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1887.  -^TOL.  I.  1888. 


THE 


Ottawa  Naturalist, 


THE 


Transactions 


OF  THE 


Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club. 

•VOL.     III. 


(Organized  March  rSyg  ;  Incorporated  March  1884.) 


OTTAWA  : 
The  Citizen  Printing  and  Publishing  Co.,  31  Metcalfe  Street. 

1887. 


HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  MARQUIS  OF  LANSDOWNE, 

GOVERNOR  GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 


R.    B.    WHYTE. 


1st,  Prof.  J.  MACOUN,         |         2nd,  Prof.  8.  WOODS. 


W.  H.  HARHINGTON. 


STrtasurer : 
JAMES  FLETCHER. 


ITibratiait : 
T.  J.  MacLAUGHLIN. 


Committrc : 
Dr.  H.  B.  SMALL,      |       H.  M.    AMI,       |       Dr.    Geo.   BAPTIE. 


^taiibing  Commitlccd  of  douncil : 
Publishing— Vrof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptie. 
^Soirees— Prof.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.  Woods,  Dr.  Small. 


ITtabcrs  : 
Geology— li.  M.  Ami,  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Botany—^.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,    Dr.  Baptie. 
Conchology — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology — W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 


(f  bilor  : 

W.   H.  HARRINGTON. 
3 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS. 


Adams,  F.  D.,  B.  A  pp.  Sc. 

Allan,  W.    A. 

Ami,  H.  M.,  ^LA.,F.G.S. 

Anderson,  W.  V.,  C.E. 

Anderson,  Mrs.  W.  P. 

Armstrong,  John  R. 

Armstrong,  Rev.^m.  M.A.,  Ph.D. 

Ashworth,  John. 

Balland,  Rev.  J.B.,  O.M.I.,  D.D. 

Ballantyne,  J. 

Baptie,  Geo.,  ALA.,  M.D. 

Barlow,  A.  E.,  B.A. 

Bate,  C.  Percy. 

Bate,  H.  Gerald. 

Bate,  H.  N. 

Bell,  E.  B. 

Bennetts,  F.  K. 

Billings,  B.  B. 

Billing-.,  W.  R.   . 

Boardman,  Wm.  F, 

Boulton,  J.  G.,  Stnf-Com.  R.X. 

Bourinot,  J.  G.,  F.R.C.I.,   F.S.S., 

Hon.  Sec.^  Ii.S.C. 
Bowman,  Amos. 
Bristow,  A.  A. 
Bristow,  Mrs.  A.  A. 
Broadbent,  Ralph  L. 
Brodie,  W.,  L.DJ>'.,  (Toronto.) 
Brough,  James  S. 
Brumell,  H.  Pareth. 
Burgess,  T.  J.  W.,  M.D.,  F.R.S.C 

(London,  Ont ) 
Butterworth,  0.  A. 
Butterworth,  Miss  Maria  E, 
Campbell,  A.  M.,  M.A.  (Perth.) 
Campbell,  Wra.  Woods. 
Casey,  M.  W. 
Chalmers,  Robert. 
Chamberlin,  Mrs.  B. 
Chisholm,  A. 
Christie,  A.  J.,  Q.C. 
Coste,  E. 


Cousens,  W.  C,  M.D. 

Craig,  Wm.  (Ru-sell.) 

Creighton,  J.  G.,B.A.,  B.C.L. 

Davy,  R.  A.,   C.E. 

Dawson,  G.M.,  D.Sc,  Assoc.  R.S.M., 

F.G.S.,  F.R.S.C. 
Devlin,  R.  J. 
Dimock,  W.  D.,  B.A. 
Dixon,  F.  A. 
Dodd,  R. 
Donaldson.  B 
Ells,  R.   W.,  M.A. 
Ewart,  D. 
Faribault,  E.  R. 
Fleming,    Sandford,    CJ/.G*.,    C.E., 

F.R.C.I.,  F.R.S.C. 
Fletcher,  James,  F.L.S.,  F.R.S.C. 
Fletcher,  Mrs.  J. 
Fortescue,  L. 
Fortescue,  Mrs.  L.   . 
Fuller,  Thos..  R.C.A. 
Garvock,  W.  B. 
Gemmill,  J.  A. 
Glashan,  J.   C 
Grant,  Miss  Isabel  L. 
Grant,  J.  A.,  31. D.,  F.R.C.S.,  Edin.,. 

F.R.S.C,  F.G.S. 
Grant,  Miss  Jessie, 
Grant,  Miss  Mary. 
Griffin,  W.  H. 
Itale,  J. 
Hardie,  John. 
Harmon,  Miss  A.  Maria. 
Harrington,  W.  H. 
Harrington,  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Harrison,  Edward. 
Hayter,  F.,  B.A. 
Herridge,  Rev.  W.  T.,  R.D. 
Hodgins,  John. 
Holland,  G. 

Ingall,  E.  D.,  Assoc.  R.S.M. 
Jarvis,  S. 
4 


Jarvis,  S.  J. 

Johnson,  Geo. 

Johnson,  E.  V.,  C.E. 

JoUiffe,  O.  J.,  M.A. 

Jones,  C.  J. 

Kearns,  J.  G. 

Keefer,  Thos.  C,  C.E. 

Keeley,  D.  H. 

Kilgannon,  A.  P.,  C.E. 

Lambait,  Hon.   O.H. 

Lam  be,  L.M.  • 

Lampman    A.,  B.A. 

Lanipey,  Wni.  G.,   M.E. 

Latchford,  F.  R.,  B.A. 

Lawson,  Frof.  G.,  LL.D.,  I'h.  D., 

F. R.G.I. ,  F.R.S.C.  (Halifax.) 
LoSueur,  W.  D.,  B.A. 
LeSueur,  Miv.  W.  D. 
Lett,  W.  P. 
Lindsay,  A. 

Loiix,  Wui.,  M.D.  (Paissell.) 
Lowe,  John. 
MacC'raken,  John  I. 
MacLaughlin,  'J\  J. 
McConnell,  R.  G.,  B.A. 
McGill,  A.,  B.A.Sc. 
McEUiinney,  M.  P. 
JVJcInnes,  Wni.,   B.A. 
McLauglilin,  Miss  Emma. 
McLaughlin,  S. 
McLean,  J.  I). 
McMillan,  John,  M.A. 
McNat),  Chas. 
Macoun,  Frof.  John,  M.A.,  F.L.S., 

F.R.S.C. 
Macoun,  J.  M. 
Magee,  F. 

Marsan,  Rev.  Q.  R,   O.J/./.,   J/..1. 
Martin,  E.  D. 
Matheson,  D. 
Mills,  Miss  Margaret  A. 
Munro,  John. 
Nicholson,  M.  Vernon. 
Oxley,  James  M.,  LL.B. 
Parris,  Miss  Oriana. 
Parris,  \Vm. 


Perlev,  Heniy  F.,  C.E. 

Phillips,  ,L  A. 

Poiriei-,  Hon.  P.  S. 

Pratt,  H.  O.  E. 

Rauscher,  Rudolf. 

Reed,  E.  Baynes.  (London.) 

Keid,  Mrs.  Annie  M. 

Robert,  J.  A.,  B.Sc. 

Scott,  D.  0. 

Scott,  Miss  fiilian. 

Scott,  R.  D'Arcy. 

Scott,  Wallace,  U. 

Scott,  Wm. 

Scott,  W.  h.,  B.A. 

Selsvvn,  A.  R.  C,  C.Af.G.,  LL.D., 

F.R.S.,  F.R.S.C ,  F.G.S. 
Shav;,  James   F. 
Schenick,  Miss  C. 
Small,  H.  Beaumont,  Jf.D. 
Small,  H.  B. 
Smith,  J.  E. 

Smith,  H.  R.,  Lieut. -Col. 
Smith,  W.  II. 
Sowter,  \V  .E.  T. 
Steers,  C.  J. 
Stewart,  J.  C. 
Stewart,  John. 

Summerby,\Vm.  J.,  J/./l.(Ru.ssell.) 
Svmes,  Miss  E. 
Symes,  P.  B.,  A.K.C., 
Taylor,  Rev.  G.  W.  (Victoria,  B.C.) 
Thayne,  E.  Stewa4it. 
Thoiburn,  John,  JLA.,  LL.D. 
Tomlinson,  J.,  C.Fl. 
Tyrrell,  J.  B.,  B.A.,  F.G.S. 
Verner,  J.  W.  D. 
Watteis,  Henry. 
Watts,  J.  W.  H.,  R.C.A. 
Warwick,  F.  W.  (Buckingham.) 
Weston,  T,  C. 
White,  Geo.  R. 
White,  Lieut.-Col.  Wra. 
White,  \V.  R.  (Poir. broke.) 
Whiteaves,  J.  F.,  F.G.S.,  F.R.S.C. 
Whvte,  Miss  Isabella. 
Whyte,  R.  B. 


G 

Whvte,  Mrs.  R.  B.  Wright,  W.  R. 

Wicksteed,  R.  J.,  B.C.L.,  LL.D.  Young,    liev.  0.  J.,  M.A.  (Renfrew) 

Willimott,  Chas.  W.  Young,  James. 

Woods, A-o/.  S.,  M.A. 


CORRESPONDING    MEMBERS: 

Anderson,  Rev.  Duncan,  M.A.,  Spruce  Cliff,  Levis,  Que. 

Edwards,  Henry,  185  East  llGth  Street,*New  York,  U.S. 

Hill,  Albert  J.,  G.E.,  Moody,  B.C. 

Merriam,  Dr.  C.  Hart,  Locust  Grove,  N.  Y.,  U.S. 

Ormerod,  xVIiss  E.  a.,  Dunster  Lodge,  near  Isleworth,  England. 

Provancher,  Abbe,  Cap  Rouge,  Que. 

Saunders,  Prof.  Wm.,  F.R.S.C,  F.L.S.,  London,  Ont. 

Smith,  John  B.,  National  Museum,  Washington,  U.S. 


CONSTITUTION. 


1.  Name  and  Object. — This  Club  shall  be  called  the  Ottawa  Field- 
Naturalists'  Club,  and  its  object  shall  be  the  stady  of  the  Natural 
History  of  this  locality. 

2.  Officers. — The  Officers  of  the  Club  shall  consist  of  a  President, 
iirst  and  second  Vice-Presidents,  a  Secretary,  a  Treasurer,  and  a 
Librarian,  who,  together  with  three  other  members  of  the  Club,  shall 
form  a  Council,  all  of  whom  shall  be  elected  annually,  and  shall  be 
eligible  for  re-election,  and  who  shall  have  the  management  of  all  the 
business  of  the  Club,  In  the  event  of  any  vacancy  occurring  in  the 
Council  during  the  year  the  same  may  be  filled  by  the  election  of  a 
successor  at  any  of  its  regular  meetings. 

3.  Auditors. — There  shall  also  be  two  Auditors  elected  annually 
to  examine  the  Treasurer's  accounts  for  the  following  year  and  i-eport 
thereon  at  the  next  annual  meeting. 

4.  President  and  Vice-Presidents. — -The  President  shall  direct  all 
the  business  of  the  Club,  and  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Club  and 


Council;    his  duties,    in   the  event    of  his  absence,    devolving  on  the 
Vice-Presidents  in  their  order. 

5. — Secretary. — The  Secretary  shall  give  previous  notice  to  each 
member  of  the  Club  of  every  meeting  of  the  Club,  and  to  each  member 
of  the  Council  of  every  meeting  of  the  Council ;  shall  make  and  keep  a 
true  record  of  the  proceedings  of  all  meetings  of  the  Club  and  of  the 
Council,  have  custody  of  the  Constitution,  By-laws  and  Records  of  the 
Club,  and  conduct  its  general  correspondence. 

6.  Treasurer. — The  Treasurer  shall  be  chai-ged  with  the  collection 
and  custody  of  the  funds  of  the  Club,  and  keep  a  regular  account 
thereof,  which  shall  always  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the  Council. 
He  shall  also  submit  at  each  annual  meeting  a  statement  showing  the 
financial  condition  of  the  Club. 

7.  Librarian. — The  Librarian  shall  have  charge  of  all  publications 
of  the  Club  and  shall  distribute  the  same  under  the  direction  of  the 
Council.  He  shall  also  have  the  custody  of  all  books  and  papers 
belongingjto  the  Club,  and  shall^supervise  their  circulation  among  the 
members. 

8.  Council. — The  Council  shall,  as  business  may  require,  meet 
from  time  to  time  at  the  call  of  the  President,  or  of  any  two  officers  ; 
shall  control  all  matters  affecting  the  welfare,  of  the  Club,  subject  to 
this  Constitution  ;  shall  have  full  control  of  the  funds  of  the  Club,  and 
shall  report  its  proceedings  to  the  members  at  the  Annual  Meeting. 

9.  Annual  Meetim/. — The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Club  shall  be 
held  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  March,  at  which,  in  addition  to  other 
business,  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Council  shall  be  read,  and  the 
Council  and  Auditors  for  the  following  year  elected,  by  ballot  after 
nomination,  by  a  majority  of  the  members  present. 

10.  Special  Meetings. — A  Special  General  Meeting  of  the  Club 
may  be  called  by  the  Council  ;  and  siiall  be  called  on  requisition  of  not 
less  than  ten  members,  s[)ecifying  the  business  they  wish  brought 
before  the  meeting.  Tlie  ('ouncil  shall  call  the  meeting  within 
fourteen  days  from  the  receipt  of  the  requisition,  giving  one  week's 
notice.  No  other  business  shall  be  transacted  than  that  mentioned  in 
the  notice. 


8 

11.  Conduct  of'  Meetings.— The  presence  of  ten  members  shall  be 
required  to  constitute  any  general  meeting  of  the  Club,  and  of  three 
members  to  constitute  a  meeting  of  the  Council.  All  meetings  shall  be 
conducted  under  such  by-laws  and  rules  of  procedure  as  may  from  time 
to  time  be  adopted. 

12.  Proceedings. — Excursions  in  Summer,  and  evening  meetings 
and  classes  of  instruction  in  Winter,  shall  be  held,  and  the  Transactions 
of  the  Club  shall  be  periodically  published;  all  arrangements  for  which 
shall  be  made  by  the  Council. 

13.  Members. — Any  lady  or  gentleman  desiring  to  join  the  Club 
shall  send  a  written  application,  signed  by  the  ai)plicant  and  endorsed 
by  the  recommendation  of  two  members,  to  the  Secretary,  and  if 
approved  shall  be  elected  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Council.  Mem- 
bers desiring  to  leave  the  Club  must  previously  settle  all  dues  and 
signify  their  intention  in  writing  to  the  Seci-etary. 

14.  Ctrresponding  Members. — The  Council  shall  have  the  power 
of  electing  Corresponding  Members,  who  shall  be  persons  not  residing 
in  Ottawa  or  its  immediate  vicinity,  but  who  may  be  desirous  of 
promoting  the  objects  of  the  Club.  Corresponding  members  shall  not 
be  requiied  to  pay  membersliip  fees. 

15.  Annual  Fee. — The  annual  membership  fee  shall  be  one  dollar, 
payable  in  advance,  due-on  the  third  Tuesday  in  March,  and  no  member 
in  arreais  shall  be  entitled  to  any  of  the  privileges  of  the  Club.  New 
members  to  pay  the  fee  for  the  current  year  upon  election.  The  pay- 
ment  of  the  annual  fee  to  entitle  a  member  to  receive  a  copy  of  the 
Tran.sactions,  as  published,  and  to  admission  to  the  Club  Soirees  with- 
out further  charge. 

16.  Amendments.— Th\^  Constitution  may  not  be  changed  or 
amended  except  by  a  special  meeting  of  the  Club  called  for  that 
purpose,  and  by  a  twc-third  vote  of  the  members  present. 


9 


EDITORIAL  ANNOL^NCEMENT. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist  is  issued  by  the  OUawa  FieH- 
Naturalists'  Club  in  continuation  of  its  Transactions  already  published  ;. 
the  second  volume  of  which  was  completed  by  the  number  for  1885-1886. 
For  eight  years  the  Club  has  earnestly  carried  on  the  work  for  which  it 
was  organized — "  The  study  of  the  Natural  History  of  this  locality." 
Nor  has  it  confined  itself  to  this  rich  and  extensive  field.  It  has 
gradually  extended  its  influence,,  and,  by  excursions,  classes  ami 
lectures,  has  sought  to  foster  a  love  for  Natural  History,  and  a  desire  in 
all  its  members  to  investigate  the  marvellous  realms  of  nature. 

After  careful  consideration  of  suggested  changes  in  the  method  of 
carrying  on  the  Club's  work,  it  has  been  decided  that  its  value,  not  only 
to  members  but  to  scie)ititic  oI)servers  in  other  places,  will  be  greatly 
increased  by  the  issue  of  a  portion  of  its  Transactions  each  month. 
This  will  ensure  an  earlier  publicatiou  of  the  papers  prepared  for  its 
soirees,  which  is  especiiUly  desirable  when  new  species  are  described, 
and  will  keep  the  members  more  fully  informed  as  to  the  progress  of 
its  work.  The  record  of  its  proceedings  will  be  made  as  [complete  as 
possible.  To  the  papers  and  i-eports  that  have  formerly  appeared,  will 
be  added  an  account  of  each  general  meeting,  soiree,  class,  excursion, 
sub-e.\cursiun,  or  other  undertaking  of  the  Club.  This  step  will  douUlo 
the  present  size  of  our  Transactions,  and  will  necessarily  entail  a  pro- 
portionate outlay.  We  must  therefore  have  many  new  members.  Tho 
Council  will  do  all  in  its  power,  but  the  required  increase  in  mera heir- 
ship can  cnly  be  secured  by  the  active  co-opevation  of  every  member  of 
the  Club.  Especially  will  ladies  be  welcomed  to  our  ranks,  and  eveiy 
effort  will  be  put  forth  to  make  the  excursions  and  soirees  pleasant  as 
well  as  instructive  It  is  much  regretted  that  up  to  the  present  time  the 
lady  members  hive,  with  a  few  exceptions,  not  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  work  of  the  Club.  Thei'e  are  several  branches  of  natural  history, 
such  as  Botany,  Entomology  and  Ornithology,  which  offer  to  them 
attractive  Helds  for  observation  and  experiment,  and  in  which  many 
ladies  are  doing  most  excellent  work  elsewhere. 

The  Clulj  has  endeavoured  to  impress  the  value  of  an  acquaintance 
with  the  works  of  nature  upon    the  teachers  in  our  educational  institu- 


10 

tion  of  all  kinds,  and  upon  those  now  being  trained  for  these  important 
positions.  Every  teacher  would  derive  immeasurable  delight  and 
profit  from  such  a  knowledge,  and  those  whose  duties  are  performed 
outside  the  larger  cities  have  great  advantages  in  their  closer  proximity 
to  inexhaustible  and  almost  unexplored  mines  of  scientific  wealth. 
Teachei-s  would  do  well  to  avail  themselves  of  every  opportunity  of 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  natural  history  so  as  to  be  able  to  com- 
municate information  whenever  requested. 

The  time  has  come  to  renew  our  investigations  in  the  field — to 
watch  the  return  of  the  birds,  the  unfolding  of  leaf  and  flower,  the 
reappearance  of  insBcts,  the  emerging  of  reptiles  and  other  animals 
from  their  winter  retirement.  Notes  of  all  these,  and  of  similar 
•occurrences  should  be  carefully  taken,  and  forwarded  to  the  leaders  who 
have  been  appointed  in  each  branch  to  preserve  and  compile  such 
records.  It  is  particularly  requested  that  the  leaders  of  the 
Ornithological  branch  be  kept  informed  as  to  the  arrival  and  movements 
of  our  birds.  These  are  now  working  northward  to  their  breeding 
grounds  and  summer  habitats  ;  some  to  remain  with  us,  others  stopping 
merely  to  rest  and  feed  before  continuing  their  journey. 

The  Club  has  been  requested  by  the  Amei-ican  Ornithologists' 
Union  to  co-operate  with  it  in  obtaining  information  as  to  the  migra- 
tions and  breeding  habits  of  all  birds  resident  in  or  visiting  this 
district,  and  to  exert  its  influence  in  increasing  the  number  of 
•observers.  The  schedules  and  instructions  furnished  for  making  the 
desired  records  may  be  obtained  on  application  to  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  or  through  the  Secretary  of  this  Club. 

It  should  be  mentioned  that  this  number  of  our  magazine  is 
necessarily  fil'ed  with  the  reports  of  proceedings  and  other  routine 
matter,  and  that  the  papers  read  before  the  Club  during  the  past  winter 
will  be  commenced  in  the  next  issue.  Notice  will  then  be  given,  by 
the  leaders,  of  the  sub-excursions  to  be  held  during  the  season,  and  of 
the  first  excursion  if  it  has  been  arranged.  Members  can  materially 
assist  the  Club  by  purchasing  copies  of  the  magazine,  or  of  any  monthly 
part  thereof,  to  send  to  friends,  or  to  persons  interested  in  natural 
history  pursuits. 


11 

ANNUAL    MEETING. 

The  ninth  annual  meeting  of  the  Club  was  held  on  Tuesday,  15th 
March,  1887,  in  the  Museum  of  the  Ottawa  Literary  and  Scientific 
Society,  commencing  at  4.30  [>.  ra.  The  President,  Prof.  Macoun, 
occupied  the  chair,  and  the  following  members  were  present,  including 
all  the  council  : — R.  B.  Whyte,  Prof.  Woods,  James  Fletcher, 
T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  F.  R.  Latchford,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  Small. 
Eev.  Prof.  Marsan,  W.  P.  Anderson,  H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.  Baptie,  E.  B. 
Bell,  Fred.  Magee,  R.  Broadbent,  J.  Ballantyne,  J.  M.  Macoun,  John 
Stewart,  W.  R.  Billings,  Mrs.  Reid,  R.  W.  Ells,  E.  R.  Faribault, 
R,  Chalmers,  R.  G.  McConnell,  W.  Mclnnes,  A.  E.  Barlow. 

After  the  minutes  had  been  read  the  Secretary  nreser.ted  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  Council,  which  is  printed  in  this  number,  and 
which  was  adopted  upon  motion  of  Mr.  Ballantyne  and  Mr.  Anderson, 
after  some  discussion  as  to  the  proposed  plan  of  issuing  the  Transactions 
in  monthly  parts,  in  which  the  following  members  also  joined  : — Dr. 
Small,  Piof.  VVoods,  Prof.  Macoun,  Mr.  Fletcher  and  the  Secretary. 
The  Treasurer's  statement  (also  printed  in  this  number)  showing  that 
all  expenses  had  been  fully  defrayed,  including  some  paymeats  for  the 
previous  year,  was  adopted  on  motion  of  Mr.  Billings  and  Dr.  Baptie. 
The  Librarian  re]3orted  that  many  valuable  exchanges  and  donations 
had  been  received  by  hira  during  the  year,  and  that  an  additional  book- 
case was  requii'ed  for  their  I'eceptioa.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Fletcher  and 
Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte  the  Council  was  instructed  to  make  such  ptovision 
as  might  be  found  necessary  for  their  preservation.  There  being  no 
further  business  to  transact.  Prof.  Macoun  announced  that  the  election 
of  officers  would  be  held,  and  that,  as  retiring  President,  he  desired  to 
state  that  the  out-going  Council  ha,d  been  very  attentive  to  their  duties, 
and  had  each  endeavoured  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  Club.  Mr.  Broadbent  and  Mr.  J.  M.  Macoun  were  a])ix)'nted 
scrutineers,  and  the  election  proceeded,  )esulting  in  the  choice  of  the 
following  Council: — President,  R.  B.  Whyte;  1st  Vice-President, 
Prof.  Macoun  ;  2nd  Vice-President,  Prof.  Woods  ;  Secretary,  W.  H. 
Harrington;  Treasurer,  J.  Fletcher;  Lilirarian,  T.  J.  MacLaughlin  ; 
Committee,  Dr.  Small,  H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.  Baptie.  A  vote  ot  thanks, 
moved  by  Mr.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Bell,  was  passed  to  the  retiring 
oflicers,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  at  six  p.m. 


12 
ANNfJAL    REPORT    OF   THE   COUNCIL. 


Offickrs— 1S8G-18<57.  " 

Pkesident.— Prof.  John  Macoun.  ,  „    ,,t     i 

VicE-PRESiDENTS.-lst,  R.  B.  Whjte  ;  2nJ,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secrrt.vry. — W.  H.  Harrington. 

Treasurer.— T.  J.  MacLauglilin. 

Librarian.— F.  R.  Latchford. 

Committee.— Dr.  Small,    Jame.s  Fletcher,  Rev.  Prof.   Marsan. 


7b  the  Members  of  the  Ottaioa  Field-Natttmlists  Club:— 

The  Council  ha.s  great  pleasure  in  reporting  that  the  condition  of  the 
Club  is  at  present  very  satisfactory  ;  that  its  work  has  been  prosecuted 
with  eai-nestness,  and  that  valuable  scientific  discoveries  have  been 
made  in  every  branch  of  Natural  History  to  which  attention  has  been 


given. 


The  number  of  new  members  added  during  the  year  was  only 
fifteen,  but  it  was  more  than  sufficient  to  counter-balance  the  losses? 
occasioned  by  removal  of  members  from  the  city,  resignations  or  othei- 
causes.     The  membership  stands  at  the  encouraging  figure  of  170. 

JMiss  E.  A.  Ormerod,  Entomologist  to  the  Royal  Agricultui-al 
Society,  of  England,  has  been  elected  a  corresponding  number  of  the 
Club.  Her  publications  on  economic  entomology  are  known  wherever 
an  interest  is  taken  in  such  subjects,  and  have  gained  for  her  a 
de.servedly  high  rei)utation.  This  makes  the  number  of  Corresponding 
Members  eight,  but  one  ofthe.se  we  shall  shortly  be  able  to  welcome  to 
active  membership,  as  Prof.  Saunders  comes  to  Ottawa  to  take  charge 
of  the  Experimental  Farm,  established  by  the  Dominion  Government. 
His  labours  in  connection  with  fruitgrowing,  entomology,  and  kindred 
subjects  are  known  to  all  of  you,  and  the  Club  may  confidently  look 
forward  to  receiving  material  assistance  from  him  in  carrying  on  its 
investigations,  while  other  benefits  will  undoubtedly  arise  from  the 
establishment  of  the  Experimental  Farm  in  this  neighbourhood. 

Several  pleasant  and  profitable  excursions  were  held  during  the 
summer,  and  were  well  attended.  The  first  was  to  King's  Mountain 
on  the  ISih  May,  and  although  the  mcrning  was  very  unfavouiable 
there  were  enough  present  to  fill  two  vans,  and  the  tt  ip  turned  out 
quite  a  success.  The  second  was  to  Buckingham  on  3rd  June,  when, 
in  addition  to  the  usual  proceedings,  a  visit  was  made  to  the  [)hosphate 
nulls,  ;ind  the   process   of  piep-iring  this  mineral  for  consumption  was 


•examined.  The  third  was  to  Eastman's  Springs  on  24th  July,  when 
some  interesting  collections  were  made  in  the  Mer  Bleue  swamp,  and 
surrounding  neighbourhood,  and  the  waters  of  the  mineral  springs  duly 
examined  and  tested.  The  fourth  was  to  Meech's  Lake  on  -Ith  Sep- 
tember, on  which  occasion  Mrs.  W.  J.  Tilley  very  kindly  invited  all 
those  present  to  visit  her  cottage,  beautifully  situated  at  the  head  of 
the  lake,  where  she  hospitably  entertained  them. 

Sub-excursions  wei"e  held  almost  every  Saturday  afternoon,  from 
the  opening  of  S|)ring  until  late  in  the  autumn,  and  those  who  attended 
■did  not  fail  to  be  both  intere  ;te  1  and  instructed  in  the  various  branches, 
especially  in  Geology,  Botany  and  Entomology. 

The  Botanical  class,  conducted  by  Mr.  11.  B.  Whyte,  in  the  Central 
vschool  West,  was,  upon  the  appearance  of  vegetation,  practically 
instructed  in  the  field,  the  lessons  being  continued  into  the  month  of 
June.  Many  children  had  thus  an  excellent  opportunity  of  acquiring 
a  first  insight  into  some  of  the  beauties  and  interesting  i)roblems  of 
jjlant  life. 

A  very  agreeable  conversazione  was  given,  on  the  evening  of  the 
26th  May,  to  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Society,  under  the  joint  manage- 
ment of  the  Councils  of  the  Club  and  of  the  Ottawa  T-iterary  and 
Scientific  Society,  Through  the  kindness  of  our  Vice-President,  Prof. 
Woods,  it  was  held  in  the  assembly  rooms  of  the  Ladies'  College,  and 
the  teachei-s  and  pupils  of  the  college  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  evening  by  generous  contributions  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music. 
The  guests  were  suitably  received  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte,  acting-Presi- 
dent of  the  Club,  and  Mr.  W.  P.  Anderson,  President  of  the  0.  L.  and 
S.  S.  An  address  of  welcome  was  given  by  Prof.  Woods,  and  there 
were  also  addresses  by  several  of  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal  Society, 
including  Dr.  Wilson,  Sir  W.  Dawson   and  Rev.  Dr.  Hamel. 

The  winter  course  of  meetings  consisted  of  six  soirees  and  nine 
elementary   lectures,    or  classes,  as  follows  :  — 

.SoiVees.— January  13th,  "President's  Inaugur.il  Address,"  Prof. 
Macoun.  January  27th,  "Our  Ottawa  Butterflies,"  Mr.  Fletcher; 
Reports  of  Geological  and  Conchological  Branches;  "  Note  on  Ottawa 
Salamanders,"  Mr.  Latchford.  February  10th,  "  The  Development  of 
the  Mines  of  the  Ottawa  District,"  Mr.  John  Stewart;^  Report  of  the 
Entomological  Branch;  "Note  on  Flour  and  Grain  Beetles,"  Mr.  Harring- 
ton. February  2'ith,  "  The  Great  Ice  Age  and  Subsequent  Formations 
at  Ottawa,"  Mr.  H.  M.  Ami  ;  Report  of  Botanical   Branch,  "Note  on 


u 

the  'Maple  Lung'  as  a  Substitute  for  Yeast,"  Mr.  John  Stewart. 
INIarch  3r(l,  •'  A  Chemical  View  of  the  Metallic  Minerals,"  Rev.  Prof. 
Marsan ;  "  Note  on  ifonotropa  nniflora,"  Dr.  Baptie.  March  10th, 
"The  Puma  or  Mountain  Lion,"  Mr.  Lett;  RepoH  of  Ornithological 
Branch;  "Some  New  Species  from  the  Trenton  Formation,"  Mr.  W. 
K  Billings ;  "  Note  on  an   Abnormal   Specimen   of   Cali/pso  borealis," 

Mr.  Fletcher. 

Elementary  Lectures.-—These  were  arrangeil  to  form,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, a  consecutive  course,  while  at  the  same  time  treating  of  as  many 
branches  as  was  found  desirable.  They  were  held  every  Monday 
afternoon,  commencing  January  17th,  and  ending  14th  March.  They 
were  adapted  es|)ecially  for  those  entering  upon  the  study  of  Natural 
History,  but  were  instiuctive  and  interesting  to  all  who  were-  present. 
The  subjects  and  lecturers  were  as  follows  : — "  Insects  Destructive  to 
our  Native  Trees,"  Mr.  Harrington  ;  "  Local  Geology,"  Mr.  H.  M. 
Ami;  "  Our  Introduced  Weeds,"  and  "Geographical  Distribution  of 
our  Native  Trees,"  Prof.  Macoun;  "  How  to  Identify  Minerals,"  Mr. 
Brumell ;  "  The  Forms  of  Leaves,"  and  "  The  Forms  of  Flowers,"  Mr. 
R.  B.  Whyte  ;  "Leaf-eating  Insects,"  and  "Flower  Insects,"  Mi\ 
Fletcher. 

The  Librarian's  report  will  show  you  that  many  valuable  publica- 
tions continue  to  be  received,  principally  in  exchange  for  our  Transac-^ 
tions. 

A  committee  has  been  appointed  to  confer  with  tie  cui-ator  of 
the  Museum  of  the  0.  L.  and  S.  S.,  in  regard  to  the  specimens  for  which  h& 
may  have  accomodation.  Some  valuable  specimens  have  been  already 
promised  to  the  Club  to  be  placed  in  the  Museum. 

Transactions  No.  7  (Vol.  II.,  Part  III.)  have  been  printed  and 
the  volume  is  now  completed.  This  part  consists  of  89  pages,  and  con- 
tains the  valuable  papers  and  rei>orts  read  during  the  winter  course  of 
1885-86.  The  two  volumes  contain  in  all  646  closely-printed  pages,, 
with  eight  plates  descriptive  of  new  species.  They  constitute  a  record 
of  the  Natural  History  of  this  locality,  which  is  unapproached  by  any 
other  in  Canada,  and  which  is  probably  equalled  by  few  places  on  this 
continent. 

The  Council  has,  however,  to  txpress  its  regret  that  the  publication 
of  this  number  was  unavoidably  delayed,  so  that  it  was  only  ready  for 


15 

distribution  at  the  very  close  of  the  year.  A  similar  apology  was  made- 
last  year  by  the  retiring  Council,  with  regard  to  tlie  part  published  V>y 
them,  and  led  to  a  lively  discussion  at  the  annual  meeting  as  to  the 
necessity  of  an  earlier  publication.  Your  Council  was  most  anxious^ 
to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  Club  in  this  direction,  but 
found  it  impossible  to  be  more  prompt  than  their  predecessors. 
The  question  of  future  publication  has,  however,  been  carefully  con- 
sidered, and  a  scheme  is  now  presented,  which,  if  it  meet  with  your 
approval,  will  ensure  not  only  an  eai-lier  publication,  but  also  a  more 
complete  record  of  the  work  of  the  Club,  and  bring  it  more  prominently 
before  the  members  and  the  public.  It  is  proposed  that  publication 
shall  be  monthly,  instead  of  annually,  and  there  appears  to  be  much 
in  favour  of  this  step,  while  the  only  objection  seems  to  be  the 
additional  expense  which  may  be  involved.  It  is  found  that  to 
publish  a  journal  of  16  pages  each  month  will  cost  al)Out  $100  a  year 
over  the  average  cost  of  the  last  three  numbers  of  the  Transactions. 
This  sum  will  be  I'eadily  raised  if  each  member  will  use  his  or  her 
influence  in  bringing  others  into  the  Club,  or  by  inducing  them  to  lie- 
come  subscribers  to  the  proposed  journal. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  advantages  which  will  accrue  from 
the  suggested  method  of  publishing  : — The  membei-a  receiving  the 
numbers  regularly  will  have  the  objects  of  the  Club  kept  before  them, 
and  as  reports  of  all  meetings,  excursions,  sub-excursions,  soirees  and 
other  proceedings  will  be  printed,  in  addition  to  the  papers  and  reports, 
now  published,  they  will  be  kept  posted  as  to  the  work  being  per- 
formed, and  will  have  their  interest  therein  aroused  and  strengthened. 
This  will  more  especially  be  the  case  with  such  membej-s 
as  do  not  reside  in  the  -city,  or  are  prevented  from  at- 
tending the  excursions  and  meetings.  These  hav«  now  to  wait 
for  at  least  several  months  before  they  i-eceive  the  Transactions,  and 
they  have  no  regular  means  of  learning  anything  further  regarding  the^ 
excursions  and  classes  than  the  meagre  synopsis  which  appears  in  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  Council.  Information  can  also  be  regularly 
given  as  to  proposed  excursions,  soirees,  classes  or  other  undertakings 
of  the  Club.  Kindred  societies  with  which  we  exchange  will 
see  that  the  Club  is 'vigorous,  and  desirous  of  making  its  publications 


IG 

as  valuable   to   them   as   possible,    and  therefore,  worthy    of  assistance 
and  encourrtgement. 

The  Council   suggests  that   the  journal   be  issued  on  the  first  day 
of  each  month  under  the  title  of  "  The  Ottawa  Naturalist." 

You  will  learn  from  the  Treasurer's  statement  that  the  present 
financial  comlition  of  the  Club  is  perhaps  more  satisfactory  than  at  any 
former  period,  and  that  tliere  remains  a  good  balance  over  and  above 
all  expenses.  The  Council  has  endeavoured  -to  limit  the  expenditure 
of  the  past  year  in  order  that  there  might  be  sufficient  funds  on  hand 
to  warrant  the  adoption  of  the  publication  scheme  which  has  been  pre- 
sented. The  Treasurer  has  succeeded  in  collecting  a  very  large 
■percent  ige  of  the  subscriptions,  and  it  is  expacted  thit  the  few  who  are 
still  in  arrears  will  take  an  early  op^»orbanity  to  increase  the  fund 
which  will  be  so  necessary  for  carrying  on  this  im[»orfca,nt  project. 

In  conclusion  the  Council  reiterates   its   belief   that   the   piosent 

condition  of  the  dub  is  encouraging,  and  that  its  future  prospects  seem 

to  indicate  increased  strength  and  progress. 

Signed  on  behalf  of  the  Council, 

W.  H.  HARRINGTON, 

Secretary. 
March  15th,  1887. 


TREASURER'S  BALANCE  SHEET. 

•Dr.  Ihr  Treasurer  in  account  with  the  Ottawa  Field- Naturalists'  Club,  1886-87. 


.     RECEIPTS. 

To  Balance  from  1885-86 $  28  25 

•    Membership       fees, 

1885-86 $  34  00 

Aleniberehip       fees, 

1886-87 137  00 

„  ,      ,  ^  •  171  00 

bale  of  Tiansactions 6  55 

Excursion  Receipts 34  80 

Soiree  to  Royal  Society 7  50 


$248  10 


EXPENDITUBES. 

By  Balance  on  Transac- 
tions No.  6,  1885-86. $3 4  50 
Plates  for  Transactions 
No.  6,  1885-86 15  00 


C: 


$  49  50 

Transactions  No.  7,  1886-87..  90  00 

Excursion  Expenses 33  65 

Soiree  to  Royal  Society 9  00 

Stationery 4  §5 

Postage .''**  7  23 

Miscellaneous  Printing 19  15 

Balance  on  hand 34  92 


$248  10 


T.  J.  MacLaUGHLIN, 


Treasurer, 


17  tw 


LttRARY 


PRESIDENT'S  ADDRESS. 


