.; B.C. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. List of Native Ttees, &( . 135 (594.) R. STRIGOSUS, Michx. Red Raspberry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. ; Man.; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy. (596.) R. occidentalis, Linn. Black Raspberry. N.B. ; Que.; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. (600.) R. VILLOSUS, Ait. Thimble Berry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. 172. ROSA, Tourn. (Rose.) (659.) R. SETIGERA, Michx. Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. (660.) R. Carolina, Linn. Swamp Rose. N.S.; N.B.; Que.; Ont. Shrub; hardy; flowers ornamental . (661.) R. lucida, Ehrh. Dwarf Wild Rose. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. (662.) R. blanda, Ait. Early Wild Rose. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental . (663.) R. acicularis, Lindl. Man.; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. 173. PIRUS, Linn. (Pear. Apple.) (671.) P. coronaria, Linn. American Crab Apple. Ont. Small tree ; hardy. (673-) P- arbutifolia, Linn. Choke-ben y N.S. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Shrub ; hardy. I3ti The Ottawa Naturalist. Var. melanocarpa, Hook. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. (674 ) P Americana, DC. American Mountain Ash. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Small tree ; hardy; fruit ornamental. 174. CRV1VEGUS, Linn. [White Thorn.] (678.] C. coccinea, Linn. Scarlet Fruited Thorn. N.S ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Small tree ; hardy ; fruit ornamental. [679 ] C. tomentosa, Linn. Black or Pear Thorn. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Small tree ; hardy. [681.] C. Crus-galli, Linn. Cockspur Thorn. Western Ontario. Small tree ; hardy ; leaves and fruit ornamental. 175. AMELANCHIER, Medic. [June-Berry.] [685.] A. Canadensis, Torr. and Gray. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Tail shrub or small tree ; hardy. XXXIII. SAXIFRAGACEyE-Saxifrage Family, 186. PHILADELPHIA, Linn. [Mock-Orange.] [744] 1'. GORDONIANUS, Lindl. B.C. Tall shruo ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. 187. RIBES, Linn. [Currant. Gooseberry.] [749.] R. Cynosbati, Linn. Wild Gooseberry. N.B. ; Que. ; Ont ; Man Shrub ; hard). I 750] R. laci STRE, 1'oir. Swarrp Gooseberry, N.S.j N.B.j Que ; Ont ; Man.; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy. List of Native Trees, &c. 137 [752.] R. rubkum, Linn. Red Currant. N.S. ; NB. ; Que.; Ont.: Man.; N.W.T. : B.C. Shrub ; hardy. [753-] R. PROSTRATUM, L'Her. Fetid Currant. N S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B C. Low shrub ; hardy. [757.] R. floridum, L'Her. Black Currant. N.S ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Shrub ; hardy. [760. J R. sanguineus, Pursh. Red, Flowering Currant. B.C. Shrub; tender; flowers ornamental. [761.] R. aureum, Pursh. Missouri Currant. N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. XXXVI. HAMAMELACEiE -Witch Hazel Family. 191. HAMAMELIS, Linn. [Witch Hazel.] [775.] H. Virginiana, Linn. N.S.; N.B.; Que.; Ont. Tall shrub ; hardy. XLVII. CORNACEjE— Dogwood Family. 242. CORNUS, Tourn. [Cornel. Dogwood.] [898.] C. Florida, Linn. Flowering Dogwood. Western Ontario. Small tree ; semi-hardy ; flowers and fruit ornamental. [899.] C. Nuttalui, Audubon. Western Flowering Dogwood. B.C. Small tree ; recently planted ; flowers and fruit ornamental. [902.] C. STOLONIfera, Michx. Red-osier Dogwood. N.S. ; N.B.; Que.; Ont.; Man.: N.W.T.; B.C. Shrub ; hardy. 1 38 The Ottawa Naturalist. [qc6.] C. alternifolia, Linn. Alternate-leaved Corntl. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Tall shiub or small tree : liatdy. XLVIIl. CAPRIFOLIACEiE-Hentysuckic Fsrmiiy. 245. SAMBUCUS, Linn. [Elder.] [909.] S. RACEMOSA, Linn. Red berried Elder. N.W.T. ; B.C. Tall shrub ; hardy ; fruit ornamental. Var pubens, Watson. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tall shrub ; hardy ; fruit ornamental. [910.] S. Canadensis, Linn. Common Elder. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. 246. VIBURNUM, Linn. [Arrow wood] [912.] V. cassinoidks. Linn. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tall shrub ; hardy. [913.] V. DENTATUM, Linn. Arrow wood. Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; leaves oanamental. 1 9 14.] V. PUBESCENS, Pursh. Downy Arrow wood. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Shrub ; hardy. [915.] V. acerifolium, Linn. Maple-leaved Arrow wcod. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy. [917.] V. Opultjs, Linn. High-bush Cranberry. N.S ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tall shrub ; hardy ; fruit ornamental 247. LINN. -LA, Gronov. [Twin-llo.vei'.] [919.] L. borealis, Gionov. Northern Twin-flower N.S.; N.B.; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. J B.C Low creeping evergreen; shrubby; hardy; floweis ornamental List of Native Trees, &c. 139 248. SYMPHORICARPOS, Juss. [Snow-berry.] [921.] S. racemosus, Michx . Snow-berry. N.S.; N.B.; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T.; B.C. Shrub ; hard) ; fruit ornamental. 249. LONICERA, Linn. [Honeysuckle. Woodbine.] [925.] L. Sullivantii, Gray. (?) Ont. ; Man. Tvvining shrub ; hardy; flowers ornamental. 1 926.] L. glatjca, Hill. Smooth Honeysuckle. Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. Twining shrub ; hardy; flowers ornamental. [927.] L. involucr ata, Banks. N.B.; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy . [928.] L. ciliata, Muhl. Fly Honeysuckle. N.S.; N.B.; One.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T.; B.C. Shrub ; hardy . 250. DIERVILLV Tourn. [Bush Honeysuckle.] [932.] I), trifida, Mcench. N.S.; N.B.; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. Low shrub ; hardy . XLIX. RUBIACE^-Madder Family. 252. CEl'HALANTHUS, Linn, [%itton-bush . ] 1 934 • ] C- OCCiDENTALis, Linn . Button-bush. Que.; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. LV. VACCINIACEi^-Huckleberry Family. 349- VACCINIUM, Linn. [J355 • ] V- corymbosum, Linn. N.S.; N.B.; Que. Low shrub ; hardy . [1359.] V. Myrtilltjs, Linn. Whortleberry. Bilberry. N.W.T.: B.C. Low shrub ; hardy. 140 The Ottawa Natuhalist. Zoology. — The Scientific R- suits of the " Challengei Expedition. With text Illustrations and Plates II — XVII. Introduction, by E- Raya Lankester. F. R. S. I. Hydrography and Navigation. By Staff-Captain T. H. Tizard, R. V, F. R. S. II. Oceanic Circulation. By II. N. Dickson. III. Geology. Coral-Reefs. By Professor J. W. Judd, C. B., F.R.S., V.P. G.S. Chemico- Biological Changes in the Ocean By Robert Irvine, F.R.S.E., F.C.S. Marine Deposits. By John Chumley, of the " Challenger " Office. IV. Botany. The Marine Flora. By George R. M. Murray, F.R.S.E., F.L.S. The Land Flora. By C. Baron Clarke, F.R.S., Pres. L.S. V. Zoology. (Introductory.) By Professor Ernst Haeckel, M.D., 1'h. D., Hon. F.R.S.E. Expectations and Results. By P. Chalmers Mitchell. M.A., F.Z.S. Foraminifera. By C. Davies Sherborn, F.G.S., F.Z.S. Radio'aria. By Professor Ernst Haeckel and A. Vaughan Jennings, F.L.S. , F. <;. S. Sponges. By Professor W. J Sollas, M.A., D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S, with not^ by Professor Haeckel. Coelentera. By Professor S. I. Hickson, M.A., D.Sc, F R.S., Professor P. Perceval Wright, M.A., M."D., F.L.S. , APR. LA., P. Chalmers Mitchell, and Professor F. Haeckel. Echinoderma. By F. A. Bather, M.A., F.C.S. . \V. Percy Sladen. V.P.L.S . F.G.S., Theodore Lyman, and Professor llijalmer Tneel. Annelida ami Nemertea. By Professor W. ( '. Mcintosh, M.A., LL.D, F. K. S. Arthropod.!. By Rev, T. K. R. Stebbing, M.A., F.L.S., F. E. Beddard, M.A., F.R.S., T. Rupert Jones, F.R.S., Dr. P. P. C. Uoelc, Memb. K. R. Ac. Netherlands, R. I. Pocock, and G. II. Carpenter, B. Sc. Mollusca. By Professor Paul Pelseneer, D.Sc, and VV. E. Hoyle, M.A., M.R.C.S., F.R.S.F. Brachiopoda. By A. F. Bather. Bryozoa. Heinichordata. By S. F. llarn»r, M.A., B.Sc , F.Z.S. Tunicata. By Professor \V. A. Herdmin, D.Sc, F.R.S. Vertebrata. By A. Smith W Iward, B.Sc, F.G.S., F.ZS., R. Bowdlei Sharpe, LL.D., F.Z.S., Professor Sir William Turner, M.B., LL.D. I-'. U.S.,, and Oldtield Thomas, K.Z.S. VI. Anthropology. By Professor A. C. Haddon, M.A., M.R.I. A., F.Z.S. Natural Science, Vol. VII, No. 41, pages 7 -75, London, July 1, [895 (Special "Challenger Number" of " Natural Science " may be ordered from Rait, Henderson & Co., Ltd., 22 St. Andrew street, Hoi born Circus, London, England. Price : < )ne shilling nett.) TO X The Ottawa Naturalist. j Vol. IX. OTTAWA, OCTOBER, 1895. No. 7. LIST OF NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS GROWING AT THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA, JULY, 1895. By W. T. Macoun. Being continuation and completion of the paper which appeared in No. 5 and No. 6 of the Ottawa Naturalist for August and September, 1895. ([364.) Vaccinium Vitis-Id^a, Linn. Cowberry, Cranberry. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Low shrub ; hardy. 353. ARCTOSTAPHYLOS, Adns. (Bearberry.) (1370.) A. Uva-ursi, Spreng. Bearberry, Kinnikinick. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Low Shrub ; hardy. 354. GAULTHERIA, Linn. (Aromatic Wintergreen.) (1375.) G. Shallon, Pursh. Salal. British Columbia. Shrub ; recently planted. 359. CALLUNA, Salisb. (Heather.) (1385.) C vulgaris, Salisb. N.S ; N.B. Low shrub ; hardy. 362. KALMIA, Linn. (American Laurel.) (1392.) K. Latikolia, Linn. Calico-bush. Reported in Labrador. Shrub ; recently planted ; flowers ornamental. 142 The Ottawa Naturalist. (1393 ) K. angusti folia, Linn. Sheep Laurel, LambkiH. N.S. ; N.B, ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. 364. RHODODENDRON, Linn. (Rose-bay, Azalea.) (1400.) R. viscosum, Torr. Clammy Azalea. Reported in Canada. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. (1401.) R. nudiflorum, Torr. Purple Azalea. Reported in Canada. Shrub ; hardy ; flowers ornamental. LXI. OLEACEAE— Olive Family. 388. FRAXINUS, Linn. (Ash.) (1455.) F. Americana, Linn. White Ash. N.S. ; N.B. j Que.; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1456.) F. Pi B] ENS, Lam. Red Ash or River Ash. N.S. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. Tree ; hardy. (1457.) F. vikiDis, Michx. Green Ash. Ont. : Man. 'I ree ; hardy. (1458.) F. quadrangulata, Michx. Blue Ash. Western Ontario. Large tree ; semi-hardy. (1460 ) F. SAMUICIFOLIA, Lain. Black or Swamp Ash. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. LXXIII. BIGNONIACE^— Bignonia Family. 464. TECOMA, Juss. (Trumpet-Creeper.) ( 1740 . ) T. RADICANS, JUSS. Western Ontario. Woody climber j semi-hardy; flowers ornamental. List of Native Trees, &c. 143 LXXXVII. LAURACEiE- Laurel Family. 524. SASSAFRAS, Nees. (Sassafras.) (1919.) S. officinale, Nees. Western Ontario. Tree ; Semi-hardy ; ornamental. 525. LINDERA, Thunb. (Wild Allspice.) (1920.) L. Benzoin, Meisner. Spice Bush. Ontario. Tall shrub ; semi-hardy, leaves and flowers ornamental. LXXXVIII. THYMRLJEACEJE— Mezereum Family. 527. DIRCA, Linn. (Leather-wood, Moose-wood.) (1922.) D. palustris, Linn. N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy ; ornamental. LXXXIX. EL^EAGNACEiE;— Oleaster Family. 528. EL^AGNUS, Linn. (Silver Berry.) (1913.) E. ARGENTEA, Pursh. Que. j Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tall shrub ; hardy ; leaves ornamental. 529. SHEPHERDIA, Nutt. (Shepherdia.) (1924.) S. Canadensis, Nutt. Canadian Shepherdia, N.B., Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy ; fruit ornamental. (1925.) S. argentea, Nutt. Buffalo-Berry. Man.; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy; fruit ornamental. XCIII. URTICACEiE.— Nettle Family. 535. ULMUS, Linn. (Elm.) (1946.) U. fulva, Michx. Slippery or Red Elm. Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. 144 The Ottawa Naturalist. (1947.) U. Americana, Linn. American Elm. N.S. ; N.B. ': Que.; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Large tree ; hardy. (1948.) U. racemosa, Thomas. Rock Elm. Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 536. CELTIS, Linn. (Nettle Tree ) (1949.) C. occidentals, Linn. Sugar-Berry. Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 539. MORUS, Linn. (Mulberry.) (1952.) M. rubra, Linn. Red Mulberry. Western Oniario. Small tree ; hardy. XCIV. PLATANACE^.— Plane-Tree Family. 545. PLATANUS, Linn. (Button-Wood.) (1963.) P. occidentals, Linn. Western Ontario. Large tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental. XCV. JUG LAN DACE^.— Walnut Family. 546. CARYA, Nutt, (Hickory.) (1964.) C. alba, Nutt. Shell-bark Hickory. Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1966.) C PORCINA, Nutt. Pig-nut or Brown Hickory. Western Ontario. Tree ; recently planted. (1967.) C. amara, Nutt. Bitter-nut Hickory. Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. List of Native Trees, &c. 145 547 JUGLANS, Linn, (Walnut.) (1968.) J. cinerea, Linn. Butternut. Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1969.) J. nigra, Linn. Black Walnut. Western Ontario. Large tree ; hardy. XCVI. MYRICACEiE— Sweet Gale Family. 548. MYRICA, Linn. (Wax Myrtle.) (1970.) M. Gale, Linn. Sweet Gale. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; Hardy. XCVII. CUPULIFER^E— Oak Family. 549. BETULA, Linn. Birch. (1974.) B. lenta, Linn. Cherry or Black Birch. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1975.) B. lutea, Michx. Yellow Birch. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1977.) B. papyrifera, Michx. Canoe Birch. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Large tree ; hardy. (1978.) B. occidentals, Hooker. Western Birch. N.W.T. ; B.C. Tree ; hardy. (1879.) B. pumila, Linn. Low Birch. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy. 550. ALNUS, Gsertn. (Alder.) (1985.) A. incana, Willd. Common Alder. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tall shrub or small tree ; hardy. At J LIBRARY 146 The Ottawa Naturalist. (1986.) A. viridis, DC. Green Alder. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T., B.C. Tall shrub ; hardy. 551. CARPINUS, Linn. (Hornbeam.) (1987.) C. Caroliniana, Walter. Blue Beech. Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 552. OSTRYA, Scop. (Ironwood.) (1988.) O. Virginica, Willd. Lever-wood. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 333. CORYLUS, Linn. (Hazel-nut.) (1989.) C. rostrata, Ait. Beaked Hazel-nut. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub ; hardy. (1990.) C Americana, Walt. Wild Hazel-nut. Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Shrub ; hardy. 554. QUERCUS, Linn. (Oak.) (199 1.) Q. alba, Linn. White Oak. Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy. (1994.) Q, macrocarpa, Michx. Mossy-cup Oak. N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Large tree ; hardy. (1996.) Q. Prinus, Linn. Rock Chestnut Oak. Western Ontario. Tree ; hardy. (1997.) Q. prinoides, Willd. Yellow Oak, Chestnut Oak. Ontario. Tree; hardy. (1998.) Q. rup.ra, Linn. Red Oak. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental in Autumn, List of Native Tkees, &c. 147 (1999.) Q. COCCINEA. Wang. Scarlet Oak. Ontario. Large tree ; hardy; leaves ornamental in Autumn. (2000.) Q. tinctoria, Bartram. Yellow Oak. Western Ontario. Large tree ; hardy. (2001.) Q. palustris, Du Roi. Pin Oak. Western Ontario. Tree ; hardy 555. CASTANEA, Gaertn. (Chestnut.) (2002.) C. vulgaris, Var. Americana, A. DC. Western Ontario. Large tree ; hardy 556. FAGUS, Linn. (Beech.) (2003.) F. ferruginea, Aiton. American Beech. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont. Large tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental in Autumn. XCVIII. SALICACE^— Willow Family. 