Prof.  Joim  Macoun,  F.L.S.,  F.R.S.C,  Exc.-^^^ 
(delivered  13th  January,  1887). 
Members  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Natural'sts  Club,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

Shortly  after  my  election  last  year  my  duties  called  u.e  away  to 
London,  England,  where  I  remained  eight  months,  in  consequence  of 
this  I  took  no  part  in  the  field  work  of  the  Club  during  last  summer. 
That  T  might  judge  of  the  work  of  other  organizations  doing  work 
similar  to  ours,  I  attended  meetings  of  the  Croydon  Field-Naturalists' 
Club  and  by  this  means  am  enabled  to  compare  our  mode  of  procedure 
with  theirs.  With  that  object  in  view  T  will  give  my  impression  of  a 
trip  to  the  North  Downs,  in  Surrey,  on  Whit  Monday,  May  29th,  1886. 

A  large  party,  many  of  them  specialists,  assembled  at  East  Croydon 
station  about  9  a.m.  and  took  the  train  for  Oxsted,  a  village  to  the 
south  of  the  North  Downs.  A  tunnel  of  gi-eat  length  pierces  the  Chalk 
hills  and  only  a  few  minutes  elapsed  before  we  were  at  our  station 
about  14  miles  from  Croydon.  Amongst  the  company  were  specialists 
in  almost  every  branch  of  Natural  History,  and  alttough  most  of  those 
present  were  city  men  I  saw  at  a  glance  they  were  widely  different  from 
the  majority  of  those  who  attend  our  outings  and  belong  to  our  city. 
Without  excejition  every  man  entered  into  the  business  of  the  day 
with  the  zest  of  an  enthusiast  and  went  to  work  with  a  will.  After  a 
few  moments'  conversation  it  was  decided  that  we  should  separate  into 
smaller  parties  and  meet  for  lunch  at  Buckley  Clump,  on  the  summit 
of  the  North  Downs,  which  is  a  range  of  chalk  hills  lying  between  the 
Weald  of  Kent  and  London.  We  now  separated  into  smaller  groups, 
and  while  some  kept  along  the  main  roads  others  went  by  lanes  and 
paths  through  a  beautiful  and  diversified  country,  while  the  party  to 
which  I  attached  myself  rambled  through  the  woods  which  covered 
the  upper  part  of  the  slope,  whera  we  C3llected  entomological  and 
botanical  specimens  to  our  hearts'  content. 

Shortly  after  noon  we  all  assembled  at  the  "Clump"  of  beeches,  and 
as  we  lay  around  in  the  shade  or  sat  on  mossy  couches  beneath  the 
trees,  eating  our  lunch  and  discussing  the  various  beauties  of  the  land- 
scape, gentlemen  acquainted  with  the  topography  and  various  villages 


18 

and  country  seats  which  lay  at  our  feet  or  in  the  dim  distance,  pointed 

oiileverything  of  interest  and  explained  every  seeming  diffici;lty,  so 

that  two  hoin-s  passed  away  in  the  most  pleasant  and  profitable  manner. 

The  party  now  grouped  themselves  and  an  amateur  photographer 
took  pictures  of  the  various  parties.  These  were  developed  later  in  the 
summer  and  distributed  to  the  variovis  membei'S.  After  this  we  divided 
into  two  parties,  one  of  which  was  to  return  to  Croydon  by  train,  th& 
other  to  walk  across  country  through  lanes  and  by-paths  to  Croydon,  a 
distance  of  over  12  miles.  My  friends  choose  to  walk  and  I  perforce 
accompanied  them.  The  remembrance  of  that  walk  will  live  in  my 
memory  as  long  as  life  lasts,  for  in  it  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  English 
country  sceneiy  and  Englishmen  out  for  a  holiday.  It  is  not  my  pur- 
pose to  describe  English  scenery,  nor  to  enter  into  details  concerning 
its  beauties,  but  to  point  out  the  difference  between  Englishmen  and 
ourselves,  when  on  an  excursion. 

'i'he  average  Canadian  loves  a  pic-nic  and  delights  to  ride  in  a 
waggon  along  dusty  roads  to  a  point  eight  or  ten  miles  away,  eat  a 
hearty  lunch,  take  a  short  stroll,  eat  again,  get  into  the  conveyance, 
drive  back  to  the  city  and  talk  about  t^^e  Field -Natviralists* 
Excursion.  The  above  h  our  plan.  Can  we  not  improve  on 
this,  and  although  we  may  ride  out  as  usual,  could  we  not 
do  more  walking  and  collecting  and  arrange  for  at  least  the  active 
members  of  the  Club  making  all-day  excursions  by  going  out  ten  or 
twelve  miles  from  the  city  by  rail  or  waggon  and  retui-ning  across 
country  on  foot. 

While  I  do  not  wish  to  condemn  ourselves  for  our  want  of  desire 
to  walk  in  the  hot  sun,  I  cannot  help  praising  the  Englishman  for  his 
enthusiasm  in  entering  upon  these  excursions  with  a  characteristic  zest. 
If  the  excursions  organized  by  us  be  fair  examples  of  what  is  done  in 
other  parts  of  our  country  I  should  advise  a  new  departure  and  strongly 
urge  on  the  active  members  of  the  Club  to  form  an  inner  circle  and 
have  excursions  of  their  own  where  they  can  explore  and  investigate 
new  districts  and  gather  additional  material  for  more  fully  elucidating 
the  Natural  History  of  our  district. 

The  love  of  Natural  Histcry,  which  is  self-evident  in  England, 
must  arise  from  the   familiaiity  of  both  young  and  old  of  all  classes 


19 

with  the  various  objects  of  Natural  History  found  in  piiljlic  gardens 
and  museums  establish(3d  in  every  part  of  tlxe  kingdom.  Tiiat  this  is  the 
case  was  shown  by  the  ahnost  universal  custom  of  wearing  floweis, 
making  collections  of  Natural  Histor}'^  speci'nens,  or  having  pets  of 
various  kinds  in  the  houses.  "While  in  England,  however,  !  paid  most  at- 
tention to  my  own  branch  of  science,  and  to  botany  will  chiefly  direct 
your  attention  to-nigh  t.  To-day  in  every  part  of  the  world  except  Canada 
Botanic  Gardens  have  been  established.  Economic  and  other  museums 
have  been  called  into  existence  and  the  natural  vegetable  products  of 
the  various  countries  are  e.xhibited  under  the  sanve  roof.  Many  visits 
to  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  near  London  ;  to  the  Botanic  Gardens  at 
Birmingham  and  at  Dublin,  convinced  rae  that  the  present  movement 
to  establish  experimental  farms  in  Canada  was  a  ste[)  in  the  right  direc- 
tion; but  the  cultivation  of  our  native  trees,  shrubs  and  herbaceous 
plants  should  be  considered  of  equal  importance  and  receive  special  and 
prompt  attention.  In  all  of  the  gardens  mentioned  the  native  ])Iants  of 
each  order  are  planted  according  tj  their  relationships,  and  students 
and  others  can  obtain  a  great  deal  of  useful  information  without  much 
labour  or  loss  of  time.  When  walking  with  botanists  and  others 
through  the  arboretums  in  England  and  Ireland  I  had  to  make  the 
humiliating  confession  that  in  Canada  we  had  no  such  thing,  and  that 
very  few  of  our  p  oj)le  knew  one  tree  from  another.  You  may  think 
this  unfair,  but  how  many  of  us  could  tell  the  names  of  one  quarter  of 
the  65  species  of  trees  growing  without  cultivation  in  Ontario.  Besides 
the  Botanic  Gardens  nearly  every  city  his  an  Economic  Museum  in 
which  are  exhibited  the  variovis  products  used  in  the  arts  ;  also  the 
fruits,  seeds,  leaves,  bark  and  wood  of  the  native  8hrul)s  and  trees, 
besides  those  of  other  countries. 

Before  I  left  for  England  I  was  told  that  a  collection  of  small 
billets  of  wood  was  of  littla  moment,  and  that  our  collection  of  birds 
woidd  only  cause  laughter  in  the  Biitish  Museum,  where  all  these  were 
represented.  But  what  were  the  facts'?  When  our  108  s[iecies  of 
native  trees  were  contrasted  with  1  4  British  species,  and  our  magni- 
ficent display  of  game  and  other  biids  Avas  studied  by  men  who  had 
visited  every  clime,  a  unanimous  verdict  was  given  in  our  favour. 


20 

^ly  hearers  may  be  surprised,  but  i  am  correct  in  stating  that  we 
imade  a  far  better  exhibition  of  our  Natural  History  in  England  than 
•we  do  in  any  i)art  of  Canada,  and  it  is  a  standing  reproach  to  us  that 
we  have  never  yet  had  anything  approaching  to  a  complete  repre- 
sentation, and  more  still,  we  have  never  had  a  place  to  put  such  a 
collection  in  if  we  had  made  it.  It  is  altogether  different  in  the  United 
Stales.  As  that  country  has  developed  museums  have  been  established, 
specialists  appointed  to  lake  charge  of  the  various  branches,  and  to-day 
they  have  a  staff  of  specialists  second  to  none  in  the  world,  ready  to 
tackle  any  subject  of  importance  to  the  country. 

A  few  years  since  the  report  got  abroad  that  the  fisheries  along  the 
American  coast  of  the  Atlantic  were  giving  out.     At  once  a  commis- 
sion   was   appointed  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  re})orts  were 
puVjlished  giving  every  detail  of  the  work,  and  not  only  reporting  on 
the  various  species  of  fish  but  on  their  food  likewise.     The  results  of 
these  investigations  are  placed  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington. 
The  raising  of  cattle  on   the    "  great    plains"  becomes  a   business  of 
national  importance,   and  a  specialist  to  study  the  pasture  grasses  and 
a  cLemist  are  appointed  and  attached  to  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  at 
Washington.     Various  diseases  attack  the  growing  crojis,  insects  com- 
naait  ravages,  and  in  every  case    men  are  set  to  work  to  investigate, 
•collect  and  classify  ;  bulky  volumes  are  published  and  the  knowledge 
«pread  broadcast  over  the  land,  while  the  objects  themselves  are  placed 
in  museums  for  the  instruction  of  the  people.     My  work  has  caused  me    1 
to  come  in  contact  with  these  specialists,  and  through  them  I   have  ji 
learned  the  value  of  these  stores  of  Natural  History  and  oiher  objects  [ 
which  are  being  gathered  together  at  Washington.     It  is  painful   to 
confess   that   all   our    best   specimens,    whether    mineral,     animal    or 
archaeological,  are  going  to  Washington,  and  the  apathy  of  our  people  is 
such  that  I  see  no  help  for  it. 

I  have  learned  the  value  of  these  collections,  and  my  English 
visit  has  been  so  convincing  that  T  consider  silence  concerning  our  posi- 
tion a  virtue  no  longer,  and  take  the  present  occasion  of  laying  our  case 
before  an  Ottawa  audience  in  the  hope  that  we  may  arouse  attention  to 
-a  question  that  is  truly  a  national  one.  After  much  opposition 
the  headquarters  of  the  Geological  Survey  were  removed  from  Montreal 


21 

to  Ottawa  and  a  museum  was  established,   which  to-day  does  honour 
both  to  its  curators  and  the  Canadian  peoj:>le.     Owing  to  the  immense 
collection  of  minerals  and  fossils   brought  from  Monti-eal  and  gathered 
since,  geology  and  mineralogy  almott  monopolize  the  limited  space,  and 
Natural  History  is  left  to  take  care  of  itself.     At  present  a  small  room 
is  devoted  to  mammals  and   birds,   while   the  insects  and  })lants  of  the 
Dominion  are  placed  in  the  halls,  there  being  no  room  for  them  else- 
where.      At    South    Kensington    we    had    a    collection    of   mammals^ 
.birds,    fishes  and  woods  which  did  credit  to  the  country,  and  yet  hei*© 
in   our  own  Capital   we  have  not  room  for  a  tenth  of  what  was  there 
exhibited.     These  collections  are,   at  least  in  part,  on  their  way  here, 
and  the  question  naturally  arises,  what  will  be  done  with  theni  1     This 
question  is  to  be  answered,  and  the  public  should  speak  and  the  citizens 
of  Ottawa   take    action.      Instead    of  halving   separate    collections    of 
minerals,  fossils,   vegetables,    birds,   fishes,  mammals,  etc.,   we  should 
have  one  grand  museum  that  would  include  every  branch  of  Natural 
History  and  economic  science,  archaeology,  ethnology  and  geology  ;  and 
were  the  proper  representations  made  to  the   Government,    wo   should 
see  rising  in  some   conspicuous  part  of  our  city  a  building  designed  for 
a  museum,  which  would  be  the  crowning  glory  of  the  greatest  matb 
Canada  has  ye";  seen  or  may  see  for  a  century — Sir  John  A.  Macdonald 
— whose  name  since  T  was  a  boy  has  been  a  household  word  in  Canada 
for   progress   in  every  direction.     And  now  let  him   in  his  declining, 
years  give  us  a  building  for  Canadian  science  which  will  be  a  credit  tck^ 
our  city  and    a    lasting  monument  to  his  enlightened  statesmanship^ 
I  cannot  here  enumerate  the  many  advantages  which  would  necessarily 
be  derived  by  the  city  and  the  country  at  large,  through  the  estal)lish- 
ment  of  such   a   museum,  and  can  only  lefer  to  the  vast  benefits  it 
would  confer  upon  students  and  the  citizens  generally.     In  conclusioa 
I   would    urge    upon    the    Club    the    necessity  of    increased  energy 
and    activity.     The    desire  and    aim    of   the  Club  have  ever  been  to 
euc  <urage  and  enlighten  the  youth  of  the  city  on  scientific  subjects,  and 
whatever   position  it  may  take   on    the  question  of  amalgamation  with, 
the  Literary  and  Scientific  Society  my  wannest  sympathies   are   with 
tl)ose  who  feel  that  they  are  both  able  and  willing  to  take  an  indepen- 
dent stand  and  to  shoulder  the  responsibilities  such  action  may  entail. 


22 
REPORT  OF  THE  ENTOMOLOGIUAL  BRANCH. 


To  the  Council  of  the  Otta'ca  Field- Naturalists   Club  : — 

In  entomoloo^ical  work  we  liave  to  record  some  increase  of  activity. 
Sab-excursions  were  held  weekly  throughout  the  season,  at  which  at 
least  one  of  the  leaders  was  always  present.  While  valuable  and  ex- 
tensive collections  and  records  were  made  in  nearly  all  of  the  orders  of 
insects,  the  Hymenoptera  and  Lepidoptera  received  special  attention. 
A  ^ew  facts  are  given  regarding  the  collections  in  each  order. 

Hymenoptera. — It  was  announced  last  year  in  the  report  of  the 
branch  that  a  number  of  species  new  to  Canadian  lists  had  been 
already  collected  at  Ottawa,  and  that  Abbe  Provancher  had  determined 
some  of  the  captures  to  be  species  new  to  science.  He  has  since  pub- 
lished in  "Le  Naturaliste  Canadian"  descriptions  of  many  new  species 
contained  in  the  division  Terebrantia,  which  includes  saw-flies,  ichneu- 
mons, gall-forming,  flies,  etc.  In  this  extensive  division  the  Ottawa 
collections  have  already  yielded  nearly  100  new  species,  besides  many 
species  not  hitherto  recorded  from  Canada,  and  some  of  great  rarity. 

The  collections  made  during  the  past  summer  have  as  yet  been 
only  partially  classified,  but  it  is  found  that  many  species  not  formerly 
observed  have  been  captured. 

Oryssus  Sayi,  Westw.  was  found  upon  old  maple  trees  near  Hull, 
both  emerging  from,  and  ovipositing  in,  the  dead  trunk.  The  life 
history  of  these  generally  rare  insects  was,  we  think,  not  before 
definitely  known.  Xiphychia  albicornis  was  again  coitimon  in  the  city, 
where  it  oviposits  in  our  maples,  especially  attacking  the  trees  which 
have  been  newly  set  out  along  the  streets.  Selandria  rosoi,  the  rose 
saw-fly  or  slug,  was  unusually  abundant.  At  the  recent  excursion  to 
Buckingham  it  was  seen  in  large  numbers,  and  on  roses  beyond  Hull 
it  was  very  destructive.  In  the  city  it  did  much  damage.  Emphijtus 
maculatus,  the  strawberry-sawfly,  also  appeared  to  be  more  common 
than  usual.  Messa  hyalina  was  bred  in  large  numbers  from  the  galls 
which  cover  and  disfigure  the  leaves  of  the  willows  which  have  been 
planted  by  some  of  our  citizens. 

Lepidoptera. —The  season  was  decidely  a  bad  one  for  butterflies 
and  moths.     Biiglit,  hot  days  were  few,  and  when  they  did  occur  there 


23 


was  generally  too  much  wind  for  large  collections  to  be  ma-ie.  On 
22ncl  May  an  expedition  was  made  to  the  locality  for  Thecla  Niphon  at 
Chelsea,  and  several  specimens  were  secured.  On  the  same  day  the 
spring  broods  of  Aryijnnis  BeUona  and  A.  Myrina  were  observed,  as 
Wfll  as  the  winter  form  Iliemalis  of  Pieris  Oleracea.  Good  specimens 
of  Lyccena  Lucia  and  A.  Violacea  were  also  collected. 

Several  uusucoessful  attempts  were  made  to  find  Fenesica  Tarqui- 
nius  in  the  locality  where  Mr.  Hanham  found  it  abundantly  in  1879. 

On  1st  July  a  sub-excursion  of  the  branch  visited  the  Mer  Bleue 
where  Chrysophaais  Epixanthe  and  G.  Thoe  were  collected  in  numbers, 
and  the  first  specimen  of  Grapta  Interrogationis  was  recorded  for  this 
locality.  This  species  was  subsequently  bred  in  its  two  forms  Fabricii 
and  U/titrosa  from  larva?  collected  on  Uiinus  Americana.  The  Theclas, 
usually  so  abundant  upon  the  flowers  of  Rhus  Tijphina  and  Asclepins 
Coriiuti  in  the  first  })art  of  July,  wei'e  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 
This  scai'city  was  also  a  noticeable  fact  concerning  the  common  Clouded- 
Sulphur  butterfly  tolias  Philodice.  Not  half  a  dozen  specimens  of  the 
spring  brood  were  seen,  and  it  was  very  scarce  in  the  autumn  also. 
The  only  insect  which  was  at  all  aljundant  was  Danais  Arc/iippuf. 

A  few  interesting  ca[)ture3  of  moths  have  to  be  recorded. 
Uarrisinieinna  tribiynai  i,  parent  of  the  rtiuarkable  Zigzag  Caterpillar, 
was  taken  at  light,  and  Fiat^ce7'ura  /urcilla,  a  rare  moth  the  larva  of 
which  feeds  upon  I'iniis  >Strobus,  was  bred  from  larvae  taken  last 
summer  at  Hull,  P.Q.  This  locality  still  ranks  amongst  the  highest 
as  a  rich  collecting  gi-ound.  Here  jE:ieria  exitiosa,  the  peach  borer,  was 
observed  by  Mr.  Harriiigbon  for  the  first  time  in  this  locality.  The 
I'aspberry  root  borer,  jEjeria  ruhi,  was  too  abundant  in  many  gardens 
at  Ottawa.  Some  fine  specimens  were  bred  from  garden  raspberries,  the 
canes  of  which  were  in  m my  quarters  badly  injured.  Cutworms  ware 
not  so  abunJa'.it  as  usual,  llwlena  devastatrix,  however,  was  most 
frequently  complained  of,  and  did  a  considerable  amount  of  damage. 
Another  iuteiesting  species  of  this  genus,  //.  mactata,  was  bred  by  Mr. 
Harrington  from  the  flowtrs  of  Gi/pripedium  spectahile  which  it  had 
attacked  severely  in  Dow's  Swamp. 

The  item  of  most  interest,  however,  which  was  observed  during 
the  past  year  was  the  increase  and  extension  of  the  colony  of  the  maple 


igr^f cutter,  I ncurvaria  acerifoliella,   wLich  was   mentioned   in  last 

year's  report.  This  colony  is  in  Beechwood  near  the  cemetery  and  now 
covers  more  than  double  the  space  it  did  last  year.  Maple  trees  for  a 
sj)ace  of  about  10  acres  were  during  last  autumn  entirely  defoliated  by  the 
minute  case-bearing  caterpillars  of  this  moth.  The  perfect  insect  was 
taken  at  the  excursion  to  Buckingham  on  3rd  June. 

DiPTERA. — The  season  appeared,  to  be  very .  unfavourable  for  flies, 
and  collections  were  correspondingly  small.  Mr.  T.  B.  Caulfield,  of 
Montreal,  has  determined  for  ns  a  number  of  species,  and  we  have  yet 
many  to  be  identified,  before  it  would  be  advisable  to  publish  a 
list.  Endeavours  will  be  made  during  the  present  year  to  enlarge  our 
knowledge  of  this  order.  Mention  may  be  made  of  the  breeding  of 
Psila  rosx,  a  small  fly  of  which  the  grub  bores  in  carrots,  and 
which  frequently  does  much  injury  to  these  roots.  It  has  not  been 
recorded  previously  from  Canada. 

CoLEOPTERA. — The  Collections  in  this  order  include  some  addi- 
tions to  our  lists.  At  the  Buckingham  Excursion  a  fine  specimen  of 
Anthopldlax  7nalachiticus  wa,^  taken  upon  a  birch  tree  in  the  grove  near 
the  river.  At  Meech's  Lake  specimens  of  a  species  of  Microrho- 
pala  were  taken  on  raspberry  bushes.  The  species  has  not  yet  been 
finally  determined,  but  this  is  the  first  instance  of  finding  members  of 
the  genus  in  this  locality.  A  number  of  other  interesting  additions 
was  made  to  our  local  list. 

Orthoptera. — Our  members  have  hitherto  somewhat  neglected 
this  order,  which  includes  some  of  our  common  injurious  insects.  Mr. 
Caulfield,  of  Montreal,  who  is  at  present  working  in  this  order,  has 
named  a  few  species  which  were  referred  to  him,  and  expresses  his 
willingness  and  desire  to  examine  any  specimens  which  cur  members 
may  wish  to  refer  to  him. 

Hemipt-sra. — Collections  in  this  order  were  small,  but  these  con- 
tain two  species  not  hitherto  recorded  in  Canada.  Abbe  Provancher  is 
now  publishing  in  his  magazine  an  account  of  the  Canadian  species  and 
he  has  determined  many  of  our  specimens,  and  has  still  some  in  his 
possession  for  that  purpose.  So  far,  over  100  Fpecies  are  known  to 
occur  here. 


25 

Neuroptera  and  PsEiTDONEUROPTERA. — The  work  of  collecting 
in  these  orders  was  vigorously  kept  up  during  the  whole  collecting 
season  by  several  members  of  the  Club  with  gratifying,  results.  Many 
beautiful  specimens  of  known  species  of  both  orders  were  taken.  The 
insects  belonging  to  Pseudoneuroj)tera  were  more  largely  represented, 
especially  of  the  families  Odonata,  or  Dragonflies,  and  Ephemerina,  both 
of  which  were  unusually  abundant  during  the  past  summer.  The  full 
extent  of  the  work  accomplished  will  not  be  definitely  known  until  a 
few  of  the  rarer  and  more  difficult  species  Lave  been  worked  up. 
It  is  quite  evident,  however,  that  valuable  additions  have  been  made 
to  the  Canadian  lists  and  that  some  of  the  insects  now  in  hand  will 
have  to  be  described  for  the  first  time.  Much  greater  difficulty  is 
experienced  in  working  up  these  insects  than  is  the  cas6  with  those  of 
several  other  orders  of  Entomology,  owing  to  the  want  of  monographic 
descriptions,  while  the  fragile  nature  of  some  of  the  specimens  rendora 
it  very  difficult  to  transmit  them  by  mail. 

W.  H.  HARRINGTON. 

JAMES  FLETCHER. 

T.  J.  MacLAUGHLIN". 
February  IC'th,  1887.  Leaders. 


Transactions. — If  any  member,  or  correspondent  has  failed  to 
receive  any  part  of  the  Club's  publications  which  should  properly  have 
been  sent  to  him,  a  memorandum  should  be  sent  to  the  Librarian — Mr. 
T.  J.  MacLaughlin  (Public  Works  Department) — notifying  him  of  its 
non-arrival . 

New  Members.— 1.  A.  P.  Low;  2.  D.  E.  Smith;  3.  R.  H.  Cowley; 
4.  R.  G.  Code;  5.  Arthur  G.  Forward;  G.  Wm,  Scott;  7.  F.  A.  Gordon; 
8.  W.  T.  Lawless  (Hull);  9.  B.  T.  A.  Bell;  10.  John  D.  Evans  (Trenton); 
ll.Thos.  Gilmour;  12.  J.  T.  Bowerman;  L3.  Robt.  Gausby  (Guelph); 
a.  James  Clark  (Renfrew). 

/. 


26 
LIBRARIAN'S   REPORT,   1886-S7. 


To  the  Council  of  the  Ottawa  Fidd-Naturalists'  Club  : — 

From  the  date  of  my  accessioQ  to  the  office  of  Librarian  to  the  pre- 
sent time,  I  have  received  in  exchange  for  the  Transactions  of  the  Club 
the  following,  among  other  valuable  j^ublications  : —         *  *  * 

(The  liiit  has  been  deemed  too  long  for  insertion  ;  it  enimerates 
some  fifty  volumes  received  from  thirty-five  of  the  leading  scientists 
and  scientific  bodies  in  Canada,  the  United  States  and  England, 
including  the  Geological  Surveys  of  the  two  first  mentioned  countries. 
Future  contributions  to  the  library  will,  under  the  present  plan  of 
publication,  be  announced  monthly). 

Our  excharnge  list  requires  revision.  Certain  publications  with 
which  we  formerly  exchanged  have  ceased  to  exist.  With  others,  not 
yet  on  our  list,  arrangements  could  probably  ba  made  which  would 
result  in  several  desirable  additions  to  our- library. 

The  free  list  should  also  be  carefully  revised.  Not  a  few  who 
•receive  our  Transactions  are  so  necfligent  as  not  tD  acknowledge  the 
favour.  I  would  suggest  that  the  names  of  such  persons  be  eliminated 
from  the  free  list. 

I  desire  to  point  out  that  the  accommodation  provided  for  our 
-exchange}  is  altogether  inadequate,  and  steps  should  be  promptly 
taken  to  provide  an  additional  book-case  large  enough  to  hold  not 
merely  the  gifts  we  may  receive  during  the  next  few  years,  but  also 
the  back  numbers  of  our  Transactions. 

F.  R.  LATCHFORD. 

OrxAWA,  i\Iarch  Uth,  1887. 


27 
REPORT  TO  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY  OF  CANADA, 


Read  at  the  Fifth  General  Meeting^  ^^ay,  1S86. 

In  presenting  to  your  Honourable  Society  the  Fourth  Report  from 
ihe  Ottawa  PielJ-Naturalists'  Club,  the  Council  has  great  pleasure  ia 
being  able  to  say  thj>t  it  4  work  has  been  carried  on  with  increased  and 
gratifying  success.  The  Club  has  at  present  over  170  ordinary  and 
seven  corresponding  member?",  making  it  numerically  one  of  the 
strongest  Scientific  Societies  in  the  Dominion;  and  as  regards  original 
•work  performed  by  the  members,  it  can  compare  favourably  with  any 
similar  societ}*. 

The  usual  Excursions  to  [)]aces  of  interest  in  the  vicinity  were  held 
at  intervals  during  the  sammor,  and  many  valuable  facts  concerning 
the  Natural  History  of  this  district  were  recorded. 

Much  useful  work  was  also  accomplished  at  the  Sab-excursion? 
■which  were  held  on  Saturday  afternoons  to  points  in  tho  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  the  city.  These  Snb-excursions  are  of  the  character 
of  out-door  classes,  and  are  conducted  with  a  view  to  enable  the 
younger  and  less  experienced  members  to  study  the  different  branches 
under  the  guidance  of  the  appointed  leaders,  whose  duty  it  is  to  give 
any  assistance  and  explanation  that  may  be  necessaxy. 

During  the  winter  six  Soirees  were  held.  One  was  an  evening 
devoted  to  the  microscope,  at  which  short  papers  were  read  and  slides 
exhibited  illustrative  of  the  different  subjects  ;  while  at  the  others  the 
following  papers  were  read  :— '■'  The  President's  Addres<,"  Mr.  "W.  H. 
Harrington;  "The  Black  Bear,"  Mr.  W.  P.  L-^tt ;  "Water 
Crystallization  Effected  by  Magnetism,"  Mr.  E.  Odium,  (Pembroke); 
"  A  New  Departure  in  the  Study  of  Minerals,"  Rev.  C.  F.  Marsan; 
"  Ottawa  Dragon  Flies,"  Mr.  T.  J.  MacLaughlin. 

In  addition,  there  were  Reports  from  the  Leaders,  of  the  work  dona 
■during  the  year  in  the  various  departments  of  Natural  History,  and 
notes  by  members.  These,  as  well  as  the  papers  read,  wer«  followed  by 
discussions  of  an  interesting  nature,  which  are  a  distinctive  feature  of 
the  Soirees. 

Afternoon  lecture i  were  also  given  during  the  winter  on  the 
following  subjects  : — 

Entomologu — Three  by  Mr. Harrington,  twj  by  Mr.  Fletcher. 


28 

Mineralogt/— One  by  Rev.  C.  F.  Maraan. 

Ornilhology—One  by  Mr.  W.  L.  Scott. 

Botany —TXwae  by  Prof.  Macoun,  and  two  by  Mr.  R.  B,  "Wliyte. 

Tne  five  on  Botany  were  delivered  before  the  student}  of  the 
Normal  School  by  request  of  Principal  McCabe. 

In  additio.i  to  these  lectures,  and  at  the  request  of  the  Inspector 
of  Public  Schools  for  Ottawa,  a  weekly  class  in  Botany  has  been 
organized  as  part  of  the  regular  instruction  for  the  senior  students  at 
the  Central  School  West.  The  atteudance  and  attention  displayed  at 
this  class  hive  been  most  encouraging  to  the  senior  leader  in  botany 
who  has  undertaken  the  work. 

The  Council  is  much  gratified  to  know  that  its  efforts  in  the  way 
of  encouraging  the  study  of  Natural  History  are  more  appre- 
ciated. The  attendance  at  the  Soirees,  the  Excursions  and  the  Classes, 
was  larger  and  the  interest  shown  by  those  present  was  much 
more  mai'ked  than,  in  any  previous  year. 

A  copy  of  the  Club's  Transactions  No.  6,  containing  132  pages  and 
two  plates,  is  herewith  submitted,  and  we  hope  that  it  will  be  found  a 
creditable  addition  to  our  list  of  publications. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Club,  held  on  March  17th,  the 
following  oflScers  were  elected  for  the  year  1886-87  : 

President— Prof  J.  Macoun. 

Vice-Presidents— R.  B.  Whyte  and  Principal  Woods. 

Secretary— W.  H.  Harrington. 

Treasurer— T.  J.  IMacLaughlin. 

Librarian— F.  R.  Latchford. 

Committee— Dr.  Small,  J.  Fletcher,  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan. 
The  following  leaders  have  been  appointed  : 

Geology-  H.   M.   Ami,   Prof.  Marsan,  H.   P.   Brumell  and  W.  E. 
T.  Sowter. 

Botany— R.  B.  Whyte,  Principal  Woods  and  Dr.  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomolo'jy—S.  Fletcher,   W.    H.   Harrington    and    T.   J.    Mac- 
Laughlin. 

Conchology-llon.  P.  S.  Poirier  and  F.  R.  Latchford. 

Ornitholojj-W.  L.  Scott,  G.  R.  White  and  J.  M.  Macoun. 

Zuolofjy—A.  B.  Small  and  W.,  P.  Lett. 

R.  B.  WHYTE,  Delegate. 


29 

EDITORIAL. 

The  kindly  reception  accorded  to  the  first  number  of  the  Ottawa 
Naturalist,  by  our  membei-s  and  correspondents,  has  encouraged  us  in 
our  labours.  There  seems  to  be  a  unanimous  opinion  that  the  change 
in  the  time  of  publication  is  a  step  in  the  path  of  progress,  and  it  has 
been  especially  welcome,  as  was  expected,  to  non-resident  members.  In 
the  present  number  we  are  able  to  give  the  very  interesting  address 
delivei'ed  by  Prof.  Macoun  when  President  of  the  Club  last  year. 
There  are  many  points  in  it  well  worthy  of  consideration,  and  we  feel 
assured  that  his  desire  to  see  erected  a  museum  worthy  of  Canada  will 
be  warmly  endoi'sed  by  every  reader.  A  number  of  new  membei's  have 
been  elected  since  the  Annual  Meeting,  but  we  desire  again  to  urge  all 
to  endeavor  to  obtain  among  their  friends  further  additions  to  our  mem- 
bership. The  smallness  of  our  annual  subscription  fee  makes  it  the 
more  imperative  that  our  memV)ei"ship  should  be  lai'ge,  and  that  fees 
should  be  promptly  i-emitted  to  the  treasurer,  in  accordance  with  Rule 
15  of  the  Constitution. 

The  Excur.-iion  Committee  has  recommended  an  Excursion  to 
King's  Mountain,  Chelsea,  on  Saturday,  the  21st  of  May.  Our  Excur- 
sions daring  the  season  will  be  conducted  in  accordance  with  the  plan 
found  to  work  satisfactorily  in  past  years.  Prof.  Macoun  informs  us 
in  his  address  that  it  is  a  common  custom  in  English  societies  similar 
to  our  own,  for  excursion  parties  to  go  by  rail  or  waggon  to  a  locality 
several  miles  distant  from  the  starting  point,  and  then  walk  back 
^'across  country,"  collecting  along  the  way.  As  indicated  by  him  this 
plan  has  its  advantages,  but  it  seems  to  us  that  equally  good  work  can 
be  done  under  our  own  system  of  driving,  or  taking  a  boat,  or  train, 
both  ways,  and  spending  a  large  portion  of  the  day  in  systematic  col- 
lecting in  the  locality  visited.  In  this  manner  many, pleasant  days 
have  been  spent  by  our  members  and  their  friends,  and  many  impor- 
tant facts  in  connection  with  the  Natural  History  of  neighbouring 
districts  have  been  discovered  and  recorded.  A  not  unimportant 
advantage  of  returning  together  by  conveyance,  instead  of  in  small 
scattering  groups  on  foot,  is  the  opportunity  afforded  for  instructive 
conVer.sation  regarding  the  various  interesting  occurences  or  collections. 


30 

while   at  the    same   time   needed   rest  is    obtidued  after  the    fatigues. 
of  the   dav.      In  the    Sub-Excursions,   which    are   held    on  Saturday 
afternoons  to  more  adjacent  fields,  we  have  true  walking   parties,  com- 
posed both  of  those  who  have  already  done  goo  I  work  in  the  branches 
to  which  they  devote  their  attention,  and  of  those  who,  under   their 
auidarce,  desire  to  enter  u\>on  the  study  of  Jiese  fascinating  subjects. 
It  raiwht,  however,  not  be  unwise  for  the  leaders   to  act  upon  Prof. 
Macoun's  suggestion,  to  have,  parties  conducted  upon  the  English  plan, 
and  consisting  solely   of  workers.     The  Botanical   and   Ornithological 
Branches  especially  might  find  such  tramps  to  afford  opportunities    for 
collection  or   observation,  not  offered  by    our   present   methods.      As^ 
retrards  Entomology,  Conchology,  and  probably  Geology,  it  seems  to  us 
that  much  better  work  can  be  done  by   the  careful  examination   of  a 
limited  area,  than  by  traversing  a  distance  of  several  miles,  and  making 
a   necessarily    impeifect   scrutiny   of    the    ground    covered.       As    our 
Ex;cursions  are  one  of  the  important  features  of  the   Club's  scheme  of 
operations,  it  is  desirable  that  they  should  be  organized  so  as  to  con- 
trib\ite  as  largely  as  possible  both  to  the  store  of  knowledge,  which  we 
desire  to  gain  regarding  our  local  Natural  HLstory,  and  to  the  pleasure 
and  instruction  of  those  who  attend  them.     We  wish  to  make  them  a 
means  of  attracting  people  tu  the  study  of  nature,  and  the  Council  will 
gladly  receive  from  any  one  suggestions  as  to  localities  which  might  be 
visited. 

The  Botanical  leaders  a«k  for  the  observation  and  record  of  the 
foliation  and  flowering  of  our  numerous  speciss  of  plants,  and  par- 
ticularly request  information  regarding  the  Polypetalie.  The  Council 
has  requested  Mr.  Fletcher  to  prepare  for  jjublication  a  catalogue  of 
our  plants  with  information  as  to  the  habitat  of  each  species.  On 
application  he  will  furnish  lists  of  species  regarding  which  further 
knowledge  is  particularly  needed,  and  we  hope  the  members  wiU  give 
him  their  assistance  toward  making  the  records  as  full  and  precise  as 
possible. 


31 
LIBRARIAN'S    RECORD. 


Since  the  Annual  Meeting  the  following  publications   have  beersj 
received  in  exchange  for  the  Transactions  of  the  Club  : — 

American  Ornithologists  Union  :     The  Auk,  Vol.  IV.,  No.  2. 

Canadian  Institute,  Toronto  :    Proceedings,  Vol.  XXII,  No.  14. 

J.  A.  Lintner,  N,  Y.  State  Entomologist :  Report  on  Insects,  etc.,  of 
Oaledonia  Creek,  N.Y.;  Some  Sphingidae  of  State  of  N.Y.;  New  species 
of  Calocampa ;  New  species  of  Grapta.etc;  Metamorphoses  of  Cera- 
tomia  quadricornis  ;  Lepidoptera  of  the  Adirondack  legion  ;  Injurious 
Insects  of  the  year  1878;  New  Principle  of  Protection  from  Insect 
Attacks;  Circular  No  1,  October,  1883;  Some  Injurious  Insects  of 
Massachusetts  ;  Insects  of  the  Clover  Plant ;  Some  New  Species  of 
Nisoniades;  New  Species  of  Eudamus;  Invasion  by  a  Pyralid  In- 
sect. 

The  Essex  Field   Clul),   England:   Transactions,  Vol.  IV,  part  2; 
The  Essex  Naturalist,  Nos.  1,  2,  3. 

Cincinnati  Society  of  Natural  History:   Journal,  Vol.  X,  No.  1. 

Torrey  Botanical  Club:     Bulletin,  Vol.  XV,  Nos.  3  and  4, 

New  York  Microscopical  Society  :   Journal,  Vol.  II,  Nos.  9  and  Ta^ 

Miss  E.  A.  Ormerod  :   Report  No.  10,  on  Injurious  Insects ;    The- 
Hessian  Fly. 

Entomological  Society  of  Ontario  :    Canadian    Entomologist,  Vol. 
XIX,  Nos.  1  and  2. 

Sir   "VVm.  J.    Dawson,  McGill   University:    Fossil   Plants  of  th» 
Laramie  Formation. 

Cambridge  Entomological  Club:    Psyche,  Vol.  IV,  Nos.  135-137. 

J.   B.   Smith,   National   Museum,   Washington :    Revision   of  the 
Saturniida3. 

Johns  Hopkins  University  :    Circulars,  Vol.  VI,  No.  56. 

Natural  Science  Association,  Staten   Island  :    Proceedings,    Extra 
No.  6. 

Brooklyn  Entomological  Society :    Entomologica  Americana,   VoL 
II,  No.  12. 


:  -ii^^ 


32 

ANNOUNCEMENTS  FOR  MAY. 

ExcunsiON. — The  first  General  Excursion  of  the  season  will  take 
place  on  SaturcUiy,  the  21st  of  May.  The  place  selected  for  this  ex- 
cursion is  King's  Mountain  near  Chelsea,  which  has  always  been  a 
favorite  spot  with  our  members.  As  no  circulars  regarding  this  excur- 
sion will  be  issued,  except  in  the  event  of  its  postponement  through  any 
unforeseen  cause,  the  members  are  requested  to  keep  it  carefully  in 
mind.  The  Committee  would  like  to  have,  not  later  than  19th,  the 
names  of  all  who  will  be  present,  in  order  that  the  requisite  vans  may 
be  secured.  Tickets  may  be  obtained  through  any  member  of  the 
Council  at  the  following  prices  :  Members  50  cents,  non-members  60 
cents,  childi'en  3'D  cents.  The  Club  vans  will  start  from  the  corner  of 
Rideau  and  Chapel  streets  at  8.45  a.m.  and  from  the  coi-ner  of  Sparks 
and  Bank  streets  at  9  a.m.  sharp.  The  council  desires  to  see  a  large 
attendance  of  members  and  their  friends.  It  is  expected  that  the  date 
selected  will  oflfer  a  very  favorable  opportunity  for  botanical  collections. 

Sub-Excursions. — The  Botanical  leaders  have  arranged  the  follow- 
ing  Sub-ExcursioLS  for  May : — Saturday,  7th,  to  McKay's  Lake. 
Saturday,  14th,  to  Billings  Bridge.  Saturday,  28th,  to  Cave  Creek, 
Richmonil'Road. 

As  in  formei-  years,  tliey  will  leave  the  Post  Offica  at  2  p.m. 
punctually.  In  addition  early  morning  outings  will  be  held,  and  those 
wishing  to  take  part  in  such  will  please  communicate  with  the  leaders. 
Members  interested  in  this  Branch  are  requested  to  record  the  dates  of 
the  first  and  last  flowei'ing  of  plants,  when  they  occur  in  greatest  pro- 
fusion, the  localities  -where  observed,  and  such  other  data  as  they  may 
think  of  value.  Information  regarding  the  Polypetaloe  is  particularly 
desired,  as  it  is  the  intention  of  the  Council  to  issue  a  revised  catalogue 
of  local  plants,  the  first  portion  to  contain  this  division. 

Ihe  leaders  of  the  Geological  Branch  will  attend  the  Sub-Excursion 
on  7th,  and  those  of  the  Entomological  Branch  have  decided  to  accom- 
pany the  Botanists  on  14th  and  28th. 

During  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada,  which  com- 
mences  on  25th  May,  there  will  probably  be  a  special  Sub-Excursion  of 
the  Geological  Branch,  for  Fellows  of  the  Society  interested  in  that 
science. 


33  .>V-' 

THE    DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE    MINES  OF  THE   OTTA^VC^ 

KEGION. 


Mr.  John  Stewart. 


{Read  10th  February,  1887.) 

The  mineral  ilisfciict  of  which  Ottawa  is  the  centre  is  a  large  one: 
including  the  western  part  of  Quebec  Province  and  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Province  of  Ontario.  It  is  to  this  section  especially  that  reference 
is  made,  although  the  following  remarks  apply  to  the  whole  of  the 
provinces  mentioned,  t>nd  as  regaids  the  best  interes+^s  of  the  miner, 
pi'ospector  or  explorer,  the  saying  "good  and  bad  everywhere,"  may  be 
put  "  bad  and  worse,"  and  applied  equally  to  them  both. 

The  development  of  the  mines  has  an  important  connection  with 
the  most  complete  knowledge  of  the  minerals  of  only  scientific  interest; 
and  this  reason,  and  that  of  the  injustice  done  to  one  section  of  the 
population,  by  those  in  power,  are  the  apology  offered  for  these  remarks, 
which  may  appear  to  some  to  have  too  much  of  a  technical  bearing. 

About  two  years  ago,  when  some  of  these  notes  were  made,  there 
appeared  in  the  newspapers  of  almost  all  parts  of  Canada,  articles  and 
correspondence  under  sundry  headings,  showing  clearly  that  there  is 
something  materially  wrong  with  the  mining  interest  of  these  provinces 
as  at  present  situated,  that  is,  an  individual  ownership  instead  of  Gov- 
ernment holding  the  minerals  for  rental,  or  on  lease. 

Some  writers  attribute  the  lack  of  mineral  development,  and  the 
stagnation  of  the  whole  industry  (coal  mining  excepted)  to  the  absence 
of  a  Bureau  of  Mining  Statistics,  or  to  a  neglect  on  the  pai't  of  the 
Geological  Survey  of  Canada  in  not  publishing  report.s  of  the  extent  of 
mining  done  each  year.  They  saddle  the  Geological  Survey  with  the 
total  neglect  of  the  mining  interests,  and  find  i-elief  in  considering  it 
the  "Scape  Goat"  in  this  case,  and  none  try  to  arrive  at  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  position  in  which  the  mining  interests  of  the  provinces 
stand  at  the  present  time.  Were  statistics  collected  by  the  Survey 
they  would  tend  to  make  more  glaring  the  error  in  our  laws  as  regards 
mining  lands,  give  the  number  and  acreage  of  our  mining  land  mon- 
opolies,  and  show  more  clearly  the  error  our  Provincial  Legislator 
have  fUllen  into  in  selling  the  minerals  with   the   surface   soil   to   the 


34 

farmers.  It  is  desired  to  point  these  out  as  tlie  true  causes  of  the  lack 
®f  mineral  development  in  this  district  and  to  suggest  a  remedy. 

Others  give  as  the  causes  the  depending  on  a  foreign  market  for 
our  ores,  extravagance  and  bad  management,  with  &n  ill  advised  expen- 
diture of  too  much  money  on  the  surface,  before  the  mine  is  developed 
in  depth,  or  to  untrue  and  glowing  promises,  of  "  millions  of  tons  of  ore 
in  sight "  on  the  part  of  promoters  of  a  new  enterprise.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  in  some  cases,  these  causes  have  heli)ed  to  close  the  en- 
terprise and  deter  others  from  embarking  in  a  similar  mine  or 
property. 

In  Nova  Scotia,  Newfoundland  and  British  Columbia,  the  Crown, 
or  Provincial  Government,  owns  the  minerals,  and  issues  licences  to 
parties  desiring  to  open  and  work  mines,  and  in  these  Provinces  the 
business  of  mining  is  largely  and  most  successfully  carried  on.  In 
Quebec  and  Ontario  the  minerals  are  at  present  sold  along  with  the 
soil,  and  the  birth  right  and  portion  of  the  explorer,  prospector  or 
miner,  is  thus  given  to  the  farmer,  or,  still  worse,  to  the  speculator  in 
mining  lands,  and  these  sons  of  toil  have  to  beg  for  terms  from  the 
miserly  farruer,  or  independent  and  extortionate  land  owner  or  specu- 
latoi".  Mining  lands  have  been  sold  in  this  way  during  the  last  forty 
©r  fifty  years  in  Quebec  and  Ontario  ;  some  few,  it  is  true,  are  being 
worked,  but  the  great  majority  of  the  most  valuable  mining  lands  and 
mines  are  in  the  hands  of  speculators,  or  of  parties  who  will  not  work 
them,  and  who  ask  for  the  mines  and  pi'operties  an  exhorbitant  price 
should  an  intending  purchaser  approach  them. 

This  state  of  affairs,  or  the  act  of  the  Local  Legislators  selling  the 
minei'als,  instead  of  giving  a  lease  or  license,  and  compelling  the  owner 
to  work  the  mine  or  quarry,  or  have  it  revert  to  the  Government,  or 
exacting  a  low  rent  or  royalty,  under  such  lea.e  or  license,  from  the 
profits  dei-ived  from  working  the  mine,  is  the  cause  of  so  many  valuable 
properties  being  locked  up,  as  it  were,  and  development  retarded,  and 
the  mining  industry  does  not  receive  the  attention  it  would,  if  these 
mining  lands  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Government.  In  proof  of 
this  may  be  mentioned  the  vast  amount  of  mineral  land  held  by  com- 
panies and  speculators ;  in  the  Lake  district  and  in  eastern  Ontario  alone 
the  area  thus  held  amounts  to  many  millions  of  acres  of  the  best  mineral 


35 

lands.  The  same  is  true  as  regards  the  pliosphate  region  in  Quebec, 
It  is  this  system  of  unconditional  sale  of  mining  lands  for  speculation, 
without  regard  to  yearly  working,  that  has  ruined  the  mining  interests 
of  this  district.  The  error  of  any  one  party  owning  a  large  extent  of 
mining  land  in  a  block,  aiises  from  the  fact,  which  is  well  known 
to  experienced  miners  and  ex]jlorers,  that  by  selling,  say  to  an 
Iron  Mining  Company,  a  few  tliousand  acres  in  a  block,  it  gets  other 
minerals,  which  it  cannot  treat,  or  the  use  of  which  it  may  not  know, 
and  the  ores  other  than  iron  remain  unworked. 

Compare  the  system  adopted  in  the  Western  United  States,  whei'e 
a  mining  claim  is  given  to  the  discoverer  on  condition  that  it  is  worked, 
or  has  lal)or  spent  on  it  to  the  extent  of  $100  each  year;  failing  which 
it  reverts  to  the  Government.  Under  that  system  the  right  of  discovery 
of  the  explorer,  prospector,  or  miner,  is  respected,  and  a  reward  granted 
him  (he  can  locate  two  claims),  but  in  Ontario  and  Quebec,  he  has  no 
rights,  and  he  is,  therefore,  drawn  to  the  more  inviting  fields  of  the 
United  States.  The  location  of  the  claim  in  the  States  is  made  by  the 
discoverer  on  the  ground,  and  is  placed  on  record  in  the  Land  Office; 
but  in  this  district  it  is  made  by  a  clerk  in  the  Land  Office,  and  not  by 
the  discoverer;  a  practice  which  has  proved  fruitful  of  the  worst 
abuses  and  frauds  on  Canadian  discovery.  In  the  United  States,  by 
granting  mining  claims  in  that  way,  ore  accumulated  under  the  clause 
compelling  at  least  so  much  work  each  and  every  year,  and  from  its 
accumulation  arose  the  necessity  for  milling  or  smelting  works  to  work 
it  up,  and  had  the  same  inducements  and  compulsion  been  in  force  in 
Canada,  our  mines  would  have  been  counted  liy  the  thousand,  instead 
of  the  few  now  in  operation. 

The  chief  ores  of  this  region  are:  iron,  (hematites  and  magnetic), 
phosphate,  or  apatite,  and  a  large  variety  of  pyrites,  or  sulphuret  ores 
of  the  miners,  holding  in  places  copper,  gold  and  silver  in  workable 
quantities,  lead  or  galena,  plumbago  (black-lead),  mica,  and  othei'S  of 
less  importance. 

The  ores  of  iron  are  found  in  such  variety  and  abundance  that  the 
only  reason  they  are  not  now  worked  is  the  question  of  cheap  fuel  foi' 
reduction.  Next  spring  certain  tests  of  machinery  are  to  be  made,  and 
should  they  prove  as  successful   as  former  trials,  this  question  will  be 


36 

settled  on  a  commercial  scale,  and  the  smelting  of  iron  established   in 

the  district. 

The  apatite  ia  the  raw  state  is  largely  shipped  to  Eurape,  but  the 
home  demand  for  the  superphosphate  of  lime  for  fertilizing  purposes 
can  be  sup])lied  from  the  works  of  the  Brockville  Chemical  and  Super- 
phosphate Co.  The  pyrites  used  b}  this  company  for  the  last  few 
years,  for  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  have  been  imported  from 
New  York  State,  but  ores  from  the  County  of  Hastings  have  been  in- 
troduced to  them,  and  the  supply  in  future  will  be  procured  from  local 
ores.  The  extended  mining  of  the  pyrites  ore  of  the  district  is  a  ques- 
tion of  much  importance  to  the  City  of  Ottawa,  with  its  cheap  water- 
power  for  dressing  ores,  and  grinding  apatite.  The  sulphur  is  used  for 
treating  the  apatite  in  the  form  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  it  would,  if  all 
we  exported  was  shipped  as  superphosphate  of  lime,  form  an  important 
industry.  The  residue  of  the  ]iyrite.s  ore  can  be  most  successfully 
treated  after  roasting,  along  with  the  lead  ores,  which  we  also  have, 
and  the  coppei-,  gold  and  silver  extracted.  Our  lead  ores  are  too  poor 
in  silver  (about  5oz.  or  $5  per  ton  silver)  to  pay  to  work  for  silver  and 
lead  alone,  but  when  smelted  along  with  tlie  residue  of  the  sulphur  ores, 
holding  copper,  gold  and  silver,  the  question  of  working  both  is 
settled. 

The  more  extended  production  of  gold  also  requires  attention.  No 
man  has  ever  possessed  too  much  of  it.  and  no  country  has  produced 
too  much.  Its  value  increases  with  the  cost  of  getting  it,  and  the 
want  of  it.  It  is  oir  highest  standard  of  money  and  exchange,  and  is 
therefore,  when  found  in  workable  quantities,  the  best  investment  for 
surplus  labor  and  capital.  The  discovery  of  gold  in  California  and 
Australia  produced  periods  of  great  world-wide  prosperity.  All  classes 
and  conditions  of  men  were  drawn  to  a  new  occupation  and  country  by 
the  high  wages  earned  in  the  mines.  A  laborer  who  had  been  working 
for  a  farmer  or  a  tradesman,  for  $1.00  or  $1.50  a  day,  could  wash  out 
gold  to  the  value  of  $10  or  $20  a  day.  Can  a  wise  adjustment  of  our 
mining  laws  be  made  to  have  this  effect,  if  only  on  a  much  smaller 
scft^e,  by  granting  free-grant  miniqg  claims  in  districts  were  gold  is 
known  to  exist? 

In  iron  alono,  had  such  measures  been  adopted,  there  would  to-day 


37 

have  been  enougli  mined  and  worked  to  supply  our  own  wants  and  for 
exportation,  as  is  d  ne  in  Sweden  and  Norway  with  similar  ores, 
climate  and  fuel  (wood  charcoal),  as  the  laws  of  that  country  are  suoh 
that  no  mining  property  can  remain  idle  so  long  as  any  one  desires  to 
work  it.  In  Sweden  an  i  Norway  if  a  party  ow^ns  a  mine  and  is  not 
working  it,  another  party  can  do  so  by  paying  the  owner  half  the  jn'ofit 
of  the  »voiking  of  the  mine,  and  if  he  gives  it  up  the  owner  or  any 
other  person  can  undertake  to  work  it  on  the  same  condition^,  hence  no 
mining  properties  remain  unwjrkod. 

In  some  European  countries,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  British 
Ishinds,  the  minerals  are  owned  by  the  Crown,  and  at  one  time,  even 
in  Ontario,  certain  reserves  of  minerals  were  made  in  old  deeds,  but  of 
recent  years  this  is  not  the  cise. 

Some  may  say,  that  in  advocating  the  Sta'e  owning  the  land,  you 
are  advocating  communistic  doctrines,  but  that  is  another  question  alto, 
gether;  what  is  desired  is  for  the  State  to  own  the  minerals,  which  ia 
British  law  and  custom. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  thousands  of  British  and  Canadian 
subjects  in  the  United  States  mining  regions  who  would  take  up  claims 
in  Canada  were  the  laws  such  as  wonld  enduce  them  to  do  so,  but  at  the 
present  time  there  are  no  free-grant  mining  claims  given  and  no  in- 
ducements offered  to  explorers,  prospectors  or  miners,  to  locate  and 
develop  a  claim. 

Under  the  present  system  100  acres  realizes  to  the  government, 
say  at  $1.00  per  acre,  $100 ;  and  in  ten  years  the  country  gets  the 
benefit  of  the  amount  expended  on  that  mine  in  labor,  &c.,  if  it  is  de- 
veloped and  worked,  but  if  not,  nothing.  U  nder  the  system  where  the 
government  holds  the  minerals,  and  gives  grants  free  to  miners,  or  on 
lease  or  royality,  the  country  receives  at  least  $100  per  year  for  tea 
years,  say  $1,000  less  the  value  of  the  100  acres — $100,  leaving  a  bal- 
ance of  $900  in  favor  of  the  free-grant  or  lease  systems. 

Under  the  lease  or  royalty  system,  in  ten  years  the  country  re- 
ceives the  same  as  under  the  free-grant,  together  with  the  additional 
royality  received  when  the  mine  is  paying,  whiuh  may  be  several 
thousand  dollars  yearly,  and  tlie  increased  value  of  public  lands. 

But  it   may   be   asked,   from   what  source    will    the  government 


38 

receive  i-evenue  for  inspection  and  office  expenses  if  they  do  not  sell 
the  lands  as  at  present?  The  free-grants  which  proved  paying  mines, 
on  arriving  at  that  stage  if  chaiged  a  low  royalty  on  jjrofit,  after  woi-k- 
ing  expenses  are  paid,  would  yield  annually  a  larger  revenue  to  the 
government  than  the  present  system  of  selling  lots.  In  proof  of  this^ 
the  Bi-itish  Crown  paid  the  Eirl  of  Derby  £50,000  sfcg.  for  the  Isle  of 
JMan,  and  has  been  refunded  from  royalty  on  mines  and  quan  ies  more 
than  the  sum  paid  for  the  island. 

Comuulsory  working  to  hold  a  claim  may  be  considered  a  small 
thing  in  an  individual  case,  as  regards  the  amount  of  labor  employed, 
but  take  the  returns  for  a  province,  or  the  whole  Dominion,  and  it 
would  amount  to  a  large  sum,  on  all  the  now  kno^-n  valuable  minerals 
lots  throughout  Canada.  In  yearly  doiog  a  little  on  a  mining  property 
to  hold  it,  new  discoveries  would  be  made,  and  new  life  given  to  what 
was  possibly  considered  a  doubtful  prospect.  It  was  in  this  manner 
that  John  W.  McKay  and  other  United  States  millionaires  gained  their 
first  start.  Through  being  compelled  to  work  their  claims  they 
made  a  discoveiy  which  enabled  them  to  sell  or  work  it  with  profit. 
The  mining  interests  in  Canada  will  never  prosper  till  similar  measures 
are  adopted.  The  custom  of  granting  land  to  farmers  under  the  free- 
grant  system,  and  not  giving  an -explorer,  prospector  or  miner  a  free- 
grant,  under  conditions  similar  to  that  of  the  farmer,  or  of  compulsory 
development  of  the  minerals  contained  in  the  property  is  an  injustice 
to  the  mining  section  of  the  population,  and  for  that  reason  settlement 
has  made  progress  and  mining  has  not. 

Some  parties  ask  "  but  why  give  away  a  valuable  mine  as  a  free- 
grant  1"  A  mining  property  in  this  section  has  no  more  value  than 
the  same  amount  of  land,  say  $1.00  an  a:re,  which  you  now  give  to  the 
farmer.  The  miner  would  return  $100  in  labor  each  year,  and  de- 
velop the  mine  atjd  prove  its  value,  and  if  it  proved  valuable  the  Gov- 
ernment would  receive  a  revenue  from  royalty  as  long  as  it  paid 
expenses.  And  some  say:  "What  use  would  a  free-grant  be  to  as 
miner  who  had  not  money  enough  to  purchase  it  at  $1.00  per  acre  1'* 
Under  the  free-grant  plan  both  the  farmer  and  the  miner  have  energy 
and  skill  to  develop  the  value  of  their  claims,  with  proper  provisions 
imposhig  on  them  a  certain  amount  of  work  yearly,  and  that  is  worth 


39 

more  to  the  country  than  to  have  so  many  dollars  paid  into  the  land 
office,  and  have  the  property  lie  in  a  state  of  nature  and  undeveloped. 

Tliere  is  a  wrong  system  practised  in  Ontario  and  Quebec,  the  sel- 
ling of  mining  lands  by  auction.  When  a  valuable  ore  has  been  dis- 
covered in  a  section  of  country  the  excitement  gets  strong,  and  the 
land  office  is  flooded  with  applications  for  lots,  and  to  satisfy,  not  the 
discoverer,  but  contending  parties,  the  properties  are  advertised  and 
sold  by  auction,  and  the  competition  raises  the  pi'ice  beyond  that  whick 
a  miner  can  afford  to  pay.  The  discoverer  is  not  rewarded,  and  the 
property  falls  into  the  hands  of  a  more  wealthy  man,  a  speculator,  who 
will  not  work  it  himself,  but  purchases  it  on  the  chance  of  a  rise  in 
value,  which  fails  to  come,  and  the  properties  so  rold  remain  unde- 
veloped. The  district  ought  to  be  opened  as  a  free-grant  mining  camp, 
and  the  properties  would  be  developed  under  proper  mining  laws  and 
inspection,  and  the  country  receive  many  times  more  benefit  than  by 
selling  it  unconditionally. 

The  vast  importance  to  a  country  of  the  proper  development  of  its 
mineral  wealth  renders  this  subject  one  requiring  the  attention  and  care- 
ful consideration  of  our  legislators  and  citizens. 


40 
IS   MONOTROPA   UNIFLORA    A    PARASITES 


Geokge  Baptie,  M.A.,  M.B. 


(Head,  3rd  March,  1S87.) 

This  note  had  itSi^rigin  in  a  chance  question  put  at  one  of  ^»Ir.  R. 
B.  Whyte's  admirable  afternoon  lectures  on  botany.  The  discussion 
■which  followed  showed  that  members  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists' 
Club  were  divided  in  opinion  in  regard  to  the  parasitism  of  Monotropa 
unijlora,  or  Indian  pipe,  some  holding  the  plant  to  be  a  parasite,  others 
disposed  to  believe  that  it  was  not.  Now,  what  is  a  parasitel 
It  is  desirable  to  know  precisdy  what  is  meant  by  this  term,  because 
one  person  may  mean  one  thing  by  it,  another  person  may  understani 
a  different  thing.  To  settle  the  usage  a  number  of  authors  were 
examined.  They  mean  by  a  parasite  a  plant  which  has  an  organic 
connection  with  another  living  plant,  and  thus  derives  nourishment  from 
the  latter.  Parasites  differ  in  the  extent  to  which  they  draw  sustenance 
from  the  plant  to  which  they  are  attached.  The  relation  may  be 
illustrated  by  what  is  commonly  known  to  be  the  relation  between 
animals  and  their  animal  parasites.  The  parasitic  plant  bears  the  same 
relation  to  another  plant  that  a  louse  or  a  tapeworm  bears  to  the 
animal  which  supports  it.  A  plant  parasitic  on  another  may  be  said 
to  steal  a  part  or  the  whole  of  its  living,  its  food,  from  the  plant  to 
which  it  is  attached. 

To  answer  the  question  at  the  head  of  this  note,  the  following  plan 
can  be  adopted  : — 

We  can  consult  standard  bcoks.  This  has  been  done.  The 
authors  do  not  agree.  Macoun,  Spotton,  Wood,  Gray,  Goodale,  and 
Balfour  either  positively  assert  that  Monotropa  Unijlora  is  a  parasite, 
or  their  language  would  lead  a  reader  to  believe  it  to  be  parasitic. 
Gray  is  self  contradictory.  Sachs  speaks  of  monotropa  as  a  saprophyte, 
and  therefore  not  parasitic.  By  saprophytes  he  means  plants  which 
make  use  in  their  growth  and  development  of  the  materials  of  other 
plants,  dead  ones,  which  are  already  in  a  state  of  decomposition.  The 
position  of  Murray  is  this  :  "  No  case  has  yet  been  satisfactorily  made 
out  for  the  parasitism  of  this  group  (monotropa)." 


41 

M-acoan  and  Spotton,  1879,  page  6.  "There  are  others  whose  roots 
penetrate  the  stems  and  roots  of  other  plants  and  thus  receive  their 
nourishment,  as  it  were,  at  second-hand.  These  al'e  parasitic  plants. 
The  Dodder,  Indian  Pi[)e  and  Beech-drops  of  Canadian  woods  are  well 
known  examples."  There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  these  state- 
ments. 

I  now  turn  to  Wood's  Class  Book,  p.  30,  and  I  find  that  he  classes 
parasites  under  three  heads,  (1)  parasites  which  appropriate  stolen 
juices  to  their  own  growth,  as  the  dodder  and  mistletoe;  (2)  parasites 
which,  although  standing  in  the  soil,  are  fixed  upon  foreign  roots  and 
thence  derive  their  entire  sustenance,  "as  the  beech-drops  and  other 
leafless,  colorless  plants;"  (3)  those  fixed  in  the  soil,  like  the  last,  but 
which  derive  from  foreign  roots  a  part  of  their  sustenance,  as  the 
Oeraidia.  Wood's  parasite  is  then  essentially  the  parasite  of  Spotton, 
Let  us  now  turn  to  our  own  particular  plant.  Of  the  sub-order  Monc- 
tropa  he  uses  these  words:  "Low,  parasitic  herbs;"  of  M.  uniJiorah'Q 
«ays :  "common  in  woods,  near  the  base  of  trees,  on  whose  roots  it  is 
doubtless  parasitic."     There  is  no  mistaking  what  Wood  says. 

I  now  tui-n  to  Gray.  Lessons  1877,  p.  304:.  Of  the  sub-order 
Monotropa  he  says  this: — "Parasitic  on  roots,  or  growing  on  decompos- 
ing vegetable  matter  like  a  fungus."  Turn  now  t3  his  Scructural  and 
Systematic  Botany,  1877,  p.  4-40,  sub-order  Monotropese  :  "Parasitic 
herbs,  destitute  of  gi-een  color  and  with  scales  instead  of  leaves."  This 
can  give  one  idea  and  one  only — but  at  page  91  of  the  same  work  occur 
these  words:  "It  is  probable  that  our  Monotropa,  or  Indian  Pipe,  a 
pallid  phsenogamous  plant,  looking  like  a  fungus,  actually  lives  like 
one,  and  draws  its  uourishLient,  at  least  in  great  part,  from  the  decay- 
ing leaves  among  which  it  grows."  In  his  Botanical  Text  Book,  6th 
Ed.  1879,  p.  38,  he  states  the  case  as  follows:  "Pale  or  coloured  para- 
sites, such  as  Beech-drops,  Pine-sap,  etc  ,  are  those  whioh  are  destitute  of 
green  herbage,  aud  are  usually  of  a  white,  tawny,  or  reddish  hue,  in  fact 
of  any  colour  except  green.  They  strike  thoir  roots  or  sucker-shaped 
discs  into  the  bark,  mostly  that  of  the  root,  of  other  plants,  and  thence 
draw  tlieir  food  from  the  sap  already  elaborated."  In  the  Botanical 
Text  Book,  1885,  p.  338,  we  find  that,  "among  the  higher  plants  th<»re 
are  some     .     .     .     which  derive  all  their  nourishment   from  decaying 


42 

or  decayed  remains  of  other  plants;  while  others  like  Monotropa  uniflora 
.     ,     .     obtain  part  of  their  food  from  living  plants." 

In  Ealfour's  Class  Book  of  Botany,  3rd  Ed.,  p.  848,  the  only  state- 
ment I  find  is  "Monotropacese;  parasitic  plants  .  .  .  chiefly  found 
parasitic  on  firs  in  Europe,  Asia  and  North  America." 

Sachs,  translated  by  Bennett  and  Dyer,  1875,  p.  G20:  "Parasites 
draw  the  products  of  assimilation  directly  from  their  hosts,  while  sapro- 
phytes (as  .  .  .  Monotropa,  many  fungi,  <tc.)  make  use  for  the 
same  purpose  of  the  materials  of  other  plants  whicli  are  already  in  a 
state  of  decomposition." 

To  add  to  the  uncertainty  it  has  been  asserted  that  a  connection 
has  been  observed  between  the  monotropa  and  its  supposed  host.  If 
so,  that  settles  the  matter.  But  as  I  am  aware  of  only  two  cases  in 
which  this  is  alleged,  may  we  not  withold  our  assent  until  more  obser- 
vations have  been  made.  It  is  possible  the  observers  may  have  been 
mistaken,  and  any  one  who  examines  the  root  of  Monotropa  uniflora 
will  find  it  is  not  at  all  like  a  parasitic  I'oot.  This  is  only  presumptive 
evidence ;  apart  from  this  I  have  carefully  looked  for  the  connection 
between  the  monotropa  and  the  root  of  some  other  plant  upon  which  it 
might  be  fastened,  but  I  have  been  unable  to  trace  the  connection. 
Perhaps  the  appearance  of  the  plant  has  misled  some  observers,  a  color- 
less plant  being  commonly  regarded  as  a  parasite.  This  is  an  assump- 
tion. Monotropa  is  apparently  without  a  particle  of  chlorophyll  in  its 
composition,  and  therefore  has  been  assumed  to  be  incapable  of  living 
and  growing  by  making  use  of  any  food  that  has  not  been  elaborated 
and  prepared  by  a  means  of  chlorophyll. 

The  analogy  of  the  action  of  the  germ  in  seeds,  utilizing  starch,  oil, 
&c.,  contained  in  the  seed  for  the  growth  and  development  of  the  very 
young  plant,  would  give  some  encouragement  to  the  contention  that 
our  monotropa  may  be  able  to  use  the  organic  matter  of  decaying 
leaves,  (fee,  in  its  growth  and  development.  The  analogy  may  be  set 
over  against  the  assumption;  but  if  it  can  be  shown  that  our  plant  can 
grow  and  develop  when  only  such  material  is  supplied,  the  assumption 
shuuld  be  abandoned  as  untenable.  The  following  happened  with  me  : 
A  mass  of  soil  and  monotropa  was  put  in  a  glass  vessel,  watered  and 
set  aside  to  await  a  convenient  time  for  the  examination  of  the  roots ^ 


43 

to  find,  if  possible,  any  connection  with  roots  of  other  plants.  While 
awaiting  the  examination  new  stems  grew  xip  and  developed.  This 
jioints  to  the  view  that  the  plant  can  do  what  it  is  frequently  assumed 
a  plant  without  chlorophyll  cannot  do. 

Here  is  an  ojiportunity  for  our  club.  During  the  coming  summer 
all  our  members  should  keep  a  sharp  watch  on  Monotropa  unijlora,  and 
by  careful  removal  from  the  soil  endeavour  to  trace  any  connection 
between  it  and  its  host,  if  it  has  any.  Attempts  should  also  be  made 
to  grow  the  plant  from  the  seed  and  then  try  to  make  out  its  history  ; 
and  by  transplanting  specimens  and  growing  them  in  pots  show 
whether  they  can  live  and  grow  independent  of  any  connection  with 
another  living  plant. 


In  the  discussion  which  followed  the  reading  of  Dr.  Baptie's 
paper,  j\Ir.  Fletcher  said  that  he  thought  the  subject  a  very  useful  one^ 
because  it  gave  the  members  an  opportunity  for  investigation  during 
the  coming  season.  Conspicuous  objects  in  the  woods  in  spring  were 
the  beautiful  seedlings  of  the  beech,  the  plant  upon  which  M.  unijlora 
was  alleged  to  b)  parasitic.  These  could  be  easily  transplanted  and 
grown  in  pots  until  the  seeds  of  monotropa  were  mature,  which  might 
tben  be  planted  in  the  p  )t,  some  on  the  roots  and  some  sprinkled  on 
the  soil.  Careful  attention  would  then  surely  reveal  something  of  its 
nature.  It  was  possible,  he  thought,  that  seeds  might  be  found  in  the 
old  pods  of  last  year,  if  so  the  exp3riment  might  begin  much  earlier  in 
the  ye:\r.  He  suggested  that  parasites  such  as  M.  unifiora,  where  no 
connection  could  be  detected  bet  ween  the  mass  of  roots  and  any  living 
plant,  might  be  biennials,  parasitic  in  the  true  sense  for  the  first  year, 
when  all  the  energy  of  the  plant  was  devoted  to  storing  up  a  supply  of 
nourishment  underground,  as  do  carrots,  parsnips  and  other  tuberous- 
rooted  ])iennials.  Subsequently  the  connection  with  the  host-plant 
might  decay  leaving  merely  a  mass  of  roots,  at  some  little  distance 
therefrom,  stored  with  stolen  nourishment,  from  which  in  the  second 
year  would  be  thrown  up  the  flower-stems.  Such  a  mode  of  growth 
would  account  for  Dr.  Baptie's  jdiut  continuing  to  develope  after 
removal  from  ifs  natural  habitat. 


^^'^*^^-                    EXCURSION  TO  KiKG'S  MERE. 
#     .^  

On  Saturday,  the  2Ut  of  May,  the  first  excursion  for  1887  was 
■held.  The  day  dawned  bright  and  warm,  and  at  the  appointed  hour  of 
9  a.m.  a  hirge  gathering  of  members  and  their  friends  assembled  at  the 
corner  of  Bank  and  Sparks  streets,  where  the  Club  vans  were  to  start 
from.  A  few  minutes  later  six  large  covered  vans  were  closely  filled 
and  took  their  departure  for  King's  Mere.  Across  the  Suspension 
Bridge  they  rolled,  and  their  occupants  had  a  good  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  Chaudiere  Falls  at  the  period  of  "  high  water"  in  the  Ottawa. 
At  Hull  the  main  street  was  found  to  be  impeded  for  its  entire  length 
"with  a  trench  blasted  in  the  solid  rock,  for  the  laying  of  water  pipes, 
and  by  the  resulting  mounds  of  stone,  as  well  as  some  ridges  of  ice 
which  had  been  protected  by  debris ;  a  detour  was  thus  necessitated 
and  the  party  emerged  through  the  C.  P.  R.  station-yard  on  to  the 
Chelsea  Road.  After  the  payment  of  somewhat  exorbitant  tolls,  there 
was  a  stretch  of  several  miles  of  macadamized  i-oad  and  then  turning 
down  through  Old  Chelsea  the  road  ran  through  a  pretty  piece  of 
woodland,  containing  some  splendid  butternut  and  other  hardwood 
tree.  Pleasant  as  wa.s  the  drive,  everybody  was  delighted  when  the 
pretty  little  lake  known  as  King's  Mere  was  reached  and  the  vans 
baited  at  its  upper  end.  Several  persons  who  had  been  unable  to  go  in 
the  vans  arrived  soon  afterwards,  and  the  total  number  of  those  present 
was  found  to  reach  119,  making  the  excursion  the  largest  ever  held  by 
the  club.  As  soon  as  the  numerous  baskets,  collecting  boxes,  &c.,  had 
been  removed  from  the  vans,  the  President,  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte, 
announced  that  at  two  o'clock  those  wishing  to  ascend  the  mountain 
•were  to  gather,  and  that  at  4.15  the  entire  party  would  re-assemble  for 
the  purpose  of  hearing  the  usual  addresses,  from  the  leaders  of  the 
several  branches,  on  the  collections  and -observations  of  the  day.  The 
party  then  broke  up  into  numerous  groups,  which  sought  out  shady 
places  under  the  clumps  of  trees  upon  the  mountain  foot  Klope,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  discuss  with  sharpened  appetites  the  contents  of  numerous 
baskets,  obtaining  clear,  cool  and  sparkling  water  from  a  spring  near 
by.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  President  headed  the  company,  which 
desired  to  ascend   the  mountain,  and  the   advance  was   made  along  an 


45. 

easily  ascending  foot-path,  through  a  ijleasant  little  valley,  across  a 
small  brooklet,  and  up  the  wooded,  flower  stuJded  hillside,  until  the 
bare,  massive,  rocky  summit  was  safely  won.  The  view,  though 
extensive,  was  greatly  limited  by  the  hazy,  smoky  atmosphere,  due  to 
bush-fires  resulting  from  the  prolonged  drought,  and  while  the  Ottawa 
River  could  be  seen  the  city  whs  obscured,  and  many  points  of  interest 
hidden.  Mr.  H.  M.  Ami,  with  a  fine  aneroid  barometer,  kindly  loaned 
by  the  Geological  Survey,  found  the  elevation  to  be  910  feet  above  the 
Hull  Station,  or  1,125  feet  abovd  sea  level.  No  less  than  seventy-five 
person^  ascended  the  mountain,  perhaps  the  largest  gathering  ever  upon 
its  summit.  The  descent  was  easily  made,  and  collecting  renewed  along 
the  way,  the  botanists  returning  with  well  filled  vasculums  and.  baskets. 
After  a  brief  rest  JMr.  Ami  gave  a  short  instructive  address  upon  the 
various  geological  formations  occurring  between  the  city  and  the 
mountain,  and  mentioned  that  the  latter  was  composed  of  rocks 
particularly  interesting,  from  the  fact  that  they  belonged  to  the  oldest 
formation  in  the  world,  chat  known  as  the  Laurentian.  Mr.  Fletcher, 
the  senior  botanical  leadur,  then  spoke  in  an  interesting  manner  of  a 
few  of  the  principal  plants  observed,  and  the  lessons  that  might  be 
derived  from  a  study  of  them.  The  first  one  mentioned  was  the  beauti- 
ful Clematis  verticillaris,  a  climbing  plant  with  hu'ge  showy  blossoms, 
worthy  of  a  place  in  our  gardens  with  many  others  of  our  handsome 
native  species.  AquUegia  canadensis,  or  the  Canadian  columVjine,  is 
also  a  fine  plant,  with  its  bright  flowers  showing  frequently  against  the 
stones  and  shadows  of  the  roadway.  The  habits  of  Comandra  umhellatay 
a  parasitic  i>lant,  were  explained,  and  specimens  were  shown  which  had 
been  found  attached  to  the  roots  of  wild  cherry,  Prunus  viryiniana. 
Attention  was  called  to  the  flowers  oi  Acer  pennsylvanicum,  or  striped 
maple,  and  to  the  often-overlooked  fact  that  the  flowers  of  other  maples 
and  various  forest  trees  aie  very  be;\utiful.  Mr,  Hairington  made  a 
few  remarks  on  insects,  calling  attention  first  to  the  great  abundance  of 
the  very  injurious  forest-tent  caterpillar,  as  evidenced  by  the  webs  seen 
so  frequently  on  the  apple  and  other  trees  along  the  road.  By  destroy- 
ing these  webs  early  in  the  season  while  they  are  small  the  increase  of 
this  noxious  insect  would  be  much  checked.  Some  infoimation  waa 
given   as  to  the   habits   of  our  native   bees,  which   are  mostly  solitary 


46 

in  their  liabits,  which  were  seen  in  great  abundance  around  the  trees 
in  blossom,  suc'.i  as  apple,  cherry,  hawthorn,  &c.  The  President  then 
made  a  short  address,  urging  the  claims  of  the  Club  to  support  from  the 
members,  and  from  all  those  who  take  an  interest  in  science  and  educa- 
tion. The'Club  had  endeavoured  by  the  publishing  monthly  of  the  Ottavja 
I[aturaUst,l9i\\^'^y  excursions,  classes,  &c.,  to  foster  a  love  of  nature 
and  arouse  and'strengthen  the. faculties  of  observation  in  those  it  could 
reach,J  and,  therefore,  deserved  encouragement.  At  5.30  a  start  was 
made  and  the  homeward  trip  was  pleasantly  made,  conversation,  instruc- 
tive and  interesting,  with  in^^ervals  of  song  enlivening  the  way,  until 
the  city  was  reached  about  8  p.m.  This,  as  already  stated,  was  the 
nuQst  successful  excursion  of  the  Club,  and  all  present  were  well  satisfied 
and  pleased^with  their  holiday. 