557. SALIX, Linn. Willow. (2012.) S. Candida, Willd. Hoary Willow. Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tall shrub ; hardy. (2015.) S. cordata, Muhl, Heart-leaved Willow. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tall shrub or small tree; hardy. (2016 ) S. discolor, Muhl. Glaucous Willow. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. Tall shrub or small tree ; hardy. (2024.) S. HUMILIS, Marshall. Low Willow. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Shrub ; hardy. 148 The Ottawa Naturalist. (2028.) S. LUCIDA, Willd. Shining Willow. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont.; Man. ; N.W.T. Tall shrub or small tree ; hardy ; leaves ornamental. (2048.) S. tristis, Ait. Nova Scotia. Low shrub ; hardy. 558. POPULUS, Linn. (Poplar.) (2053.) P. trkmuloides, Michx. Aspen. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que., Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B.C. Tree ; hardy. (2056 ) P. angustifolia, James. Black Cottonwood. N.W.T. Tree ; hardy. (2058.) P. monilifera, Aiton. Cjttonwood. Que.; Ont. ; Man.; N.W.T. Large tree ; hardy. CI. CONIFERiE— Pine Family. 562. THUYA, Linn. (Arbor- Vitae.) (2062.) T. OCCIDENTALIS, Linn. White Cedar. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. 563. JUNIPERUS, Linn. (Juniper.) (2067.) J. Virginiana. Linn. Red Cedar. N.S. ; Que. ; Ont, Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2068.) J. communis, Linn. Common Juniper. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ;. Ont. ; Man. : N.W.T. ; B.C. Shrub : hardy. 564. TAXI'S, Linn. (Yew.) (2071.) T. BACCATA, L. var CANAD] NSIS, Cray. American New. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. : Shrub ; hardy. List of Native Trees, &c. 149 565. PINUS, Linn. (Pine.) (2072.) P. Strobus, Linn. White Pine. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. j Man. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2076.) P. resinosa, Aitun. Red Pine. N.S. ; N.B..; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2077 ) P ponderosa, Dougl. Heavy-wooded Pine. British Columbia. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2079.) P- Murrayana, Balfour. Black Vine. N.W.T. ; B.C. Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2080.) P. rigida, Miller. P.tch Pine. N.B. ; Que.; Ont. Tree ; hardy. 566. PICEA, Link. (Spruce.) (2082.) P. nigra, Link. Black Spruce. N.S ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. ; B C Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2083.) P. alba. Link. White Spruce. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que.; Ont.; Man.; N.W.T. Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2084.) P. Engelmanni, Engelm. Engelmann's Spruce N.W.T. ; B.C. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. 567. TSUGA, Cass. (Hemlock.) (2086 ) T. Canadensis, Carr. Hemlock. N.S ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. 150 The Ottawa Naturalist. 568. PSEUDOTSUGA, Carr. (Red Fir.) (2089.) P. Douglasii, Carr. Douglas Fir. N W.T. ; B.C. Large tree ; hardy ; ornamental. 569. ABIES, Juss. (Balsam.) (2090.) A. BALSAMEA, Miller. Canada Balsam Fir. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tree; hardy; ornamental. (2019.) A. subalpina, Engelm. Mountain Balsam. N.W.T. ; B.C. Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. (2083.) A. amabilis, Forbes. White Fir. British Columbia. Tree ; hardy ; ornamental. 570. LARIX, Mill. (Tamarack, Larch.) (2094) L. Americana, Michaux. Tamarack, Black Larch. N.S. ; N.B. ; Que. ; Ont. ; Man. ; N.W.T. Tree; hardy; ornamental. EXCURSION NO. 3. The last field day of the O. F. N. Club for the season of 1895 was held, as announced, on 14th. September. The objective point was the Paugan Falls on the Gatineau River near Low Station, about 40 miles from Ottawa. About 120 members and friends of the club were present, but there was a dearth of leaders of sections, and owing to this cause and the rapidly advancing autumn, the collection of specimens made was unusually meagre. O.i the reassembling of the party in the afternoon, however, and after a shurt introductory address by the president, Mr. F. T. Shutt, M. A , the leaders in Botany discussed the flowers and plants collected, Mr. !<. I'.. Whyte giving particular regard to the composite to which order as he pointed out most of the autumn flowers belonged Mr. Craig drew attention to the number am! variety of the coniferous trees standing near and made some interesting remarks upon their nature and uses. After a short address by Mr. R. H. Cowley upon the importance of natural history studies in education, the train for home drew up, and the party reached Ottawa at S p. m. Geological Society of America. 151 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, SPRINGFIELD, MASS., 1895. Abstracts and Titles of Papers Read at the August Meeting. 1. On the Glacial Deposits of Southwestern Alberta, in the Vicinity of the Rocky Mountains. By George M. Dawson and R. G. McConnell, Ottawa, Canada. This paper presented the facts obtained during a recent examination of the glacial deposits of a portion of the south western of the Canadian Great Plains, in the foot-hills and along the base of the Rocky Mountains, where phenomena of par- ticular interest are met with in connection with the relations of the western and eastern drift. (Cordilleran and Laurentide.) A brief summary of previous ob- servations is followed by a description of sections along two main lines of approach to the mountains at relatively low levels and an examination of the conditions sur- rounding the glacial deposits at the highest levels, found in the form of terraces with rolled shingle at 5,300 feet on the Porcupine Hills. In conclusion, the observed facts are briefly discussed, attention being practically confined to the particular region treated in the body of the paper. 2. The Champlain Glacial Epoch. By C. H. Hitchcock, Hanover, N. H. The Champlain was a true glacial epoch, when the land was consideiably de- pressed. Glaciers from the north and south discharged bergs into an estuary. The fauna was arctic. Moraines and both the marine and fiuviatile clays covered till of an earlier ice-sheet. It is possible to harmonize the conflicting theories of glacial and ice-berg action by referring the greater ice-sheets to the earlier, and the floating ice phenomena to the later, Champlain epoch. j. Drumlins and Marginal Moraines of Ice-sheets. By Warren Upham, Cleve- land, Ohio. 4. The Glacial Genesee Lakes. By Prof. H. L. Fairchild, Rochester, N. Y. The direction, inclination and extent of the Genesee Valley made possible the production, during the retreat of the ice-sheet, of a succession or glacial lakes with different outlets. The paper described, with the aid of a map, (i) the present topo- graphy and hydrography of the valley, (2) the ancient drainage channels, (3) the complex lacustrine phenomena. j. The Archean and Cambrian Rocks of the Green Mountain Range in Southern Massachusetts. By Prof. B. A". Emeison, Amherst, Mass. Description of a series of Archean anticlines partly overturned and cverihrust westward, and of the uniformity of the Cambrian conglomerate gneiss upon the old rocks. 6. The Triassic in Massachusetts. By Prof. B. A". Emeison, Amherst, Mass. The stages of deposition and deformation of the sandstones and the relations of the effusive traps and tuffs and the intruded traps to the sandstones. 7. Notes on Relations of Lowe'- Members of Coastal Plain Series in South Carolina. By Mr. N. Darton, Washington, D. C. 152 The Ottawa Naturalist. 8. Resume of General Stratigraphit Relations in the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey to South Carolina. By Air. N. H. Darton, Washington, D. C. o. Cretaceous Plants fiom Martha's Vineyard. Results Obtained from an Exam- ination of the Material Collected by David li'hi/e in iSSg. By Mi. Arthur Hollick, New Brighton, N. V. 10. On Asbestos ami Asbestiform Minerals. By Dr. George P. Merrill, Washing- ton, D. C. The paper treats of the composition, mode of occurrence and mituralogical nature of the various minerals commercially grouped under the name of asbestos, and attempts to explain their fibrous structure as due to abnormal elongation of the mineral parallel to the vertical axis, the individual fibres being in part at least by prismatic faces, that is by the planes of easiest cleavage. The primary cause of this elongation is believed to be mainly dynamical, a result of shearing and other earth movements such as are productive of uraltic hornblendes, schistosity or even slaty structure and slickensided surfaces, where actual fiacturing takes place. //. Pre-Cambrian Volcanoes in Southern Wisconsin. By Prof. Wm. H. Hobbs, Madison, Wis. A preliminary report on the study of a group of isolated areas of igneous rocks which protrude through the Potsdam sandstone in the valley of the Fox River, Wis- consin. Some of these areas represent local outflows of rhyolitic lava winch exhibits superb examples of spherulitic, peritic, fluxion, and breccia structures. The origin- ally glassy ground mass of these rocks has become devitriried — hence they are apo- rhyolites, and they have been subjected to dynamic metarr.orphism and subsequent infiltration of silica. They are intruded by dikes of both basic and acid rocks. Specimens and photographic sections were exhibited. 12. A Geological Sketch of the Siena Tlayacac, in the State oj Morelos, Mexiio. By Paof. A. Capen Gill, Ithaca, N. Y. /j. Syenite-Gneiss (Leopa-d Rock) from the Apatite Region of Ottawa County, Canada. By C. H. Gordon, Beloit, Wisconsin. The rock here described appeared in the exhibit of the Canadian Geological Survey, at the World's Fair under the title of " Concretionary Veinstone," from the apatite region. It consists of irregular ellipsoidal or ovoid masses of feldspar, with more or less quartz, separated by narrow, anastomosing bands of interstitial material consisting chiefly of green pyroxene. The ellipsoidal masses are of all sizes up to two or three inches in cross section, and several inches Ion?. The field study at High Kock Mine, Ottawa County, shows this rock to occur in dikes intersecting the pyroxenites and quartzites. In some places the rock is very coarse with no indications of the ellipsoidal structure, while in others it is a distinctly banded gneiss whose identity with the ellipsoidal rock is evident from the anastomosing of the augite bands on a cross fracture face. Ordinarily the rock has very little quartz and corresponds to a pyroxene-syenite, but in some places the quartz is much more abundant thus allying it to the pyroxene-granites. In view of its gneissic structure and usually sparing amount of quartz the rock is here referred to generally as syenite-gneiss, though grading locally into forms which may more fittingly be regarded as granite-gneiss. The presence of a distinct gneissic microstruclurc, taken in connection with other lacts appears to establish the conclusion that the peculiar ellipsoidial structure is due to orographic forces acting upon a coarsely crystallized rock in which principal constituents (feldspar and pyroxene) are more or less irregularly distributed. The breaking ol the rock undei pressure has been attended by the recrystallization of the Geological Society of America. 153 augite and other constituents along the original fracture planes, which were probably, in part, determined by the arrangement of the two chief constituents. The points of interest brought out in the study are : (i) that this peculiar dis- tribution of the pyroxene is due to dynamic processes, (2) the importance to be at- tached to the process of solution and recrystallization in the formation of gneisses, (3) the significance of the original character of the rock with reference to the product derived from it by dynamic processes, and the differences resulting from variations in the extent to which it has been affected by orographic agencies, and (4) the evidence showing the derivation of a gneiss out of a syenite, and establishing the term syenite- gneiss as the name of a distinct rock type. 14. 7 he Titaniferous Iron Ores of the Adirondacks. Prof. f. Kemp, New York City. The paper opens with a brief statement of the characters of the two kinds of iron ores which are afforded by the region, the merchantable magnetites and the titani- ferous. The former are in gneisses ; the latter in the gabbros and anorthosites of the Norian, which are believed to be intruded through the gneisses. A list of localities of the titaniferous ores is given and distinction is made between the smaller bodies which are, so far as can be seen, basic developments of gabbro, and the enor- mous ore bodies at the old Adirondack Iron works, in the heart of the mountains. These latter are in massive, anorthosite, which is almost entirely formed of large, blue-black crystals of labradorite. The largest ore body, which is the one crossing Lake Sandford, contains numerous included labradorite crystals, each of which is surrounded by a reaction rim 5-10 mm. across. It is further shown that the wall rocks show no signs of the widespread crushing that is exhibited in the general "mortar-structure" of the Adirondack and Canadian anorthosites but are plutonic rocks, free from evidences of dynamic metamorphism. The argument is then made that the ores are segregations from an igneous magma formed during the process of cooling and crystallization. fj. The Decomposition of Rocks in Brazil. By J. C. Branner, Stanford Uni- versity, Calif. I6. The Bearing of Physiography on Uniformitarianism. By Prof. W M. Davis, Cambridge, Mass. The conditions and processes postulated in the physiographic study of land forms — Geomorphology of some authors — are among the cardinal principles of uni- formitarianism. The success in the interpretation of nature by means of this kind of study confirms the correctness of its postulates, and thus brings to the support of uniformitarianism a large class of facts, whose bearing on this theory was not at all perceived when its early advocates announced it. 77. Analysis of Folds. By Prof. C. P. Van Hise, Madison, Wis. As ordinarily treated folds are considered as simple flexures in two dimensions. As they occur in nature folds are compound flexures in two dimensions. The anal- ysis of simple folds given by Margerie and Heim is summarized. For the sake of simplicity folds are first treated in two dimensions. A composite fold is produced by the combination of various simple folds. Composite folds include both normal composite folds and abnormal composite folds. The genesis of each is discussed, and each is classified into upright, inclined, and overturned anticlinoria and synclinoria. When composite folds are cross folded, these are called complex folds. The character and origin of complex folds are discussed. Rules are given for observation in regions which are folded in a complex manner. The use of folds in the discovery of unconformity and the secondary changes which accompany folding are summarized. 154 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. Entomology. — *Frail Children of the Air. Another of Mr. Scudder's delightful books has just come to hand, with the above pretty title. It is a tastefully bound 8vo. of 279 pages, containing 31 short chapters, 9 plates, on the habits and structure of butterflies, written in a graceful, but clear and popular, style, which will make the book entertaining to many who have never taken any special interest in butterflies and will, we believe, realise the author's hope, expressed in the preface, "gain for our butterflies a deeper interest and closer attention on the part of the observing public". This is really an excellent selection from a series of papers which ran through Mr. Scudder's large and costly work, " The Butterflies of. the Eastern United States and Canada," and, although forming a "consistent whole," each chapter is complete in itself. The following titles of some of the subjects treated will give a slight idea of the scope of this attractive little volume: — Butterflies in Disguise, Butterflies as Botanists, Butterfly Sounds, The Eggs of Butterflies, How Butterflies pass the Winter, Protective Colouring in Caterpillars, The Procession of the Seasons, Some Singular Things About Caterpillars, The Friends and Associates of Caterpillars, Butterflies of the Past. J. Fletcher. Geology- — Recent Publications: — 1. Claypole, Prof. E. W. — " Glacial Notes from the Planet Mars." American Geologist, Vol. XVI, No. 2 pp. 91 — 100, August, 1895. 2. Upham, Warren. — " Correlations of Stages of the Ice-A^e in North America and Europe." Ibid, pp. 100 — 113. 3. Jameson, Charles I). — "Portland Cement," "a monograph." The Transit : Vol. Ill; No. 1. 192 pp. Iowa City, 1895. 4. Ranso.me, Prof. F. LESLIE. — " On Lawsonite, a New Rock- forming Mineral prom the Tiburon Peninsula, Marin Co., California" Bull. Dept Gcol. Univ. Calif. : Vol I, No. ic, pp 301 —312, pi. 17 ; Berkeley, May, 1895, Lawsonite is named in honor of Prof. A. C. Lawson, M.A., Ph I)., etc., etc., Professor of Geolog) in the University of California, and formerly on the staff of the Geological Survey of Canada. * ] "rail Children of the Air — Excursions into the World of Butterflies — By Samuel II. Scudder, Cambridge. Mass. $1,50. Notes, Reviews and Comments. 155 5. Vogdes, A. W. — "A Supplement to the Bibliography of the Palceo- zoic Crustacea." Extr. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sc, Ser. 2, Vol. V., PP- 53—76. 6. Matthew, Dr. G. F. — On the Organic Remains of the Little River Group, Nos. II and III. Trans. Roy. Soc. Can. Section IV, pp. 89 — in, plate 1, figs. 1 to 11. Eight new species and one new- genus are herein described for the first time from the " Devonian " of New Brunswick, as follows : Insecta : 1. Homothetus erutus, n.sp. Myriapoda : 2. Palreocampa (?) ohscura, n.sp. 3. Euphoberia atava, n.sp. » 4. Eilalicus (?) antiquus, n.sp. 5. Hyodes (?) attenuata, n.sp. 6. Chilopus dubius, n.g. et. sp. Arachnoidea : 7. Palaeophonus arctus, n.sp. PULMONIFERA : 8. Pupa primseva, n.sp. Besides the above Dr. Matthew also figures : Eoscorpius carbon- arius, Meek and Worthen, from the Carboniferous of Illinois : Palceophonus nuvcius, Thorell and Lindstrom, from the "Silurian" of Sweden, and a species of Euphoberia, from Plant Bed No. 2. The whole is a most valuable contribution to science. H. M. Ami. 7. VVinchell, Prof. N. H. — :< A Rational View of the Keweenawan." Amer. Geol., Vol. XVI, No. 3, pp. 150—162, Sept, 1895. This forms the seventh article of a series on ''Crucial points in the Geology of the Lake Superior Region " by Prof. VVinchell. 8. Beecher, Dr. Charles E. — " The Larval Stages of Tri/obiies." Ibid., pp. 166 to 197, Plates VIII— X. In this important contribution to our knowledge of the trilobites in their earliest stages, Dr. Beecher shows that " all the facts in the ontogeny of tiilobites point to one type of larval structure." To the earliest larval stage, the name "protaspis stage," is given. Then follows a review of larval stages of trilobites, derivtd from such forms as Solenopleura robbi, Hartt ; Liostracus ouargondianus, Hartt ; Ptycho- paria lunnarssoni, Walcott ; Piychoparia kingi, Meek ; Sao hirsuta, Barrande ; Triarthrus becki, Green ; Acidaspis tuberculata, Conrad ; Arges consanguineus, Clarke ; Proctus parviusculus, Hall; Dalmaniies socialis, Barrande. ') 156 The Ottawa Naturalist. Conchology. — A large land shell, new to the Ottawa list, was found at Casselman on May 23rd. It is Helix paliiata. Three specimens were found, one west of the South Nation river, and two on the east side, below the falls, in the woods where the beautiful Phlox divaricata was then in full bloom. H. pallia/a is about three quarters of an inch in diameter, and differs from H. denti/era, which it most resembles in general appearance, in having the upper lip prolonged inward at two points into what are commonly called "teeth ". A similar process is formed upon the body whorl These projections permit the soft tissues of the builder to pass, but oppose a pearly barrier to beetles and other enemies who would intrude upon the dweller within. The three teeth on the shell of H. paliiata and other American land shells have been considered a peculiarity sufficiently distinctive to warrant the grouping of such species in a subgenus, under the name Triodopsis. The study of the inhabitants of the shells grouped under this term has shown that many are less closely allied to other triodopses than they are to the mesodons, or shells of which H albolabris and H. thyroides, also found at Cassel- man, may be regarded as the types. The shell alone can, in fact, be seldom relied on in arranging a natural classification of molluscs. Casselman Shells — A mere list of names is dry reading at best, and is of little interest to the general reader. In years to come, however, The Naturalist will be referred to, to ascertain what plants or shells at a particular time occurred in certain places. Any record, therefore, is likely to be of some use. At Casselman on May 23rd and 24th, a number of shells were noticed. No great effort was made to collect anything but what came in the way of a few members of the Club, while on a botanical excursion. This may account for the absence from the following list of such shells as H. dentifera and H. th\r aides, which are known to occur at Casselman. The species noted were : — Helix albolabris, H. sayi, H. paliiata, H. alternata, H. concava, H monodon, H nitida, H. arborea, H. radiatula, H. fulva, H. stnatella, H. pulchella, H. binney- ana, Succinea oralis, S. obliqua, Vitrina limpida, Limax campestris, Teb. Carolinensis, Vertigo ovata, Per, subclitidrica, Carychiutn exiguutn, Gon. livescens, Cat/ip. decisum, Limrnea palustris, L. cape rat a, Physa heteros- troplia, P. billin^sii, Platiorbis trivolvis, PL bicarinatus, PI. parvus, Amy lus parallel us, Unio complanatits, U. luteolus, Anodanta jiuviatilis, Sphaeriiivi sulcatum, S. occidentale, Pisidium abditum. L. The Ottawa Naturalist. \Ap Vol. IX. OTTAWA, NOVEMBER, 1895. No. 8. HOW ROCKS ARE FORMED. By R. W. Ells, LL.D, F.R.S.C. of the Geological Survey of Canada. Before taking up the general subject of rock formation, which in the limited time at my disposal, can only be touched upon in the briefest possible manner, we may for a moment glance, first of all, at some of the theories which have been put forth to account for the formation of the earth itself, in order that we may obtain a good starting point or acquire some idea of the conditions under which the foundations of the earth's crust were laid down, upon which the many thousands of feet of rock material which are known by the names of sandstone, slates, shales and limestones have been deposited. Many theories have been put forth to explain the formation of the earth and to account for the many changes which transpired thereon before it became fitted for the advent of animal and plant life. Of these some are of interest from their legendary character, while others, regarded from the standpoint of modern science, present many features not reconcilable with the knowledge of the present day, and are of value, chiefly as illustrating the crude ideas that prevailed on this subject, prior to the advent of the present century. But few of the propounders of these theories made any attempt to approach so complicated a prob- lem from a purely scientific standpoint. It must be borne in mind that the scientific study of the earth's crust is a matter of comparatively recent date, and our present knowledge is the result of very careful study, both in the field upon the rock masses themselves and in the laboratory, in which the science of chemistry and the microscope have played very important parts. According to the theory now most generally accepted regarding the formation of the crust of the earth, viz., that of Laplace, there un- 158 The Ottawa Naturalist. doubtedly was a period in its history when rock structure, as we now know it, did not exist. This theory, which is commonly styled " the nebular hypothesis," most completely satisfies all the conditions required and may be briefly stated thus. It supposes that in the beginning the universe existed simply in a state of cosmic ether ; that this in process of time gave off immense masses to which a rotary motion was imparted through various forces; that from these whirling masses large rings were separated, which by rupture and gradual condensation gradually assumed a spherical shape, as a consequence of the rotary movement, till at length the solar syste-n, with its central sun and accompanying planetary bodies was evolved. The cosmic matter, in process of time cooled down sufficiently to produce a crust, composed of various mineral constituents ; and the cooling and hardening of the earth's mass pioceeded either from the centre as a nucleus outward or by a gradual thickening of a first formed crust inward. Several theories have been proposed to explain this stage of the earth's history, but the greater number of physicists and geologists at the present day regard the globe as a more or less solid mass with areas of liquid matter at various points throughout the interior. Be that as it may we can safely say that the first rock material was produced by the gradual decrease in temperature of the original nebular mass, and in this way a foundation was laid down for the subsequent depositionof rock material, for the introduction of living organisms, and finally for the advent of man himself. From a careful examination of many portions of this crust which have been brought to the surface either by denudation of overlying formations or by the extrusion of liquid matter, as in the case of volcanoes, it has been ascertained to be composed of a number of simple or undecomposable substances or elements of which about seventy have now been recognized. Of these the greater part apparently exist in very limited quantity, while the main mass of the crust is made up of a few easily recognized compounds formed from the union of two or more simple elements. The most abundant of these is silica which is the result of a chemical union of silicon and oxygen, and this constitutes more than half the mass of the earth's How Rocks are Formed 159 crust. The other principal elements which enter into its composition are carbon, sulphur, hydrogen, chlorine, phosphorus and fluorine. All these are styled metalloids while among the metals are aluminum, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, manganese and barium. Having thus secured a solid rock floor, of which we have most excellent illustrations in the range of Laurentian hills to the north of the river Ottawa, great portions of which presumably represent some of our first formed rock, the next development presumably was the precipita- tion of water, through the chemical union of the oxygen and hydrogen which entered largely into the composition of the gaseous envelope surrounding the newly created earth. From the geologist's standpoint, this may almost be regarded as our next rock formation ; for throughout the whole subsequent history of the earth's devlopment, down to the present day, water has played a very important part. Gradually the watery envelope increased till, possibly, it swept resistless around the entire globe. By degrees, through the cooling and shrinking of the crust, ridges would be produced which formed barriers against which the mighty waves beat with the terrible force of the primeval ocean surge, tearing down and grinding to powder the newly formed coast line, and in this way the conditions were furnished by which the great thickness of the sedimentary formations which form so instructive a field of study to the working geologist, was laid down. Taking this then as our starting point in geological time we may say that the greater part of the subsequent formations, as we now know them, was produced through the agency of fire or water. By the first we mean that certain portions of the earth's crust have been brought to the surface by means of volcanoes or great fissures in its surface, through which the liquified interior rock issued. These rocks are therefore known as igneous or volcanic, and are styled intrusive when the liquid has solidified before reaching the surface as in the case of granites, syenites &c, or eruptive when the intrusive matter has cooled or hardened after reaching the surface. Among these latter are the diorites, traps and volcanic ejectamenta generally. There is however a manifest difference in the character and composition of these two groups, the latter being ofen darker hued and finer grained, the 1 (30 The Ottawa Naturalist. difference in texture being probably due to more rapid crystallization or cooling just as in the case of solutions of salt, sugar, alum &c, where we find that the slower the cooling the larger the grain of the crystal. These rocks, since they penetrated the oldest of the sedimen- tary formations, by which term we mean those which have been laid down by the action of water in some form may be regarded, as representing in some cases at least, certain portions of the original mass or crust of the earth. The sedimentary or aqueous rocks are composed largely of grains of sand or often of pebbles, cemented together by sandy or calcareous particles. These grains of sand and pebbles have been derived from pre-existing rocks which in the first place presumably formed the first floor, and which have been broken down and reduced by the action of the elements, such as the force of waves, the rush of streams, the infil- tration of rains or the action of frost. In addition to the beds of sandstone and conglomerate, others, composed largely of calcareous matter, in which the presence of organisms, as shells, plants, etc., can be recognized ; as can be seen in the many quarries in the vicinity of this city, where they extend over large areas, while yet others, com- posed of fine material, such as mud and silt, now occur as shales, and are easily recognized in the dark brownish or greyish material which is dug up in many of our streets or seen along the banks of the Rideau and Ottawa Rivers. The manner in which many of these sedimentary locks have been produced can be readily seen by any one who has ever studied, in the slightest degree, the action of water upon our sea coasts, lake shores, or along our river courses. Thus it will be observed that a coast line is generally composed of masses of rock jutting out here and there in the form of cliffs or projecting points. These are separated by stretches of beach or low shore in which rock ledges are frequently absent, but which are composed of sand, gravel, mud, clay or boulders. These have been produced by the long continued action of wave or current against the rocky barriers, the force of which, by mechanical impact, tends to break down the mass of the cliff into scattered blocks and distribute them about its base. Subsequent rolling and dashing How Rocks are Formed. 