SiJB-EXCURSIONS. 


First. — The  Saturday  afternoon  "  outings"  commenced  on  the  7th 
May,  when  the  attendance  reached  the  very  encouraging  number  of 
thirty-three,  including  a  majority  of  the  Council  and  many  active 
workers,  among  whom  were  several  ladies.  Starting  from  the  Post- 
Office  at  two  o'clock  the  party  proceeded  to  New  Edinburgh  by  the 
street  car.  Here  the  Geological  section  separated  temporarily  from  the 
Botanists  and  Entomologists,  who  proceeded  to  the  woods  beyond 
Rideau  Hall,  popularly  known  as  McKay's  Bush  or  Beechwood.  Along 
the  shaded  road  and  under  the  cedars  there  were  still  heavy  bants  of 
snow,  but  in  the  open  spaces  and  hai'dwcod  groves  the  ground  was 
quite  di'y,  and  such  flowers  as  Claytonia  abundant.  The  list  of  plants 
collected  in  flower  was,  however,  small,  while  insects  were  very  scarce, 
only  the  species  usually  found  about  fungus,  sappy  stumps,  &c.,  being 
taken.  About  4.30  the  party  re-assembled  near  Rideau  Hall,  to  listen 
to  the  "talks  "upon  the  collections  in  the  various  branches.  The 
President,  Mr.  Pv.  B.  Whyte,  took  up  the  plants  and  in  an  interesting 
manner  explained  the  leading  peculiarities  and  relations  of  the  principal 
species.  Of  these  the  rarest  were  Daphne  mezereum  and  Viola  Selkirkii, 
for\thich  the  only  locality  recorded  was  that  just  visited.  Mr.  Whyte's 
remarks  were  listened  to  with  much  pleasure,  especially  by  a  number 


47 

of  new  members  who  have  evidenced  an  active  interest  in  botan3\  Mr. 
Harrington  made  a  few  remarks  on  the  habits  of  the  humble-bees, 
several  of  which — chiefly  Bovibus  ternarius — had  been  observed.  These 
were  all  females  which  had  survived  the  winter  and  were  new  searching 
for  suitable  spots  for  the  foundation  of  colonies.  Some  nests  of  leaf- 
cutting  bees  (Megachile)  were  exhibited,  and  the  method  of  their 
construction  explained.  Mr.  H.  M.  Ami  reported  the  proceedings  of 
the  Geological  section.  Along  McKay  Street,  near  tho  south-east 
corner  of  the  Ridean  Hall  grounds,  an  outcrop  had  been  examined  of  a 
band  of  impui'e  limestone,  ten  to  twelve  inches  thick,  which  was  highly 
bituminous,  and  fossiliferous,  both  overlaid,  and  underlaid  by  soft, 
friable  shales,  all  of  Utica  age.  It  contained  the  following  species: 
Leplcena  sericea,  Orthis  emacerata,  0.  testuditiaria,  Zijgospira  moJesta, 
Metoptoma  sp.,  Calymene  senaria,  and  Asuphus  Canadensis,  of  which 
the  Metoptoma  is  new,  not  only  to  this  foroiation  but  perhaps  to  science, 
the  genus  not  having;  l>een  recorded  from  this  formation  either  in  the 
United  States  or  Canada.  At  excavations  on  Creighton  Street  strata 
were  examined  which  also  belonged  to  the  Utica,  and  which  consisted 
of  five  bands  of  impure  bituminous  limestone,  alternating  with  five 
bands  of  shales,  the  whole  aggregating  over  six  feet  in  thickness.  The 
following  were  among  the  most  interesting  fossils  :  Lejitograptus 
Jlaccidus,  LeptoholuH  insignis,  Schizocraniajilosa,  Conularia  Tventonensis, 
and  Leperditia  sp.  (pei-haps  ne.v).  An  outcrop  of  Trenton  limestone 
yielded  Slreptelasma  corniculam,  Murchisonia  gracilis,  Strophomena 
alternata,  «kc.  An  interesting  fault  occurs  near  this  outcrop,  which 
brings  the  Trenton  and  Chazy  formations  into  contact.  Some  crinoidal 
limestones  near  the  tobogan  slide  werd  also  examined  but  yielded  no 
specimens.  The  party  then  returned  to  the  city,  having  derived  much 
l)leasure  and  instruction  from  their  outing. 

Second. — On  the  14th  May  Billings'  Bridge  was  visited.  A  party 
of  forty-seven  was  conveyed  from  and  to  the  city  by  two  large  vans, 
while  a  group  of  eight  geologists  proceeded  by  boats  to  Hog's  Back,  thus 
making  in  all  fifty-five;  the  largest  sub-excursion  yet  held  by  the  club. 
The  Botanical  section  was,  as  usual,  very  strongly  represented,  and  the 
collections  were  much  laiger  than  those  of  the  previous  outing,  although 
vegetation  was  found  to  be  still  very  backward.     After  exploring  the 


48 

vicinity  of  the  river  the  party  le-assembled  near  the  Episcopal  Church 
and   was  addressed   by  Mr.    Fletcher,  as   the  Leader   in  the  Botanical 
section.     He  expressed   himself  as   much   pleased   at   seeing   the  sub- 
excursion  so  well   attended,  and   so  much  interest  shown  in  the  speci- 
mens collected.     He  said  that  the  unusually  late  spring  had  rendered 
the  quantity  of  specimens  small  ;  but  as   is  always  the  case  for  those 
who  will  use  their  eyes,  there  was  far  more  to  be  found  than  could  be 
studied.     He  spoke  enthusiastically  of  the  pleasures  to  be  derived  from 
a  study  of  the  floral  gems  of  the  woods,  the  most  insignificant  of  which 
would  form  an  ample  theme  for  a  whole  lecture.     The  most  interesting 
plants  collected  during  the  afternoon   were    then   referred    to.      The 
history  and  uses  of  some  were  related,  and  the  structure  of  others  was 
explained.     Instructions  for  collecting  and  preserving  c  rtain  plants, 
such  as  the  willows,  claytonias,  orchids  and  other  succulent  plants  were 
<r.iven.     It  was  announced  that  the  Botanical  section  would  hold  sub- 
excursions   throughout  the  season,  and   that   at  each  a   short  lecture 
would  be  given  by  one  of  the  leaders.     Mr.  Ami  then  explained  the 
formations  observed  by  the  geologists  at  Ho.^'s  Back,  and  the  fossils  by 
which  they  were  characterized,  after  which  the  party  returned  to  the 

city. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 

Excursion. — The  second  excursion  will  be  held  on  Saturday,  the 
25th  June,  when  a  visit  will  be  paid  to  Aylmer.  There  are  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  this  pUce  very  suitable  collecting  grounds  for 
Botanists,  Entomologists,  &c.,  while  interesting  formations  are  exposed 
for  the  Geologists.  Tne  train  by  which  the  party  will  go  leaves  the 
station  at  1.15  p.m.,  and  the  train  leaves  Aylmer  at  8  p.m.  Tickets 
will  be  25  cents  each. 

SuB-EKCURSioNS. — The  Botanical  and  Entoqiological  Leaders  have 
arranged  for  the  following  Saturday  Sub-excur.-ions  in  June:  4th,  to 
Beaver  Meadow,  Hull;  11th,  to  Hemlock  Lake,  Beechwood ;  18th,  to 
Dow's  Swamii.;  stasting  on  each  occasion  fi-om  the  Post  Office  nt.  2  p.m. 

New  ]\1embers. — 15,  Charles  H.  Beddoe  ;  16,  Charles  M  ~  ;  17, 
Henry  Grist ;  18,  Miss  Eliza  Bolton  ;  19,  George  Hay;  "20,  .  .  J.  W. 
Wilson  (Buckingham);  21,  Miss  Katherine  Lee ;  22,  Ur.  George 
Patterson  (New  Glasgow,  N.S.);   23,  Miss  L.  Rothwell. 

The  Montreal  Natural  History  Society  holds  its  Annual  Fi  Id-day 
at  St.  Jerome  on  Saturday,  4th  June,  and  has  sent  a  cordial  invitation 
to  be  present  to  any  of  our  members  who  may  be  able  to  join  them 
there,  or  at  Ste.  Therese  en  route. 


Part  diagram 


Ottawaci'iniis  typua,  n^»i«/«/i 


9sS>S>9 

Diagram 


Lower  pbilcs  If 

ventral  iube  enlarged 


FosteHor   aide 

Dentlrocrinus  proboscidialus.  XBUlings.  1857 


Uiagrwn.  of 
anterior  side 


Diagram,  of 
Section  at  lerel  posterior  side 

of  secondary  t>radu(jJa 


alee 


ocrnms  rujTosus.  nsp 


Diagrcun 

ilceocTinus  furcillalus.  nsp. 


Sutzire 

enlarged 


JLU,fU.^,*^g^^ 


49 


A  NEW  GENUS  AND  THREE  NEW  SPECIES  OF  CRINOTDS 
FROM  THE  TRENTON    FORMATION  WITH  NOTES  ON 
-    A     LARGE     SPECIMEN     OF     DENDROCRINUS     PRO- 
BOSCIDIATUS. 


Walter   R.  Billixgs. 


(Read,  3rd  March,  1887). 

OTTAAVACRINUS,   n.  cjen. 
Cup,  obconical. 

Underbasals  five ;  pentagonal. 

Basals  five  ;  one  pentagonal,  two  hexagonal  and  two  hept 

Radials  five;  four  simple  and  one — the  right  posterior — compound. 
In  the  type  species  three  are  pentagonal,  one  tetragonal  and  tlie  com- 
pound made  up  of  a  heptagonal  followed  by  a  pentagonal  plate. 

Arms  five  ;  composed  of  tetragonal  pieces.      No  pinnules. 

Anal  plate  heptagonal  resting  on  the  posterior  basal  and  the  lower 
plate  of  the  right  posterior  radial — as  in  Dendrocrinus — and  supporting 
a  ventral  tube  which,  so  far  as  seen,  is  composed  of  horizontal  rows  of 
hexagonal  pieces  which  alternate  with  those  in  the  adjoining  rows. 

This  genus  is  most  nearly  related  to  Dendrocrinus,  from  which  it 
jnincipally  differs  in  tlie  shape  and  size  of  the  right  posterior  basal ; 
the  shape  of  the  posterior  basal,  the  right  anterior  basal  and  the 
posterior  radial ;  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the  plates  of  the  ventral 
sac,  which  are  in  vertical  rows  in  the  latter  genus. 

Although  the  type  specimen  of  this  genus  was  discovered  at  Hull, 
Ottawa  County,  P.Q.,  I  felt  justified  in  naming  it  as  above  owing  to 
to  the  fact  that,  when  referring  to  the  Trenton  Formation  of  this 
district,  naturalists  use  the  general  term  Ottawa  Canada. 

OTTAWACRINUS    TYPUS    n.  Sp. 

Cup,  slender,  obconical,  0^2  inch  in  height,  tapeiing  from  0.12 
inch  at  base  to  0.17  inch  at  base  of  arms.     Surface  of  plates  smooth. 

Underbasals  five  ;  pentagonal,  sub-equal. 

Basals  five ;  the  posterior,  left  posterior,  right  anterior  and  left 
anterior    are    large — the    largest    plates    in    the    cuj) — and    the    right 

D 


50 

posteiior  is  small.  The  left  anterior  and  left  posterior  basals  are 
hexagonal,  the  posterior  and  right  anterior  beptagonal  and  the  right 
posterior  pentagonal. 

Kadials  five,  four  being  simple  and  one — the  right  posterior — 
compound  as  in  Dendrocrinus ;  the  anterior,  left  anterior  and  left 
l)osterior  are  simple  and  pentagonal,  the  right  anterior  simple  and 
tetragonal,  and  the  right  posterior  compound  and  formed  of  a  heptagonal 
plate  followed  by  a  pentagonal  one.  Following  each  radial  is  a  series  of 
tetraf^onal,  primary  brachials,  with  parallel  sutures,  of  which  but  five 
are  preserved  in  any  arm  of  the  only  specimen  collected.  The  brachials 
are  wider  than  high  tapering  slightly  upwards,  the  lowest  piece  of  each 
arm  being  nearly  or  quite  as  wide  as  the  radial  below  it. 
No  pinnules  observed. 

Anal  plate  heptagonal,  resting  on  the  posterior  basal  and  the 
lower  plate  of  the  right  (compound)  posteior  radial;  followed  by 
horizontal  bands  of  hexagonal  piecea,  the  plates  of  each  band  or  zone 
alternating  with  one  another,  and  not  in  vertical  rows  as  in 
Dendrocrinus. 

Column  pentapartite  throughout,  with  a  pentagonal  canal,  the 
angles  corresponding  with  the  sutures,  which  are  directed  radially.  In 
section  the  column  is  quinquefoliate  at  the  root,  passing  up  into 
circular  at  the  base  of  the  cnp.  The  portions  figured  do  not  represent 
the  whole,  as  some  pieces  aggregating  several  inches  in  length  were  lost 
subsequent  to  the  collection  of  the  specimen.  The  aggregate  length  of 
column  preserved  is  nearly  ten  inches,  tapering  from  0.18  inch  at  base 
to  0.10  inch,  at  0.50  inch  below  base  of  cup  from  whence  it  expands  to 
0.12  inch  at  its  junction  with  the  cup.  At  the  base  of  the  column  the 
the  longitudinal  sections  are  composed  of  flat  segments  of  equal 
thickness  which  alternate  with  those  of  the  adjoining  sections  instead 
of  abutting  ;  this  portion  with  its  root-like  branches,  having  identically 
the  appearance  of  the  radix  figured  in  Decade  4,  G.S.C.,  as  that  of 
hlwdocriniis  asperatns.  At  a  short  distance  fiom  the  radix  these 
segments  are  divided  by  thinner  and  projecting  ones  which  gradually 
become  wider  until  they  equal  the  others  ;  while  the  vertical  sutures 
change  gradually  until  the  segments  abut  instead  of  alternating. 

Collected    by    the    author    at    the   City    of  Hull   in  the  Trenton 


51 

Formation,      associated      with      Ilybocrinus      conicus,      Heterocrinus 
canaiensis,  Pleurocystites  elegans,  Streptelasma,  comiculum,  d'c. 

GENUS    CALCEOCRINUS,    HALL. 

As  there  appears  to  be  only  conjecture  for  the  assertion  that  the 
plates  upon  which  this  genus  was  {jroposed  are  congeneric  with  the 
species  afterwards  assigned  to  it  by  Meek  and  others*  the  following 
new  species  may  have  to  be  assigned  either  to  Chirocrinus,  Salter, 
or  Euchirocrinus,  Meek. 

Wachsmuth  and  Springer  represent  the  genus  as  having  three 
arms.     I  am  satisfied,  however,  that  there  are  four. 

There  is  no  previous  record  of  a  specimen  having  the  column 
basals  and  radials  in  the  same  straight  line  as  is  found  in  C.  ruyosus, 
described  below. 

CALCEOCRINUS  FURCILLATUS,  71.  Sp. 

Only  one  side — the  anterior — of  the  basal  series  observed  ;  the 
posterior  resting  against  the  posterior  radials  as  is  usual  in  the  greater 
number  of  the  specimens  of  this  genus.  The  basal  series  is  semilunar, 
the  chord  being  under  the  three  radials  of  the  anterior  side.  The 
basal  portion,  as  seen  on  the  anterior  side,  is  divided  into  four  pieces  : 
first,  by  a  vertical  suture  into  halves,  which  are  again  divided  by  a  line 
sub-parallel  with  the  curved  margin  making  two  outer  plates  which, 
together,  are  rudely  crescentic,  and  two  subtrigonal  inner  plates. 

Between  the  basal  and  the  radial  plates,  on  the  anterior  side  of  an 
exceptionally  perfect  specimen  of  his  species  C.  punctaius,  Prof.  Ulrich 
"  found  a  large  number  of  tmall  and  irregularly  distributed  plates." 
These  minute  plates  are  absent  in  my  specimen;  but  there  exists  a 
vacant  space  in  which  feuch  an  assemblage  could  easily  find  place. 

There  are  five  series  of  radials,  aggregating — so  far  as  known — 
eight  pieces,  of  which  three  series  with  four  ])lates  are  on  the  anterior 
side  and  two  .series  with  four  plates  are  on  the  posterior.  On  the 
anterior  side  there  are  three  alternating  with  the  basals  ;  the  middle 
i-adial  being  composed  of  a  tetragonal  piece,  2i  times  as  high  as  wide. 


*See  revision  of  the  pal.focriuoiilae,  liy  Charles  Wachsmuth  aiul  Frank  Sjiringer, 
part  3,  page  273  ;  and  also  remark  on  the  names  Calceocriuus  and  Cheirocrinns,  by 
Prof.  Ulrich,  in  Keport  of  (Jeological  Survey,  of  Minnesota,  188*5,  page  101 ;  both  of 
which  should  be  read  by  all  interested  iu  this  genus. 


53 

supporting  a  wider  hexagonal  piece  which  is  twice  as  wide  as  high  and 
rests  on  tlie  flat  upper  side  of  the  tetragonal  piece  and  on  one  of  the 
sloping  sides  of  each  adjoining'  radial.  The  two  outer  radials  of  the 
anterior  side  are  hexagonal,  are  larger  than  the  middle  one,  extend 
mid-height  of  the  second  middle  radial  piece  and  are  proportionately 
■wider  than  the  first  middle  piece.  At  the  upper  end  of  each  of  these 
outer  radials  is  a  wide  middle  face  which  supports  the  first  arm  piece- 
of  that  ray,  and  two  sloping  sides,  one  partly  supporting  the  second 
middle  radial  i)iece  of  the  anterior  side  and  the  other  a  plate  of  the 
posterior  side.  The  radial  series  of  the  posterior  side  are  somewhat 
obscure ;  but  four  plates  forming  two  radial  (or  a  radial  and  an  anal) 
series  can  readily  be  made  out.  The  lower  plates  do  not  extend  quite 
as  low  as  the  anterior  radial  series,  and  are  subtrigonal  with  the  angle 
adjoining  the  base  of  the  anterior  series  truncated,  which  truncation 
with  the  free  portion  of  the  adjoining  anterior  radial  forms  a  notch  in 
which  the  corner  of  the  united  basals  plays  in  doubling  itself  back  on 
the  i)Osterior  surface  of  the  cup.  The  upper  plates  of  the  posterior 
radial  (and  anal)  series  are  hexagonal ;  one  side  resting  upon  its  fellow, 
one  on  the  sloping  side  of  the  adjoining  r-adial  of  the  anterior  side,  one 
abutting  on  the  first  arm  piece  of  the  adjoining  anterior  arm,  one 
carrying  a  plate  of  the  next  series  (arm  or  ventral  tube),  one  abutting 
its  twin  posterior  radial  (or  anal),  and  one  whose  relations  are  not 
made  out.  I  do  not  find  any  line  of  junction  between  these  plates  and 
the  basals  nor  any  collection  of  small  plates  there  although  such  may 
exist.  Prof.  Ulrich  calls  the  posterior  radial  and  anal  plates  the 
ventral  arch  in  which  he  finds  three  plates  in  his  GremacrinUs  pu7ictatus 
and  eight  in  his  proposed  genus  Halysicrinus,  but  in  both  the  species  of 
C'alceocrinus,  herein  described,  there  are  four  plates  arranged  as  above 
stated. 

Each  of  the  arms  consists  of  a  primary  and  a  secondary  series  of 
plates.  The  primary  series  consists  in  the  middle  arm  of  the  anterior 
side  of  three  plates,  and  in  the  others  of  two ;  the  uppermost  in  all  cases 
being  an  axillary  piece.  The  secondary  series  of  each  arm  is  composed 
of  rounded  ])icces,  longer  than  wide,  bearing  pinnules  or  armlets  on 
alternate  sides,  beginning  on  the  outside.  The  pinnules  are  slender, 
but  their  joints  are  equal  in  length  to  the  corresponding  arm-joints. 


53 

The  pinnulri-bearing  arm  pieces  are  swollen  or  c'aviform  at  the  joints, 
which  are  oblique  so  that  the  articular  facet  of  the  two  arm  pieces  and 
the  articular  facet  of  the  arm  piece  and  pinnule  are  at  right  angles  to 
one  another. 

The  left  posterior  X'adial  (or  anal)  piece  carries  the  basal  plate  of  a 
ventral  tube  of  which  but  three  pieces  can  be  made  out  in  the  typa 
specimen,  owing  to  the  folding  of  the  arms  over  the  upper  portion. 

Collected  by  the  author  at  Division  Street,  Ottawa,  in  beds  of  the 
Trenton  Formation. 

CALCEOCRINUS    Rt'GOSUS,  n.  Sp. 

This  species  has  the  same  arrangement  of  the  plate-s  of  cup  and 
arms  as  C.  fiircilUitus,  excepting  that  the  central  arm  of  the  anterior 
side  of  this  species  does  not  appear  to  be  bifurcated  ;  there  being  in  the 
only  specimen  which  I  have  examined  five  ])lates  of  the  i>rim:iry 
series  but  no  axillary  piece. 

In  the  specimen  described,  the  basals,  radials  and  arms,  are  all  in 
the  sane  straight  line,  so  that  both  sides  of  the  basal  plates  can  be  ob- 
served. A  piece  of  the  column  which  was  in  the  same  line  as  the  other 
portions  was  lost  while  cleaning  the  specimen. 

The  basals  at  the  lowest  point  have  a  broad  facet  for  the  articula- 
tion of  the  column,  and  from  thence  a  marginal  lip  is  carried  each  edge 
of  the  posterior  side,  across  which  a  ridge  is  carried,  immediately 
opposite  the  vertical  suture  of  the  anterior  side,  to  the  middle  of  the 
line  of  articulation  with  the  series  above,  thus  dividing  the  posterior 
side  of  the  basals  into  two  concave  surfaces.  The  posterior  side  of  tlie 
basal  series  shows  no  sutures. 

All  the  plates  have  punctate  surfaces. 

The  primary  radials  have  each  a  deep  transverse  furrow  which 
with  ridges  at  the  s\itures  produce  wrinkles.  The  arm-plates  and 
pinnules  are  stouter  than  in  C .  furcillatufi. 

Collected  by  Mr.  W.  K.  Smith  at  Belleville,  Out.,  in  a  stratum  of 
the  Trenton  Formation,  containing  Porocrinus  Smithi,  Pleurocijstites 
quimosiis,  Dendrocririus  Jewettii,  ifec. 

DKXDROCRINUS    PROROSCIDIATUS,    BILLINGS,   1857. 

The  sj)ecimen  figured  was  discovered  last  autumn,  at  Division 
street,  this  city,  by  Mi-.  Wm.  H.  Jenkins  of  Madoc,  Ont.,  who  kindly 


J 


54 


loaned  it  to  me  for  description.     Its  large  size  and  the  preservation  in 

it  of  portions  not  well  shewn  in  the  type  specimen   make   it   of  special 

value.     Comparison  with  the  type  specimen  and  with  a  small  specimen 

collected  by  the  author  at  Division  Streee,  lea  Is  me  to  believe  that  the 

specimen  liguied  belongs  to  this  species. 

The  si)ecimen  lies  on  a  slab  with  the  popteiior  side  upward,  show- 

inf^  a  y.ortioa  of  the  column,  the  posterior  side  of  the  cup,  two   arms 

aud  the  ventral  tube.     Three  pentagonal  under  basals  are  visible,  also 

the    heptagonal     posterior    basal,  hexagonal    left    posterior    basal,    a 

part  of   the  right   postericr   basal,  the   radials   and   arm-plates  of  two 

arms,  and  the  ventral  tube.     The  posterior  basal  is  heptagonal  and   the 

right  and  left  posterior  basals  hexagonal.     The  right  posterior  radial  is 

compound,  consisting  of  a  pentagonal  and  a  hexagonal  plate,  and  followed 

by  seven   tetragonal  and  one   axillary   brachials.     The  left    posterior 

radial  is  ])entagonal  and  followed  by  five   tetragonal   and  one   axillary 

brachials.     Of  the  secondary  series  three  consecutive  tetragonal   pieces 
is  the  lai'gest  number  preserved  in  either  ray. 

The  anal  plate,  which  rests  on  the  truncated  posteiior  basal  is 
heptagonal,  abutting  by  two  sides  on  the  right  posterior  radial  and  by 
one  on  the  left  posterior  radial.  Of  the  three  remaining  upper  sides 
two  cany  two  adjoining  series  of  the  larg3  bottom  plates  of  the  ventral 
tube  and  the  third,  which  is  short,  .supports  one  side  of  the  bottom  plate 
of  an  adjoining  series.  The  plates  ot  the  two  rows  of  the  ventral  tube  , 
which  are  supported  by  the  anal  plate  are  hexagonal,  resting  on  each 
other  by  their  longest  side  and  altei'natiug  with  those  of  the  adjoining 
rows.  The  pieces  are  about  as  wide  as  high  at  the  base  of  tlie  tube,  but 
as  they  rise  they  become  shallower,  while  retaining  their  width,  until  at 
the  sixth  plate  the  height  is  one-third  the  width,  whence  they  reduce 
regularly  until  one  inch  from  the  anal  plate,  where  the  upper  part  is 
unfortunately  broken  off.  The  upper  plates  of  this  specimen  show  the 
commencement  of  the  sculpture  and  its  transition  towards  the  pattern 
shown  in  that  part  of  the  tube  whish  in  the  type  specimen  is  intact. 
The  row  of  ventral  tube  plates  to  the  right  of  those  described  is  similar 
to  them,  but  rests  on  the  second  plate  of  the  compound  radial  and  abuts 
on  the  first  brachial.  Another  row  further  to  the  right  and  which  rests 
oil  the  first  brachial  is  composed  of  smaller  plates.  The  lower  portion 
of  the  ventral  tubes  is  thus  seen  to  be  articulated  with  the  right  posterior 
ray  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  first  l)rachial. 

_  The  cuknrni  is  (i\iiuquei)aititc  witii  sutures  radially  situated  :  the 
periphery  of  the  section  is  stellate  with  the  sutures  in  the  re-entering 
angles  ;  and  the  canal  is  pentagonal  wih  the  angles  on  the  lines  of  the 
sutures. 


55 
REP(niT  TO  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY  OF  CANADA. 


{Head  at  the  Gth  Getierol  Meetiny,  May,  1887.) 
It  is  again  my  privilege  to  report  to  you  that  (he  Ottawa  Field- 
Naturalists'  Club,  which  I  have  the  honor  of  representing,  still  continues 
to  fulfil  satisfactorily  the  objects  of  its  organization,  by  the  fostering 
of  a  love  for  nature  and  the  working  up  and  taking  permanent  records 
of  all  facts  connected  with  the  Natural  History  of  the  Ottawa  District;, 
and  this  in  such  a  way  as  to  induoe  all,  and  particularly  those  now 
securing  their  education  in  our  local  institutions,  to  direct  some  of  their 
attention  to  these  most  interesting  and  important  pursuits.  With  the 
latter  ol>ject  in  view  special  efforts  were  made  by  the  Council  of  the 
Club  to  arrange  for  the  delivery  during  the  i)ast  winter  of  Free 
Elementary  Lectures  in  all  branches  of  Natural  History,  not  only 
before  the  members  of  the  Club,  but  also,  whenever  op})ortunity  offered, 
in  the  Public  Schools.  It  was  a  great  encouragement  to  find  how 
popular  these  lectures  proved,  and  how  the  attendance  steadily 
increased  day  by  day,  as  they  became  better  known. 

Some  important  changes  were  made  in  the  working  of  the  Club  at 
the  beginning  of  the  current  year  ;  the  most  notable  of  these  was  the 
publication  of  a  monthly  magazine,  instead,  as  heretofore,  of  the  yearly 
volume  of  Tran.sactions.  This  magazine,  The  Ottawa  Naturalist 
(copies  of  which  have  been  regularly  sent  to  your  honorable  Society  as 
issued),  contains  the  pa[ieis  and  the  reports  of  the  leaders  in  the 
different  sections,  which  were  read  at  the  Soirees  held  dui'ing  the  past 
•winter,  and  also  accounts  of  all  the  excui'sions  and  sub-excursions  held 
during  the  month  previous  to  its  issue,  as  well  as  notices  of  all  matters 
of  interest  to  the  mem  Vers  for  the  coming  month. 

The  sub-excursions  referred  to  above  differ  fiom  the  general 
monthly  excursions  of  the  whole  Club,  in  being  under  the  direction  ot 
one  or  more  of  the  leaders  in  the  section,  and  are  in  reality  working 
parties  or  classes,  those  present  devoting  their  whole  attention  to  their 
own  sjjecialties  under  the  guidance  of  teachers  whose  duty  it  is  to  show 
the  best  mode  of  collecting  and  studying,  and  who,  during  the  present 
year,  will  deliver  short  lectures  in  the  field  upon  the  objects  collected 
each  afternoon.  This  plan,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  judge  fiom  the 
present  season,  has  been  eminently  successful. 


56 

The  winter  course  of  meetings  consisted  of  six  soirees  and  nine 
elementary  lectures,  as  follows : —  #  *  *  * 

(The  remainder  of  tlie  report  consisted  of  lists  of  the  papers  and 
reports  read  at  these  meetings,  and  of  the  officers  and  leaders  for  the 
current  year  :  As  this  matter  has  already  appeared  in  The  Ottawa 
Naturalist  it  is  not  necessary  to  republish  it.) 

R.  B.   WHYTE, 

Delegate. 


LIBRARIAN'S  RECORD. 


The  following  publications  have  been  received  as  donations,  or  in 
exchange  for  the  transactions  of  the  Club  : — 

Royal  Society  of  Canada  :  Ti-ansactions,  Vol.  IV. 

Geological  Survey  of  Canada  :  Maps  for  Annual  Report,  1885. 

Essex  Field  Club  :  The  Essex  Naturalist,  No.  4. 

Entomological  Society  of  Ontario  :    Canadian  Entomologist,  Vol. 
XIX,  Nos.  4  and  5. 

North  Staffordshire  Naturalists'  Field  Club  :  Annual  Report,  1886. 

Winnipeg  Board  of  Trade  :  Annual  Report,  1886. 

Turrey  Botanical  Club  :  Bulletin,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  5. 

Botanical  Gazette,  Crawfordsville :   Vol.  XII,  ]Nos.  3  and  4. 

Peoria  Scientific  Society  :  Bulletin,  1887. 

Brooklyn  Entomological  Society  :  Entomologica  Ameincana,  Vol. 
Ill,  Nos.  1  and  2. 

W.  P.  Dimock,  B.  A.  Truro  :  The  Year  Book  of  New  South 
Wales,  1886  ;  New  South  Wales,  Its  Progress,  Present  Condition  and 
Resources;  First  Progress  Report  of  Royal  Commission  on  Vegetable 
Products,  Victoria;  Catalogue  of  Exhibits  cf  Western  Australian 
Court ;  Notes  on  the  Aborigines  of  Western  Australia ;  Select  Extra, 
Tropical  Plants;  Notes  on  Western  Australia;  Catalogue  of  Oil 
Paintings  and  Water  Colour  Drawings  of  the  Victoria  Court ;  Malta 
and  its  Industries;  Catalogue  of  Malta  Court  at  the  Colonial  Exhibi- 
tion ;  Forest  Protection  and  Tree  Culture  on  Water  Frontages  ; 
Metaraorphic  and  Overlying  Roeks  in  Ross  and  Inverness  Shires  ; 
Rocks,  aiinerals  and  FosJls,  exhibited  by  Victoria  Court  at  Colonial 
Exhibition. 


57 
SUB-EXCURSIONS. 


Third. — On  the  27th  May  about  thirty  members  and  their  friends 
met  at  the  Post  Office  at  the  usual  hour — 2  p.m.  Those  connected 
with  the  geological  branch  proceeded,  under  the  leadership  of  Messrs. 
Ami  and  Stewart,  to  examine  certain  exposures  near  the  Queen's 
"VVharf  and  Rideau  Hall,  having  with  them  Professors  Bailey  and 
]Mathews,  of  New  Brunswick,  who  had  been  iu  attendance  at  the 
meetings  of  the  ^xoyal  Society.  The  rest  of  the  party — nineteen  in 
number — preferring  the  botanical  and  entomological  branches,  made  a 
visit  to  Cave  Ci'eek.  This  is  but  a  small  stream  and  is  interesti'  g  only 
from  the  fact  that  ic  dis:ip]>eHrs  under  ledges  of  limestone  at  a  short 
distance  in  the  rear  of  Judge  Ross's  house  and  re-a}ipears  at  about  an 
equal  distance  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Richmond  Road,  having  an 
underground  course  of  several  hundred  feet.  The  fields  and  woods  in 
the  neighbourhood  were  explored,  and  jdants  and  insects  collected. 
About  four  o'clock  the  party  gathered  under  a  spreading  maple  to  listen 
to  the  "talks"  of  the  Leaders.  Mr.  Fletcher  urged  the  value  of 
botanical  studies  from  an  economical  as  well  as  scientific  standpoint, 
and  explained  the  object  of  making  collections  and  the  methods  which 
should  be  pursued  in  their  subsequent  study  and  investigation.  He 
then  discussed  several  of  the  plants  collected  during  the  "outing," 
pointing  out  the  distinctive  features  and  showing  that  in  many  instances 
tae  scientific  names  were  descriptive  of  these  characteristics,  and  that  a 
knowledge  of  the  dei-ivation  and  meaning  of  the  names  was  conse- 
quently  often  of  considerable  assistance  in  determining  species.  Mr. 
Harrington  followed  with  a  few  remarks  on  the  insects  observed.  Of 
these  the  most  conspicuous  and  handsome  were  two  fine  examples  of 
the  Luna  moth,  Altaciis  luna,  which  had  been  found  by  a  young  lady. 
Selarulria  rosce,  the  rose-sawfly  or  slug,  had  been  seen  on  bushes  in  the 
garden  of  Judge  Ross.  Twigs  of  larch  were  shown  which  had  been  last 
year  attacked  by  another  sawfly,  Neniatus  eric/i^onii,  but  the  insects 
were  apparently  not  yet  ovipositing  this  season.  Culosoma  calidum 
was  mentioned  as  the  lai'gest  Ottawa  representative  of  the  Carabidai,  a 
family  of  beetles  whose  habits  were  briefly  explained  as  predatory  and 
beneficial.     Examples  of  one  or  two  other  families  were  al.so  exhibited, 


58 

and  their  Jmbits  noted.  The  audience  seem  much  interested  in  the 
remai-ks  of  tlie  Leaders,  and  many  points  brought  forward  wei-e  more 
fully  discussed  on  the  way  homeward. 