161 against each other gradually reduce these to a state of sand or clay, and in this way are produced the materials which make up the sands ones and conglomerates. These, by the various changes which are taking place in the earth's surface, become buried under other deposits and are acted upon by the agencies of heat, pressure and other causes till they become firm and enter into the solid constituents ot the earth's crust. The softer muds and sills of the beach also undergo a change and pass into shales. This material is deposited under quieter con- ditions, in sheltered bays or creeks, where the finer earth particles held in water, are gradually deposited. Shales pass into slates through the formation of cleavage planes which have been induced by pressure in the shaly mass, and by hardening through metamorphic agencies. Wherever organic life has existed on the beach or shore, these remains gradually become entombed and we now fir.d the impression of the long extinct bird, fish, plant or insect, often so perfectly preserved that the most delicate points of structure can be readily determined. These organic remains are found to vary in character at different horizons, so that what are found in one rock series often do not appear in others more recent ; and upon this peculiarity of distribution, palaeontologists and geologists have built up a scheme of rock formations, which com- prises all the sediments from the Laurentian time or the original deposi- tion of the earth's crust, down to the present day, each division of which is distinguished by certain fossil forms peculiar in large part to itself. In this way we can depict the whole life history, of the globe, from the advent of the first forms, through plant, fish, bird, reptile, etc., to the mammalia, and up to the highest type of all the genus Homo, or man himself. While, however, sedimentary rocks are deposited as sands, clays or calcareous matter in generally horizontal attitudes, such as we see in the strata surrounding this city, very frequently these strata are tilted at all angles, and in some cases completely overturned. This change in position is accompanied often by a change in the character of the original sediments, and is due to some agency, either of contraction or shrinking of the crust or to dislocations which have produced crumplings, upheavals, displacements, etc. In this way sandstones have been 102 The Ottawa Naturalist. frequently changed to hard quartzites, shales to cleaved slates, and limestones to a crystalline condition, as marbles. Often all the altera tion is directly due to the presence of heated masses of intrusive rock, as granite, syenite or diorite, which have ascended from the heated interior along lines of fracture or least resistance, and the heat has depiived the rock in contact of much of the contained moisture, changing the texture and altering its character for a considerable distance from the line of contact of the intrusive mass. As regards some of the more important minerals found in the stratified rock, their formation has proceeded on somewhat similar lines. Tnus if we study the early history of the coal beds, some of which have a thickness of from thirty to forty feet, we find that they have originated probably from swampy deposits somewhat of the nature of our present peat mosses, and that the growth and decay of vegetable matter went on for very long periods. On the basis of eight to ten feet of peat or swamp mud being required for every foot of coal produced, a thirty foot coal seam would have requited a swamp of enormous depth to have furnished the material necessary for the formation of such a coal bed. That the coaly matter has been derived from the decomposition of plants, such as tree ferns and other allied forms, which grew in the marshes of the Carboniferous time is very clear, since the remains of the coal-plants can be found well preserved in the shales which overlie the coals ard in the clays which form their underlying strata, as well as in the tissue of the coal itself. It would appear that the woody or interior tissue gradually became destroyed, while the carbon of the bark principally formed the mass of the coal itself. These masses of swamp or peaty matter, gradually by submergence become overspread with sand, gravel or silt, which by continued increase in thickness acquired sufficient weight to pre-s down the miss of bog, until by long continued pressuie and other causes it became transformed into the coal which we mine and burn to-day. Somewhat similar changes and conditions are going on at many places at the present time in our own peat deposits. Thus at the great bog near the city known as the " Mer bleu " which is a great expanse of peat of from 8 — 10,000 acres in extent, the surface is covered with How Rocks are Formed. 163 green moss, ferns, shrubs and stunted trees, the whole forming a light colored layer of two or three feet in thickness. Beneath this the contents of the bog gradually become dense and darker colored ; the green living vegetation has disappeared, but its remains yet exist in the form of rootlets, stems &c. Still lower down the bog presents a still more homogenous aspect, the vegetable matter is almost entirely decomposed, and the mass is of a uniform dark brown or black color and of a very considerable density, forming a very excellent fuel when dug out and dried. Where this material is subjected to great pressure it furnishes a material known as compressed peat which can be' so manufactured as to have all the density and calorific power of coal itself, and thus is able to furnish a material of very great value for all the purposes for which ordinary coal is now applied. There is therefore a manifest resemblance between these modern bogs and those from which our beds of mineral fuel were derived ; with this exception, that the character of the growing; vegetation, and the nature of the animal life which inhabited these were widely different; while the presumption is strong that if these peat bogs could be subjected to the same conditions which affected those of the Carboniferous time, the resulting material would be a coal of somewhat similar character. Coals of an intermediate character are also found as in the great lignite deposits of the Saskatchewan and Souris areas, where the mineral still retains to a marked extent its original woody fibre. On the other hand when the bituminous coals have been subjected to the action of further heat and pressure, the result appears in the form of authracite or hard coal, in which much of the volatile matter has been driven off. A still further alteration results in the formation of graphite. Beautiful illustrations of this latter condition are found in some deposits in southern New Brunswick, where the coal is graphicized anthracite, the containing rocks being thrown on edge and much altered. Other kinds of rock masses may be mentioned, such as rock-salt, gypsum, shell-marl, infusorial earth, chalk, iron ores of various kinds, petroleum and petroleum-bearing shales. Of these, rock-salt has probably been formed by the evaporation of saline waters in enclosed basins, a process which has been going forward at many stages of the 1G4 The Ottawa Naturalist. world's history, and is seen at the present day in nature in the Great Salt Lake of Utah, as well as at all points where salt is produced by solar evaporation or action. Gypsum is formed principally as a chemical precipitate from solution in water, as well as by the action of sulphurous vapours from volcanic vents upon calcareous rocks. Shell marls are mostly of organic origin, formed by the accumulation of the remains of shells in the bottoms of lakes or ponds, often seen underly- ing peat bogs, as is also the case with certain of the limestones where the mass of the rock is made up almost entirely of organisms. Certain of the limestones, however, are formed by chemical action, by deposition of calcareous matter in solution, in which case they are frequently highly siliceous and devoid of all trace of organic life. Chalk is formed like shell marl, only differing in its being of marine instead of fre^h water origin ; the mass of the deposit being principally calcareous, while with infusorial earth which is formed from portions of diatoms, the mass is chiefly siliceous. This substance although requiring a high power of the microscope to detect the traces of the organisms is often found in deposits of many feet in thickness. The deposits of iron ore, which form a very important portion of the economic products of the earth's crust, owe their origin very largely to the action of certain organic acids, which have been produced by the decomposition of vegetable matter upon the ferruginous minerals found in many rock masses, and which thus pass into solution with water. These solutions rapidly decompose under certain conditions and the iron salts are precipitated, and become mixed with sands and clays, gradually forming beds of what is known as bog iron ore. This material in certain areas constitutes deposits of very great extent as in the St. Maurice district, where these ores have been mined and smelted for over 150 years, and are still as abundant as ever, at many points. The other ores of iron, such as limonite, hematite, magnetite &c., which frequently occur in immense masses have also been regarded by some chemists, and geologists as owing their existence to organic agencies, and their present condition is supposed to be due to the great metamor- phoses to which they have been subjected during the great lapse of time since their deposition. It seems however probable from the How Rocks are Formed. 165 associations of many of these deposits with clearly intrusive rocks that their origin is more closely related to these latter than to any organic agencies as is the case with the recent iron ore deposits. Of late years the microscope has come to the aid of the field geologist and has been of wonderful assistance in solving the problem pertaining to the structure and origin of many rocks, concerning whose genesis much doubt had long existed. By the increased light thus furnished, many new facts have been adduced which have, on certain lines, almost entirely revolutionized our earlier ideas as to rock structure and by the union of the forces of the field and the laboratory much more satisfactory conclusions have been reached, It may be safely said that by this means, the progress in accurate geological investigations during the last ten years has been far greater than in any previous similar period, and the results obtained have been much more reliable. The vicinity of Ottawa is excellently adopted for the study of many rock formations. Along the line of the Gatineau railway many beauti- ful sections of the early crust are exposed in the form of granite, gneiss and crystalline limestone, and their intersections by dyke-like masses of deeper seated rocks are well seen, as syenites, diorites, pyroxenes, felspars, etc. The Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound and the Canada Atlantic Rail- ways both traverse areas occupied by the lower Palaeozoic rocks and many instructive outcrops of sandstone, shale and limestone are easily avail- able to the geological student. Some of the strata of the Chazy and Trenton are wonderfully rich in organic remains. The former of these two great rock divisions illustrate the conditions which prevailed when the earliest ocean waves dashed against the oldest outlines of our con- tinent, and strewed the debris of sand and pebbles throughout the Ottawa area, while the limestones and shales of the Chazy and Trenton show the prevalence of deeper water conditions and ihe abundance of the animal life even in those early days of the world's history. The most recent deposits of clays, sands and gravels can also be studied at many points along the river Ottawa as well as over the country adjacent on either side, and their contained organisms, in the shape of bones of seals and fishes, as well as marine shells, are familiar to many of the 166 Thk Ottawa Naturalist. members of our club. These shell deposits are found at many points along the hills around Ottawa and away up the river to the west at elevations of hundreds of feet above present sea level, and show that the deposits of the>e portions of the present crust of the earth were due to the series of rhythmic pulsations which seem to be constantly going on, and by which at one time, the surface is raised to a considerable eleva- tion above tide water and then gradually becomes submerged till the ocean waves wash the sides of our highest hills. It will be readily admitted by everyone conversant with the s-ludy of Geology, that, like all other branches of science, it is extremely pro- gressive in its ttndency ; but though the new facts acquired year by year, through our recent sources of knowledge, have led to many changes of view as to the origin, history and manner of formations of the com- ponent parts of the earth's crust, it should not be assumed that as a consequence any discredit should attach to the conscientious woik of the pioneers in the science, but rather the greater credit should in many cases be given, in that they, with such poor materials at their disposal and such a lack of facilities at their command for investigation, should have been able to accomplish so much, and to obtain results so generally satisfactory to those who have since studied the rocks in the light of modern science. Report of Geological Branch. 167 REPORT OF THE GEOLOGICAL BRANCH, 189495. (Read December 20th, 1894.) To the Council of the Ottawa Field- Naturalists Club: The following notes on geological work carried on in this vicinity by members of the Club and others indicate clearly the interest which still prevails in the study of the geological formations about Ottawa. Considerable geological woik was done at the three general excur- sions held under the auspices of the Club The following table shows the various places visited and the geo- logical formations noticed and reported upon either orally at the excursions by the leaders, or in the Naturalist* : — O 1— < U3 D X w No. 1. Chelsea. No. 2. Wakefield. No. 3. Galetta. Saxicava sand, Leda clay. Boulder clay. Archaean. Leda clay. Boulder clay. Fossils abundant. Archaean. Pleistocene. Archaean, &c. Xo fossils collected Sands and gravels, clay, &c. Gneisses, limestone, ophite, diorite, he. Marine clay and boulder clays, glaciated rocks. I Gneisses, pegmatites, &c. ...Chrondrodite limestone, Carp Station. syenite. &c, overlain by J marine clays and sands. Besides the three general excursions, above mentioned, there were held a number of sub-excursions in which various members of the Club and others interested took part. These are some of the localities visited : — 1. Porter's Island, Rideau River, Ottawa In April, 1894, *(a) Vol. VIII., No. 3, pp. 42-43, 1894. (b) Vol. VIII., No. 5, pp. 74-75, 1894. (c) Vol. VIII., No. 7. pp. 109-110, 1894. 168 The Ottawa Naturalist. the writer, together with Mr. B. E. Walker, F.G.S., of Toronto, Mr. N. J. Giroux, C.E., Mr. J. C. Reichenbach, and others visited this island, where extensive excavations made by the civic authorities had brought to view the fossiliferous strata of the middle Utica. Large blocks of black bituminous shale were examined and a perfect harvest of interesting forms obtained. Slabs covered with the remains of graptolites of the genus Lepto- graptus, beautifully presewed and showing the hydrothecse and other points of structure wonderfully well ; colonies ot the sponges recently described for the writer by Dr. Hinde as Stephanella saricta, together with remarkably well-preserve 1 specimens of TriartJirus spinosus were found in tolerable abundance. A complete list of the species collected on Porter's Island will be published in a future number of the Naturalist, if desired. 2. Hull, Que. The quarries at Hull both north and south of the C. P. R. track, were again visited and as usual yielded a number of interesting forms, especially crinoids. On one occasion, in two hour's search the writer and two friends secured no less than 30 heads of crinoids besides a large number of beautilul examples of Trematis Ottawaensis, Billings and an undescribed bryozoaiy. 3. Besserers. Ottawa River. — 9 miles below Ottawa City. In company with Mr. Lambe of the Geological Survey the writer spent a day collecting in the Post Pliocene marine clays of this locality during low water in September. Besides some fifty specimens of fossil fishes — Malloius villosus. Cuvier, collected on this occasion — there were obtained remains of shells and plants in tolerable abundance. Some fifty specimens ot plants were sent to Sir William Dawson and include remains of algae or seaweeds, mosses, equisetaceiv, fruits, grasses, sedges and leaves of trees and flowering plants. Two fossil feathers were also collected. The first specimen of a fossil feather from those marine clays discovered as far as we know was that obtained by the Marquis of Lome at Green's Creek, during his Report of Geological Branch. 1G9 term of office, about 1881, and is now on exhibition in the Pleistocene case at the Geological Museum on Sussex street. Several papers bearing on the Geology of this district have appeared from time to time in the Naturalist during the past year. The Director of the Geological Survey of Canada (Dr. Sehvyn) has undertaken to publish a series of Geological maps of this portion of Canada and entrusted this work to Dr. Ells who is also one of the leaders in Geology of our club. I have no doubt that he will find useful and interesting material in the published records of the geology of Ottawa or in the unpublished notes of the leaders in geology. Records and notes have been kept during the past fifteen years at least, an amount of useful information which will be useful in preparing a more detailed and accurate geological map than has heretofore been published. Early in the spring of '94, one of your leaders, the writer, issued a chart of the Geological formations of Ottawa and its environs extracted from a paper published in 18S8 on the formations of this district. What is now required is a good topographical map of this district upon which to lay the geological features. Considerable difficulty has been met in the fact that the surveys on the Ontario side do not correspond with those on the Quebec side of the Ottawa and require to be corrected at numerous points. Considerable progress however was made in this direction by the late Mr. Scott Barlow, Chief Draughts- man of the Survey, and this branch of the Club's work looks forward to the time when such a map will be prepared for the Ottawa district. In the meantime a great deal remains to be done in geology about Ottawa The structure and composition of the older crystalline rocks at our very door, their origin and age are only begining to be studied and understood, whilst the fossiliferous rocks always prove to the diligent searcher that many forms new to science are still awaiting to be discovered. In conclusion we trust that good results will long continue to be forthcoming in this branch of the Club's work. (On behalf of the leaders) u A| Ami iri 170 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES, REVIEWS, AND COMMENTS. Glacial Deposits in Europe and America. — In the April- May issue of the Journal of Geerfogy,Yo\. Ill, No. 3. pp. 241-269, James Geikie contributes a valuable paper entitled : — "The Classification of European glacial deposits." It is a clear and conscise resume of the evidence gathered by one whose intimate acquaintance with the facts of the case enable him to present the various stages which characterized glacial times in Europe- From the earliest glacial deposits of northern Europe — the Scanian — to the latest, the Upper Turbarian or sixth glacial period, Dr. Geikie notes five interglacial periods and six glacial periods, which he designates as follows : — European Glacial and Interglacial Stages. XI. Upper Turbarian — Sixth Glacial Period. X. Upper Forestian — Fifth Interglacial period. IX. Lower Turbarian — Fifth Glacial Epoch VIII. Lower Forestian — Fourth Interglacial Epoch. VII. Mecklenburgian — Fourth Glacial Epoch. VI. Neudeckian — Third Inter Glacial Epoch. V. Polandian — Third Glacial Epo< h. IV. Helvetian — Second Interglacial Epoch. III. Saxonian — Second Glacial Epoch. II. Norfolkian —First Interglacial Epoch. I. Scanian — First Glacial Epoch. This admirable paper by Dr Geikie is followed by another on "The classification of America's glacial deposits" 270 — 277, {loc-cit.) by Prof. T. C, Chamberlin in which the latter points out the relations which exist between the stages mentioned by Dr. Geikie in his paper on European glacial deposits and the stages in America. Prof. Chamberlin remarks: "Our knowledue of the formations that were deposited during the advancing stages of the glacial period in America is extremely imperfect." This strikes the key-note to a series of careful investigations which ought to be made in the lowest glacial deposits of North America and specially in British North America such as wilj enable the correlations of the different stage in Europe and America to be more accuratelyestablished. Prof.Chamberlin attempts to correlate the Kansan formation with the Saxonian of Europe owing to their striking Notes, Reviews and Comments. 171 similarity, in that they "al.ke repre sentthe greatest extension of the ice-sheet. The Ajionian and the Helvetian are then compared indicating a retreat of the ice-sheet. Then the Iowan formation of Dr. McGee — which Chamberlin co-relates with the Poland/an with some doubt. The Toronto formation correlated with the Neudeckian (?) ; the Wisconsin formation with the Mecklenburgian (?) and the later deposits are compared with the Forestian and Turbarian deposits of Europe. These two papers are most interesting contributions to glaciology. H. M. Ami. Botany. — Rare Manitoba^ Plants.— I beg to note the finding of the following plants at Stony Mountain, Man., on August 12th 1895. (1) Gerardia tenuifplia, Vahl, var. asfierula, Gray. This was recorded from the same locality by J. M. Macoun. Many years ago I noticed it northwestward towards Lake Manitoba. This would seem to confirm the conjecture made in Prof. Macoun's Catalogue that G. aspera of Douglas, should be referred here. (2) Bouteloua racemosa. Lag. This grass is very rare in Canada, it was found in the same locality by Mr. Fletcher in 1883 (j) Pel/cea atroputpurea, Link. On limestone rocks. This is the first record for Manitoba, though there are several for the North West Territories. — Rev. W. A. Bur.man, Winnipeg, Man. Asplenium Ruta-muraria, L: — In the Ottawa Naturalist for November 1892, Dr. T. J. W. Burgess, F. R. S. C, records the first discovery in Canada of this rare fern by Dr. P. J. Scott, of Southampton, Ont., on Flower-pot Island, near Tobermorey, Bruce Co. Out. In looking through some botanical specimens collected by the Rev. W. A. Burman, of Winnipeg, at Banff, Rocky Mountains, in June 1894, I find some good fruiting fronds of this fern. This is the second locality in Canada so far recorded. — J. F. Zoology. — The Common House Mouse, Mm muscu/us, L. Two specimens of a mouse taken by the Rev. J. H. Keen, at Fort Simpson, Northern British Columbia, were forwarded for identification to Mr. S. N. Rhoads, of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Pa., who reports that they are the above species, and, that the capture so far north is of interest. — J. F. Entomology. — Pamphila Peckius, Kirby. — This pretty and common little Skipper, of which there is normally but one brood in the year at Ottawa, the butterflies appearing in the latter half of June, has this year been practically double-brooded. During the hot weather we had last September numerous specimens were seen darting about the beds of Phlox Drummondii at the Experimental Farm. In previous years an occasional specimen has been recorded in the autumn but this year the species was abundant. — J. F. 172 The Ottawa Naturalist. Sphinx luscitiosa, Cram. A fine male specimen of this rare Hawk Moth was taken by Mr. William Ellis in the Conservatory at the Experimental Farm on June 15th. It was flying by diy-light and was watched for some time sipping the nectar from the flowers of some Cattleyas and other orchids. Many years ago a single specimen was taken at rest in New Edinburgh by Mr. Harrington and later Mr. F. W. Warwick of Buckingham, P. Q. took two females at Lilac flowers. An interesting record of this species is that of a specimen taken by Mr. A, W. Hanham at Winnipeg on 1st. July last. It was at rest beneath some loose bark on a fence post. It may be mentioned in case anyone should be fortunate enough to get the eggs at any future time that the food plant of the caterpillar is willow. — J. F. PROGRAMME OF WINTER LECTURES IN OTTAWA. Under the joint auspices of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society and the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club a special Soiree Com- mittee Meeting was held in the Normal School on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 30th, 1895, when the following programme of lectures, etc., for the ensuing season of 1 895-1896 was decided upon : — 1895. Programmk of Lectures, Soirees, etc. 1896. 1895. NOV. 16th. Conversazione. On this occasion addresses will be gi\en by Dr. MacCabe, F.R.S.C, Dr. R. W. Ells and Mr. F. T. Shutt, M.A., I'.I.C. During the evening objects of special interest will be shown under micro and in rases prepared for the evening by various members of both societies. Music, vocal and instrumental, will also form a part of this opening entertainment. DEC. 5th. 1. The value of Botany in Agriculture. By 1'rof. John Macoun, M.A., F.L.S. 2. A Naturalist in British Columbia. By Brof. James Fletcher, F.R.S.C, etc. Illustrated. DEC. I2th. A Creek Tragedy. By Prof. MacNaughton, M.A., of Queen's University, Kingston. 1896. [AN. 9th. Longfellow. By the Hon. Dr. Montague, M. P. 23rd. Extinct Monsters By Mr. 1 1. M. Ami', M. A., F.C.S. Illustrated by lantern slides and views. " 30th. Labrador. By Mr. A. 1'. Low, B.A.Sc. Illustrated by lime-light views. 111;. oth. How to Study Botany. By Dr. T. J. W. Burgess, of Montreal. Illustrated. " 20th. Pompeii, a Roman City of the first century. By Prof. Frank D. Adams, M.A.Sc, 1'h. I)., of McGill College, Montreal. Illustrated by lime-light views. MAR. 5th. 1. Eggs and Nests of Fishes. By Prof. E. E. Prince, B. A., F.L.S. , Commissioner of Fisheries for Canada. 2. bacteria, their functions in Nature. By Mr. F. T. Shutt, M. A., F.C.S. Both papers to be illustrated by specimens. Lectures at 8. p.m. sharp, in the Lecture Hall of the Provincial Normal School, Cor. of Elgin and Lisgar Streets. Admission Free. The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. OTTAWA, DECEMBER, 1895. Nog THE LAND AND FRESHWATER SHELLS OF ALBERTA. By Rev. Ceo. \V. Taylor, K. R. S. C. (Nanaimo, B. C.) Very little has been published up to the present time on the Mollusca of the District of Alberta. - The first naturalist to pay any attention to the subject was, I believe, Dr. G. M. Dawson, who, 20 years ago (1873-74), was acting as naturalist to the British North American Boundary Commission, and who published (in 1875) as an appendix to his report, a list of the land and freshwater shells that he had obtained during the progress of the boundary expedition. Though most of his shells were collected in the neighbourhood of the Lake of the Woods and in other places in Manitoba and Assiniboia, Dr. Dawson obtained a few species in Alberta, the most notable being a fine variety of Patula strigosa which was found near Waterton Lake at the base of the Rocky Mountains and just within the boundaries of the district. At the time this shell was thought to be an undescribed species and was named by Dr. Dawson Helix limitaris. Since the date of Dr. Dawson's explorations Alberta has on several occasions been visited by members of the staff of the Geological Survey and I have seen in the Museum at Ottawa some interesting species collected by them ; but as no record of these shells appears to have been published, and I am ignorant of the precise localities whence they came, I do not like to include them in the present list. Three years ago Mr. T. E. Bean, the well known lepidopterist of Laggan (which place is close to the Western boundary of Alberta) began to investigate the shells of his neighbourhood and very kindly gave me specimens e>f all the species he observed. In the autumn of 1893 I had the pleasure of spending two days at Laggan in Mr. Bean's 174 Thk Ottawa Naturalist. company and was successful in finding several species that had escape his notice. The result of our joint collections was published in the "Nautilus " for December 1893 (Vol. VII. p. 85.) Nineteen species (14 land and 5 freshwater) are enumerated in that paper and two other land shells should also have been included viz. Pupa simplex and Vertigo ovata of both of which species Mr. Bean had taken specimens. • During the past three summers (1892-3-4) Mr, A. O. Wheeler. D.L.S. (now of the Canadian Topographical Survey, Ottawa) has been surveying in different parts of the district. While in the field he has always, most kindly, kept a sharp lookout for shells, and at the close of each season has very liberally sent his collections to me. As a result chiefly of Mr. Wheeler's industry and success as a collector I am now able to present a list of 44 species of land and freshwater shells inhabiting this little known part of the Dominion. The first of Mr. Wheeler's collections was made in the summer of 1892. Shells were obtained in the Battle River at a point where the Calgary and Edmonton trail touches the river, about 60 miles south of the last n'amed town. From this locality came five (5) specimens of Anodonta lacus/ris, two of Matgaritana complanata, one of Unto luteolus and two of the large heavy form which in Canada goes by the name of Unio aubovatus ; also, three valves of Pisidium abditum and a single valve of a Sphaerium which Mr. R. W. Roper Ins pronounced to be probably S. fabah. A few shells were also collected in a creek and a slough both near Kgg Lake, twelve miles south of Victoria (a Hudson Bay Post) on the Saskatchewan River. In the creek were obtained Planorbis trivolvis and Limncea stagnalis ; and in the dried up slough Segmentina armigera (one specimen,) Limncea palustris, Sphaeriuui solidulum (four valves only) and twelve specimens of a Succinea which 1 think must be S. Grosvenori. Mr. Wheeler's next collection was a much larger one made in 1893 while he was surveying 30 or 35 miles east of Red Deer on the Calgary and Edmonton Railway. Among the land shells, which were mostly collected in dried-up sloughs, were numerous specimens of The Land and Freshwater Shells of Alberta. 