Fourth. — The  botanical  and  entomological  branches  visited  the 
Beaver  Meadow,  near  Hull,  on  4th  June,  their  being  present  eighteen 
persons.  Tliis  locality  is  one  of  the  richest  collecting  grounds  in  the 
district,  and  the  collectors  secured  many  interesting  specimens.  On 
gathering  at  4.30  p.m.,  Mr.  Fletcher,  for  the  benefit  of  several  who 
were  entering  u|)on  the  study  of  botany,  described  the  apparatus 
necessary  for  the  preservation  of  specimens,  and  the  methods  of  treat- 
ment which  he  had  found  most  suitable  for  different  classes  of  plants. 
Bis  laige  experience  enabled  him  to  give  some  very  valuable  hints  as  to 
the  care  of  specimens  in  special  cases,  as  when  traveling,  etc.  The 
President,  Mr.  R.  B.  Whjte,  then  spoke  on  several  of  the  plants 
gathered,  showing  how  the  species  fell  into  certain  families,  although 
sometimes  the  members  of  a  family  differed  greatly  in  appearance.  He 
took  the  Ranunculaceas,  as  being  the  first  family  in  botanical  classifi- 
cation, and  discussed  four  species  belonging  to  it.  Of  the  genus 
Smilacina  (Liliacete)  three  species  had  been  collected  out  of  the  four 
which  occur  at  Ottawa.  The  yellow  lady's  slipper,  the  wild-rose,  the 
climbing  honey-suckle,  and  other  interesting  or  rare  plants  were  also 
exhibited.  Mi-.  Harrington,  in  his  remarks  on  insects,  drew  attention 
to  specimens  of  Thalessa,  explaining  that  they  were  the  largest  of  the 
ichneumons,  or  parasitic  hymenoptera,  and  describing  the  method  of 
oviposition  of  the  female,  and  the  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the 
two  sexes.  Xipliydria  albicornis  was  stated  to  be  injurious  to  maples 
in  the  city,  frequently  attacking  small  transplanted  'shade-trees.  A 
very  pretty  dragon-fly  {Calopteryx  maculata) ,  several  specimens  of 
which  had  been  seen  flitting  about  the  brook,  had  the  very  curious 
habit  of  going  down  some  distance  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water  for 
the  purpose  of  depositing  its  eggs  at  the  base  of  the  weeds.  The 
beneficial  habits  of  an  allied  insect  were  also  mentioned.  On  the  way 
back  to  the  city  the  members  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing  several 
specimens  of  Thalessa  atraia  and  lunator  ovipositing  in  an  old  sugar- 
maple. 

Fifth.— On    the    following    Saturday— lUh     June— a     party    of 


59 

twenty-five  visited  New  Edinburgh.  The  geologists  examined  a  num- 
ber of  waterworks'  excavations,  and  the  botanists  and  entotuologists 
rambled  about  Hemlock  Lake  in  search  of  treasures.  The  usual 
"talks"  were  given  on  re-assembling  near  Rideau  Hall;  Mv.  Ami 
speaking  first  as  geological  Leader.  Several  excavations  on  Cveightou 
street  had  been  visited,  which  exposed  Utica  shales,  highly  bituminous 
and  rich  in  fossil  remains.  Some  good  specimens  had  been  secured  by 
various  members,  including  species  probably  new  to  the  local  lists. 
Mr.  Harrington  drew  attention  to  the  manner  in  which  the  upper 
portions  of  the  ])alings  of  the  Rideau  Hall  fence  were  scraped,  and 
explained  that  this  was  the  work  of  our  large  wasps,  which  utilized  the 
fibres  of  the  wood  for  making  the  i)aper  of  which  they  composed  their 
nests.  After  making  some  further  remarks  on  the  habits  of  these 
interesting  insects,  he  exhibited  specimens  of  the  two  species  of  tent- 
caterpilhirs,  Bomhyx  disstrla  and  Americana,  pointing  out  the  distinc- 
tive markings  and  their  beauty.  Mr.  Pletcher,  in  a  very  lucid  and 
interesting  way,  explained  the  characteristic  features  of  the  following 
plants,  and  pointed  out  how  certain  of  them  might  be  distinguished 
from  closely  allied  fefjecies :  Linncea  borealis,  Sonicula  canadensis, 
Medeola  virginica,  Orchis  sjieckibiiis,  Seneciso  aureus,  Arahis  perfoliatay 
Rhus  toxicodendron,  Viburnu/n  aceri/olium,  V.  ])ubescens,  Acer 
saccharinum,  do.  var.  nigrum,  A.  pennsylvanicum,  A.  spicatum, 
Arenaria  aerpylUfolia,  Pelea  gracilis,  Cm'Cx  longirostris  and  Fraxinus. 
a?nericana. 

Sixth. — On  the  18th  June  a  very  pleasant  visit  was  paid  to  the 
Experimental  Farm.  It  had  been  the  intention  of  the  leaders  to  first 
visit  Dow's  Swamp,  but,  through  some  misunderstanding,  the  vans 
engaged  did  not  appear  at  two  o'clock,  and  when  they  were  obtained  it 
was  so  late  that  it  was  deemed  best  to  drive  straight  to  the  Fai'm. 
The  geologists  were  left  temporai'ily  at  a  quarry  near  the  St.  Louis  Dam^ 
while  the  remainder  of  the  party  ke})t  on  to  the  residence  of  the 
Director,  Prof.  Saunders,  who  received  them  very  cordially.  After  a 
few  minutes  rest  and  conversation,  those  who  desired  to  collect  were 
conducted  by  the  Professor  to  a  wooded  ti-act  near  by,  where,  for  an 
hour  or  so,  they  hunted  assiduously  and  with  gool  succe-ss.  After  this, 
a  time,  only  too  brief,  was*  devoted  to  inspecting  the  work  accomplished 


60 

■on  the  Farm,  and  then  the  entire  party  assembled  at  the  Director's 
house  for  the  addresses  which  had  been  announced.  Besides  those  who 
had  arrived  in  the  vans,  several  had  subsequently  come,  making  in  all 
sixty  members  and  friends.  There  were  besides  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Saunders  and  the  members  of  their  fiunily ;  Col.  Blair,  who  will  conduct 
the  Experimental  Farm  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  Mr.  Gibb,  of  Abbots- 
ford,  well-known  throughout  Canada  as  a  most  successful  fruit-grower. 
The  President,  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte,  stated  the  pleasure  it  afforded  him  to 
see  such  a  good  attendance  at  the  sub-excursion,  and,  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  were  not  regular  attendants,  he  explained  the  object  of  these 
"  outings,"  and  the  useful  work  accomplished  by  them.  Before  calling 
on  the  leaders  for  the  usual  lectures  on  the  collections,  he  took  much 
pleasure  in  announcing  that  word  had  been  received  only  that  day  that 
one  of  their  members  then  present  had  been  the  'recipient  of  a  well 
•deserved  honoitr,  and  should  be  known  to  thern  hereatter  as  Sir  James 
A.  Grant.  This  gentleman,  in  addition  to  his  eminent  standing  in  his 
profession — that  of  medicine — Lad  a  wide  reputation  as  a  scientific 
man,  and  especially  as  a  geologist.  He  had  ever  been  a  promoter  of 
scientific  knowledge  in  Ot^^awa,  and  his  connection  with  the  Ottawa 
Field-Natui-alists'  Club  showed  that  he  still  desired  t)  be  identified 
with  the  work.  The  announcement  of  this  distinction  was  hailed  with 
much  pleasure  by  all  present.  Mr.  Ami  then  gave  a  brief  outline  of 
the  geological  formations  of  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  explaining 
that  they  might  be  divided  into  two  series  of  three  each.  He  described 
the  geological  ages  to  which  these  belonged,  and  pointed  out  where  they 
occurred.  Specimens  of  several  interesting  fossils  where  exhibited, 
■which  had  been  obtained  at  the  quarry  mentioned.  Mr.  Harrington 
regretted  that  it  fell  to  his  lot.  to  discuss  the  insects  when  the 
Director  of  the  Farm  was  so  much  better  qualified  to  do  justice  to  the 
subject,  he  having  been  for  many  years  President  of  the  Entomological 
Society.  It  was  an  unfortunate  fact  that  the  Club  numbered  so  few 
members  giving  any  attention  to  entomology,  and  this  made  it  very 
difficult  to  speak  on  insects  so  as  to  interest  those  present.  Specimens 
of  galls  made  by  insects  belonging  to  various  orders  were  exhibited,  and 
attention  was  called  to  the  very  interesting  results  which  followed  the 
deposition  of  the  egg  in  the  growing  plant,  whereby  its  forces  were  so 


61 

diverted  as  to  produce  a  characteristic  gall.  Mr,  Fletcher,  as  botanical 
leader,  used  as  illustrations-  for  his  lecture,  amongst  others> 
Cypripedium  spectahile,  the  Showy  Lady's  Slipper,  a  beautiful  orchid 
which  grows  in  the  swamp  near  the  Farm,  Blihim  capitatum,  the 
Strawberry  Elite,  and  Polygonum  cilinode.  The  chief  points  of  interest 
of  these  plants  were  explained,  and  the  lessons  which  might  be  derived 
from  them  were  referred  to.  The  Erigerons  were  spoken  of,  and  the 
easiest  means  of  distinguishing  the  species  was  pointed  out.  Planta 
which  unfolded  their  flowers  at  special  hours  in  the  day  were  alluded 
to,  and  Silene  noctiflora  and  (E.iothera  biennis  were  exhibited  and  their 
most  important  characters  noted.  A  fine  specimen  of  the  Raspberry 
Rust  gave  a  pretext  for  describing  some  of  the  fungi  parasitic  upon 
higher  vegetation,  and  some  of  the  methods  which  might  be  used  to 
keep  them  in  check.  Prof.  Saunders  was  then  called  upon  to  enlighten 
those  present  as  to  the  work  v.-hich  had  been  accomplished  upon  the 
Ex[)enmental  Farm.  This  he  did  in  a  most  pleasant  and  graphic 
manner,  showing  that  since  tlie  beginning  of  operations,  on  2nd  jMay,. 
remarkable  progress  had  been  made  in  clearing  the  ground  and  in 
l)lanting.  The  Farm  consisted  of  about  465  acres,  of  which,  the  Club 
was  glad  to  learn,  do  would  be  set  apart  for  a  park,  where  the  trees,^ 
shrulis  and  smaller  plants  of  C.mada  would  brf  found  grouped  by 
provinces;-  as  well  as  many  from  foreign  countries,  arranged  according 
to  their  place  of  origin.  On  the  remaining  area  all  kinds  of  grains, 
I'oots,  fruits,  etc..  would  be  raised  and  tested.  Already  an  immense 
number  of  tree 5  had  been  set  out,  and  an  almost  inniimei'able  vaiiety 
of  plants  could  be  seen  in  various  stages  of  growth,  many  of  which 
came  from  Russia,  Jajjan,  and  other  distant  lands.  After  outlining  the 
future  work  and  aims  of  the  Farm,  Prof.  Saunders  expressed  the  hope 
that  the  Club  would  make  further  visits  to  it  and  examine  its  progress. 
By  special  request  of  the  Council,  Sir  James  Grant  made,  in  his  usual 
eloquent  and  happy  manner,  a  short  address,  .stating  that  when  he  had 
commenced  the  study  of  geology  in  Ottawa  science  had  but  a  scanty 
following.  He  was  pleased  to  find  it  now  attracting  so  much  atten- 
tion, and  to  belong  to  a  society  which  was  doing  so  much  for  the 
develo))ment  of  a  knowledge  of  natural  historv  as  was  the  Field 
Naturalists'    Club.     The    Experimental   Fiirm   would   be,  he  was   con- 


G2 

vinced,  a  source  of  the  greatest  benefit,  not  only  to  the  agricultural 
interests,  but  to  those  of  science  and  general  pi'ogrcss.  At  this  stage  of 
the  meeting  refreshments  of  a  very  tempting  character  were  distributed 
by  Mrs.  Saunders,  who  had  been  most  unremitting  in  her  kindly  atten- 
tions to  those  present  during  the  afternoon.  As  the  usual  hour  of 
returning  home  had  some  time  gone  by,  Prof.  Woods  was  deputed  by 
the  Council  to  offer  the  thanks  of  the  Club  to  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Saunders  for  their  kindness  and  hospitality.  This  task  performed  in 
appropriate  terms,  the  party  embarked  for  the  city,  thoroughly  pleased 
and  satisfied  with  their  "  outing." 


EXCURSION  TO  AYLMER. 


The  second  excursion  of  the  season  was  held  on  Saturday,  the  25th 
June,  when  a  party  of  forty-eight  went  out  to  Aylmer  by  the  1.15  P.M. 
train.  Upon  arrival  at  that  village  the  President,  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte, 
announced  that  the  geologists,  under  the  guidance  of  Mv.  Sowter,  would 
examine  certain  exposures  of  rock  in  the  vicinity,  while  the  remainder 
of  the  party  would  proceed  a  short  distance  along  the  shore  to  Blue- 
berry Point  (V)elow  the  village).  This  was  found  a  most  charming 
place,  offering  a  rich  and  diversified  flora  to  the  botanists,  and  the 
attractions  of  the  lake-shore  to  those  who  preferred  to  loiter  there. 
Happily  the  majority  of  those  present  desired  to  make  investigations 
into  the  natural  history  of  the  locality,  and  they  were  soon  scattered 
around  assiduously  collecting  and  examining  the  many  objects  of 
interest.  Even  those  who  were  not  of  a  scientific  turn  found  two 
plants  of  much  interest  growing  in  grateful  abundance — the  strawberry 
and  blueberry.  As  the  afternoon  wore  on  the  collectors,  with  well- 
filled  vascukj  formed  groups  under  the  shade  of  the  pines  near  the 
beach,  and  examined  and  discussed  their  finds.  By  five  o'clock  all  were 
once  more  assembled  and  the  President,  callino;  the  meetinor  to  order, 
requested  the  Leaders  to  enlighten  them  in  regard  to  the  collections. 
Mr.  Fletcher,  as  botanical  leader,  stated  that  although  it  was  the  object 
of  the  Club  to  give  to  all  the  "  outings"  the  nature  of  "  classes  "  as 
well  as  mere  collecting  parties,  no  systematic  course  of  study  had  been 
deemed  advisable.     The  more  interesting  specimens  collected  had  been 


63 

exi)lained,  and  following  this  course  he  would   take  at   random  a  few 
species  and  point  out  in  what  way  they  were  noteworthy.     Ilabenaria 
Uookeri  was   taken  as  a  type  of  the  orchids,  a  group  of  plants  noted 
for  the  strange  forms  of  their  flowers.     The  structure  of  the  various 
organs   was   lucidly  explained,   and   the  manner  in   which   they   were 
adapted  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  fertilization  of  the  flowers  to  be 
e.flfected  through   the   agency   of  insects.     The  manner  of  propogation 
from  the  root  was  also   described.     The   differences  apparent   between 
the  two  species  (Pinus  strohus  and  P.  resinosa)  of  pines  growing  near 
at  hand  were  explained.     The  red-pine  had  its  leaves  in  clusters  of  two, 
while  those  of  the  white-pine  were  in  fives  :  the  cones  were  also  easily 
distinguished,  and  the  trees  were  unlike  in  general  appearance.     Ilex 
verticillata  was  described   as   being  a   holly,  having  red  berries  which 
persisted  upon  the  bushes  after  the  leaves  had  fallen,  and  which  might 
be  }ireserved  for  Christmas  decorations.     Carex  lupidina  obtained  its 
specific  name  from  tiie   resemblance  of  its  flower  to  that  of  the  hop. 
The  carices  were  distinguished  from   the  grasses   in   having   triangular 
stems  and  leaves  in  whorls  of  threes.     Rosa  hlanda  was  our  commonest 
wild   rose   and  was  distinguished   by  the  paucity  of  prickles  upon  its 
stems.     Another  rose  which  had  been  found,  but  of  which  the  flowers 
were  nearly  over,  was  A'.  Carolina,  or  the  swamp  rose  which  grew  along 
the  banks  of  streams,  and   in  other  moist  localities.     The  fruit  of  the 
teaberry  {Gaultheria  procumbens)  was  an  enlarged  calyx,  and  retained 
the  cup-like  shape  of  the  flower,  it  persisted  during   the  winter  and 
sometimes   to   the  following   autumn  ;   the   berries   of  one  year  being 
found   with   the   flowers   of  the    succ.  eding  one.        (Enothera  2ntmila 
was  the  only  species  of  our  evening   primroses  which  so  far  departed 
from  the  habits  of  the  gioup  as  to  open  in  the  morning.      Lilium  phila- 
delphicinn,  which  had  been  found  in  large  numbers,  was  the  only  lily 
ye'j  found  growing  near  Ottawa.      It  was   a    very  handsome    plant,  the 
tall    slender  stem   being  surmounted   by  a   large   showy  blossom,    the 
structure   ot    which    was   fully  explained.      A.   few   other   plants    were 
noted,  and  the  members  were  greatly  interested  by,  and  derived  much 
valuable  information  from,  Mr.  Fletoher's  discourse.     Mr.  Harrington, 
one  of  the  entomological  leaders,  set  forth  the  advantages  accruing  from 
the  study  of  the  science  of  entomology ;  showed  how  intimately  it  was 


64 

connected  with  that  of  botany,  and  how  desirable  it  was  that  botanists- 
should  have  some  knowledge  of  it.  The  red-pines  of  the  vicinity  had 
been  attacked  by  a  small  beetle,  Dryocoetes  affaher,  which  had  worked 
considerable  injuiy,  by  boring  in  the  terminal  shoots  and  in  the  young 
cones ;  another  beetle,  a  small  weevil,  was  probably  the  cause  of  gall- 
like swellings  upon  the  small  branches.  Several  species  of .  galls  found 
upon  willows  and  poplars  were  exhibited,  and  attention  was  also  drawn 
to  a  peculiar  flower-spider,  the  caterpillar  of  the  large  black  swallow- 
«  tail  butterfly,  and  other  insects.  Mr.  Ami  explained  that  the 
seolosical  formation  of  the  vicinity  was  that  known  as  the  Chazy,  and 
described  the  sandstones,  shales  and  limestones  composing  it,  and  the 
fossils  which  had  been  obtained  from  them.  Several  la  lies  had  assisted 
in  the  examination  of  these  rocks,  and  one  of  them  had  found  a  fossil 
of  peculiar  interest  and  rarity.  Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour  Mr. 
Ami  made  his  interesting  remarks  very  brief,  in  order  that  there  might 
be  time  for  the  members  to  take  their  tea  before  the  departure  of  the 
train,  by  which  the  party  retur-ned  home,  at  8  p.m. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


Excursion. — The  third  excursion  will  be  held  ou  Thursday,  the 
21st  July.  The  place  to  be  visited  is  Buckingham,  the  picturesque 
scenery  of  which  locality  has,  on  previous  occasions,  elicited  the  admira- 
tion of  the  members,  while  rich  collecting  grounds,  of  large  extent,  are 
to  be  found.  The  steamer  Empress  will  leave  her  landing,  known  as 
the  Queen's  Wharf,  an  7.20  a.m.  The  Council  hopes  that  all  the  mem- 
bers who  can  possibly  do  so  will  attend. 

Sub-Excursions. — The  Botanical  and  Entomological  Leaders  have 
decided  upon  the  following  Saturday  outings  for  July  :  2nd,  to  Hull ; 
9tb,  to  Dow's  Swamp;  16th,  to  RockclifFe  ;  30th,  to  Beaver  Meadows, 
Hull ;  starting  from  Post  Office  at  2  p.m. 

New  Members.— 24,  Miss  Alice  Bowen  (Quebec);  25,  R.  Gervas© 
Elwes,  M.  Inst.  O.E.;  26,  Mrs.  Elwes  ;  27,  Miss  Annie  M.  Fowler;  28, 
Judge  W.  A.  Ross;  29,  Miss  Maggie  Thomson  ;  30,  Samuel  S.  Re5»ie*r--^ 


65  V>'.J'^4U«f; 

THE  GREAT  ICE  AGE    AND    SUBSEQUENT    FORM 

AT  OTTAWA,  ONTARIO. 


By  H.  M.  Ami,  M.A.,  F.G.S. 

Among  the  most  intei'esting  and  captivating  subjects  ^vLich  attract 
the  attention  of  even  a  casual  observer  in  the  i-ealras  of  geological 
science,  few  are  so  full  of  interest  and  afford  so  much  informa- 
tion as  I'esearches  amongst  the  most  recently  deposited  strata.  Besides 
this  interest,  there  is  carried  with  it  the  fact  of  its  pi'actical  impor- 
tance, so  that  the  economic  aspects  of  the  question  liave  likewise  to  be 
taken  into  consideisation. 

There  are  numerous  questions  which  press  themselves  one  upon 
the  other  in  examining  the  mai-ls,  sands,  gravels,  clays,  boulders  and 
kindred  materials  which  constitute  the  Post-Tertiary  deposits  of  a 
district.  The  following  are  some  of  the  move  important  questions 
which  we  will  attempt  to  consider  with  regard   to   our  own  locality:  — 

At  what  period  in  the  Earth's  History  did  the  Glacial  Epoch  or 
the  Great  Ice  Age  make  its  appearance  1 

What  were  the  causes  which  led  to  it,  what  phenomena 
characterized  it,  what  was  its  duration  and  what  traces  did  it  leave 
behind'?  And  again,  specially,  to  what  extent  was  this  continent 
submerged,  for  how  long,  and  what  traces  of  animal  life  has  that  period 
left  behind  it ;  and,  further,  are  there  unquestionable  proofs  of  a  period 
of  subsidence  followed  by  another  of  elevation  carrying  us  on  to  the 
present  day,  during  which  time  numerous  and  varied  lacustrine  or 
alluvial  deposits  were  lt»id  down,  and  in  the  lapse  of  which  man  made 
his  appearance. 

Then,  in  which  of  the  newer  deposits  are  traces  of  the  existence  of 
certain  tiibes  of  the  American  Indians  to  be  found?  What  aie  these 
traces  1  To  what  extent  do  they  assist  in  forming  an  estimate  of  the 
degree  of  civilization  to  which  these  aborigines  attained  1  What 
customs  and  njodes  of  liferare  exemplified  by  the  implements  of  various 
kinds  found  in  what  has  been  very  appi'opriately  termed  the  Human 
Period  1  At  what  time  and  for  how  long  did  these  inhabitants  occupy 
the  land  before  the  intrusion  of  the  whites,  and  what  was  their  history  ] 


66 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  more   salient  proMeui.s  to  which   reference- 
will  be  made. 

It  may  not  be  thought  arai^s  to  note  first  what  has  already  been 
.done  in  the  field  of  research  with    which   we  have    to  deal.     In    the 
"Geology  of  Canada,"   1863,  a  report  by  Sir  Wm.  Logan  and  stafi" — 
there  is  a  chapter  on  "  superficial  geology"  in  which  a  number  of  intei'- 
esting  notes  are  recorded  from  Ottawa  and  its  environs,  an  examination 
of  which  had  been  entrusted  to  Dr.  E.   Bell.     Then  comes  the  work 
done  in  the  Post-Pliocene  geology  of  Ottawa  by  Sir  J.  A.  Grant  who 
produced  a  number  of  valuable  papers,  some  of  which  were  published  in 
the  United  States  and  others  here  in  Canada.     At  the  mouth  of  and 
along  Green's  Creek,  six  miles   distant  from  the  city,  and  a  favourite 
resort  for  students  of  Post-Tertiary  geology,  Sir  J.  A.  Grant  and  Sir  W. 
Dawson  made  important  discoveries.     The  collections  of  the  late  Dr. 
E.  Van  Cortland  show   that  he  also  devoted  considerable  attention  to 
these  interesting  deposits,  whilst  the  late  Mr.  E.  Billings  in  his  Canadian 
"Naturalist  and  Geologist"  published  notes  on  the  same  subject.     The 
above    mentioned  work  was  px'ior  to    the    organization  of   the  Field- 
Naturalists'  Club  which  has  since  vigorously  pushed  investigation  in  this 
dii'ection.       Nearly   a  score   of  members,  have  taken  a  more  or  less 
active   part  m   these   researches,    whilst  the    abundance   of   work  and 
material  make  it  probable  that  greater  attention  will  continue  to  be 
paid  to  the  deposits  in  question.     The  work  done  already  is  consider- 
able; but  there  remains  a  hundred-fold  more  to  do.     Mr.  Surtees,  the 
City  Engineer,  has  been  carrying  on  an  extensive  series  of  excavations 
in  all  parts  of  the  city.    These  excavations  or  trenches  are  dug  or  blasted 
out  to  a  depth  ranging  from  eleven  feet  to  eighteen  feet  six  inches,  so 
that  deep  and  interesting  sections  have  been  exposed. 

For  the  description  of  the  Post-Tertiary  or  Post-Pliocene  (Pleisto- 
cene) deposits  it  is  first  necessary  to  ascertain  whence  the  material 
came  which  composes  them,  and  in  order  to  do  this  it  is  obviously 
necessary  to  examine  the  older  rocks  of  the  district,  and  to  see  of  what 
their  measures  consist,  and  know  the  stratigraphical  relations 
existing  between  the  various  members  of  these  older  underlying 
series. 


67 

Just  as  we  have  a  great  diversity  of  formations  about  Ottawa, 
so  also  have  we  a  great  diversity  of  substances  in  the  materials  which 
make  up  the  rock  of  the  Post-Tertiary  deposits,  (and  let  it  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  in  using  the  word  "  rock"  it  is  used  in  its  true  geological 
sense,  so  that  a  handful  of  sand,  a  lump  of  clay,  a  mass  of  pebbles, 
cemented  or  not  by  finer  detritus,  are  all  as  much  "  rock"  as  a  pillar  of 
freestone,  a  block  of  limestone  or  a  column  of  granite).  Most  of  the 
materials  which  are  found  in  these  newer  deposits  were  derived  from 
the  older  formations  of  the  district,  whilst  erratic  blocks,  and  the  like, 
may  have  come  from  great  distances.  To  go  into  details  regarding  all 
the  kinds  of  rocks  met  with,  would-  necessitate  a  protracted  study  of  a 
great  quantity  of  material  which  years  of  labour  could  not  exhaust,  and 
which  would  form  the  consitituent  elements  of  all  the  formations  from 
the  Laurentian  to  the  Hudson  River  as  they  ai-e  developed  in  the 
*' Ottawa  Basin ;"  from  the  gneissoid,  granitic  and  hornblendic  rocks 
of  the  former,  to  the  shaly  magnesian  and  arenaceous  measures  of  the 
latter.  There  would  be  the  gueisses,  pegmeties,  crystalline  limestones, 
serpentines,  dolomites  and  diorites  of  the  Loiver  Laurentian,  occurring 
at  Chelsea  in  the  Laurentide  Hills,  there  would  also  be  included  portions 
of  the  conglomerates  and  quartzites  and  calc-bearing  sandrock  materials 
peculiar  to  the  unconformably  overlying  Potsdam  and  Calciferous  for- 
mations, whilst  the  sandstones,  shales  and  limestones  of  the  Chazy, 
followed  upwards  without  a  break  by  the  impui-e  calcareous  strata  of 
the  Black  River  and  Trenton  formations  would  all  be  mixed  together 
with  the  likewise  conformably  overlying  bituminous  schists  of  the 
Ut'ica. 

The  materials  which  compose  the  series  of  formations  just  men- 
tioned and  newer  than  the  Laurentian  were  themselves  derived  from 
the  Laurentian  System,  fur  .this  latter  contains  all  the  elements 
necessary  for  the  formatio^^  of  the  sandstones,  shales  and  limestones  of 
the  newer  overlying  <JamDro-Silurian  or  Ordoviciau  strata. 

Having  ascertained  the  series  of  strata  whence  the  material  was 
obtained  which  constitutes  the  various  beds  in  the  Post  Tertiary 
deposits,  let  us  consider  the  condition  of  affairs  previous  to  and  at  the 
coming  in  of  the  Glacial  Epoch. 


68 


This  portion  of  the  American  Continent,  which,  during  the  earlier 
paleozoic  period  had  alternately  been  submerged  and  elevated,  remained 
in  this  latter   state  a  long    period  of   time,   during    which   denuding 
agencies,  such  as  atmospheric  erosion,  rain  and  other  solvents  earned 
away  a  .reat  deal  of  material.  This  is  a  lapse  of  time,  which,  m  other 
parts  of"canada  and  elsewhere,  is  marked  by  a  regular  ascending  series 
of  newer  formations  deposited,  for  the  most  part,  beneath  the  level  of  the 
then  existing  oceans,  a  period  embracing  within  itself  the  whole  of  the 
Silurian  and  Devonian  systems,  together  with  the  Carboniferous  age  or 
the  coal  measures.     The  Palaeozoic  Era  thus  ended  Mesozoic  times  came 
in  and  the  Triassic,  Jurassic,  and  Cretaceous  systems  followed,  overly- 
ina  which  all  the  Laramie  and  Tertiaries   were   laid,  aU   of  which   are 
entirely  absent  in  our  district  marking  a  great  unconformity   between 
the  Glacial  deposits  and  the  Hudson  River  rocks  about  Ottawa. 

The  Glacial  Epoch  or  the   Great  Ice  Age,  then,  is  the  first  of  the 
Beries  of  Post  Tertiary  times,  with  which   we  have  to  deal,  as  it  rests 
immediately  upon,  though  with  discordance  of  stratification  (if  that  term 
may  be  employed  here),  and  overlies  the  Cambro-Silurian  and  older  for- 
mations in  this  district.     Just  previous  to  this  period  of  glaciation,  and 
whilst  it  lasted,  there  must  have  taken  place  a  great  elevation  in   this 
part  of  the  North  American  continent,  so   that  an  extreme  Alpine  or 
Arctic  climate  was  the  natural  result.     Nor  was  this  part  of  America 
the  only    one    which    enjoyed    this    particular    state    of    affairs,    but 
throughout  the  greater  portion  of  North  America  as  far  west  as  the 
Great  Missouri  Coteau,  in  Europe,  and  in  other  continents,  evidence  of 
extreme  cold,  the  result  of  great  elevation,  has  been  ascertained  beyond 
doubt.     Prof.  Favre,  of  Geneva,  whose  admirable  researches  in  Alpine 
geology  have  madejiim  so  famous  the  world  over,  in  the  "  Resume  "  of 
his   "  Geological  Researches  in   Savoie  and  the  neighbourhood  of  Mt. 
Blanc,"    points  out  clearly  what  was  the  origin    of    the  glacial  epoch 
in  that  part  of  Europe.     "The   amount  of  moisture  or  humidity,"  he 
says,    "  with  which  the   atmosphere  of  Europe  was  filled  on  account  of 
the  elevation  of  land  subsequent  to   the  deposition   of  the  tertiary   de- 
posits— the  cooling  effect  of  the   neighbouring   mountains,  then  more 
elevated  than  now-a-days — together  with  many   other  causes,  led  to  a 
reduction  in  the  tempei-ature  of  the  atmosphere  resulting  in  an  abundant 


69 

precipitation  of  snow  on  the  leading  peaks  of  the  region."  So  in 
Canada,  and  in  the  Ottawa  district,  a  great  reduction  in  the  tempem- 
ture  followed  the  great  elevation,  and  immense  quantities  of  snow,  ice 
and  water  followed  and  glaciers  were  formed  all  over  the  district — a  vast 
mer-de-glace  covered  this  portion  of  Canada,  whose  height  above  the 
ocean  level  of  that  period  was  considerable.  These  glaciers,  like  modem 
ones,  were  characterized  by  many  interesting  particulars  which  a  study 
of  the  latter  can  afford.  The  number,  dii'ection,  movements,  thickness, 
erosive  or  denuding  power  and  the  constituent  parts  of  a  glacier,  or  a 
system  of  glaciers,  are  questions  full  of  interest.  It  has  been  ascertained 
that  over  four  hundred  glaciers  can  be  seen  in  the  central  portion  of  the 
Alps,  from  Mont  Blanc  to  the  Tyrol,  some  of  which  are  only  three  miles- 
in  length,  whilst  others  exceed  twenty  miles  from  head  to  foot  or  from 
the  point  of  origin  to  the  snout.  There  is  abundant  evidence  to  show 
that  the  number  of  glaciers  which  must  have  existed  here  about  Ottawa 
is  vej-j  considerable.  Pei'haps  the  greater  number,  were  subor- 
dinate or  small  ones  and  may,  at  length,  have  been  absoibed  in  and 
formed  part  of  "  a  great  glacier."  The  direction  in  which  they  moved 
de2)ended  of  course  on  the  nature  of  the  district,  its  pliysical  or 
orogra})hical  character.  The  general  trend  of  the  great  mer-de-glace  in 
Canada  during  this  epoch  has  been  ascertained  to  be  approximately 
N.  E.  and  S.  W.  With  regard  to  the  direction  of  some  of  the  glaciers, 
the  striations  or  grooves  on  the  rocks  about  Ottawa  show  that  in 
some  cases  they  travelled  almost  due  east  and  west,  as  may  be  seea 
along  Park  Avenue,  on  Nicholas  street  and  in  other  parts  of  the  city, 
at  other  times  they  appear  at  a  considerable  angle  to  this  direction, 
bearing  almost  due  north  and  south,  as  at  Buckingham  on  the  Lievre 
River.  Regarding  their  movements  and  the  s])eed  with  which  glaciex-s 
travel,  we  consult  Agassiz  and  find  that  he  obtained  the  following  results 
in  1841   and  1842  on  some  of  the  Aar  glaciers  : — 


I.  FiNSTEU  Aar —     '  annual 

MOTION. 

Stake  near  centre  of  glacier HCii*  feet. 

"  side  "  IGU     " 


{ 


II.   Lauteu  Aar — 

Stake  nearest  centre  of  glacier 245 

'-  side  "  124 


I 


70  / 

whilst  at  Chomonix  the  ice  near  the  shore  of  the  mer-de-glace  was  found 

to  move  as  follows,  from  June  29th  to  June  8th  of  the  following  year  : 

From  June  29  to  Sept.   28 132  feet. 

"      Sept.  28    "  Dec.     28 70    " 

"      Dec.     12    "  Feb.    17 76    " 

"      Feb.    17    "  April     4 66" 

"       April    4    "  June      8 88    " 

Total  (in  less  than  one  year) 432  feet 

This  would  average  over  five  hundred  feet  or  about  one-tenth  of  a  mile 
in  twelve  months.  The  rapidity  in  the  motion  of  a  glacier,  of  course, 
depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  obstacles  to  be  surmounted,  as  well  as 
to  a  great  extent  upon  the  time  or  month  of  the  year,  different  portions 
of  the  same  glacier  moving  at  different  rates.  A  glacier  which  decends 
into  a  valley  below,  or  discharges  itself  into  a  sea  or  arm  of  an  ocean, 
does  not  necessarily  lose  any  of  its  length,  for  whilst  its  snout  is  being 
melted  and  carried  away  to  warmer  portions,  the  head  or  initial  point  is 
ever  receiving  additional  snow  and  ice  to  supply  it  constantly,  and  only 
a  subsidence  of  the  continent  could  produce  a  change  in  the  climate  of 
such  an  ice  bound  district. 

We  have  no  data  existing  here  or  traces  left  by  means  of  which  we 
can  calculate  the  rate  of  motion  of  the  glaciers  about  Ottawa  during  the 
great  ice  age,  suffice  it  to  say  that  as  in  the  case  of  modern  glaciers  their 
rate  of  travelling  varied  at  different  times.  Then  as  to  the  thickness  of 
the  great  ice-mass  which  then  invaded  this  district,  that  is  a  problem 
which  to  a  great  extent,  has  yet  to  be  solved  with  us,  nevertheless,  let 
us  examine  the  data  at  our  disposal  in  reference  to  this  interesting 
phenomenon.  Taking  the  Ottawa  Valley,  in  and  around  the  city,  as  a 
typical  example  of  a  valley  of  erosion  with  subordinate  branches,  we 
see  that  facing  the  river  and  the  north,  there  occurs  a  series  of  high 
"  bluff's  "  or  cliff's  where  the  strata  are  clearly  seen  along  their  sides  to 
be  throughout  nearly  horizontal.* 

That  these  beds  could  not  have  been  deposited  in  such  a  position  is 
beyond  question,  so  that  the  prolongation  of  them  northward  must  at 
one  time  have  existed.     What  was  it  then,  which  removed  all  these  and 


■> 


*There  are  but  few  exceptions  to  this,  due  to  dislocations,  faiilts  and  folds  iu  the 
strata,  of  purely  local  origin,  but  not  of  general  significance  in  this  problem. 


71 

to  such  a  depth  ?     This  very  question  gives  us  a  clue  to  one  factor  at 
least  in  the  estimate  of  the  powerful  ice-iuass  which,  coming  from  the 
West  or  W.  N.  W.  struck  down  upon  the  shales  and  limestones  of  the 
formations  here  to  be  found.        It  also  gives  us  data  to  estimate  its 
thickness.     The  occurrence  of  striated  rocks  at  the  top  of  old  Barrack 
Hill,   where  the  Parliament  Buildings  now  stand,  shows  that  as  that 
clitF  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river, 
and  over  two  hundred  feet  above  the  level  oi  the  bed  of  the  river,  the 
mass  must  have  been  much  over  two  hundred  feet.     Further,  in  order 
that  a  mass  of  ice  or  a  glacier  carrying  boulders  and  detritus — moraine- 
profonde — can  groove  and  polish   the  rocks   of  a  district   to  such   an 
extent  as  was  the  ca.se  here,  the  superincumbent  weight  and  attending 
pressures  must  have  been  enormous,  and  from  what  is  known  of  present 
glaciers,  whether  in  alpine  or  arctic  regions,  we  know  that  its  thickness 
must  have  been  very  great.     A  fair  estimate,  we  believe,  of  the  thick- 
ness of    the  glacier  or  mer-de-glace   extending  over    our  city  and  its 
environs  during  the  glacial  epoch  must  have  been  vrry  little  short  of  one 
'thousand  feet,  if  indeed  that  number  is  not  too  small.     The  erosive  or 
denuding  force  of  glaciers  has  as  yet  only  casually  been  touched  upon, 
for    when    we     take    into    consideration    the     millions    of     tons    of 
material    which     have    been     i-emoved    from     even    the    small    area 
about  our  city,  it  is  marvellous  to  know  where  it  all  went.      You  can 
hardly  find  a  loose  rock  or  boulder  in  the  fields  without  seeing  v/ritten 
upon  it  indubitable  marks  of  scratching  and  grooving,  which,  along  with 
millions  of  othei-s  were  held  firm  in  a  mixture  of  cementing  clay  and 
sand  (to  a  small  extent)  carried  forward  upon  the  floor  of  the  glacier  and 
ground    one    against    the  other,  at  times,  to  such  an  e.xtent  that  all 
angularities  and  rough  points  were  removed  and  the  boulders  left  smooth 
and  polished.     The  striations,  grooves  and  polished  surfaces  of  rocks 
which  up  to  this  date  attest  clearly  to  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  those 
glaciers,  besides  the  boulders   themselves,  may  be  seen  not  only  in  the 
places  already  mentioned,  but  at  the  corner  of  Sussex  and  Rideau  streets, 
where  th-:?x-e  is  an  interesting  exposure. 