175 the widely distributed Vitrina l/tn/>ida, Hyalina arbor ea, Hyalina rad/atula, Co mil 'us fulvus, Pa tula striate! la, Vallonia cost at a (form gracilicosta) and Fetussacia subcylindrica. Besides these there are specimens of three species of Pupa, namely P.anuifera (19 specimens,) P. B /and/, (4), and P. Hoizingerifa) all collected from drift by the Red Deer River. Lastly, there were specimens of 3 species of Succinea which, throughout this paper I have called S. avara, S. ova/is and S Grosvenori. I must say however that though using these names I am of opinion that the first two are applied to shells specifically distinct from the eastern shells that are so called. Of freshwater shells Mr. Wheeler collected 13 species ; the ubiquitous Limnoea palustris and L. stagna/is, Planorbis trivolvis and Physa keterostropha, Bulimies hypnorum and Pisidium abditum; also the less abundant Limiuea desidiosa L. caperata and L. reflexa, Segmentina armigera, Valvata tr/carinata (Red Deer River) and lastly a number of specimens of Planorbis nautileus var. c> /status, which I begin to think must be indigenous to North America. These last named shells were found in moss from the bed of a muskeg in township 39, range 23, W. of 4th. meridian. Specimens of L. reflexa in this collection are the largest I have ever seen, attaining a length of 42 mm. The latest of Mr. Wheeler's collections was received in January last and contains the shells collected by him during the summer of 1894 in Southern Alberta in the neighbourho jd of MacLeod and the Little Bow River. There are not so many species in this as in the former collections but among them are three notable additions to our list, Planorbis umb/licd'e/lus (2 specimens), Limncea bulimoides and Sphozrium Jayanum. The first named appears to be quite distinct from P. parvus with which, judging merely from the original description and figure. [ was formely inclined to unite it. This interesting shell was described as Planorbis uinbilicatus by Mr. J. \V. Taylor in the English "Quarterly Journal of Conchology " Vol. iv, p. 451 (July 1884), from specimens collected by Mr. R. M. Christy, near Brandon, Birtle and Rapid City in Manitoba. The name being pre-occupied it was changed to umbil/catellus by Mr. T.D.E. Cockerell in the "Conchologists' Exchange'' 176 The Ottawa Naturalist. November 1887, p. 68. The species was not again noticed, I think, until Mr. Homer Squyer quite lately found a single specimen in river drift near Mingusville, Montana as recorded by him in the " Nautilus " for October 1894 (Vol. viii. p. 95.) The second addition to our list from this collection is a small Limncea which is probably the Limticea bulimoides of Lea. Though allied to, and in this instance collected with, Limncea palustris it seems quite distinct from all forms, that I have seen, of that very variable species. The largest of the 28 specimens collected is only 8x5 mm. but is quite mature and has a thickened red-edged outer lip and also a second red line, marking a former stage of growth, about \\ mm. within the aperture. The third addition is Sphcerium Jayanum and the shells I refer to this species are from Crow Lodge Creek, Mosquito Creek and Little Bow River. The other shells contained in this collection are Conulus fulvus Patula striatella, Succinea avara, Pisidium abditum, Limncea palus/ris, L. staqnalis, L. caperata, L. desidiosa, Planorbis trivolvis, P. parvus; Physa heterostropha and Bulimus hypnorum, all common and widely distributed species. It will be seen that Mr. Wheeler's collections have added twenty two species to the twenty one already known from Laggan and if we add also Dr. Dawson's Patula strigosa we shall have 44 as the grand total of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Alberta as at present known. No doubt this list will some day be considerably extended and an examination of the list of Montana shells lately published in the " Nautilus " by Mr. Squyer and the other Manitoba and Assiniboia lists of Dr. Dawson, Dr. Bell, and Mr. R. Miller Christy, will give us a good idea of the species that may be expected to occur also in Alberta. In the list that follows the three collections of Mr. Wheeler, the Laggan shells of Mr. Bean and myself, and a small collection received a few days ago from Mr.T.N. Willing of Olds, Alberta, through the kindness of Mr. James Fletcher, are tabulated, Patula strtgosa, as The Land and Freshwater Shells of Alberta. 177 mentioned above, is added on the authority of Dr. Dawson although it has not occurred in any of the collections I have examined. List of the land and freshwater Shells of the District of Alberta. Land Shclls 9 10 ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 iS 19 20 21 Lima x hyperboreus, West Vitrina limpida, Gould Hyalina arhorea,Say sp Ilyalina radiatula, Alder, sp Conulus fulvus,Drap.sp Patula strigosa, Gould SP Patula striatella Anthony sp Vallonia pulchella Muellersp. form graci licosta, Reinh Pupa Hoppii, Mueller Pupa Blandi, Morse, . Pupa armifera, Say . . Pupa Holzingeri,Sterk Pupa pentodon, Say sp Pupa simplex, Gould Pupa alticola, Ingersoll Vertigo ovata, Say .... Vertigo ventricosa, Morse Ferussacia subcylin- drica. Linn, sp . . . . Succinea avara, Say. Succinea ovalis, Gould Succinea Grosvenori Lea FRESHWATER SHELLS. 22 Valvata sincera, Say. . 23 Valvata tricarinata, Say 24 Limnseastngnalis.Linn, ?P . 25 Limnaea reflexa, Say . . 26 Limna;apalustris, Muel- ler, sp 27 Limnceabulimoides Lea 28 Limnaea desidiosa, Say 29 Limnaea caperata, Say 30 Thysa heterostropha Say 0*3 - pq x X X X X X X X X X X O CO — CO Remarks. Waterton Lake 178 Thk Ottawa NATURALIST. FRESHWATER SHELLS. 31 Bulimus hypnorum, Linn, sp 32 Planorbis trivolvis, Say 33 Planorbis parvus, Say 34 Planorbis umbilicatel- lus, Cockerell 35 Planorbis nautileus, Linn, var cristalus. . . 36 Segvnentina armigera, ■say, sp 37 Spruerium solidulum, Prime 58 Sphajrium fabale, Prime 39 Sphserium Jayanum, Prime 40 Pisidium a b d i t u m , 1 laldeman 41 Unio luteolns, Lam. . . 42 (Juio subovatus, Lea . . 43 Magaritanacomplanata Barnes 44 Anodonta lacustris, Lea Bean Taylor. Wheeler, 1S92. X X x \ X X \ \ \ X x x 1 V CO iS ij* *L ~r Si m V C^ V Os O CO w 00 -C - J3 ~ '*r > S* p" \ X s X \ x V X X X X Remarks. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL BRANCH, 1894. Read, February 12th, 1895. To the Council of the Ottawa Field-Natura lists' Club: It is with pleasure that the Leaders report to the Club the prosperous state of this branch. A great deal of good work has been done during the past year, not only in collecting specimens in the various orders of insects, but also in working up material accumulated in previous years. In this way many names have been added to the lists of inserts recorded as having been found in the district. A few of the more interesting finds have been recorded in the Ottawa Naturalist, and the others have all been recorded for publication in the lists, from time to time, as these are thought sufficiently complete. During the year, two supplementary lists of local Hemiptera have been published by Mr. Harrington. In addition to the work done by the leaders individually, the opportunities of interesting members of the Club at the excursions were taken advantage of with the good result Report of the Entomological Branch, 1894. 179 that some good species were secured by members not specially interested in Entomology. At the first excursion in the spring, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Scudder, of Cambridge, Mass., the eminent American entomologist, and also our fellow-member, Dr. Bethune, ot Port Hope, the editor of the Cafiadian Entomologist, and well known for many years as an active Canadian naturalist. Dr. A. H. Mackay, and Prof. J. Fowler, of Kingston, experienced botanists, were also with us, and helped to make a most successful and enjoyable excursion, particularly for the entomologists and botanists. Some of our members made interesting collections in the west; not- ably Prof. Macoun, at Crane Lake, and Messrs Klotz and Simpson, in Alaska. LEP1DOPTERA On the whole the past season cannot be said to have been a very good one for insects, although, as is always the case, careful search and constant watchfulness added several desirable species to our cabinets. Some good work has been done in working out the life histories of some of the native butterflies and moths, a most fascinating study, and an excellent means of securing good specimens for the cabinet. The following species have been partially or completely reared from the eqg : — Papilio Bairdii, ( — Ores^onia,) Colias E/is, Colias Nastes, Chionobas Jutta, C. Macounii. The first from eggs sent from Colorado, by Mr. W.H. Edwards, and all but the last, from eggs collected at Laggan, in the Rocky Mountains by Mr. T. E. Bean. From eggs obtained at Ottawa : Chrysophanus Thoe\ Colias Eurvtheme, C. Philodice, Pamphila Metacomet, P. Cemes, and P. Mystic have been reared. coleoptera. Considerable additions have been made to the Ottawa lists of beetles, but some of the species are yet unidentified. Among those determined may be mentioned Oestodes tenuicolhs and Gonotrachelus anaglypticus. Three specimens of the rare Stapylinus etythropterus, only once previously recorded in America, were taken in Dow's Swamp. 180 The Ottawa Naturalist. hymenoptera. A large collection, especially of the smaller species, was made at various points in the vicinity of the city, of which may be noted, Kettle Island, the Old Racecourse, Beechwood, the Beaver Meadow and Russell's Grove, near Hull, the Experimental Farm and Dow's Swamp. The Aculeata, or sting-bearers, numbered about 125 species; Phyto- phaga, or leaf-eaters, 70 species ; and Parasitica, at least 200 species, of which a number will probably prove to be undescribed, while many of the others are new to our lists, or of very rare occurrence and special interest. J. Fletcher, \ W. H. Harrington \ Leaders. T. J. MacLaughlin j OBITUARY NOTICES. 1. — Dr. George Lawson, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., etc., etc., professor of Chemistry and Botany, in Dalhousie College, Halifax, well known to many of the members of our club, with which he has been connected for eleven years, breathed his last at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, November 1 ith, 1895. At the time of his death Dr. Lawson was President ot the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, Halifax, an active member of Section IV of the Royal Society of Canada, of which Society he had the honor of being its President, and in Section IV,where he read valuable papers, chief amongst which is his " Monograph of the Ranunculacege." Dr. Lawson was born in 1827, at Maryton, a beautiful village on the banks of the Tay, in Scotland. In his early days he was apprenticed to a solicitor in Dundee, with a view to enter the legal profession. But he had strong tastes for botany and natural history studies. These he pursued vigorously, and came in contact with many scientific men of the times, notably in Edinburgh. In 1849 he was elected to the position of Asst.- Sec'y and Curator to the Botanical Society, and to a similar post in the Caledonian Hoticultural Society. In 1S50 he published a work on "Water Lilies," and was appointed secretary and editor of the Scottish Arboricultural Society. He edited the transactions of this last named Obituary. 181 Society up to 1858, when he was called to the Chair of Chemistry and Natural History in Queen's College and University, Kingston, Canada West, which position he held for many years, until he accepted the appointment in Dalhousie College, which position he held at the time of his death, Dr. Lawson's genial spirit and kind demeanor won for him many staunch friends and admirers. He was one of the foundation or charter fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, and was chosen as an authority on numerous occasions by his province and country. His loss will be greatly felt by all whose researches had thrown them into communication or acquaintance with him. 2. — Don Antonio del Castillo, F.G.S., F.G.S.A., founder and director of the Geological Survey of Mexico, died on the 27th day of October, 1895, in the City of Mexico. Don Antonio had taken a wide interest in matters geological throughout the world. At the time of his death he was a fellow of the Geological Societies of France Belgium, London, Berlin and America, a member of the Geographical and Statistical Society, Director of the National School of Engineering, and an active member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. Notice of the death of this distinguished geologist reached the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club early in November, and to the members of the Geol. Surv., of Mexico, who kindly sent the news, the Club tenders its deep sympathy and regret. NOTES, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS. Geology. — The Saguenay Gorge. — An interesting discussion* has arisen between the Rev. Mgr. Laflamme, A. Buies, P. Horace Dumais and others, as to the geological history of the gorge at the entrance or mouth of the Saguenay. Mgr. Laflamme and Mr. Dumais both agree in the view that the gorge is an old fjord resembling those of Norway of to-day. Geol. Soc. of America The Eighth Winter meeting of the Geological Society of America will be held in Phila- ^Naturaliste Canadien, Chicoutinii, 1895. I 82 The Ottawa Naturalist. delphia, Perm. U. S. A.; probably at the University of Pennsyl- vania buildings. The meetings are called to order at 2 p.m. Dec. 26th. Prof. Joseph l.e Conte of Berkeley, California is president The meeting promises to be unusually interesting and important. Entomology. — I. The editor of the On awa Naturalist is indebted to Mr. J. B. Tyrrell of the Oeological Survey Staff for one copy each of two important contributions to the Natural History of Canada, viz. : — (1.) "Canadian Spiders." By J. H. Emerton, (with four plates) ; from Traits, of the Connecticut Academy, Vol. IX, July, iSgj. (2.) Nordamerikanische Hydrachniden, von F. Koenike, Abhand'ungen des Naturwissenchaftlichen Vereins zu Bremen. XIII., Band 2. Heft. pp. 167-226. Bremen, 1S95. I. Canadian Spiders. The collections of spiders examined and reported upon by Prof. J. H. Emerton, comprise the following : — 1. Rocky Mountains, lat. 49° to 52 , from 3,000 to 5,000 feet, J. B. Tyrrell, 1883. 2. Rock) Mountains, near C.P.R., from 5,000 feet, at Laggan, up to 8,500 ft. on the neighbouring mountain*. A larije collection by Thos. E. Bean. 3. Alberta Territory, lat. 51' to 54 , long. 110 to 114 , J. H. Tyrrell. 4. Saskatchewan River, S. II. Scudder. 5. Lake Winnipegosis, 1). B. Dowling, 1S88. 6. Lake of the Woods, A. (_'. Lawson, 1 SS4. 7. Ottawa, Ontario, J. B. Tyrrell. 8. Montreal, Quebec, J. H. Emerton. 9. Interior of Gaspe Peninsula, R. W. Ells, 1883. 10. Anticosti, Magdalen Islands, and several ports around the Gulf ol St. Lawrence, from Port Hawkesbury to Mingan Harbour, Samuel Henshaw, 1881. 11. Labrador, Bonne Esperance, lat. 51 24', lo Triangle I Iarbor, 52° 50', John Allan, 1882. Exactly 100 species of Canadian spiders are described in this interesting report and Prof Emerton states that "as far as can be jndged, from the present collections, the spiders of Canada, differ little from tho-,e of New England." Out of 61 species, from Labrador to Manitoba, 56 species live in New England ; and out of 48 species from the Rocky Mountains, 27 have been found in New Kngland. Among the spiders of Canada are several species that live but little south of its boundary, and there only at high eleva'ions." The most conspicuous of these is Epeira carbonaria^ which lives on the Alps in Europe, in the Notes, Reviews and Comments. 1*3 White Mountains in New Hampshire, and on the Rocky Mountains as far south as Colorado, in all cases above the tree line. In Labrador the same species was found by Packard near Square Island, where the mountains are 400 to 1000 feet high, and bare at the top. Pardosa Groenlandica has been found as far north as Disco Island", Greenland, and along the coast to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is common on the White Mountains, above the trees. In the Rocky Mountains it occurs at 5000 feet, at Laggan and in Colorado at 8000 feet. It is also among the spiders Irom the Lake of the Woods, andon the Pacific Coast it was found at Portland, Oregon." "Among the rarer species in these collections," Prof. Emerton says :" there are two Epeiras of the angulata group; one: E. nigra, resembling the E. soletaria described in " New England spiders " ; and the other, a small variety of E. Nprdmanni. Lattey's pallida belongs to a genus new to the northern part of North America." Prof. Emerton states that the Attidce were determined for him by Mr. Peckham and include one new species : Habrocestum montanum from the Rocky Mountains and those irom the Polaris Arctic Expedition were sent to Prof. Emerton by Prof. Packard. The bibliography of spiders is also discussed and the reference given on pp. 401 and 402. Emerton, Peckham, Hentz, Keyserling, Thorell, Cambridge and Blackwell being the authors who wrote from 1846 to the present time. Four excellent lithographic plates accompany this paper, drawn from nature by Prof. Emerton himself, and show clearly the crucial and distinguishing characters of the numerous species in question. Spiders are best collected in small glass bottles and preserved in dilute alchohol. Systematic collecting in the Ottawa district would no doubt reveal a large and important addition to the species named in the list. 184 The Ottawa Naturalist. Catalogue List of Canadian Spiders described by Prof. J. H. Emerton. Genus and Species. Epeira nigra " Nordmanni " silvatica " marmcrea " trifoliuni " displicata " patagiata " sclopetaria " strix " trivittata " aculeata " carbonaria Zilla montana Singa variabilis Argiope transversa Tetragnaiha extensa . . . Pachygnatha brevis . Theridium sexpunctatum Steatoda gut lata " borealis . marmorata . . . " fusca Theridula sphaerula Euryopis funebris . . . . Ceratinella brunea Ixta Isetabilis .... minuta laticeps Lophomma cristata Author. N. Sp. . . N. Sp. . . Emerton Thorell . Hentz . . Hentz . Thorell ClarK . Hentz Keyserling. Emerton Koch C. Koch. Emerton Emerton Linne. . . Keyserlin Emerton (Reuss) . Thorell. . Emerton Emerton N. SP. .. Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton N. Sp. .. Emerton Locality. Laggan, Rocky Mts Gaspe Gaspe Lake of the Woods Gaspe Rocky Mts., Laggan Gaspe Entry Island, Gulf of St. Lawrence Rocky, Mts., Laggan.... Anticosti Hector Lake of the Woods Saskatchewan R Montreal, Anticosti Triangle Harbor Ottawa Northern part of. I Saspe Lake Winnipegosis Lake Winnipegosis Laggan Rocky Mts.. Laggan Labrador Ship Harbor Ellis Bay, Anticnsti Ottawa Anticosti, Entry Island. . . Saskatchewan R Montreal English Head, Anticosti . Bryon I., Gulf of St. Law- rence ; Mapisca Montreal Province or District. Alberta. Quebec. Ontario. Quebec. Alberta. Quebec. Laggan .. ^ St. George's Cove, Gaspe. Bet. Lat. 49° and 52° Ottawa Rocky Mts. (?) Ottawa, peat bog Alberta. Quebec. Br. Columbia. Ontario. X. W. T. Quebec. Labrador. Ontario, j Alberta. Quebec. Manitoba. Alberta. Nova Scotia. Quebec. Ontario. Quebec. \. W. T. Quebec. Que. & Lab. Quebec. I Rocky Mts. Quebec. I Rocky Mts Ontario. Near Laggan Montreal, under leaves. Alberta. Quebec. Notes, Reviews and Comments. 185 Author. Lophomma elongata . Lophocarenum decern oculatum . . . " oculatum Spiropalpus spiralis. . Tmeticus plumosus. . " pectinatus Linyphia humilis. . . . Linyphia phrygiana Stemonyphantes bucculen- tus Diplostyla nigrina " concolor " Canadensis . . Microneta viaria " quinquedentata Amaurobius silvestris .... Titanoeca Americana . Lathys pallida Tegenaria brevis " derhamii Hahnia bimaculata . . . " cinerea ... . Agalena noevia Agroeca repens Phrurolithus alarius . . . Pcecilochroa variagata Gnaphosa conspersa , " brumalis. . . Drassus coloradensis . " robustus Micaria constricta . . . " montana. Prosthesima atra. Clubiona ornata " Canadensis . Xysticus ferrugineus " triangulosus " bimaculatus Emerton JEmerton Emerton Emerton Emerton N. Sp. . . N. Sp. . . C. Koch. (C. Crick) Thorell. . (Westr.). Thor. . . . Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton . Nap Emerton . . (Scopoli) . . Thorell. Emerton . Emerton . . Walck. and Box N. Sp. . . Emerton Emerton Thorell . Thorell . Emerton Emerton N. Sp. . . Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton N. Sp. . N. Sp, . . N. Sp. . . Ottawa, peat bog. Laggan, 5,000 ft . Peat Bog, Ottawa Laggan Montreal Laggan Rocky Mts. Gaspe .... Lat 510 to 500. .. Long. uo° to 114° Perroquet I Montreal Near Laggan Lake oLthe Woods .... Gaspe Above Laggan (6,700 to 8,500 ft.) Near Laggan ......... Gaspe Province or District. Lake Winnipegosis Peat bog, near Ottawa.. . Lake Winnipegosis Bryon I., Gulf of St. Law- rence Laggan Lake of the Woods d it Near Laggan Lake of the Woods Laggan (abou 5,000 ft.) Strawberry Harbour Ellis Bay Near Laggan Below Laggan Gaspe Gaspe, Montreal Near Laggan . . . Ontario. Rocky Mts. Ontario. Rocky Mts. Quebec, Alberta. Rocky Mts. Quebec. Alberta. Labrador. Quebec. Rocky Mts. Ontario. Quebec. Rocky Mts. Quebec. Manitoba. Ontario. Manitoba. Quebec. Rocky Mts. Ontario. Rocky Mis. Ontario. Rocky Mts. Labrador. Anticosti. Rocky Mts. Quebec. Rocky Mts. Above Laggan 186 The Ottawa Naturalist. No. 68 69 70 7i 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 Genus and Species. Xysticus pulverulentus Cariarachne versicolor Oxyptuia conspurcata. Misumenia vatia aleatoria . . Author. asperata Philodromus bidentatus. " inquisitor . . Tibellus Duttonii Thanatusco'oradensis. . . . Phidippus tripunctatus . . Dendryphantes aestivalis niilitaris . Icius mitratns Neon nellii Attus palustris Habrocestum splendens. Saitis pulex Habrocestum montanum. (N. Sp.) Lycosa fumosa (N. Sp. I , " Beanii (N. Sp.). . " quinaria (N. Sp.) " polita " pratensis N. Sp Keyserling Thor Thor Emerton . . Emerton . . Emerton . . Thorell.. . Keys Keys Emerton . Peck bam Emerton . I'eckham . Peckham I'eckham Peckham Peckham . Emerton . Emerton . ! Emerton Emerton Emerton . Emerton " albohastata(N Sp.) Pardosa grcenlandica .... glacialis " uncata tachypoda luteola (N Sp) . . . lapidicina 1 tolomedes tenebrosus. . . sexpunclatus . . Emerton Thorell. . Thorell. Emerton Emerton Emerton Emerton I lent/. . . I [entz. . . Locality, Near Laggan Collected by .Mr. Tyrrell 1885 .: Peal bog, near Ottawa Anticosli ( i-aspe Laggan 1'ath to L. Agr.es, 6,70c 6,900 ft Laggan Lake of the Woods Ellis Bay Mi. Bean's and Mr. Tyr- rell's collections ... Lake of the Woods Fox Bay . . . Fox Bay and nipegi >sis Near Ottawa . Lake Win Ellis Bay. ... Ship I [arbor . Near Ottawa . Laggan No loc. indicated . . Laggan Loc. not. ind . Laggan Laggan Lake of the Woods Gaspe Anticosti Port I lawkesbury . . Laggan Labrador Anticosti Lake of the Woods Laggan Port Hawkesbury . . . Laggan Bryon I Laggan . . . Loc. not indicated ( ■aspe' Lake of the Woods. Province or District. Rocky Mk Ontario. Gulf of St. L. All erta. < Hie bee. Rocky Mts. Ontario. Anticosli. Rocky Mts. Ontario. Anticosti. Alberta. Ontario. Anticosti. Nova Scotia. ( )ntario. Rocky Mts. Alberta. Rocky Mts. ( Ontario, Quebec. Gulf of St. L, Rocky Mts. Quebec. 1 tularin. Rocky Mts. Gulf of St. L. Rocky Mts. Gulf of St. L. Rocky Mts. Quebec. Ontario. Notes, Reviews and Comments. 187 Mr. Tyrrell, whose researches in hydrachnidae, sarcoptidre, etc., are well known to the members of our Club, has kindly prepared the following notice of Dr. Koenike's paper on " Nordamerikanische Hydrachniden" for the Naturalist. II. North American Water-Mites. This report of sixty octavo pages contains a clear and exhaustive description of a collection of Canadian Water-mites, made by Mr. Tyrrell, of the Geological Survey Department, in this city, partly in the vicinity of Ottawa, and partly in the lakes and streams of the Rocky Mountains, between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Inter- national Boundary line. Dr. Koenike here describes thirty species, belonging to fourteen different genera, sixteen species and one genus being new. The descriptions are illustrated by seventy-two beautiful figures, arranged on two folding and one single plate. The paper will be a classic in the literature of these minute and usually bright coloured inhabitants of clear water, as it contains the first full and systematic description of a collection of Water-mites from North America. The species of more particular interest to the Naturalists of Ottawa are Eylais extendens. the small red mite so often seen swimming among the weeds in quiet water. Mideopsis orbicularis, with its clear yellow body, and light red band down the back, was found in Patterson's Brook, near Bank street, on the 20th of January, 1883. Tytrellia ci/citlaris, a reddish-brown water-mite, -^ inch in length, with oval or almost circular dorsal outline, found crawling on the mud in a pond at Deschenes, on one of the Field Club Excursions on the 2nd of September, 1882. This species is the type of the new- genus Tyrrellia. Limnesia anomala, a rather large mite, with sky blue legs found in Meach's Lake. Atax ypsilophorus parasitic in the gills of Anodonta fragilis. Atax tngens, a milk-white form, as large as a pea, found parasitic in the gills of Anodonta fragilis and Unio com- planatus from Meach's Lake. Atax fossulatus parasitic in the gills of Unio luteolus from the Rideau river. Most of the specimens supplied were collected in Alcohol, but water-mites, soft-bodied and generally brightly coloured creatures, are said to be best preserved in a three per cent, solution of Chloral Hydrate. 188 The Ottawa Natukalist. Genus. Species. Ottawa, Ont. Rocky Mts. Eylais Arrenurus Aturus Mideopsis Feltria Thyas Tyrrellia Lebertia Sperchon Limnesia Curvipes Atractides Ilygrobates At ax extendens, O. F. Mueller. lautus, n.sp interpositus, n.sp setiger, n.sp krameri, n.sp. . scaber, Kramer orbicularis, O. F. Mueller ininuta, Koenike pedunculata, n.sp stolli, n.sp cataphracta, n. sp circularis, n.sp tau-insignita, Lebert glandulosus, Koenike. . . . parmatus, n.sp tenuipalpis, n.sp undulata, O. F. Mueller. . koenikei, J'iersig anoniala, n.sp fuscatus, Hermann guatemalensis, Stoll ovalis, Koenike longipalpis, Hermann. . . exilis, n.sp decaporus, n.sp multiporus, n.sp ypsilophorus, Bonz vernalis, Mueller ingens, n.sp fossulatus, n.sp x x x x x x x x X X X X X X X X X X X X X X (i) Fletchkr, James, F.L.S., F.R.S.C, li Practical Entomology? being the presidential address delivered before the Geol. and Biological Section of the Royal Society of Canada, May 15th, 1895. Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., Second Ser., Vol. /., Sec. JK, pp. 3-15., i8g$. This paper, the first published in the new series of the Transactions of the Royal Society, contains a succinct account of the value of scien- tific knowledge to the practical problems of every day life. The history of economic entomology from the days of Aristotle and Pliny the Elder to thoseof Muffet in 1634 isgivendowntothe presenttime,including Linnaeus, Fabricius, Latreille, Curtis, "Westwood, Capper, Yeates, Bar- but, with Kirby and Spence who followed each other and raised a monu- ment which enables us to ascertain the fundamental and permanent relations which exist netween plant and insect life. The work done by John Curtis, founder of the Royal Agric. Society of England, by Miss E. A. Ormerod, one of our Corresponding Members, by Mr. C. White- Notes, Reviews and Comments. 189 headare also noticed, after which the interesting digest of work done in economic entomology in Canada is carefully considered. How tocontroll injurious insects by remedies, by natural enemies, by vegetable parasites, is then considered at length and the excellent work done by Giard in France, by Snow in Kansas, by Forbes in Illinois, by Thaxter in Massachussetts is recorded. This interesting as well as useful address closes with methods of treatment from an agricultural standpoint and an appeal for systematic co-operation. (2) The "Naturaliste Canadien "is doing good work in distributing uselul information in economic entomology. Many of its articles are profusely illustrated by wood-cuts and some of our garden and farm pests can be readily identified by the readers. H. M. A. Pictou Academy. — The Academy building, Pictou, Nova Scotia, was struck by lightning in the night of Oct. 29th. and destroyed by fire. We regret to have to chronicle this loss to education and science. All the original collections of fresh-water sponges, snakes, as well as minerals, which Dr. A. H. MacKay had made and stored in the Museum and laboratories of the Academy, perished in the flames. We heartily sympathize with Dr. MacKay and with the principal, staff and trustees of the Academy in this loss. We learn with pleasure that the Academy is to be rebuilt with modern improvements. It is earnestly hoped that the building will be a fire-proof one, so that some of the valuable collections of books and specimens which were saved from the flames will not be subjected to such risks. The collections which we had the pleasure of examining in the Academy, in October 1895, only a few days before the fire, were most valuable and reflected great credit upon Dr. MacKay and the Pictou people who had worked so energetically in building up one of the most important local museums in the country. Donations to the new Academy Museum will soon be in order. 0&2 c BRARYJ z 190 The Oitawa Naturalist. FOSSIL INSECTS FROM THE LEDA CLAYS OF OTTAWA AND VICINITY. By II. M. Ami. (Read before the Club, Dec. 20th. 1894.) Fossil Insects are of rare occurrence in the calcareous nodules or concretions of the ' Leda clay' formation (Pleistocene) about Ottawa. So far, we know of only four species, all of which were described as new species by the eminent authority, Dr. S. H. Scudder of Cambridge Mass. to whose facile pen the world is greatly indebted for valuable contributions to Paloeo-Entomology. Three of these species were discovered by the writer and one by Sir William Dawson. They all came from nodules collected along the south bank of the Ottawa River, below Ottawa City, and form an interesting series to which will no doubt be added a great many more when the fauna of these rocks is better understood. The first three species of fossil insects described by Dr. Scudder were Coleoptera. (1) Fornax ledensis, Scudder. This species was the first fossil insect found in the calcareous nodules of Green's Creek and was described by Dr. Scudder in one of the reports the Geological Survey of Canada published in 1894. * It was associated with Mal'olus vil/osus, Cuv. or capeling, the most abundant fossil fLh in the nodules at the same locality. (2} Tenebrio calcu left si's, Scudder. t ompared with Tenebrio molitor which occurs in North America from Nova Scotia to Mexico and is also found in ka. 1 ;) Byrrhui Oftawaensis, Scudder 'anea '■/■■eta. Scudder. The fourth fossil insect discovered in the " I • da I !lay belongs to the Neuroptera. It is a caddis-fly found by the writer in a nodule a :ek, Ottawa R., and has only just recentl) been described by Dr. Scuddei in the ladian Record ol Science, Montreal I am indebted to the Editor of the (Jan. Rec. of Science for advani ; of. the description of this fossil insect, also for the block nlrib. to 1 an. Pal., Vol II pt. 2. p 39, PI. [II, figs, jand 4, < >ttawa, 1 So 1. 1 luC. ( it. |.. 31, H. 1 II. figs. I and 6. it. pp. 40 and 41, PI. 1 1 . figs 6 11 Notes, Reviews \m> Comments. 