The  eflFect  of  these  glaciers  upon  the  softer  shaly  strata  of  our 
neighbourhood  is  clearly  shown  in  such  a  de])Osit  of  the  Utica  shales  as  is 
met  with  at  Cumming's  Bridge,  on  the  Rideau  River,  or  at  the  corner  of 


72 

Maria  and  O'Connor  streets,  some  12  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  road-^ 
way.     At  these  two  places,  whilst  the  shales  of  the  Utica  fomnation 
also  occur  in  situ  and  undisturbed  at  a  greater  depth  than  is  visible  in 
either   section,  the  "Uppermost  measures  of  the    section    exposed  and 
exan)ined  cannot  certainly  be  said  to  be  strictly  in  situ,  as  the  beds  are 
tilted  at  every  conceivable  angle,  crushed  and  broken,  and  in  the  over- 
lying glacial  deposits  are  to  be  found  some  of  the  boulders  themselves 
which  assisted  intilting  and  disturbing  these  once  horizontal  measures- 
There  occur  a  vast  number  of  faults  and  dislocations  in  the  measures 
of  the  Trenton  and  other  formations  about  Ottawa,  great  breaks,  which 
at  times,  run  more  or  less  parallel  to  each  other  and  were  the  result  of 
great  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  the  beds  in  question.     Whether 
these  faults  and  breaks  are  due  to  disturbances  which  took  place  about, 
the  close  of  the  Silurian  Age,  or  at  the  introduction  of  the  Devonian, 
when  Rigaud  and  Montreal  mountains,  and  other  similar  volcanic  or 
intrusive  masses,  were  ejected   amidst  great  perturbation  ;  or  whether 
some  of  these  faults  were  not  in  part  due  to  the  enormous  pressure  which 
the  great  ice-mass  exerted  upon  the  strata  in  later  glacial  times   arc 
questions    which,   though    readily    suggested    to    one's    min(7    by    the- 
phenomena  examined,  do  not  find  so  ready  a  solution.     Having  now 
examined  the  number,  direction,  movements,  thickness  and  the  e)-osive 
power  of  the  glaciers  during  this  Great  Ice  Age,  having  very  cursorily 
glanced  at  the  results  which  were  eflfected  in  giving  to  the  country  the 
general  appearance  which  it  possesses  at  the  present  day,  there  remains 

to  find  out  what  are  the  materials  and  under  what  conditions  they  were 
deposited. 

The  masses  of  boulders,  also  termed  "  boulder  clay,"  "  moraine- 
profonde,''  &c.,  unlike  both  the  underlying  older  and  overlying  newer 
deposits  are  not  stratified,  i.  e.  they  have  no  divisional  planes  of  strati- 
fication or  true  bedding.  Pebbles  of  various  sizes  and  of  every  kind  of 
rock  in  the  district,  usually  rounded  and  smooth,  held  together  or 
cemented  by  an  argillaceous  paste  or  clay  with  a  certain  admixture  of 
arenaceous  material  derived  from  the  more  finely  crushed  detritus  and 
debris  at  the  bottom  of  the  glacier,  form  the  lowest  division  of  our 
Post-Tertiary  deposits.  These  "  boulder  clays,"  as  they  are  appro- 
priately terBied,  have  a  very  large  percentage  of  boulders  in  them,  the 


-      13 

finer  material  being  scanty  and  in  a  finely-divided  or  comminuted  state. 
Such  a  deposit  is  one  which  "  land  ice  "  alone  produces  and  one  which 
resembles  wonderfully  the  "  moraine-profonde "  of  the  ancient  Rhone 
glacier  as  they  may  be  seen  near  the  Westei-n  extremity  of  Lake  Geneva 
(a  mile  and  a-half  below)  and  in  the  adjoining  districts.  In  further 
corroboration  of  these  boulder  clays  being  due  to  land  ice  is  the  fact  that 
none  of  the  organisms  which  would  be  expected  to  characterize  marine 
clays  are  present  therein.  The  total  absence  of  organic  remains  (so  far 
as  ascertained)  in  these  glacial  clays,  coupled  with  the  fact  of  their 
occurrence  in  abundance  in  the  Leda  clays  above,  points  clearly  to  a 
wide  difierence  in  the  mode  and  condition  of  deposition  of  both,  the 
one  being  laid  at  a  great  elevation  above  the  sea  level,  the  other  below 
the  level  of  an  ocean  or  arm  of  a  sea. 

In  examining  the  surface  geology  of  Ottawa,  one  is  struck  with 
the  diversity  in  the  distribution  and  extent  of  this  "  boulder  clay  for- 
mation :"  In  some  places,  the  only  indexes  present,  which  point  to  it» 
existence  at  one  time,  ai'e  the  striae  and  grooves  over  the  bare  rocks,  such 
as  are  exposed  principally  about  Hull  and  Ottawa  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Grand  River,  whilst  there  are  also  numerous  fields  and  tracts 
of  country  which  exhibit  that  formation  very  clearly.  In  such 
I)Ost-gUicial  valleys  and  districts,  from  which  the  Leda  clay,  and 
Saxicava  sand  and  overlying  strata,  have  been  removed  by  denudation, 
there  occurs  a  large  quantity  of  these  boulders.  Amongst  these  are  no 
doubt  included,  at  the  present  day,  the  erratics  which  were  dropped 
by  ice-bergs  at  a  period  subsequent  to  the  Great  Ice  Age.  The  Rideau 
River  Valley,of  Post-Tertiary  Age,  and  very  recent,  geologically  speaking, 
presents  numerous  points  of  interest  from  its  mouth  at  the  falls  in  New 
Edinburgh  to  the  Hog's  Back.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  Post-Tertiary 
formations  were  canied  away  by  the  once  wide  stream  which  flowed 
there,  and  even  the  glacial  clays  suflTered  not  a  little,  as  the  materials 
cementing  the  pebbles  are  to  a  great  extent  entirely  wanting.  The 
Rideau  Rifle  Range  extends,  for  the  most  part,  over  this  formation, 
whilst  the  southern  portion  of  the  range,  as  well  as  its  northern  limit 
(at  the  600  yard  butte)  are  on  the  outskirts  of  the  newer  overlying 
marine  clays.  We  have  already  spoken  cf  moraines.  These  vary  very 
much  in  extent  and  distribution  just   as   the  "  boulder  clay  "  or  "  till,'* 


74 

as  it  is  also  sometime  called,  varies  from  next  to  nothing  to  twenty- 
feet  or  more  in  thickness  in  different  places.  They  are  extensively 
developed  about  Ashburnham  Hill,  Gilmour's  Mills,  near  the  Hog's 
Back,  etc.,  occupying  their  lower  and  regular  position  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Post-Tertiary  series  in  Upper  Town,  Centre  Town  and  Stewarton, 
cropping  out  in  the  rear  of  the  City  Hall,  on  the  east  side  of  the  canal, 
and  ever  keeping  in  a  normal  position.  This  "  till "  is  thence  very 
generally  distributed  in  beds  of  varying  thickness,  in  the  area  included 
in  a  curve  drawn  from  the  New  Militia  Stores  on  the  canal,  along  Sussex 
street  up  to  St.  Patrick  street,  then  produced  on  to  the  bridges  over  the 
Rideau  river,  pretty  nearlv  in  a  line  with  the  curve  which  Sussex  street 
there  describes,  and  across  to  New  Edinburgh  through  the  Rideau  Hall 
grounds,  to  a  small  extent,  where  these  deposits  thin  out  markedly,  and 
continuing  the  line  through  Beechwood,  in  Gloucester,  on  in  a  south- 
easterly direction,  we  have  a  horse-shoe  cui've,  in  which  are  included 
vast  accumulations  of  material  left  us  by  this  Ice  Period.  But  to  come 
back  to  the  moraines : — there  are,  besides  these  hard  coherent  masses 
of  "  boulder  clay,"  large  aggregations  of  more  or  less  uniformly  sized 
boulders  held  very  loosely  together,  and  form  a  prominent  feature  of 
the  county.  At  Gilmour's  Mills  there  is  a  good  example  of  one  of 
these  whilst  there  has  already  been  pointed  out  in  the  "Geology  of 
Canada,"  1863 — already  cited — that  a  number  of  zones  or  belts  of 
boulders  cross  the  Ottawa  at  different  places  near  the  city,  one  of  which 
a  few  miles  below  Ottawa  produces  a  shoal  on  account  of  which  the 
navigability  of  the  river  at  this  point  becomes  dangerous  and  has  obliged 
the  Government  to  erect  a  lighthouse.  These  are  what  are  termed 
*'  morainic  belts,''  and  are  prominent  features  to  consider. 

There  are  a  number  of  other  particulars  respecting  which  the 
detailed  notes  obtained  from  the  excavations  that  have  been  carried  on 
in  our  streets,  though  bearing  immediately  on  this  subject,  cannot  be 
included  in  the  present  exposition  of  the  subject. 

(To  be  Continued. ) 


75 
KEPORT  OF  THE  BOTANICAL  BRANCH. 


To  the  Council  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  : 

The  same  plan  of  work,  found  so  successful  in  former  years,  has 
been  adhered  to  during  the  past  season  with  quite  satisfjictory  results. 
The  attendance  of  botanists  at  the  sub-excursions  has  been  particu- 
larly gratifying  to  the  leaders,  and  there  is  a  decided  increase  in  the 
amount  of  individual  work  being  done  by  members.  The  Flora  of  the 
district  is  now  pi-etty  well  worked  up  and  the  number  of  additions  to 
the  *'  Flora  Ottawaensis  "  is  smaller  than  usual.  The  leaders  desire  to 
call  the  attention  of  the  Council  to  this  list  which  was  prepared 
by  Mr.  Fletcher  for  Part  I.  of  our  Transactions,  and  would  suggest 
that,  as  most  of  the  plants  in  the  district  have  probably  now  been  dis- 
covered, the  time  has  arrived  for  a  more  complete  list  to  be  issued, 
in  which  all  the  additions  of  subsequent  years  should  be  included  as 
well  as  the  special  localities  and  the  period  of  inflorescence  of  each 
species.  We  hope  that  the  Council  will  be  able  to  order  such  a  republi- 
cation as  a  supplement  to  our  present  Transactions. 

We  think  it  well  in  the  interests  of  the  Club  to  mention  the  im- 
portant  work  done  by  some  of  our  members  in  connection  with  the 
Colonial  and  Indian  Exhibition,  held  in  London,  England,  during  the 
past  summer.  Our  worthy  President,  Prof.  Macoun,  the  Dominion 
Botanist,  spent  the  whole  summer  in  England,  where  he  was  able,  by 
lecturing  and  in  conversation  at  the  Exhibition,  to  disseminate  very 
valuable  information  concerning  Canada  and  its  natural  products.  To 
Mr.  James  Fletcher,  one  of  tue  active  members  of  this  branch,  was 
entrusted  the  laying  out  and  arrangement  of  a  Botanical  Garden  in 
connection  with  the  Exhibition,  where  were  shown  growing  specimens 
of  a  large  number  of  our  Canadian  plants.  A  good  representative 
collection  was  made  of  our  forest  trees,  and  plants  of  special  interest, 
whether  economic,  medicinal  or  scientific,  were  shown.  In  making  the 
collection  of  roots  Mr.  Fletcher  was  materially  assisted  in  his  work  by 
several  members  of  the  Club,  particularly  by  Mr.  H.  M.  Ami,  of  this 
city,  and  Rev.  G.  W.  Taylor,  of  Victoria,  B.C.  It  is  gratifying  to  see 
from  the  report  of  the  High  Commissioner  of  Canada  that  this  garden 


76 

was  a  decided  success,  and  those  who  visited  the  exhibition  pronounced 
it  a  very  interesting  feature  of  the  Canadian  Exhibit. 

We  consider  it  our  duty  to  refer  to  the  valuable  woi-k  which  has 
been  done  for  the  Club  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Whyte,  our  senior  leader,  who^ 
from  April  to  June,  gave  a  systematic  course  of  instruction  in  Botany 
to  a  large  class  in  the  Central  School  West.  We  believe  that  in  no 
way  will  the  Club  be  made  more  useful  and  popular  than  in  action 
similar  to  this. 

Of  the  plants  added  to  the  list  during  the  past  season  none  are  of 
very  special  interest.  New  localities  for  already  recorded  species  have 
been  noted,  and  add  much  to  our  knowledge  of  the  district.  'Bidens 
Bechii,  a  plant  which  seldom  flowers  freely,  this  season  perfected  ^its 
flowers  in  profusion  in  many  of  our  waters,  as  Brigham's  Creek,  Hull, 
and  all  along  the  Rideau  River.  Celtis  occidentalis,  a  tree  of  rare 
occurrence  here,  was  observed  at  Britannia  and  the  Little  Chaudiere. 

Bipsacus  s'l/lvestris,  Mill.  "  The  Wild  Teazle,"  although  possibly- 
indigenous  in  Western  Canada  is  not  so  here,  and  the  specimen 
collected  by  Mr.  Ami  in  one  of  our  streets  was  undoubtedly  from  seed^ 
accidentally  introduced. 

Caucalis  daucoides,  B.  "  Beaked  Parsley."  One  specimen  of  this 
plant  was  found  in  a  wheat  field  where  it  had  probably  been  introduced 
with  the  seed. 

Symplocarpus  foetidus,  "  The  Skunk  Cabbage,"  and  Podophyllum 
peltatum,  L.,  "  The  May  Apple,"  were  both  found  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte 
at  Perth,  Ont.,  but  this  is  at  too  great  a  distance  to  be  included  in  our 
local  list. 

The  leaders  again  express  a  hope  that  the  study  of  the  Mosses  may 
be  taken  up  with  greater  enthusiasm  by  our  members.  There  is  no 
branch  of  Botany  which  presents  a  more  fruitful  field  for  research,  nor 
in  which  there  is  so  little  trouble  in  prepaiing  the  specimens. 

During  the  past  season  Mr.  Fletcher  has  continvied  his  studies  in 
growing  from  the  seed,  and  cultivating  here,  plants  indigenous  to  other 
parts  of  the  Dominion,  and  has  succeeded  in  flowering  the  following 
species  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned  :  Silene  Drummondii 
(Nor. -West  Ter.),  Claytonia  2)er/oliata,  Donn.  (Brit.  Col.),  Geranium 
inrnwrn,  Nutt.  (B.C.),  Bujnnus  polyphyllus,  Lindl.  (B.C.),  Fetalostemon 


77 

candidus,   Mx.    (N,-W.T.),   Ruhus  Nutkamcs,   Mocino    (B.C.),   Liatris 

cylindracea,   Michx.  (W.  Out.),  L.   scariosa   (Manitoba),   L.  2JU>ictatat 

Hook.  (N.-W-T.),  Soldago  rigida,   L.    (N.-W.T.),   Gaillardia   aristafa, 

Parsh.  (B.C.),  Nemophila  parvijlora,  Douor.  (B.C.),  Phacelia  Menziesii, 

Torr.   (B.C.),    Convolvulus    spithamaus,    L.    (L.     Superior),    Solarium 

triflorum,  Nutt.  (N.-W.T.),  Allium  stellatum  (B.C.)     The  following  grow 

from    the    bulb    and    stand    our    winters    well  :     Lilium  parvlfiorum, 

Cavmssia  esculenta  and  Fritillaria  lanceolata.     All  of  the  above  with 

the  exception  of  the  first  two  and  Solanum   triflorum  are  worthy  of  a 

place  in  our  gardens  as  ornamental  plants. 

(Signed) 

E.  B.  WHYTE. 

SAML.  WOODS. 

H.  B.  SMALL.  (M.D.) 


ADDITIONS  TO  THE  "FLORA  OTTAWAENSIS.' 


Caucalis  dcmcoides,  L.  (Stewarton,  July) Mr.  Fletcher. 

Lonicera  oblongifolia,  Muhl.  (Mtr  Bleue,  July  1) do 

Dipsacus  sylveUris,  Mill.  (Friel  St.,  Ottawa,  July) Mr.  Ami, 

Euphorbia  Peplus,  L.  (Green's  Creek,  September) Mr.  Fletcher 

Betula  pumila,  L.  (Mer  Bleue,  July  1) do 

Cynosurus  crislatus  (Stewarton,  August) do 


EXCURSION. 


The  third  regular  monthly  Excursion  was  held  on  Thursday, 
21st  July,  to  Buckingham,  P.Q.  The  morning  opened  dull  and 
cloudy  with  an  occasional  drop  or  two  of  lain.  This  dullness, 
undoubtedly,  affected  very  seriously  the  attendance,  for  when  the 
whistle  of  the  "Maude"  .sounded  at  7.20,  only  24  members  were  present. 
The  day  turned  out  a  ])erfect  success,  the  overcast  sky  during  i)art  of 
the  day,  accompanied  by  a  light  breeze  rendered  the  labours  of  the 
Collectors  a  much  i)leasanter  occupation  than  has  been  the  case  during 
the  greater  part  of  this  hot  dry  month.  Rich  collections  were  made  in 
all  branches.      At  noon  the  party  re-assea.bled  for  luncheon  at  the  grist 


78 

mill  over  the  rapids,  after  which  the  Phosphate  CrLishiug  Works  were 
visited.     The  Excursionists  received  every  attention  from  Mr.  Taylor, 
who,  in  the  absence  of  the  Manager,  showed  them   over  the   mill  and 
explained   the   machinery  by  which   the   raw   material  is   crushed  and 
prepared  for   the  manufacture  of  super-phosphate.     There  were  in  the 
mill  over  150  tons  of  ground  phosphate  (finer  than  wheat  flour)  ready  for 
shipment.     Having  returned  to  the  whai-f  the  usual  elementary  lectures 
were  delivered  by  the  leaders.     Mr.  Fletcher  was  first  called  upon  by 
the  President  to   speak   on  Entomology.      He   stated  that  rare  insects 
had  been   collected,  and   announced  the  capture  of  a  female  of  Colia& 
Interior,  a  very  rare  butterfly,  and  one   he  v/as    particularly  anxious  to 
breed  from  the  egg.     His  remarks  were   directed  towards  showing  the 
advantages  which  are  to  be  derived  from  students  working  out  the  life- 
histories  of  difi'erent  species  of  insects,  and   showed  that  it  was  one  of 
the  most  important  factors  in  the   success  of  Economic  Entomologists. 
Mr.  Henry  M.  Ami  then  explained   ihe   difi'erent   rock-formations 
which  wore  to   be  seen  in  the  locality.     The  Laurentian  and  Potsdam 
formations  were  the  two  which  occurred  of  the  older  Geologic  Epochs 
at  Buckingham.     In  the  former  were  found  inexhaustible   supplies  of 
iron,  apatite  or  phosphate   of  lime,  plumbago,  mica,  baryta   and  other 
mineral    products,    and    the    Potsdam     formation    afforded    building 
materials  of  first  quality.      Mr.  Ami  then  drew   attention  to  the  traces 
of  glaciation   which   were  well  exposed   in   several  places   and  gave  a 
succinct  and  lucid  account  of  the  Great  Ice  Age.     The  President,  Mr. 
Pt.  B.  Whyte,  gave  the  address  upon  the  Botanical  specimens  collected, 
he  said  the  locality  was   an  exceptionally  rich   one  as  was   evidenced 
by  the  many  rarities  which  had  rewarded  the  collectors.     Mr.  Whyte 
took  advantage  of  some  of  the  familiar  plants  to  explain  in  a  clear  and 
attractive  manner  a  few  of  the  rudiments  of  structural  botany.      He 
used  the  Nymi^hcea   tuherosa  to  show   the  gradation   of  all   the  floral 
organs  from  the  leaf-form.     Impatiens  fulva,  the  common   balsam   or 
"Jewel  Weed"  of  our  swamps,  was  exhibited  and  everyone  was  advised 
to  take  special  notice  of  it,  as  it  was  reputed  to  be  the  antidote  for  the 
Poison   Ivy   [Rhus  toxicodendron).      Many  other   rare   and   beautiful 
plants   were  spoken  of   and  made  interesting   by  the  remarks   of  the 
speaker.     The  party  reached   the  city  again   about  9  o'clock,  when  the 


much  needed  rain,  which    had   kept  ofi   during  the   day,  began^to  fallal        ' 
and  continued  to  do  so  all  night.  '^       " 


SUB-EXCURSIONS. 


The  Sub-Excursion  arranged  by  the  Botanical  and  Entomological 
Leaders  for  the  2nd  July  had  to  be  postponed  on  account  of  wet 
weather. 

Seventh. — On  the  9ch  of  July,  notwithstanding  the  excessive  heat 
of  the  day,  about  fifteen  members  of  the  Club,  including  several  ladies, 
turred  up  at  the  usual  rendezvous — the  General  Po3t  Office.     At   2 
o'clock  the  party  started  in  the  Billings  Bridge  stage  for  Dow's  swamp. 
This  locality,  which    lies   about  two   miles  south   of  the  city,  is   one 
possessing  special  attractions  to  the  Entomologist  and  Botanist.     The 
Botanists  were  under  the  leadership  of  the  President,  Mr.  R.  B,  Whyte, 
who  also    delivered    the   address   upon   Botany,   none   of   the  regular 
leaders   being  able  to   attend   upon    this    occasion.       Many   plants    of 
interest  were  collected  and  their  important  features  were  drawn  atten- 
tion  to  in   a   pleasing  and   simple   manner,    by   the   President.      The 
magnificent   white  panicles   of  the  Meadow  Rue,  Thalictrum  Cornuti, 
were    conspicuous    objects    in    the    cleared    spaces    of    the    bog,   and 
Ijeneath   the   shade   of  the  cedai'S   the   rare   little   orchids,  31icrostylis 
mono2>hyllos  and  M.  ophioylossoides,  wei'e  found.     These  treasures  only 
reward  the  patient  searcher  or  the  Botanist  with  a  well-trained  eye. 
Another    orchid    of    interest,     b"t    like    the    last     named,     possibly 
more  inconspicuous  than  scarce,  was  Lvparis  Lceselii,  of  which   a  few 
specimens   were   seciired.     In   all   about  forty  species  of  plants   were 
collected  in  flower,     Mr.   Fred.  Magee  rei)resented  the  Entomologists 
and  exhibited  his  collections  of  the  afternoon.     Dow's  Swamp  is  one  of 
our  few   localities  for   the  beautiful  1  ''tterfly  Afelitcea  Phaeton,  which 
may  still  be  found  in  an  open  glar.e  to  the  south  east  of  the  lake,  where 
it  was  noted  by  the  late  Mr.  B.  Billings  many  years  ago.     Its  bright 
colours,  rich  velvety  black  spotted  with  red  and  white,  make  it  a  con- 
spicuous object  as  it  flits  slowly  ove^  the  low  bushes.     Its  food  plant, 
Chelone  glabra,  grows  here  in  abundance. 


.80 

Eighth. — RockcIifFe  was  the  point  decided  upon  for  investigation 
for  the  Sub-Excursion  of  IGth  July.  The  heat  was  excessive,  but  over 
a  dozen  enthusiastic  members  turned  up.  As  usual  this  locality  pro- 
duced much  of  interest.  Here,  curiously  enough,  is  the  only  locality, 
yet  discovered  in  this  neighbourhood  for  the  New  Jersey  Tea  {Ceanothus 
Aniericanus).  Here  too  occur  Pinus  resinosa  and  Woodsia  Ilvensis, 
both  uncommon  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Excursion  it  was  discovered  by  Mr.  A.  J.  Forward  that  the  rare 
Ericaceous  plant,  Pterospora  andromedea,  also  grew  here.  An  address 
was  delivered  by  Mr.  Fletcher,  leader  in  Botany  and  Entomology,  upon 
those  subjects.  He  spoke  of  the  peculiar  features  of  the  Flora  of  the 
rocky  point  upon  which  they  stood,  and  mentioned  the  plants  which  had 
been  found.  Pterospora  was  probably  a  parasite  upon  the  roots  of 
pines,  the  only  other  place  that  he  knew  of,  where  it  could  be  found 
about  Ottawa,  was  upon  the  Chelsea  Road.  Comandra,  Monotropa, 
and  other  parasites  were  I'eferred  to.  Astragalus  Canadensis  and  A. 
Cooperi  were  exhibited,  and  it  was  shown  how  they  might  be  known 
apart.  The  latter  is  a  much  earlier  plant,  the  seed  being  ripe  by  the 
time  the  former  is  in  flower.  The  fruit  of  Prunus  pumila  was 
exhibited.  This  shrub  is  quite  rare  at  Ottawa,  one  bush  only  having 
been  previously  observed,  which  grows  upon  the  Chaudiere  Islands. 
In  speaking  of  the  insects  collected,  the  different  kinds  of  Cicadce  were 
desci-ibed,  their  "song"  was  treated  of  and  their  life-history  was 
sketched.  The  different  kinds  of  mosquitoes  also  formed  an  interesting 
topic  which  was  simply  explained.  Notwithstanding  the  heat  the 
Sub-Excursion  was  a  great  success  and  the  members  were  well  pleased. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


EXCURSION.— Tlie  fourth  Excursion  will,  be  held  on  Saturday,  13th 
August,  to  Britannia  on  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway.  The  trains 
leave  at  10  a.m.  and  12.30  p.m.  and  the  party  will  return  by  the  6.45 
train  in  the  evening.  Return  tickets  :  Members,  £5  cents;  non-members, 
30  cents  children,  1.5  cents. 

Sub-Excursions.— August  6,  Gatineau  Point ;  August  20,  Beech- 
Twood  ;  August  27,  Skead's  Gravel  Road. 


THE  GREAT  ICE  AGE   AND    SUBSEQUENT    FORMATIhnjP 

AT  OTTAWA,  ONTARIO. 


By  H.  M.  Ami,  M.A.,  F.G.S. 


Continued  from  Page  7Jf. 

Following  this  period  of  great  elevation  and  of  extreme  cold  there 
came  a  period  of  submergence.  Nor  must  it  be  surmised  that  the 
subsidence  which  took  place  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  necessarily 
effected  in  a  short  time;  on  the  contrary,  it  must  indeed  have  taken 
ages  for  the  country  to  have  come  down  even  to  the  level  at  which  it  is 
at  present — a  height  of  between  two  antl  three  hundred  feet  above 
sea  level  at  Ottav/a.  As  the  elevated  and  ice-bound  country 
was  gradually  subsiding,  there  came  an  amelioration  in  its 
climatic  condition,  and  more  temperate  seasons  ensued.  The 
glaciers  which  at  one  time  discharged  their  materials  into  valleys 
and  on  land — feeders  to  a  regular  system  of  glacial  rivers  both 
in  the  lowlands  and  in  the  mountain  districts — now  discharged  these 
along  the  coast,  and  coast- ice  and  icebergs  were  soon  at  work  as  the 
sea  was  encroaching  upon  the  land  and  depositing  pver  the  old  beds  of 
the  glaciers  a  series  of  sedimentary  stratti,  with  which  there  came 
also  the  life  and  organisms  common  to  siich  habitats,  so  that  the  next 
period  or  formation  with  which  we  have  to  deal  is  one  of  marine  ongin, 
deposited  in  the  still  depths  of  an  ocean  or  sea  and  containing  the 
remains  of  animals  com  won  to  that  period  in  the  earth's  hi-story. 
MeanwJiijp,  innumerablw  quantitifes  of  icebergs,  carrying  with  them 
large  blocks  of  rock  and  detiitus — themselves  portions  of  glaciers-  — 
were  scattering  their  burden  over  the  bed  of  this  ocean  or  sea,  as  the 
warmer  regions  were  reached,  just  as  is  going  on  at  the   present  day, 

dong  the  coasts  of  Labrador,  Nawfoundland,  etc  ,  the  icebergs  detached 
from  their  northern  fortresses  sweep  down  towards  the  centre  of  the 

•arth — no  doubt  to  a  great  extent  duo   to  Lhab  transporting    forc3  de- 
veloped in  the  rotation  of  the  earth. 

There  are  certain  geologists,  I  believe,  who  would  account  for  the 
striatious  in-  the  hard  rock  masses  below  beinsjc  formed  through  the 
agency  of  coast-ice  and  icebirgs  only.    Whilst  admitting  the  possibility  of 


V 


82 

certain  local  and  limited  areas  as  capable  of  being  aft^cted  by  the 
agencies  above  mentioned,  there  is  little  doubt  that  they  are  together 
wholly  inadequate  to  explain  the  phenomena  of  striated  surfaces  (see 
Prestwich's  geology)  over  such  vast  areas,  as  it  is  known  that  these 
surfaces  extend,  in  some  cases,  for  hundreds  of  miles. 

But,  of  the  sedimentary  strata  which,  during  this  pei-iod  of 
submergence,  were  being  laid  down  over  the  remains  of  the  glacial 
epoch  the  lowermost  series  consists  of  bluish  gray  clays  of  more  or  lees 
plasticity  and  vai-ying  gi-eatly  in  thickness  in  different  parts  of  this 
region.  There  are  a  number  of  sections  both  liatural  and  artificial  which 
this  district  has  afforded.  Amongst  the  latter  may  be  mentioned  the 
Rideau  Canal,  which  from  the  "  Basin  "  to  the  "  Deep  Cut "  "  gives  a 
very  good  idea  of  the  thickness  of  these  clays  there.  Then  the  hun- 
dreds of  sections  which  the  recent  excavations  carried  on  by  the  City 
Engineer  have  exhibited,  where  in  almost  every  instance,  the  clays  may 
be  seen  in  their  normal  position.  Then  come  the  brick-yards  owned 
by  the  Messrs.  Odell,  Cla^rk,  Nicholson,  Graham  and  others.  In  the 
first  mentioned  of  these  have  been  found  remains  of  a  fossil  sponge,  the 
Tethea  Logani  of  Dawson,  together  v,'ith  shells- and  foraminifera  and  a 
bone  sent  to  Prof.  Cope  for  identification,  all  of  which  were  presented  to 
the  writer  through  Mr.  A.  P.  Low,  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada. 
But  whilst  artificial  sections  ai-e  often  more  convenient  in  ascertaining 
the  relative  thickness  of  the  different  kinds  of  strata,  nevertheless,  the 
■  natural  sections  which  are  met  with  everywhere,  enable  us  to  obtain 
the  .geographical  distributions,  extent  and  thickness,  sometimes  with 
greater  facili'ty,  as  these  sections  are  very  numerous  indeed.  Along 
the  left  bank  of  the  Rideau  River,  e.  g.,  from  tlie  Hog's  Back  to  the 
Falls,  down  the  Ottawa  as  far  as  Green's  Creek,  and  farther  across  the 
river  in  Hull  Township  as  far  as  Ironsides,  and  above  that  towards  New 
Chelsea,  and  in  Nepean  and  Gloucester  Townships,  there  are  hosts  of 
natural  sections,  where  the  "Leda  clay"  formation — so-called  on  account 
of  the  pi'evalence  of  a  small  bivalve  shell,  LeJa  (  Fortlandia)  arctica, — 
Gray  is  well  exposed. 

An  interesting  point  about  these  clays  and  accompanying  strata  is 
the  fact  tliat  they  occur  in  many  instances  in  the  shape  of  "  terraces  " 
or  small  plateaus  following  one  another  at  different  levels.   By  one  stand- 


83 

ing  on  Parliauaent  Hiil  some  of  the  more  proniirient  'terraces'  may  be 
clearly  seen  to  the  north  forming  for  a  consideraMe  distance  an  almost 
unbroken  line  of  level,  Rtretching  from  east  to  west  in  the  general  trend 
of  the  Ottawa  River.  One  of  these  occura  just  aljove  Ironsides,  as 
many  members  of  the  Club  have  had  occasion  to  notice,  forming  a 
general  plateau  of  clay  covered  by  a  thin  stratum  of  sand.  These  terraces 
point  indubitably  to  a  period  of  subsequent  elevation  which  was 
characterized  by  oscillatory  movements  i.  e.  a  period  of  elevation  which 
is  not  constant,  during  which  periods  of  quiescence  intervene.  Such  an 
elevation  predicates  the  next  period  with  which  we  are  to  deal;  but 
before  entering  upon  this  latter,  there  are  important  results  which 
must  be  noted  with  regard  to  the  ^' Leda  day"  formation.  Imbedded 
within  its  measures  is  found  a  goodly  number  of  interesting  organic 
remains.  Nearly  all  of  them  are  of  marine  origin  and  consist  in  the 
remains  of  shells,  insects,  animals  and  even  plants  which  will  together, 
when  all  examined  and  determined,  make  not  far  from  thirty  di.'jtinct 
species. 

AVith  scarcely  a  single  exception  all  of  these  species  of  shells  and 
animals  can  be  dredged  up  alive  now-a-days  either  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  or  along  the  Coasts  of  Labrador  or  Newfoundland,  and  even 
as  far  as  Norway.  Their  mode  of  preservation  is  not  an  uninteresting 
fact  to  I'ecord,  as  it  is  peculiar  even  in  different  portio.is  of  the  same 
formation.  At  Green's  Creek,  for  example,  on  the  Lievre  River,  and  in 
other  localities  likewise,  both  above  and  below  our  city,  these  places  are 
noted  for  the  peculiar  nodules  which  are  found  included  in  the  clays. 
By  some  such  process  as  concretionary  action  can  the  agglomeration 
of  finely  divided  particles  of  argillaceous  rock  be  best  accounted  for, 
principally  around  some  nucleus  whatever  it  may  be — a  pebble  perhaps 
as  in  some  instances.  Remains  of  tl.e  seal,  feathers,  numerous  remains  of 
the.caplin  Mallotus  villosus  (Ciivier)  occur  in  this  manner,  whilst  it 
more  often  happens  that  the  nucleus  is  so  small  as  to  be  almost  invisible. 
These  nodules  have  also  yielded  two  otlun'  binds  of  fish,  the  Lump 
Sucker  and  a  Sculpin.  found  by  Mr.  Stewart  recently,  all  these  still  live 
in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Sir  Willitm  Dawson  has  a  beautiful 
collection  of  these  nodules  from  Green's  Creek,  from  which  he  has 
indentifipd  a  large  number  of  Ri)ecie3  of  fossil  plants,  among  which  are 


84 

twi-'S  jtiul  bunches  of  the  white  cedar  which  is  met  with  not  uiifre- 
queutly.  Another  mode  of  preservation  of  these  fossils  at  Green's  Cieek 
is  throuoh  the  infiltration  of  a  siliceous  solution,  so  that  shells  are 
as  thoroughly  silicified  in  this  deposit  as  they  are  in  the  Black  River 
formation  at  Paquette's  Rapids,  muriatic  acid  not  affecting  the  shell  in 
the  least.  Others  are  preserved  with  but  little  change  from  the  character 
in  which  they  were  entombed,  whilst  others  appear  as  if  they  were  live 
shells  with  the  epidei-mis  on  and  nicely  preserved. 

Of  the  other  fossils  which  characterize  this  formation  a  gi-eat  deal 
mioht   be   said,  but  passing  over    these  important  discoveries  I    will 
mention  that  during  the  past  season  a  large  number    oi  foraminifora 
were  collected.     Dr.    G.    M.    Dawson,  whose   extensive   researches  in 
Post- Tertiary  Geology  have  enabled  him   to  give  valuable  information 
regarding  the  best  mode  of  obtaining  these  very  minute  organisms  from 
the  clays,  and  of  working  out  their   microscopic  character,   ha?  very 
kindly  given  the  writer  such  hints  as  have  provetl  of  utmost  value  in 
this  connection,  so  that  by  a  series  of  percolations  of  a  solution  of  clay 
and  water,  on  sheets  of  blotting-paper  a  largs  number  of  specimens  was 
obtained.     The  largest  of  these,  and  a  common  species  in  nearly  all  the 
collections  from  the  Gulf  ?nd  elsewhere,  is  Folijstomella  crispa,  L.,  which 
also  occurs  in  our  Ottawa  deposits.     Besides  these  forms  there  remains  a 
great  deal  of  material  ready  to  be  worked  up  and  awaiting  identification. 
It  has  already  been  hinted  that  the  "  Leda  clay  "   formation,  laid 
down  beneath  the  level  of  an  ocean  or  sea  which  extended  in  this  region 
as  far  west  as  the  Bonnechere  River  {loc.  cit.),  was  followed  by  a  period 
of  elevation.     Whilst  these  clays  were  thus  being  deposited  along  the 
bottom  of  th^  sea,  i.e.,  at  some  distance  from  the  shores,  the  sands   and 
gravels    which    usually   mark  the  littoral   deposits  of  an   ocean  were 
being  deposited  in  this  vicinity  in  regular  order.     They  are  ai-enaceous 
deposits  in  which   distinct  lines  of  stratification  occur  overlying   the 
clays  in  numerous  localities,  but  their  thickness  varies  considerably 
in      different      places.        This     uprising     of     the     continent     which 
exposed    to    view    the    former    depths    of    the    ocean,    once    begun 
has  continued  on,  and  there  is  no   index   that  points  out  whether  this 
elevation   has,  up   to    the  present   day,  ceased.     The  sands  and  clays 
which  were  laid  along  the  shores  and  bottom  of  the  old  Ottawa  Sea,  up 


85 

as  far  as  the  Bonnechure  River,  are  now  some  500  feet  above  tlie  mean, 
tide  level  at  Three  Rivers,  so  that  there  must  have  been,  at  least,  an 
elevation  of  500  feet  in  this  part  of  the  American  Continent  in  later 
Post-Tertiary  times.  Those  sands,  to  which  the  term  " Saxicava  Sand' 
has  been  applied  by  Sir  W.  Dawson  and  others,  are  veiy  generally 
distributed  over  the  gravels,  clays  and  older  boulder  glacial  clays  in  this 
district.  Sandy  Hill  received  its  name  no  doubt  on  account  of  the 
prevelance  of  this  rock  about  that  part  of  the  city,  although  there  is 
perhaps  twenty-five  times  more  clay  on  Sandy  Hill  than  sand.  Near  the 
junction  of  the  sands  with  the  clays  below  and  in  places  when  the  the 
gravels  are  not  coarse,  there  ai'e  found  several  s^jecies  of  fosfjils,  some 
of  which  have  already  been  recorded  in  the  Club's  transactions.  Maconia 
calcarea,  Chemnitz,  M.  fragilis,  Fabricius,  Natica  affinis,  Gmelin,  and 
others  occur  in  these  deposits,  but  as  a  lule  they  are  nearly  always 
destitute  of  fossils.  As  there  must  certainly  have  been  many  at  one 
time,  their  remains  must  have  been  decomposed  and  become  obliterated. 
A.  peculiar  seam  one  inch  in  thickness  occurs  near  the  corner  of  Waller 
and  Rideau  streets,  and  divides  the  u{)per  sands  into  two  parts. 
This  bed  consists  for  the  most  part  of  leaves  of  po()lar  and  other  trees, 
bits  of  grasses  and  sedges  held  together,  but  has  been  observed  to  be 
continuous  only  for  a  limited  area.  Theie  is  considerable  evidence  to 
show  that  much  of  the  sands  of  the  distiict  were  redeposited  in  lagoons 
or  lakes  along  river  shores  in  later  times.  Overlying  the  sands  in 
New  Edinburgh,  on  the  east  side  of  Hemlock  Lake,  there  o  curs  a 
deposit  of  shell-marl   teeming   with   remains   of  fresh   water  and  land 

!  mollusca,  evidently  a  lacustrine  deposit.  This  bed  is  now  at  a  con- 
siderable elevation  above  the  present  lake  and  river  levels. 