11) which accompanies the description and serves to illustrate the venation of this insect. The description given by Dr. Scuddei runs as follows : — "The few insects that have been hitherto found in the Leda clays or in similar horizons in America have all been Coleoptera. The present specimen, of which a figuie is here given, enlarged six diameters, is a cadis-fly; one of the Neuroptera. It was found by Dr. Henry M. Ami, of the Geological Survey of Canada, in the nodules of Green's Creek and sent me for examination. It is of a glistening, dark, smoky S\ brown color, with black veins which are followed with some difficulty, especially where two wings overlap. The clearest and most important pari of the neuration is in the upper portion of the lore-wing ; but un- fortunately it exhibits in full only the princi- pal cells. These are enough to show that it is a caddis-fly, and that it falls near, if not in the genus Phryganea proper, but it differs in important points from all the species I have examined in the Museum of Comparative /.oology at Cambridge, containing the large collection of the late Dr. Hagen. The difference consists principally in the great length of the thyridial area and of the median cellule, so that the distal termination of the ///A 7 lower cellules is much farther removed from //// ft Js-V l'le ^iase °^ tlle w^nS lnan *s t'lat °^ l^e llPPer- It represents a tolerably large species, the preserved fragment being 10 mm. long and the probable original length of the fore-wing at least 15 mm. It may be called s/ *■ Phrypanea eiecta." Phryganea ej" '•* " an THE MICROSCOPICAL SOIREE. The opening Conversazione and Exhibition of Microscopical objects and Natural History specimens took place on Tuesday evening. 26th. November last in the large Assembly Hall of the Normal School, Ottawa, on which occasion there were upwards of 200 persons present. An address of welcome by Dr. J A. McCabe, M.A., F.R.SC , Principal of the Provincial Normal School opened the proceedings, after which Dr. R. W. Ells on behalf of the Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society, of which he is president, read a short paper on the future work of societies of this kind in Ottawa in which he strongly urged united effort and advocated the scheme, of lectures now carried on in Montreal, known as the " Somerville Lectures" endowed 192 The Ottawa Naturalist. by the Rev. Jas. Somerville some fifty years ago and requiring only about $5,000. Mr. F. T. Shutt, M. A.. F.I.C., president of the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club followed in a short and neat address in which he described the good work carried on by the Club in Ottawa, not losing sight ol its educating influences in the community, Mr. Shutt's paper it is hoped will be published in extenso in a forthcoming issue of the Ottawa Naturalist. Dr. Ami, was then called upon to describe the various specimens on exhibition both in the cases and under the various mis< roscopes in the room. The following gentlemen had charge of the microscopical part of the entertainment :— ■ Prof. Wm, Saunders, F. R. S. C, Prof. F. E, Prince, 13. A. F.L.S., Mr. W. Babbington, Mr. 1). B. Dowling, BA.Sc. Mr. Walter Odell, Mr. Andrew Halkett. Mr. W. J. Wilson, Ph. B., Dr. H. M. Ami, Mr. Marsh, B A . PCS. Besides the microscopes, Mr. A. McGill, B. A., B. Sc. had on view and in excellent working order a fine Gerhardt spectroscope from Berlin, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Beddoe, Miss Lamb and Mr. Miller favoured the audience with vocal and instrumental music during the evening. The musical parts were admirably rendered and appreciated by all. The winter course is thus open for the season 1894-1895 and if the attendance at the last meeting is an earnest of what it will be at the forthcoming soirees, the success of the whole course is secured. To the Ottawa Flectric Co. and to Mr. Wm. Scott especially we are greatly indebted for so generously putting in the electric wires and lamps for microscopical work gratis. The display was most elaborate and satisfactory. Announcement. Prof. Macoun and Mr. James Fletcher will lake charge of the next meeting or Soiree to be held in the same hall oh Thursday, 5th December, 1895. "The value of Botany in Agriculture" will be discussed by the former, and Mr. Fletcher will read a paper on the subject. " ANaturalist in British Columbia." These two papers will be 1 opioiisly illustrated with specimens. A large attends The Ottawa Naturalist. Vol. IX. OTTAWA, JANUARY, 1896. No. 10. ERYTHRITE; STILPNOMELANE var. CHALCODITE; CRYS- TALLIZED MONAZITE; AND PLEOCHROIC APATITE FROM SOME CANADIAN LOCALITIES. By W. F. Ferrier, B.A.Sc, F.G.S., Geological Survey of Canada. (Communicated by permission of the Director.) Erythrite. This mineral was detected by the writer in some rock specimens collected in 1893 by Mr. A. E. Barlow of the Geological Survey on the west shore of Rabbit Lake, District of Nipissing, Ont. It occurs in thin earthy crusts, of a dullish peach-red color, lining fissures in a diabase which cuts the Huronian rocks of the locality, and is accom- panied by a green mineral, apparently containing nickel and arsenic, which may be the hydrous arsenate of nickel, annabergite, but the available material was not sufficient for a satisfactory determination of its true character to be made. In composition erythrite is a hydrous arsenate of cobalt contain- ing when pure 38 .4% arsenic acid, 37.6 % oxide ot cobalt, and 24 % of water, but the cobalt is nearly always replaced in part by nickel, iron, and calcium. When abundant it is a valuable ore of cobalt, and its occurrence in Canada has been so seldom noticed* that it was thought desirable to place on record this new locality discovered by Mr. Barlow. As the mineral almost invariably accompanies other ores of cobalt (sulphides etc.), from whose alteration it is frequently derived, a further examination of the locality is to be wished for, which, even if it did not reveal the mineral in workable quantity, as from its mode of occurrence is scarcely to be expected, might bring to light other compounds of cobalt and nickel of interest to the mineralogist. * It occurs in thin coatings at Prince's Mine, Lake Superior, Ont., and in some quantity at a new locality discovered by the writer and described by him in the forth- coming Summary Report of the Geol. Survey of Canada. D 0 A D V 1 94 The Ottawa Naturalist. Stilpnomelane var. Chalcodite In 1893, amongst some specimens of hematite from the Wall- bridge Mine in the township of Madoc, Hastings county, Ont., given to him by Mr. John Stewart, the writer found a mineral which has proved to be identical with that described by C. U. Shepard in 1851 under the name of Chalcodite.* Shepard's mineral was from the Sterling Iron Mine in Antwerp, Jefferson county, State of New York, where it occurs coating hematite and calcite, and associated with the sulphide of nickel, millerite. It is a hydrous silicate of iron, aluminium, and magnesium, belonging to the Chlorite Group of Dana's system of classification, but its precise composition is still uncertain. The material available in the case of the Canadian specimens was not sufficient to admit of a quantitative analysis, but it is hoped that more will be obtained so as to enable this to be carried out. From its physical characters, however, and the results of the qualitative examination there can be no doubt as to the identity of the species. Its name, from the Greek word xa'l HG9, brass or bronze, refers to its characteristic color which has been well described as resembling that of mosaic gold. The Madoc mineral, like that from the State of New York, occurs in cavities in the massive hematite, coating small crystals of specular iron and associated with calcite, but millerite has not yet been observed at the locality. It forms rosettes of small foliated plates with a submetallic lustre, someof which are rudely hexagonal in outline. Its color is a yellow- ish bronze. In the closed tube it yields much water, it is almost completely soluble in hydrochloric acid, and before the blowpipe readily reacts for iron and fuses to a black magnetic globule. The occurrence of this mineral in Canada has not been hitherto recorded. Monazite. Some three or four years ago whilst at the Villeneuve Mica Mine in Ottawa County, Quebec, the writer was fortunate enough to find a *Traii>, Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. Vol. VI, p. 232, 1S51. Erythrite : Stilpxomelane var. Chalcodite, Etc. 195 good crystal of this rare and interesting species which, in its massive form, had been recorded in the Annual Report of the Geological Survey for the year 1886.* An analysis was also published by the late Dr. F. A Genth in 1889 t The crystal to which I now refer measures about 12x8 mm., is flattened parallel to the orthopinacoid, as is often the case in monazite, and is of a clove-brown to reddish-brown color with a decidedly resinous lustre on fractured surfaces. A blowpipe examination and qualitative tests shewed its general composition to be that of monazite. The faces of the crystal are too rough to admit of precise measure- ments, but the following planes were determined with a tolerable degree of accuracy: — 00 P55 , 00 PicT, ooP3,coP2, Poo", PSr. The crystal was isolated, imbedded in albite, and was readily broken out from its matrix. Apatite. It is a fact not generally known amongst mineralogists that at many of the phosphate mines along the Du Lievre River, Quebec, beautiful translucent to transparent specimens of apatite are to be found which possess the property of pleochroism in a most marked degree. In an almost transparent cleavage piece measuring 13x15 mm. which now lies before me, the color, viewed in the direction of the principal axis of the crystal, is a bluish-green, whilst in a direction at right angles to this it is a rich oily green, the contrast being most marked. Little cubes h in. and more in diameter have been cut from similar cleavages and serve to illustrate pleochroism, for teaching purposes, to perfection. The only mention of similar crystals from a North American locality which has come under my notice is a short note by Mr. Geo. F. Kunz J on a fragment of an apatite crystal from near Yonkers in the State of New York. *Ann, Rep. Geol. Surv. Can. (886, Part T. p. 11. tAm. Jour. Sci., Vol. XXXVIII, p. 203, 1889. % Am. Jour Sci., Vol. XXXVI, p. 223, 1888. 196 The Ottawa Naturalist. NOTES ON THE FLORA OF ONTARIO. By John Macoun. m. a., f. l. s. I The Geological Survey Department lias published, during the past ten years, a catalogue of Canadian plants in six parts. The scope of this catalogue was restricted to a bare record of the localities at which our Canadian plants were know to occur with an occasion il description of a new species or a note on specific ot varietal differences, peculiarity of habit, etc. I had hoped for many years that some botanist residing in Ontario would make a special study of the plants of that province, and give the results of his work to the scientific public. Nothing of this kind has been done, however, and apparently nothing is contemplated. At the repeated solicitation of those who feel the need of such work, I have decided to utilize my holidays and such time as can be spared from my regular duties, in studying and collecting the flora of Ontario. Much has, of course, already been done, but next spring I shall set to work systematically to accumulate material and describe our plants in such a manner that the field botanist may eventually have a field book for field work. Should I not be spared to complete the work, the result of my labors will be kept in such a con- dition that any competent botanist can continue and complete what I have begun. My experience as a teacher of botany and the difficulty I have often had in determining plants from descriptions alone, have shown me that amateur botanists and botanical students have a much greater excuse than they themselves suppose, for their frequent inability to name correctly the plants they collect. This difficulty almost invariably arises from inadequate or misleading descriptions and a failure on the part of those who write them to clearly state the essential differences between the species they describe and nearly related ones ; old names and old descriptions are also frequently made to include plants they were never intended to cover and which should be re-described and occasionally renamed. Address ry the President of the O.F.N.C. 197 In a hurried compilation of the flora of Ontario I have enumerated 1633 species of flowering plants and ferns as being found within the borders of the province and the tabulated statement below shows the numerical relation between the plants of Ottawa and its vicinity and the Province of Ontario. It is not pretended that all the species in either region is givtn but the estimates ore under, not above, the actual number. The Ottawa destrict is intended to included an area of 30 miles around Ottawa. TOTAL NUMBER OF ONTARIO. OTTAWA. Species x633 968 Herbaceous Plants !4°9 821 Shrubs 139 96 Trees 85 51 In future numbers of the Naturalist notes on critical species and the results of some of our studies will be printed, and Western Quebec will, on -account of its close proximity to Ottawa, be also confidered. ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE OTTAWA FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB— MR. FRANK T. SHUTT,M.A.,F.I.C.,F.C.S. At the Conversazione held in the Assembly Hall of the Normal School, 26th Nov., 1895. Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen. We decided — and I think wisely —that this the first evening of our winter programme should take the form of a conversazione : an occasion when ample opportunity would be afforded our members for friendly intercourse and the consideration and enjoyment of the many and varied objects of Natural History displayed. It is not my intention therefore to speak at any length to-night. In the few words I have to say, however, it is my wish, with your permission, to bring before you the objects and functions of the Society of which I have the honour to be president— The Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club— pointing out the advantages to be derived by those members who take a real interest in her work and asking you to consider the claims which our Society, as an educational institution, has upon the citizens of Ottawa. The principal object of the Club is, I take it, to inculcate a greater love for and interest in Nature as she is manifested in the plant and animals about us, fostering a 198 The Ottawa Naturalist. closer and more systematic study of the many forms of life with which this earth teems, and of the earth which gives them a habitation. The chief function of the Club is to assist in this study all deserving help, by lectures, by our publication, by field excursions and by such evenings as the present, when the wondeis of the earth and sky and sea are revealed under the searching power of the microscope. It would seem to me that a society fulfilling such an object, performing such a function — and I trust I am sincere in saying that the club is striving to do both — is doing a great and a good work. And perhaps more especially in these latter times is this a noble work, for it appears to me that now-a-days the majority of people divide their time between the getting of money or position and the following of the lighter recreations. While undoubtedly both of these should find a place in the programme of one's life, it is certainly a grave mistake to allow the serious matters of life and what I may term its evanescent pleasures to control all our energies, to absorb all our time and talent. I would make a strong plea for the study of the Natural Sciences — Zoology, Botany and Geology — not trom a utilitarian standpoint, though on that score it could be ur