The  u})per  poi'tion  of  these  samls  is  that  with  which  we 
have  last  to  deal,  and  is  included  in  that  period  which  we 
call  here  the  Human  ])eriod,  for  in  it  do  we  find  for  tiie  first  time 
traces  of  the  existence  of  human  beings.  The  loam  or  surface  soil, 
cultivated   or  not,  in  which  implements  of  stone  are  found    associated 

.  with  fragments  of  pottery,  bones  of  deer,  bear,  beaver  and  other 
animals,  points  clearly  to  the  fact  that  man  of  two  distinct  types  has 
left  his  mark  in  these  newer  overlvincj  beds.  Previous  to  this,  however, 
no  records  exist  which   shov/,  that  here  in   Canada,   man   can\e  in  these 


86 

times  except  subsequent  to  the  G!.io-;.il  Kfi.xh  ai  the  newer  and  present 
Historifiiil  age. 

Nor  is  0.\rt  fconrmic-.  n-ptct  of  the  quoslion,  in  reference  to  the  use 
to  which  the  in  iti-iiuls  which  compose  the  Post-Tertiary  deposits  of  this 
district  can  be  put,  one  of  trifling  importance  whether  in  furnishing 
useful  materials  for  railroad,  commercial,  agricultural,  or  other  interests. 
For  ballasting,  road  metal  and  the  like,  the  Saxicava  Sands,  gravels 
and  Boulder  Clay  formations  have  been  extensively  used  by  the  Canada 
Atlantic  and  Canadian  Pacific  Eailway  authorities  throughout  this 
district  along  their  roads  at  Ottawa  and  its  environs,  whilst  the  sands 
themselves  afford  splendid  material  in  the  manufacture  of  mortar  for 
building  purposes  and  to  such  an  extent  that  a  good  sand  quarry  is 
more  remunerative  than  a  gold  mine.  But  whilst  these  substances  are 
of  incalculable  value  to  man,  the  marine  clays  of  the  "Leda  Clay  ' 
formation  supply  the  brick  and  tile  manufacturers  with  the  matei'ial 
wherewith  to  turn  out  these  useful  building  and  other  requisites  and 
likewise  afford  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  the  argillaceous  substance 
necessary  in  the  manufacture  of  Hydraulic  cements,  of  which  the  Hull 
cement  of  this  locality,  is  well-known  to  be  one  of  the  best  slow-setting 
cements. 

Mr.  Wright,  the  manufacturer  of  the  Hull  Cement,  informs  me 
that  the  marine  clays  which  he  uses  are  almost  equal  to  the  mud 
or  clays  dug  out  of  the  Thames  in  England,  for  the  manufacture  of 
the  "  Portland  and  Ptoman  Cements,"  so  famous  everywhere. 

There  are  many  good  brick-yards  in  the  vicinity  which  derive 
their  material  from  the  clays  in  question,  and  whilst,  it  is  not  deemed 
necessary  to  signal  out  any  particular  one,  nevertheless,  that  of  Mr. 
T.  M.  Clarke,  of  New  Edinburgh  is  worthy  of  note,  as  from  it,  that 
gentleman  turned  out  a  large  quantity  of  white  brick  of  superior 
quality,  Ijy  carefully  introducing  a  certain  percentage  of  the  white 
earth  taken  from  the  marls  overlying  the  saxicava  sands  at  Hemlock 
Lake,  in  McKay's  Grove,  and  submitting  it  to  special  process. 
Brick  manufacturing  is  a  most  remunerative  occupation,  especially 
in  such  a  growing  place  as  Ottawa,  where  the  supply  can  scarcely 
equal  the  demand  and  the  materials  are  ready  and  at  hand. 

The   plastic  nature  of  certain  strata  in   the  lower  portion  of  the 


87 

Leda  clays  afibrd  good  substance  for  modelling  purposes  and  they  have 
already  been    used  to  a  certain  extent  in   this  direction. 

There  is  a  large  percentage  of  alumina  in  these  clay  deposits, 
and  when  we  think  of  the  vast  advantages  which  the  metal  alumi- 
niuvi  presents  over  such  substances  as  iron,  copper,  lead  and  zinc,  it 
may  not  be  amiss  to  look  forward  to  the  time  when  a  process  shall 
be  discovered  which  will  enable  its  being  manufactured  from  clays 
such  as  we  have  at  our  very  doors.  Nay,  if  I  am  rightly  informed,  a 
series  of  very  successful  experiments  have  been  carried  on  by  French 
chemists  and  others  of  late  by  means  of  which  that  metal  can  be  pro- 
duced, but  at  a  cost  which,  at  the  present  time,  is  too  great  so  that  this 
aluminium  industry  cannot  compete  with  that  of  iron.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  the  properties  of  this  metal  will  clearly  see  what 
advantages  the  community  would  reap  if  a  aluminium  could  be  manu- 
factured cheaply  and  from  the  clays  which  are  so  abundantly 
distributed  with  us. 

i\  ncl  to  sum  up  the  results  thus  obtained  in  the  examination  of 
the  Post-Tertiary  deposits  of  Ottawa  and  vicinity,  an  ideal  vertical  sec 
tion,  made  to  include  the  various  measures  which  compose  them  is 
here  given  : — It  is  based  on  an  actual  section  taken  in  the  excavations 
along  Waller  street,  not  far  from  Eideau  street  and  is  supplemented 
by  data  obtained  from  other  quarters.  The  lowest  measures  are  those 
which  belong  to  the  "  Boulder  or  Glacial  Clay  "  or  '*  till  "  formation 
and  are  seen  to  rest  on  the  Cambro-Silurian  formations  of  the  district 
unconformably.  Their  thickness  is  considerable  in  numerous  places 
but  varies  materially,  according  to  the  district  in  which  they  occur.  The 
*'  Leda  Clay  "  formation  overlies  this  glacial  deposit  and  contains  fossils 
of  various  kinds  entombed  in  strata.  The  thickness  of  this  marine 
deposit  is  considerable  in  some  places  whilst  it  has  been  completely 
eroded  or  denuded  in  others  at  a  remote,  but  subsequent  period  to  its 
deposition.  The  clays  often  carry  erratics  with  them.  Then  comes  a 
vseries  of  stratified  gravels  or  coarse  sands  in  which  many  large  angular 
and  partially  rounded  boulders  occur  overlying  the  Leda  Clays,  in 
most  cases  apparently  conformably,  but  oftimes,  no  doubt,  unconform- 
ably as  the  line  of  contact  is  very  sinuous  and  points  to  a  good  portion 
of  the  clay  as  having  been  carried  awny.     Overlying  these  gravels  are 


88 

found  the  yellow  and  darker  sands  so  extensively  developed  about 
Ottawa.  The  shell-marl  deposit  (Vcrlics  these  sands,  and  along  with 
them  form  the  newest  or  topMio  t  deposits  of  our  district.  It  is  in 
these  most  recently  deposited  strata  that  the  Human  remains  occur — 
remains  which  point  to  the  time  when  this  part  of  Canada  was  first 
inhabited  by  Algonquin  tribes  who  flourished  at  one  time,  leaving 
behind  them  innumerable  traces  of  the  advanced  state  of  civilization  to 
which  they  had  attained  whether  in  hunting  or  other  practices  of  life 
common  to  their  race.  But  these  newer  and  arenaceous  strata  deposited 
on  the  shore  or  margin  of  an  ocean  or  sea,  point  clearly  to  a  period 
of  elevation,  which  period  has  been  going  on  ever  since,  so  that  this  part 
of  the  Amei-ican  Continent  may  safely  be  said  to  be  rising  yet,  at 
least  in  Eastern  Canada,  and  until  we  have  actual  proofs  of  a  sub- 
mergence going  on,  a  depi'ession  along  the  coast  or  an  encroachment 
of  tidal  and  other  oceanic  phenomena  on  the  land,  we  may  rest 
safely  with  the  happy  thought  that  we  are  on  the  upwai'd  move. 


'     89 
LIBRARIAN'S  RECORD. 


The  following  pviblications  have  been  received  as  donations,  or  in 
exchange  for  the  transactions  of  the  Club : — 

W.  D.  Dimock,  B.  A.  Truro:  Catalogue  of  Exhibits  from  New 
South  Wales  at  Colonial  Exhibition  ;  Victoria  Year  Book,  1884-85  ; 
Illustrated  Hand  Book  of  Victoria;  Hand  Book  of  New  Zealand, 
1886  ;  Facts  and  Figures  relating  to  the  Bendigo  Gold  Field,  Victoria ; 
The  Indigenous  Vegetation  of  Australia,  A:c.;  Observations  on  New 
Vegetable  Fossils  of  the  Auriferous  Drifts,  Victoria  ;  Catalogue  of 
Exhibits  of  the  Victorian  Court. 

\V.  A.  Kellerrnan,  Ph.  D.:  Journal  of  Mycology,  A'ol.  Ill,  Nos. 
4  to  8.  ^ 

Montreal  Natural  History  Society  :  Canadian  Record  of  Science, 
Vol.  II,  Nos.  G  and  7. 

Johns  Hopkins  University  :  Circular,  Nos.  57,  58  and  59. 

Elisha  Mitchell  Scientific  Society  :  Journal,  1883-84,  1884-85, 
1885-86  ;  Memories  of  Rev.  Elisha  Mitchell. - 

Liverpool  Naturalists'  Field  Club  :  Proceedings,  1885-86. 

Nova  Scotia  Natural  History  Society  :  Proceedings,  Vol.  VI,  Part  9 

Rev.  Dr.  Honeyman,  D.C.L. :  Giants  and  Pigmies. 

United  States  Geological  Survey  :  Dinocerata,  a  Monograph  of  an 
Extinct  Order  of  Gigantic  Mammalia,  by  Prof  O.  C.  Marsh. 

Miss  E.  A.  Ormerod  :  Transactions  of  the  Entomological  Society 
of  London,  1887;  The  Garner  and  Scientific  Recorder's  Journal,  eight 
numbers;  Manuel  of  Injurious  Insects  ;  The  Hessian  Fly  ;  Lecture  on 
Injurious  Insects ;  Lecture  on  the  Turnip  Fly ;  Observations  on 
CEstrid;e,  or  "  Botflies  "  ;  Reports  on  Injurious  Insects  for  1877,  1879, 
1882-3-4-5-6  and  other  papers ;  Guide  to  the  Methods  of  Insect  Life. 

^Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  :  Annual  Report,  1886, 
Part  II. 

The  Editor  :  Ornithologist  and  Oologist,  Vol.  XII,  No.  6. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History  :  Annual  Report,  1886-87  ; 
Bulletin,  Vol.  XII,  No.  1. 

American  Ornithologists'  Union  :  The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  No.  3. 

Cincinnati  Society  of  Natural  Nistory  :  Journal,  Vol.  X,  No.  2. 


90 

Torrey  Botanical  Club  :  Bulletin,  Vol.  XIV,  Nos.  G,  7,  8. 

Essex  Field  Club  :  The  Essex  Naturalist,  Nos.  5,  6. 

New  Brunswick  Natural  History  Society  :   Bulletin,  No.  4. 

Brooklyn  Entomological  Society  :  Entomologica  Americana,  Vol. 
Ill,  Nos.  3,  4,  5. 

Ontario  Entomological  Society:  Canadian  Entomologist,  Vol.  XIX, 
Nos.  fi,  7,  8 ;  Annual  Report,  No.  17. 

A.  C.  Lawson,  M.  A.  :  Geology  of  the  Rainy  Lake  Region. 

Departmeut  of  Agriculture,  Manitoba:  Crop  Bulletin,  Nos.  18*20. 

Queen's  University,  Kingston  :  Calendar,  1887-88. 

New  York  Microscopical  Society  :  Journal,  Y->\.  1  i  i ,  Nos.  1,  2. 

Guelph  Scientific  Society:   Proceed iii:.:^s,  l8Su-Sr. 

Illinois  State  Laboratory:  V..I  if,  Ariicles  6,  6;  Vol.  Ill, 
Article  1. 


91 
SUB-EXCURSIONS. 


'  Ninth. — On  30th  July  this  Excursion  was  to  have  been  to  the 
Beaver  Meadow,  Hull;  but  as  only  five  members  of  the  botanical 
section  turned  up,  and  the  heat  was  intense,  it  was  decided  to  visit  a 
nearer  locality,  and  Stewart's  Bush  was  chosen.  The  woods,  owing  to 
the  almost  unprecedented  drought,  were  vevy  dry,  and  it  was  noticed 
that  the  underbrush  and  even  the  forest  trees  were  suffering  severely 
from  want  of  water. 

Tenth. — On  Gth  August  to  Gatineau  Po'nt,  P.Q.  This  Excursion 
was  a  very  successful  one.  Several  ladies  attended  the  meeting  and 
made  collections  of  jdants  urder  the  guidance  of  the  President,  Mr. 
Whyte,  and  the  botanical  leader,  Mr.  Fletcher.  The  different  character 
of  the  soil  and  woods  in  the  vicinity  of  Gatineau  Point,  as  compared 
with  move  accessible  localities  on  the  Ontario  side  of  the  river,  always 
renders  it  an  interesting  field  for  our  collectors.  While  the  woods  and 
fields  were  being  I'ansackei  by  the  botan'st  and  entomologist  Mr. 
Latchford,  the  conchologist,  accompanied  by  one  brave  and  enthusiastic 
lady  follower, took  asomewhat  dangerousaud  will-o-the-wisp-like  journey 
over  the  surface  of  a  dried  up  creek.  Mr.  Latchford  reported,  however, 
that  no  finds  of  special  interest  had  rewardtd  their  efforts.  The  party 
assembled  in  a  maple  grove,  where  some  of  the  beauties  and  wondei'3 
of  plant  and  insect  life  were  elucidated  by  Mr.  Fletcher.  He  spoke  of 
some  of  the  planis  which  are  useful  to  man  ;  hemp,  rettle,  milkweed 
and'fireweed  (epilobium)  were  referred  to  as  fibre  plants.  Some  of  the 
peculiariti  s  of  the  Solanacea  Wf.re  explained  and  the  action  of  frost 
upon  potatoes  and  other  vegetation  v/as  spoken  of.  The  life  history  of 
Lhuenitis  Disippas  was  told  and  some  intex'esting  instances  of  |)rotec- 
tivo  mimicry  and  hil)ernation  amongst  insects  were  related. 

Eleventh. — On  the  21  th  August  a  ijotanical.  party  visited  the 
Beavor  Meadow,  Hull,  and  spent  a  very  pleasant  afternoon  in  that 
interesting  locality.  The  President,  Air.  II.  B.  Whyte.  made  an 
instructive  address  on  the  more  noteworihy  S[>ecies  collected,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  Pickerel  weed,  the  closed  Gentian,  and 
the  Clematis  {G.   Vircjiniana,  L.)  of  which  the  fruit  is  very  in t  resting. 


92 
EXCURSION  TO  BRITANNIA. 


The  fourth  general  Excursion  was  hekl  on  Saturiay,  the  l^th 
August,  to  Britannia,  where  a  most  agreeable  afternoon  was  spent. 
There  were  present  som3  thirty  members  and  their  friends,  but  un- 
fortunately several  others  arrived  at  the  station  a  few  moments  too  late, 
and  ware  deprived  of  their  outing.  On  arriving  at  the  Britannia 
station  the  party  separated,  some  going  with  Mr.  Ami  to  examine  the 
rock  formations,  and  the  remainder  accompanying  the  botanical  and 
entomological  leaders.  The  woods  and  fields  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
lighthouse,  track  and  gravel  pit  were  carefully  explored,  and  many  finds 
of  importance  were  made.  At  six  o'clock  the  party  re-asseml)led  at 
the  station  and  listened  to  addresses  from  the  leaders  until  the  arrival 
of  the  train  for  Ottawa.  Mr,  Fletcher  spoke  of  the  [)lants  and  insect^ 
observed,  and  Mr.  Ami    of  the  geological  formations. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


Excursion. — The  Fifth  General  Excursion  of  the  season  will  be 
held  on  Saturday,  t!ie  17th  September,  to  Kirk's  Ferry.  This -point  is 
about  four  miles  above  Chelsea,  upon  the  Gatineau  River,  and  is  a  very 
picturesque  and  attractive  place,  which  has  not  yet  been  visited  by  the 
Club.  The  trip  will  be  made  in  vans,  and  there  being  a  good  road  all 
the  way,  the  time  taken  will  be  less  than  that  required  to  visit  Kings- 
mere  or  Meach's  Lake.  Tickets  can  be  obtained  from  any  member  of 
the  Council  at  the  following  rates  :  Members  40  cents  ;  Non-members 
50  cents ;  Children  25  cents.  The  vans  will  start  from  the  corner  of 
Rideau  and  Chapel  streets  at  8.45  a.m.,  and  from  the  corner  of  Sparks 
and  Bank  streets  at  9  a.m. 

Sub-Excursions.— Botanical  outings  will  be  held  each  Saturday 
afternoon  (except  on  date  of  general  excursion),  starting  as  usual  from 
the  Post  Office  at  2  p  m.  _K|i^|  will  be  made  to  Hull,  Billings'  Bridge 
and  Beech  wood. 


9^  iflLimARY 


REPORT  OF  Till']  (lEOLOGICAL  RRANOHj^ 


^^ITv^ 


To  iha  L'ounc'd  of  tJie  Ottawa  Fiehl  yaturalists  Club.  "•  ^p 

The  leaders  have  much  pleasure  in  reporting  that  continued  j)ro- 
gress  in  the  development  of  the  geological  and  kindred  resources  of  this 
rich  and  interesting  firld  of  research  has  marked  the  season  just  passed. 
Mr.  John  8lewart,  whose  enei-gy  and  zeal  have  been  rewarded  l)y  the 
accumulation  of  veiy  extensive  and   valuable  collections  of  fossils  from 
the  splendid  exposui-es  of  Ottawa  and  its  environs,  reports  that  during 
the  past  yeai-  he  has  made  a  large  number  of  very  interesting  finds  in 
the  various  formations  of  this  district.      Besides  making  <in  elaborate 
collection  of  the  species  represented  in    the   Hudson  River  foim<»tion 
outlier    on  the  Canada  Atlantic  Railway    some  four  miles  distant  from 
the  city  and  collecting  also  in  the  Utica  Formation  immediately  undei- 
Ivim'this  alone;  the  Rideau  River,  ^Ir.  Stewart  has  discovei'ed  a  num- 
ber  of  rare  and  even  new  species  in  the  Trenton   I'ocks,  fioni  which  he 
has  made  an  especially  vaiuable  collection,  comprising  beautiful  crinoids 
and  cystideans,  for  which  this  locality  is  already  so  famous  in  paheon- 
tolotrical  circles.      Besides  these  he  has  also  made  an  extensive  collection 
of  the  species  associated  in  the  saii\e  foiination,   nujst    of    whicli    are 
readily  identified  as  Prof.  Hull's  oi  Mr.   LJillings'  species  and  are  to  be 
found  in  the  various  lists  of  fossils  published  by  the  Club.      Detailed 
notes  on  these  will,  we  hope,  l>e  soon  forthcoming  from  the  ])en  of  Mr. 
Stewart   whose   activity    in  connection    with  the  interests  of  g«'ology, 
and    ])al{eontology  more  i)articulaily,   lias  been   marked,  e\er  since  his 
ai-rival  in  Ottawa  when  he  joincHl   the   CJJub.      Nor  have  the  old  palaeo- 
zoics of  Ottawa  been  the  only  rocks  examined   l)y  him  ;  his  fiehl  of  re- 
search lias  extended  to,  and  has  included,  the   Post-Tertiary  dej)Osits  ot 
Green's  (.'leek  in  Gloucester — a  locality  often   cited   for  interesting  nni- 
tcrial — one  which  has    been  made  famous  by   the  pen  of  Sir  William 
Dawson  and  others.      A  very  interesting  specimen  ot  a  lish,  larely  met 
with  in  these  deposits,  was  fouiul  by   him   ami   is   most   |)robably   refer- 
able to  a  form  ascribed  to  the  genus  Cottus  in  the  "Geology  of  Canada" 
18G3,  p.  917,  and   which  at  the  present  day  lives  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  and  along  the  Western  Atlantic  coast.     Besides  this  interest- 
ing (is!<   Mr.   Stewart   has  also  collected  renuiins  of  plants  and  shells 


« 


94 

characteristic  of  the  above  deposit  which  afford  a  great  deal  of  promis- 
ing material  for  examination. 

Mr.  Stewart  having  reported^from  the  Treuton  Hocks  of  Belle- 
ville, Ont.  (a  locality  outside  of  the  Club's  radius),  Cyrtolites  com- 
pressus,  Conrad,  for  the  fii'st  time  recorded  in  Canada;  Mr.  Ami  was 
led  to  re-examine  a  form  collected  by  him  on  the  Castor  River  (vide 
Trans.,  O.F.N.C,  Vol.  II,  No.  2,  p.  257,  1884-85)  on  the  occasion  of 
a  sub-excursion  of  the  Geological  Branch,  and  found  it  to  be  the  same 
species.  At  the  latter  locality  it  was  found  associated  with  Bucania 
hidorsata,  Hall,  Belleroi^hon  hilohatus,  Sowerby,  and  other  characteristic 
species  of  the  Trenton  formation. 

Mr.  Sowter  reports  that  during  the  past  year  he  has  examined  a 
number  of  fossiliferous  localities  on  both  the  Ontario  and  Quebec  shores 
of  Lake  Des  Clienes,  in  the  Chazy  and  overlying  Black  River  forma- 
tions, l>at  more  particularly  in  the  latter.  From  these  he  has  obtained 
a  fine  suite  of  fossils  whi.h  he  intends  shall  form  the  subject  matter  for 
a  communication  or  note  to  be  presented  at  a  subsequent  Soiree  of  the 
Club,  and  which  promises  to  be  a  valuable  contribution,  including  as 
his  collections  do  some  rare,  choice  and,  no  doubt,  unrecorded  species 
from  that  district. 

-Mr.  Henry  M.  Ami  re[)orts  that  during  the  past  season  he  was 
present  at  three  out  of  the  four  general  excursions  which  were  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Club,  and  on  which  occasions  he  acted  as 
leader  in  geology,  ijesidts  conducting  a  number  of  successful  sub- 
excursions,  especially  in  the  latter  part  of  the  season — the  most 
favourable  for  such  work.  These  excursions  and  sub-excursions  were 
held  to  various  objective  points  in  and  about  the  city,  so  that  nearlv  all 
the  formations  comprised  in  the  Ottawa  series  were  visited  and 
examined — from  the  Laureutian,  so  beautifully  developed  in  the  hills 
to  the  north — to  the  Post-Tertiary  deposits  overlying  all  the  inter- 
mediate formations  included.  From  these,  a  number  of  interesting 
facts  were  ascertained  and  noted  respecting  the  geologic  structuie  of 
their  measures  and  the  organic  remains  contained  in  them,  whether  trom 
the  Potsdam,  Calciferous,  Chazy,  Black  River,  Trenton,  Utica  or 
Hudson  River,  as  well  as  from  the  fossiliferous  Post-Tertiary  clays  and 
sands. 


95 

Post-Tertiary. — Beginning  with  these  newer  fleposits,  Mr.  Ami 
leports  that  on  account  of  the  numerous  excavations  for  sewei'S,  etc., 
he  has  been  enabled  to  obtain  a  number  of  interesting  sections  of  the 
strata  from  the  boulder  clay  and  glacial  drift  deposits  up  to  the  recent 
overlying  sediments.  The  results  thus  obtained  fi-om  various  parts  of 
our  city,  will  be  embodied  in  a  communication  (now  in  course  of  pre- 
paration) shortly  to  be  presented  to  the  Club  entitled:  "  The  Great  Ice 
Age  and  Subsequent  Formations  at  Ottawa." 

Hudson  River  Formation.— A  s[)ecial  visit  was  paid  to  the  ex- 
posures of  this  formation  in  October  last  and  a  number  of  interesting 
forms  were  found.  The  collection  yielded  a  number  of  species  new  to 
ths  list  already  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Club  (Trans.  0. 
F.  N.  C,  Vol.  II,  No.  2,  })age  25S).  These  were  :  Pterinea  demissa, 
Conrad,  an  eminently  characteristic  species  ;  Strophomena  (Strejytorhyn- 
chus)  subtenta,  Courad  ;  Platijstrojjhia  lynx,  Eichwald  {Platystrophia 
hifoviata,  Schlotheini,  var,  hjnx,  Eichwald  and  Orthis  lynx,  Eichwald,  of 
authors)  ;  Leptcena  sericea,  Sowerby  (very  abundant)  ;  Oalymene 
senaria,  Conrad  ;  a  Pleurotomaria.  allied  to  suhconica,  Hall;  a  trilobite 
referred  provisionally  to  the  genus  Remopleurides,  besides  portions  of 
Monticuliporoid  corals — each  of  which  last  three  mentioned  require 
further  study.  The  opening  which  was  made  in  the  field  to  the  north 
of  the  Canada  Atlantic  Railway  track  some  three  and  three-quarter 
miles  from  the  city  has  affbided  a  good  many  specimens.  The  beds  are 
light  brown  or  buff  weathering,  and  consist  of  a  fine  grained  calcareo- 
argillaceous  dolomitic  paste  with  some  arenaceous  material  in  a  finely 
divided  state.  The  fossils  which  they  contain  are  toleiably  well  pre- 
served and  abundant — and  whilst  only  some  fifteen  species  have  as  yet 
been  observad  in  this  formation  from  that  locality  there  is  no  doubt 
that  future  investigations  will  increase  that  number  considerablv. 

Utica  Formation. — Most  of  the  attention  devoted  to  this  forma- 
tion has  been  in  the  direction  of  ascertaining  what  were  the  species 
associated  in  the  same  band  of  impure  limestone  with  Siphonotreta 
Scoiica,  Davidson.  Several  sub-excursions  were  held  to  the  locality 
(mentioned  in  the  Report  of  Geological  Branch,  in  the  transactions  of 
the  Club  for  1885-8G)  o|)posite  the  Rifle  Range  on  the  Rideau  River  in 
Gloucester,  and  no  less  than  sixteen  species  have  already  been  found  in 


96 

tiie  same  I'ed.  In  his  "  Notes  on,  and  the  precise  geological  position  of 
Sipho7iotreta  Scotica,  Davidson,"  presented  and  read  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Club — February  10th,  1887 — Mr.  Ami  mentioned  these  species, 
and  the  facts  obtained  were  therein  recorded.  Besides  the  above  a 
species  of  graptolites,  obtiiined  fioni  the  Utica  has  been  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  Mr.  VVhiteaves,  of  the  Survey,  who  has  had  them  forwarded 
to  Piof.  Lap  worth  of  Mason  Science  College,  Birmingham,  the  best 
authority  on  tliese  interesting  fossils,  for  examination. 

The  following  species  ai'e  new  to  the  lists  already  published  from, 
the   Utica  : — 

Orthis  emacerata,  Meek. 

Leperditia  vtinutissima,  Hall. 

Beyrichia  ccidifera,  Hall. 

Trenton  Formation. — In  this  formation  which  is  CA-er  teeming 
with  abundance  of  fine  material,  a  number  of  good  finds  were  made 
which  requii-e  more  stud-y  before  publishing  the  notes  on  them.  In  this 
connection  it  may  not  be  deemed  out  of  place  to  mention  the  fact  that 
Prof.  E.  O.  U I  rich,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  who  on  several  occasions  has. 
generously  lent  his  assistance  in  determining  critical  species  of  Polyzoa 
from  our  rocks,  was  in  Ottawa  during  the  past  summer  and  made  an 
extensive  collection  at  the  Brigham  quarries  at  Hull  and  in  other  parts 
of  the  Trenton  here,  so  that  when  all  the  Polyzoa  which,  he  collected 
are  worked  up  the  number  of  species  from  that  r.emarkable  group  of 
organisms    will  lie  considerably  increased. 

Potsdam  Formation. — The  exposures  of  this  formation  were  visit- 
ed by  the  Club  during  the  past  summer  at  a  general  excursion  to  Buck- 
ingham, Que.,  where,  besides  collecting  a  fine  series  of  the  typical 
Scolithus  Canadensis.  Billings — a  number  of  previously  unrecorded 
facts  were  obtained  on  the  evidence  of  glaciation  on  the  quartzites 
or  sandstones  of  this  formation.  These  sandstones,  a  blufi"  of  which 
faces  the  Laurentian  rocks  in  the  immediate  vicinity  to  the  north,  are 
seen  to  be  deeply  grooved,  striated  and  polished.  Of  the  annelid  (1)  re- 
mains refei'able  to  the  genus  Scolithus,  Billings  Species,  S.  Canadensis, 
was  by  far  the  commoner  form  met,  but  two  very  good  examples  of  S. 
linearis,  Hall,  were  found  associated  with  it.  From  the  notes  which 
iNIr.  Ami  has  made  on  the  subject  he  is  strongly  of  the  opinion  thjit  the 


main  difference  existing  between  these  two  species  lies  principally  in 
the  preservation,  S.  Canadensis  B,  occurring  as  hollow  tubes  or  burrows, 
whilst  Hall's  species  is  found  as  casts  of  the  interior  of  the  burrow  or 
Iiole.  In  comparing  the  form  S.  linearis,  Hall  with  the  species  re- 
corded from  the  Potsdam  formation  of  L'anse  au  Loup,  Que.  (See  Pol. 
Foss.  Billings,  Vol.  1,  P.  2),  they  are  found  to  be  exactly  similar  and 
cannot  be  differentiated. 

In  conclusion,  the  leaders "JKg  happy  to  state  that  there  is  a  vast 
field  of  hibouv  before  this  Branch  of  the  Chxb,  and  it  is  there- 
fore encouraging  to  note  the  good  work  which  many  members  of  the 
Club  have  performed.  It  is  hojied  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant 
when  a  good  topographical  map  will  exist  upon  which  it  will  be  pos- 
sible to  lay  down  the  geological  features  of  the  district  in  a  more  or 
less  detailed  manner.  What  is  more  important  at  present  is  to  obtain 
from  the  excavations  being  made  in  all  parts  of  the  city  the  sactions 
which  such  excavations  afford  and  collect  all  the  fossil  evidence  possible, 
whether  in  the  later  or  earlier  formations  of  this  locality,  as  both  are 
very  fossiliferous  and  problems  of  vast  import  relating  to  the  geology 
of  other  parts  of  Canada,  problems  as  yet  unsolved,  will  be  materially 
helped  thereby. 

To  this  end,  each  member  can  contribute  hfs  or  her  share  towards 
the  gathering  of  material  wherewith  to  frame  at  some  future  time  a 
systematic  and  comprehensive  resume  of  the  geology  of  Ottawa.  In 
doing  so,  the  members  will  not  only  con'yribute  to  this,  but  will  materi- 
ally assist  the  Council  and  help  the  leaders  in  furthering  the  work  of 
the  Club. 

HENRY  M.  AMI, 


IMT,    1 
^TEK,  / 
Ottawa,  January  2.5th,  1887. 


'Y   ~\f^    w"   QOW"^"'^^^    /■  Lieuucvs, 


98 

REPORT  OF  THE  ORNITHOLOGICAL   BRANCH    FOR  THE 

YEAR  188G-87. 


-To  t\e  Council  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists    Club  : — 

In  making  up  the  Report  of  the  proceedings  and  researches  of  this 
branch  during  the  past  season  the  leaders  are  able  to  report  three  addi- 
tions to  the  already  large  list  of  birds  found  in  this  locality.  The  first 
was  the  finding  of  the  Buff-breasted  Sandpiper,  Tryngites  suhruficollis, 
a  remarkably  interesting  little  bird  with  a  peculiar  aspect.  It  can  at 
once  be  recognized  by  the  very  small  and  short  bill,  and  by  the  unique 
coloration  of  the  primaries,  which  are  gray  or  white  on  the  inner  webs 
and  beautifully  mottled  with  fine  black  tracery.  Two  sj)ecimens  were 
shot  and  six  were  seen. 

The  second  addition  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Red  Phalarope, 
Chrymoiihilus  fulicarius.  This  is  an  important  addition  as  it  is  par- 
ticulaily  a  maritime  bird  aad  the  finding  of  this  bird  following  so  soon 
after  the  discovery  of  the  Purple  Sandpiper  and  the  Great  Black-backed. 
Gull  found  last  year  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that  some  of  the  coast 
birds  are  in  the  habit  of  following  the  Ottawa  and  Rideau  Rivers  on 
their  way  south.  To  the  former  we  have  to  add  the  Blue  Goose,  Chen 
ccerulescens.  Three  fine  specimens  were  shot  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
city,  two  geese  and  a  gander.  The  peculiar  marking  of  the  bill  and 
feet  of  these  specimens  are  worthy  of  special  mention.  Dr.  E.  Coues 
in  his  valuable  work  states  that  the  bill  and  feet  are  lake  red,  whereas 
those  shot  have  the  bill  and  feet  black.  The  markings,  however,  agree 
in  every  other  ]:)articular  with  Dr.  Coues'  description  and  there  can  be 
no  question  as  to  the  Ri)ecimens  taken  being  Blue  Geese.  The  capture 
of  a  pair  of  the  very  pretty,  but  rather  scarce  Mourning  Warbler,  is 
very  encouraging.  We  have  also  been  informed  of  the  shooting  of  two 
specimens  of  the  Shoveller  Duck,  by  Mr.  W.  P.  Lett  ;  one  at  Richmond 
and  the  other  at  Brigham's  Creek.  This  species  is  very  scarce  in  this 
district,  only  some  half  dozen  specimens  being  reported  as  having  been 
killed  in  the  vicinity  of  Ottawa.  We  have  also  to  report  the  capture 
■of  a  female  Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker,  shot  on  17th  April,  1886,  with 
the  top  of  the  head  blue-black  instead  of  scarlet.  Appended  is  a  list 
of  the  dates  of  ari'ival  and  departure  of  our  summer  birds. 


99 

March  3 — Octocoriis  alpestris,  Horned  Lark. 

"  13 — Carpodacus  furpurens,  Purple  Finch. 

"  2G — Merula  migratoria,  Robin. 

"  26 — Junco  hyemalis,  Slate-coloured  J  unco. 

■*'  27 — Sjnnus  tristitf,  American  Goldfinch. 

"  27 — Loxia  curvirostra  minor,  American  C'l'osslnll. 

**  27 — Dryohates  pubescPMS,  Downy  Woodpecker. 

"  28 — Lanius  borealis,  Northern  Shrike. 

"  29 — Melospiza  fasciata,  Song  Sparrow. 

"  30 — Falco  columbarium,  Pigeon  Hawk. 

"  31  —  Quiscalus  cjuiscula,  Purple  Grackle. 

"  31 — Molothrus  ater,  Cowbird. 

■**  31 — Jffeheus  phoeniceus,  Red-winged  Blackbird. 

"  31 — Sialia  sialis,  Bluebird. 

"  31 — Corvus  americanus,  Crow. 

April  5 — Tacky cineta  bicolor,  Tree  Swallow. 

*'  G — Glaucionetta  clanyula  americana,  American  Golden-eye. 

"  9 — Sturnella  mayna,  Meadow  Lark. 

""  11  —  Ardea  herodias,  Great  Blue  Heron. 

"  11 — Sayornis  phcebe,  Phoebe. 

""  12 — Lophodytes  cucullatus,  Hooded  Merganser. 

"  12 — Ammodramus  mndwichensis  savana,  Savanna  Sparrow, 

"  12 — Pooccetes  gramineus,  Vesper  Sparrosv. 

"  12 — Spizella  monticola,  Tree  Sparrow. 

"  12 — Scolecophayiis  carolinus,  Rusty  Blackbird. 

13 — Progne  subis,  Pur[)le  Martin. 

14 — Spinus  tristis,  American   Goldfinch  (summer  plumage), 

15 — Larus  argentatus  smithsonianus,  Herring  Gull. 

15 — Ectopistes  miqratorius,  Passenger  Pigeon. 

15 — Reguhis  sairapa,  Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 

10 — Spizella  socialis,  Chipping  Sparrow. 

16 — Regulus  calendida,  Ruby-crowned  Wren. 

16 — Zonotrichia  leacophrys,  White-crowned  SpaiTOW. 

17 — Colaptes  auratus,  Flicker. 

17 — Zonotrichia  aJbicollis,  White-thi'oated  Sparrow. 

17 — Ceryle  alcyon,  Belted  Kingfisher. 


«( 


100 

.^pi-il  17 — Sjyhyrapicus  varius,  Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker. 

«.'  Id—Passerella  iliaca,  Fox  Sparrow. 

"  1  9 — Lanius  borealis,  Northern  Shrike, 

u  20 — Emindonax  minimits,  Least  Flycatcher. 

"  21 Tiirdus  aonalaschkae  pallasii,  Hermit  Thrush. 

"  21  —  Loxia  curvirostra  minor,  American  Crossbill. 

"  23— Anas  obscura,  Black  Duck. 

"  23 — Aclitis  macularius,  Spotted  Sandpiper. 

"  23 — Falco  sparverius,  American  Sparrow  Hawk. 

"  23 — Charitonetta  alheola,  Buffle-head. 

"  24 — Gatlinago  delicaia,  Wilson's  Snipe. 

"  26 — Philohela  minor,  American  Woodcock. 

"  26 — A7ias  carolinensis.  Green-winged  Teal. 

"  26^ — Tetanus  melanoleucus,  Greater  Yellow-legs. 

"  21—Aix  sjjonsa,  Wood  Duck. 

"  27 — Branta  canadensis,  Canada  Goose. 

"  28 — Botaurus  lentiginosiis,  American  Bittern. 

"  29 — Pandion  haliaehos  carolinensis,  American  Osprey. 

"  30 — Nycticorax    iiycticorax   noivius,    Black-crowned   Night 

Heron. 
"  30 — Podilymhus  podiceps,  Pied-billed  Grebe. 

"  30 — Dafila  acuta,  Pintail. 

May  1 — Circus  hudsonius,  Marsh  Hawk. 

"  1 — Clangida  liyemalis.  Old  Squaw. 

2—Mclanerpes  erythrocephalus,  Red-headed  Woodpecker. 

.4 — Dendroica  coronata.  Myrtle  Warbler. 

5 — Amjjelis  cedrorum,  Cedar  Waxwing. 

5 — Vireo  olivaceus.  Bed-eyed  Vireo. 

5 — Chcetura  p)elasgica,  Chimney  Swift. 

6 — Dendroica  aistiva,  Yellow  Warbler. 

6 — Icterus  galbula,  Baltimore  Oriole. 

G — Troglodytes  aedon.  House  Wren. 

6 — Urinator  imber,  Loon. 

6 — Colymbus  auritus,  Horned  Grebe. 

7 — Trochilus  colubris,  Buby-throated  Hummingbird. 

8 — Setophaga,  ruticilla,  American  Redstart. 


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101 

Mav  8 — Ilabia  hidoviciana,  Ilose-breasteu  Grcsbeak. 

"  8 — Mniolilla  vatia,  Black  and  White  Warbler. 

8 — Buteo  latissimus.  Broad- winged  Hawk. 

9 — Tijrannus  tyrannus,  Kingbird. 

11 — DeiuJrolca  ccerulescens,  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler. 

11 — Dendroica  'maculosa,  Magnolia  W^arbler. 

11 — Dendroica  hlackhurnice,  Blackburnian  Warbler. 

1 1 — Dendroica  pensylvanica,  Chestnut-sided  Warbler. 

11 — Dendroica  castanea,  Ba\'-breasted  Warbler. 

11  —  ComjosotJdypis  americana.  Parula  Warbler. 

11 — Seirus  aurocapiUns,  Oven-bird. 

11  —  Vireo  solitarius,  Blue-headed  Vireo. 

12 — Harjiorhynchus  rujus,  Brown  Thrasher. 

12 — Dolichonyx  oryzlvoriis,  B^jbolink. 

12 — Dendroica  virens.  Black-throated  Green  Warbler. 

12 — Sylvania  canadensis,  Canadian  Warbler. 

12 — Galeoscoptes  carolinensis,  Catbird. 

12 —  Vii-eo  philadelphicus,  Philadelphia  Warbler. 

12 — Antrostomas  vociferwi.  Whip-poor-will. 

13 — Tardus ustidatus  swainson'd,  Olive-back  Thrush. 

13 — Myiarchxis  crinitus,  Crested  Fly-catcher. 

13 — Dendroica  tiyrina,  Cape  May  Warbler. 

13 — llehninthophila  perigrina,  Tennessee  Warbler. 

13 — Ildminthophila  riificapilla,  Nashville  Warbler. 

14 — Piranga  erythromelas,  Sca)"let  Tanager. 

14 — Clivicola  riparia,  Bank  Swallow. 

14 — retrochelidon  luni/rjns,  Cliff  Swallow. 

14 — Ceo2)Id(jeus  pileatvs,  Pileated  Woodpecker. 

17  —  Vireo  gilvus.  Warbling  Vireo. 

17 — Chordeiles  virginianus,  Night  Hawk. 

IS  —Sylvania  pnsilla,  Wilson's  Warbler. 

18 — Totamis  solitarius,  Solitary  Sand[)iper. 

"  19  —  Tardus  mnstdiniis.  Wood  Thru-h. 

19 — Oiie7nia  jjerspicillatft,  Surf  Scoter. 

21  —  Tardus  fuscescens,  Wilson's  Thrush. 

21 — Arcliibu'es  lagopus    saucii-johannis,  American    Bough- 
legged  Hawk. 


a 
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10-2 

May  22 — JEgialitis  semipalinata,  Seniipalmated   Plover. 

«  24 — Coccyzus  erytlirophthalmus,  Black-billed  Cuckoo. 

«  27 — Dendroica  striata,  Black-poll  Warbler. 

"  28 — Porzana  Carolina,  Sora. 

"  28 — Kallus  virginianus,  Virginia  Rail. 

"  29 — Geothlypis  jMladelphia,  Mourning  Warbler. 

June  18 — Loxia  cur virostra  minor,  American  Crossbill.. 

July  14 — Geothlypis  trichas,  Maryland  Yellow-throat. 

"  29 — Larus  Philadelphia,  Bonaparte's  Gull. 
August         3 — Passerina  cyaaea.  Indigo  Bunting. 

"  5 — Loxia  curviroslra  minor,  American  Orossbilk 

"  24 — Calidris  arenai'ia,  Sanderling. 

•'  24 — Erennetes  pusillus,  Semipalniated  Sandpiper. 

"  24 — Totanusjiavipes,  Yellow-legs. 

"  24 — Totanus  melanoleucus.  Greater  Yellow-legs. 

"  24 — JEgialliis  semipalmata,  Semipalmate.i  Plover. 

"  24 — Tryngites  subruficollis,  Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

"  24 — Tringa  minutilla,  Least  Sandpiper. 

"  27 — Tryngites  subruficollis,  Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

"  29 — Seiurus  aurocapillus,  Oven-bird. 

"  30 — Ampelis  cedrorum.  Cedar  Waxwing. 

"  30 — Vireo  olivaceus,  Red-eyed  Vireo. 

"  30 — Sylvania  pusilla,  Wilson's  W  arbler. 
Sept.  2 — Proqne  suhis,  Purple  Martin. 

"  2 — Petrochelidon  lunifrons.  Cliff  Swallow. 

"  3 — Setophaga  raticilla,  American  Redstart. 

"  4 — Tachycineta  bicolor,  Tree  Swallow. 

"  4 — Helminthophila  ruficapilla,  Nashville  Warbler. 

"  4 — Dendroica  striata,  Black-poll  Warbler. 

■*  9 — Scolecophagus  carolinus,  Rusty  Blackbird. 

"  10 — Haliceetus  leucoceqyhalus.  Bald  Eagle. 

"  10 — Charadrius  squatarola,  Black-bellied  Plover. 

"  10 — Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis ,  American  Osprey. 

"  10 — Myiarchus  crinitus,  Crested  Flycatcher. 

"  14 — Sjxittda  clypeata,  Shoveller. 

**  14 — Turdiis  aonalaschkae  pallasii,  Hermit  Thrush. 


103 


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2  5 

—Sayornis  phoebe,  Phwbe. 

-Trochilus  coluhris,  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird. 
—Falco  columharius,  Pigeon  Hawk. 
—Spizella  socialis,  Chipping  Sparrow. 
—Sitta  canadensis,  Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 
—Myiarcliiis  crinitus,  Crested  Flycateher. 
—Cyanocitta  cristaia,  Blue  Jay. 
-Chelidon  erythrog aster,  Barn  Swallow. 
—Ceryle  alcyon.  Belted  Kingfisher. 
—Vooccetes  gramineus,  Vesper  Sparrow. 
-Scolecophagus  carolinus,  Rusty  Bh^ckbird. 
—CompsotMypis  americana,  Parula  Warbler. 

—  Tringa  maculata,  Pectoral  Sandpiper. 
—Colaples  avratus,  Flicker. 
—Branta  canadensis,  Canada  Goose. 
—Accipiter  velox,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 
—Ainmodrainus  sandwlchensis  savana,  Savanna  Sparrow 

—  Tringa  alpina.  Dunlin. 
—Tringa  minutilla.  Least  Sandpiper. 
—Zo7iotrichia  leucophvys,  White  crowned  Sparrow. 
—Zonotrichia  albicollis,  White-l.hroated  Sparrow. 
—Spizella  socialis.  Chipping  Sparrow. 
—Regulus  satrapa,  Golden-crested  Kinglet. 
—Kcgulus  calendula.  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 
—Falco  sparverius,  American  Sparrow  Hawk. 

—  I'asserella  iliaca,  Fox  Sparrow. 
—Chen  coerulescens,  Blue  Goose. 

—  Tringa  fnscicollis,  W^hite-rumped  Sandi)iper. 
—Lanius  horealis,  Northern  Shrike. 
—Melospiza  fasciata,  Song  Sparrow. 
—Cryinophilus  fulicarius,  Red  Phalarope. 

— Spizella  monlicola,  Tree  Sparrow. 
Sturnella  magna^  Meadow  Lark. 
—Actiiis  inacularia,  Spotted  Sandpiper. 
—Gallinago  delicala,  Wilson's  Sni[)0. 

—  Dendroici  coronat'.,  ^lyrtle    Warbler. 


/<^ 


Uj 


LIBRARY 


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•1 


J 

X 


1U4 

Oct.  23 — Sicdla  sialis,  Bluebird. 

23 — Junco  hyemalis,  Slate-coloured  Junco. 
30 — Gallinago  delicata,  Wilson's  Snipe, 
jjov.  1 — CeoiMveus  pileatus,  Pileated  Woodpecker. 

5 — Clangula  hyemalis,  Old-squaw. 
18 — Merganser  americanns,  American  Merganser 
18 — Sitta  carolinensls,  White-breasted  Nuthatch. 
19 — Plectro])henax  nivalis,  Snowflake. 
19 — Pinicola  enucleator,  Pine  Grosbeak. 
22 — Accipiter  atricajnllus,  American  Goshawk. 
23 — Accijnter  velox,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 
25 — Surnia  ulula,  Hawk  Owl. 

GEO.  R  WHITE 
10th  March,  1887. 


J.   M.  MACOUN,  ^^^«^^^^^- 


-:o:- 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


The  Soiree  Committee  is  arran^ino;  a  [jroorramme  for  the  wintei 
meetings,  and  requests  contributions  of  papers  or  notes  from  the 
members;  titles  to  be  communicaled  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  so 
that  the  programme  may  ai)pear  in  tlie  next  number  of  the  Ottawa 
Naturalist. 


loa 


XOT:^    OS    OTTAWA    SAI.\MANDI':n^;; 


^A^^i 


tl8RMR 


r.  Tl.  Latchkoiu),  r..A. 

{/u-U'I  27th  Jimu>nj,  1S87.) 

Vpiteiirale  a  im.ils  ai*^  nsnally  aiTMiiL^ed  liy  nut uiiilists  in  five 
Ciii.sses — inaniinals,  li'i-ls,  ie|)tilf's,  aii<.|jl]iliians  \\\\>\  fislivs  To  the 
foiii'tli  of  tlu'se  (li\i.s!o;is  the  sal  iiiiaiidors  bcloji;,'  'I'iif-v  \ -.wv.  tlie 
j^eucrnl  Un-^\  of  !izM(l>-,  ;.):  rluti^ated  liody,  fonr  feet,  and  a  1  iig  tail; 
l)ut  tlieir  lioiy  is  ii.dcHi  niid  not  covered  wiili  pcales,  and  tin-  r  lieaft, 
like  tliMt  of  tlic  ■ro</s.  ii,i<  iiit  one  ;nii'icle,  wliile  the  liearl  of  tlie  lizards 
and  otliei-  tiiie  ri')>  ih's  li.is  tsvo.  Widle  many  species  of  salamanders, 
after  1:(  C'niinL'  ;idiilt.  mvei-  V'Soit  to  the  water  except  to  deposit,  their 
ewof.s.  a']  i).-»ss  there  th^•  (  itvlicr  stages  of  their  existence  luid  there 
undersfo  a  seiit  s  of  nniaikahlo  cliMiu'es  of  fi^rn).  It  w^is  fbrnu  rl  v  a 
widely  jiievalent  opiiiion  tluit  the  salau^.andt  rs  were  veiy  poinoiious  ; 
and  in  air-ient  natural  iiis'ory  many  astonisliing  iiistnnces  are  recorded 
of  their  poisonous  (pialiiies  and  of  their  powers  to  withstand  the  action 
of  lii'<'.  Th  V  ari'.  Iiowevcr,  almost,  if  not  quite,  innoenous.  Tlie 
sto  ifs  iidat-tl  (if  ih.ir  aj^-icHrance  in  the  midst  of  blazing  logs  in  fir- - 
plac-s  and  their  e.scitpn  unharnu'il  through  the  flames  are  not  without 
fouiKJation  in  fact.  ^everal  Sjiec^ies  live  >  ui  ied  deep  in  decaying  wood, 
and  shoni  I  a  log  containing  them  he  placed  on  the  hearth  and  li^ditci^, 
thev  natiiiMlly  endeavour  to  make  their  way  to  cooh-r  (jiiarteis — tit; 
a'lniiiiant  visci  i  fluid  which  they  se.ci-eti;  all  ovei  their  body  enabling 
them  to  rc^ist  tiie  to  a  i  onsiderable  extent  and  i:i  many  !nstanc"«  tu- 
rn ike  »ood  their  e-icapf. 

Si.K  species  have  iieen  noii/ed  in  tie-  vicinity  of  (^ttiwa.  The 
Spotted  Sdamauder  {Aiiibli,sluin  i  j>iiiict(tt,ain,  Linn)  is  the  largest 
species  found  in  this  vicinity  where  it  is  not  iinconinion.  I  lia\c  taken 
it  «.)!!  the  MciCav  Kstate,  on  the  (Janal  !Iai:k  near  Dow's  Lake  and  in 
the  Laiio-nlides  at  (J-ntley.  Ir  irnaHy  aitnins  a  length  of  six  inches, 
an  I  I  have  one  specimen  which  nicUsuies  ei^dii.  Tt.->  cohiur  above  is  a 
daik  violet  wit!i  nnmcroni  irregular  bright  \el!ow  spo's.  Barton,  who 
Wiis  the  fiist  in  Ann'iica  to  dfScrit.c  this  «pecies,  called  it  the  P-  isonoiis 

•Sdammd.-r  (>'.  vi.'i'iio-<i  ■ ,  lait  ;t  is  quite  as  h  inn  less.-  as  oth.  i  species. 
II 


lOG 

Jefferson's  Salamander  (Ambli/stoma  jpffrirsonianum ^  Baii-d)  is 
nearly  as  large  as  A.  punctatum,  and  like  that  species  is  terrestrial  in 
its  habit.  It  is  hrown  in  colour  and  is  irregularly  marked  along  the 
sides  and  on  the  back  with  numerous  Sinall  bluish  spots.  Specimens 
ha\e  been  taken  in  Hull  by  Mr.  Harrington  and  by  Mr.  John  Stewart. 
The  Red-backed  Salamander  {Plethodoii  eri/thromf/us,  Baird)  is 
found  in  considerable  numbers  in  rotten  logs  in  the  woods  west  of 
Hemlock  lake.  The  intensity  of  the  colouring  of  the  reddish  lines 
along  the  back  from  which  it  takes  its  name  varies  greatly.  The  body 
is  very  slender  and  the  legs  are  apparently  weak,  but  the  animal  is 
notwithstanding  able  to  move  quite  rapidly. 

At  Kingsmere,  in  May,  1884,  a  Two-lined  Salamander  {Spelerpes 
bilineatus,  Baird)  was  captured  by  Mr.  D'Arcy  Scott.  I  have  not  seen 
the  specimen  ;  but  it  was  identified-  by  Dr.  Merriam  and  no  doubt 
correctly.     It  is  a  small,  yellow  species  with  dark  lateral  lines. 

The  Spotted  Triton  [Diemyctylus  viridescens,  Raf.)  was  found  by 
Mr.  Harrington,  at  Casselman,  in  1884.  It  has  not  to  my  knowledge 
been  found  nearer  Ottawa,  but  probably  occurs  here.  It  is  a  brightly 
coloured  specios,  usually  reddish  above,  with  a  row  of  bright  and  rather 
large  vermilion  spots  along  each  side. 

The  dusky  Salamander  {Desmogaathus  Jascus,  Baird)  is  a  small, 
brownish  species  which  occurs  in  great  numbers  in  the  Rideau  Kiver, 
near  Hogsback,  where  a  stone  a  few  inches  in  diameter  will  be  found 
to  cover  three  or  four  individuals.  When  disturbed  they  seek  shelter 
with  incredible  rapidity,  and  very  easily  escape  capture.  That  they 
are  sometimes  takf^n  unwittingly  by  persons  who  drink  from  the 
streams  which  they  frequent  is,  I  think,  not  improbable.  If  my 
memoiy  is  not  badly  at  fault  a  case  was  i-eported  in  a  Pembroke  news- 
paper about  ten  years  ago  of  a  boy  Irora  Sheen,  on  the  Upper  Ottawa, 
■whose  mysterious  il'ness  had  long  balHed  the  skill  of  local  physicians. 
Pow.^rful  emetics  were  at  length  directed  to  be  administered,  and  the 
boy  wAi  relieved  from  several  loathsome,  living  animals  which,  f)-om 
die  description  published,  I  believe  to  have  b^ea  a  species  of  S.daraander. 
There  are  three  or  four  speoies  other  than  those  recorded  which 
will    probably    be    found    lieie.      Every  specimen    observed    should  be 


107 

■colIecte<l  ;  anJ  if  in  tli3  laival  form  its  metaiiiorphoses  should  be  care- 
fiiUy  noted.  Tiiese  observations,  wlien  collected  and  conipai-ed,  ivould 
be  useful  as  the  basis  for  a  paper  of  interest  and  value  on  the  Salaman- 
■ders  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Ottawa. 


■:o:- 


REPOKT  OF  THE  CONCHOLO-UCAL  BRANCH. 


To  the  Council  of  the  Oltaioa  Field- Naturalist  Club  : 

The  absence  of  my  colleague.  Mr.  Poirier,  and  my  own  business  en- 
gagements have  prevented  this  branch  from  doing  dui-iug  the  past  year 
the  amount  of  work  that  it  should  do.  Very  little  collecting  was 
possible.  At  Buckingham  on  our  first  excursion  a  number  of  shells 
were  taken,  Succinea  ohliqua  was  on  that  occasion  fcund  in  quantity  at 
the  roots  of  sugar  maples  in  the  grove  north  of  the  railway  station. 
Sphaerium  occidentale  was  also  found  in  abundance  in  ponds  in  the 
same  locality.  One  specimen  of  tUe  rare  Zonites  hinneyanus  was  found 
about  a  mile  up  the  Lievres,  but  no  other  shells  except  the  commonest 
species  were  noted.' 

Late  in  the  season  the  microscopic  Helix  minutissima  was  found  in 
•considerable  numbers  under  poplar  logs  in  a  moist  station  on  the 
Exhibition  Grounds.  In  this  locality  I  collected  in  a  few  minutes  more 
specimens  of  //.  minntissima  than  1  had  seen  in  the  previous  five  years. 

It  is  well  known  that  many  land  shells  which  occur  in  Western 
Ontario,  some  of  them  very  beautiful,  are  not  found  in  this  vicinity. 
An  attemi)t  has  been  made  to  establish  these  species  here.  Through  the 
kindness  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Dean,  of  Kent,  Ohio,  and  JNIr.  Geo.  J.  Streator 
of  Garrettsville,  in  the  same  State,  I  was  enabled  to  place  in  the 
woods  at  various  points  around  Ottawa,  and  in  my  garden,  in  the  city, 
a  number  of  living  shells,  incliiding  J/,  thyroides,  M.  niu/tilineata, 
Trindopsis  tride'iituta,  T.  paHiuta,  Falula  soiitaria,  /'.  perspectiva, 
Zonites  llyerd,  and  Stenotrenia  liirsutvni.  I  was  unable  to  visit 
afterwards  the  localities  outside  the  city  in  which  the  shells  were 
placed,  bat  of  those  which  were  under  my  eye  at  home  I  observed  that 
Zoniles  ligerci,  Patula  soiitaria,  ami  P. perspectiva,  all  died.  The  others 
lived.      J/,  mvltilineata  seemed  to  flourish  best,  and  in  November  young 


108 

shells  foiu'-tfiiths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  were  to  1)0  found  Uy  the  dozen 
in  t^.e  corner  in  which  five  adult  individuals  has  been  placed  in  the 
month  of  June.  The  other  species  wliich  lived,  with  the  exception  of 
//.  tridentata,  did  not  a))pear  to  multiply.  I  may  say  that  the  gentle- 
men who  obtained  tlie  sl.ells  in  Ohio  were  kind  enough  to  furnish  me 
with  information  as  to  the  peculiar  habitat  of  the  different  species,  and 
I  tried  to  establish  each  in  a  station  suited  to  it.  I  was  able  to  do  this 
in  the  woods  much  better  than  at  home,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
the  m;ijority  of  the  shells  thus  disposed  of  may  establish  themselves  here. 

In  former  years  I  tried  to  introduce  tlie  English  species  found  at 
Quebec,  //.  rvjescois  and  //.  ccmtiana,  but  witliout  success.  The  hitter 
species  dej.'osited  eggs,  but  the  young  shells  soon  f^uccumbed  owing  to 
climatic  influences  or  the  want  of  suitable  food. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  observe  whether  the  experiment  made 
with  the  western  shells  will  not  be  more  successfull.  Possil/ly  should 
land  shells  be  found  here  larcjer  in  size  and  more  beautifullv  coloured 
than  the  native  s]]ecies,  more  membeis  of  the  Club  would  take  an 
inteie.st  in  their  study. 

F.  R.  LATCH  FORD, 

Ottawa,  January   27th,  1887. 


109 
ENTOMOLOGICAL  bOClLTV  OV  ONTAIILX 


Annual  Meelia;/,  1SS7,  at  Ottawa. 


An  event  of  coiisiilei"able  scientific  interest  was  the  Annual  fleet- 
ing of  the  Entomological  Society  of  Ontario,  which  was  held  in  th'"s 
city  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  26th  and  27th  October.  Tlie 
officers  and  members  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  received  an 
invitation  to  all  the  sessions. 

On  Wednesday  two  Council  meeting  were  held  and  visits  were 
paid  to  the  Geological  Museum  and  Experimental  Farm.  In  the 
e Veiling  the  President,  Mr.  James  Fletcher,  delivered  the  Annual 
Address  in  the  Civic  Council  Chamber.  Tt  outlined  the  oriijin  and 
progi-ess  of  the  Entomological  Society,  and  then  treated  of  various  in- 
jurious insects  which  had  been  move  or  less  destructive  to  field  and 
garden  crops  during  the  past  summer.  The  adHress  was  of  much 
practical  value,  and  was  listened  to  with  iiiterest'by  a  huge  audience, 
among  whom  were  many  members  of  our  Club.  A  vot3  of  thanks  was 
moved  by  Rev.  C.  J.  S.  Bethune  and  Prof.  Saunders,  both  of  whom 
made  appropriate  and  interesting  speeches.  Mr.  Harrington  had  on 
exhibition  his  large  collection  uf  Ottawa  Coleoptera,  arranged  in 
eighteen  cases,  and  numbering  over  1,2.50  species. 

On  Thur-sday  sessions  were  held  both  in  the  forenoon  and  after- 
noon in  a  commodious  Com.nittaa  Rmn.  Aftn-  tin  uni.il  presentation 
of  Reports,  etc.,  the  election  of  officers  was  held  and  resulted  as  follows 
/'resident,  James  Fletcher,  Ottawa ;  Vice-President,  3Ir.  E.  Raynes 
Reed;  Secretary-Treasurer,  Islv.  W.  F.  Saunders,  London;  Council. — 
Rev.  C.  J.  S.  Bethune,  Port  Hope;  W.  Hague  Harrington,  Ottawa; 
Rev.  T.  W.  Fyles,  Quebec;  J.  M.  Denton,  London;  Rev.  Geo.  W. 
Taylor,  Victoria,  B.  C. 

Rev.  C.  J.  S.  Bethune  reul  a  very  interesting  paper  on  Aleti'i 
argillacea,  the  celebrated  cotton  moth  which  does  such  enormous  injury 
to  cotton  in  tlie  Southern  States.  He  described  its  occurrence  in  great 
numbers  at  Port  Ho])e  on  the  Sth  and  Dth  October.  INIr.  Harrington 
gave  an  account  of  a  similar  appearance  of  the  insect  at  Ottawa  on  the 
evening  of  Sunday,  Dth  Cctober,  when  great   numbers   were  attracted 


110 

by  the  electric  lights.  The  following  morning  he  had  observed  at  least 
250  or  300  on  the  front  of  the  Ottawa  Bank.  Mr,  Moffatt  stated  that 
immense  swarms  of  the  raoth:^  had  visited  Hamilton  on  the  evening  of 
the  7th  October.  It  has  been  for  many  years  a  debated  question 
whether  the  insect  breeds  in  Canada  or  immigrates  from  its  southern 
habitat,  and  its  presence  in  such  immense  numbers  this  autumn  would 
seem  to  favour  the  latter  view, 

Mr.  Fletcher  exhibited  a  beautiful  case  of  butterflieb  containing 
specimens  of  several  rare  species  of  Ch'.onobas,  vtc  ,  including  C. 
Macounii,  C.  Gigas  and  G.  GaUfor>uca.  He  spoke  of  the  rarity  of  the 
species  and  explained  that  nearly  all  the  specimens  shown  had  been 
captured  by  Prof.  Macoun  during  his  explorations  at  Nepigon  and  iu 
British  Columbia.  A  j)ajjer  was  submitted  from  Rev.  G.  W.  Taylor, 
of  Victoria,  giving  an  account  of  au  ascent  of  ilt.  Finlayson  in  search 
of  Ghionohas  gigas.  Prof.  Macoun  stated  that  he  had  accomjjanied  Mr. 
Taylor  and  gave  some  interesting  particulars  of  the  habits  of  the  buttei*- 
flies  collected  by  him.  We  have  not  space  to  give  further  details 
of  the  }  ipers  and  discussions,  but  the  following  papers  were  among 
those  read  : — 

"Some  remarkable  Captures  during  the  summer  of  1887,"  Capt. 
GedJes  ;  '•  Nuptials  of  Thalessa"  and  "  Further  observations  on  Oryssus 
Fayi,"  W,  Hague  Harrington;  "Species,  varieties,  &c.,"  J.Alston 
Moffatt. 

Mr.  Harrington's  collection  of  Ottawa  beetles  and  Mr,  Fletcher's 
fine  series  of  butterflies  were  on  exhibition  throughout  the  meetings 

It  will  be  observed  from  this  report  that  an  active  part  in  the  pro- 
ceedings was  taken  by  members  of  our  Club. 


Ill 

EXCURSION  TO  KIRK'S  FERRY. 

The  Filth  General  Excursion  was  held  on  the  17tli  SepteniUei'. 
The  locality  chosen  for  investigation  was  Kirk's  Ferry,  on  the  Gatineau 
River,  about  12  miles  from  the  city.  The  weather  was  perfect.  It 
was  one  of  oui'  lovely  Canadian  autumn  days,  with  a  soft  warm  breeze, 
a  bright  sun,  and  the  damp  air  filled  with  the  scent  of  the  woods.  The 
members  turned  out  in  good  numbers,  and  three  heavily  loaded  vans 
carried  the  happy  party  from  the  dust  of  the  city  out  into  the  pure  air 
of  the  fields.  The  Chaudiere  Falls  first  attracted- the  attention  of  the 
])arty.  On  account  of  the  exceptional  drought  of  this  season,  the  water 
in  the  Ottawa  River  was  so  low  that  workmen  wi're  walkina:  riijlit 
across  the  river  within  100  feet  of  the  edge  of  the  Fall,  an  occurrence 
which  had  never  been  previously  recorded. 

The  bri  'ije  over  Bricrham's  Creek  was  beinor  repaired  and  one  of 
the  vans  having  gone  by  tlio  Chelsea  Road  would  have  had  a  long 
i-eturn  journey  but  for  the  low  water.  Owing  to  this,  however,  they 
wfre  able  to  drive  over  the  ci  eek  and  join  the  rest  of  the  party  without 
trouble. 

As  tiie  mountains  were  approached  there  were  frequent  exclam- 
ations of  surprise  and  admiration  at  the  gorgeous  tints  of  the  landscape. 
The  vivid  autumnal  hues  of  the  Maples,  Beeches  and  Ashes,  combined 
with  the  sombre  shade  of  the  Evergreens,  rendered  the  scene  one  of 
great  magnificence.  Nor  was  the  foreground  less  attractive.  Beneath 
the  shade  of  the  spreading  Butternut  tree,-',  which  grow  in  great 
luxuriance  along  the  JNlountain  Road,  graceful  ferns  and  lovely  mosses 
find  a  fitting  home.  Bright  berries  and  gaudy  fungi,  too,  add  to  the 
beauty  of  the  picture.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  the  leaders  could 
restrain  the  impatience  of  the  members  till  the  destination' was  reached — 
about  no:>n.  Here  they  were  led  by  the  President  to  a  secluded  bay 
where  the  luncheon  baskets  were  opened.  In  front  were  the  wild 
rapids  of  the  Gatineau,  fringed  by  a  beach  of  silver  sand,  behind  rugged 
rocks  thickly  clothed  with  verdure — a  lonely  spot,  where  some  of  the 
party  chose  to  spend  the  whole  day.  After  lunch  the  different  leaders 
made  up  their  pUrlies  and   started   off  without   delay  so  as  to  have  as 


•r  ./ 


innc-'i  time  as  [)Ossil)le;  in  tlii.s  new  iocaliiy.  TinTe  warn  j'ivseiitsi'v  ral 
Geologists,  aiiil  niiiler  the  gtiiilanco  of  Mr.  Biunu-il  many  minerals  and 
objects  of  intere-t  w:-!re  eoil.'cttjd.  Tiim  B-.tanists  W' re  as  usinl  well 
represented,  and  wfM'e  well  reji.uJ  for  their  labonrs.  All  tlie  leaders 
and  Prof.  Macoun  were  piesenfc,  and  made  t!i:;  ex[ilor  ition  interesting 
to  tin  se  wjio  acconipanift'd  them,  naming  and  (Xjtla.iidng  tlie  nature  of  all 
the  ])lants  brouglit  to  them.  Several  new  tpcti^s  were  added  to  the 
list  of  plants  i-ecorJed.  Tiie  most  notable  being  Vacoinmm  ccespitoium, 
a  noi'thern  plant  ;  Vacciniutii  cvrjjiiihoimiii,  var.  (jlaucum  ;  wwd  toliiago 
argut:i.  Bafore  L-^aving  for  homo  abo  it  an  liour  was  jileasanlb/  and 
advantageonsly  spent  in  listening  to  the  a'ldi-esscs  of  the  leadeis,  which, 
owing  perhaps  to  the  new  locality  and  the  charnjing  weather,  seemed 
more  than  usually  entertairdng.  The  President,  Mr.  H.  B.  Whyte, 
wiih  a  few  well  chosen  woids  introduced  each  speaker.  Mr.  Bi'umell, 
of  the  Geological  Survey,  explained  the  geological  formation,  and  drew 
attention  to  the  most  important  minerals  discovered.  Apatite  naturally 
came  in  for  a  la]-c;e  share  of  attention,  followed  by  Mica,  Iron  Pyrites 
and  Hornblende  ;  together  with  the  other  rocks  found  in  the  Laurentian 
formation.  Follovvdng  Mr.  Brumell,  JNIr.  Amos  Bowman,  also  of  the 
Geological  Survey,  spoke  on  the  methods  of  working  some  of  the 
minerals  referred  to,  and  especially  spoke  of  the  surface  deposits  of  the 
district.  Prof.  Macoun,  in  his  usual  happy  style,  spoke  of  the  plants 
collected,  and  the  pleasures  of  a  naturalist's  life.  Mr.  Fletcher  spoke 
of  the  insects,  and  gave  some  insight  into  the  habits  and  life-histories 
of  soine  specimens  exhibited.  The  party  reached  town  again  about 
eight  o'clock  aft<-r  a  most  successful  expedition. 


113 
^UB-EXCUHSroNS. 


TwKLKTU. —  A  prti  ty  h'll  Jiy  tlie  Presitleiit  visited  the  Beaver 
Meadow,  Hull,  on  the  27t!i  August.  TliJ  v  <=ather  was  chaiiidiig  and 
the  vvoolIs  were  jnst  putting  un  their  gorgeous  autumn  dres.s.  The 
'. sters  and  Solidago^  were  in  their  juime  and  fuiiii.^hed  a  fertile  field 
for  stinly.  Along  the  banks  of"  the  Beaver  Meadow  fine  examides  of 
tlie  Closed  Geniian  G.  An'/rewsii  were  collected,  and  in  the' river  Hi  lens 
Ikckii  was  found  flowering  freely.  At  the  same  time  the  striking 
leaves  and  flowers  of  the  Picktu'el-weeci,  Poutederia  c<*rd(it<t,  were 
conspicucurs  objects.  The  President  explained  the  chief  points  of 
interest  a!>out  each  S[)ecios  as  found,  and  a  n  Oi-t  [)lea  ant  afcernoon  was 
spent  in  this  favourite  locality. 

TniRTKEXTii.  —  On  3rd  September  an  enjoyalile  excursion  was  held 
to  Billings  Bridge.  A  full  van  of  members  left  the  usual  rendezvous 
at  two  o'clock.  The  Pre  idenfc  and  Dr.  Baptie  led  the  party.  On 
arriving  at  the  Bridge  the  party  walked  up  the  north  .shore  of  the  river 
as  far  as  Dow's  Swamp.  Amongst  the  low  herbage  in  the  woods,  Cus- 
cuta  C'ronovii,  the  "Dodder"  was  fouiul,  closely  embracing  in  its 
deadly  grasj)  [dants  of  Boehincria  ojUndrica,  the  Sdngless  Nettle. 

A  tree  of  Celtis  occidentalis  attracted  a  great  deal  of  interest  from 
the  diseased  state  of  ics  foliage;  every  leaf  bore  from  5  to  25  galls  of 
the  pretty  little  ilomopteron  Psylla  cpJtidis-viammci.  Asteis  and 
8olidagos  were  very  conspicuous  and  many  species  were  examined  and 
compared. 

Fourteenth. — On  10th  September  it  was  decided  to  again  visit 
the  Beaver  Meadow  at  Hull,  a  locality  always  full  of  interest  to  col- 
lectors. Many  beny-bearing  plants  now  attracted  attention,  and  the 
seeds  of  various  plants  were  examined.  The  Ashes  and  Hawthorns 
were  particularly  drawn  attention  to  by  Prof.  Macoun.  Ness(e:t,  ver- 
tioMuta,  the  Swamp  Loosestrife  with  its  aquatic  stems  and  roots  was 
an  interesting  topic  for  discussion.  Some  of  the  members  amused 
theni.selves  collecting  the  autumn  leaves  of  Maples  and  other  trees, 
which  v.ere  particularly  gaudy  this  season.  The  ornamental  seerls  of 
(.lemiUis  Virginiana  were  also  githered  in  large  quantities.  Prof. 
Macoun  collected  a  large  number  of  Mosses  and  Lichens,  the  most  im- 
portant of  which  he  exhibited. 


lU 

Fifteenth. — On  the  afterno-n  of  the  2Sth  September  a  few  active 
workers  ot  the  Conchological  Branch,  inclutiing  two  ladies,  met  at 
Ratte's  and  procuring  a  large  skiff  rowed  down  the  Ottawa  to  Duck 
Island.  This  locality  is  remarkable  for  producing  in  abundance  one  of 
the  most  lieautiful  shells  found  in  the  inland  waters  of  North  America. 
A  few  specimens  of  this  species,  Unio  occidens,  Lea,  were  observed  on 
the  bar  which  runs  fi-om  the  head  of  the  i.sland  towards  tlie  Quebec 
«hore ;  but  no  attempt  was  made  at  coUectiug  until  a  landing  had  been 
effected  opposite  Templeton  \Yharf,  and  the  appetites  of  the  party, 
shar[illy  whetted  by  the  long  pull  down  the  river,  had  been  appeased  by 
a  hearty  liincheon.  The  excursionists  then  divided,  some  remaining  on 
the  Northern  shore  and  the  others  crossing  the  island.  On  the 
Southern  sid'e  Unio  Occidew,  U.  horealls,  U.  ellipsis  and  a  large  coarse 
form  of  U.  complanatus  were  very  common.  A  still  larger  but  less 
pouderous  variety  of  complanatus,  pale  in  colour  and  beautifully  rayed, 
was  found  sparingly,  and  for  the  first  time  since  1881.  One  specimen 
ol  U.  ulatas,  and  a  few  U.  gracilis,  U.  rectus  and  U.  gibbosus  weie 
taken  near  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  all  in  fine  condition.  In  the 
meantime  those  upon  th  >  North  shore  had  not  been  idle.  They  had 
collected  great  heaps  of  Unio  occidens,  U.  complanatus  and  U.  ellipsis, 
with  several  U.  borealis  and  a  few  V.  gi-acilis.  One  specimen  each  of 
Anodonta  undulata  and  Margaritana  undrdatu,  the  latter  of  reniaikable 
size,  was  also  found.  The  material  of  the  afternoon's  collecting  was 
carefully  examined  before  leaving,  and  any  not  required  were  replaced 
in  the  waters.  All  the  shells  selected  were  remarkable  for  size,  beauty 
or  variety,  and  the  Unio  occidens  rival  in  brilliancy  of  lustre  and 
variety  of  form  and  coloring  the  choicest  productions  of  tropical  seas. 
A  long  pull,  after  a  second  attack  on  the  lunch  baskets,  landed  the 
party  at  Ottawa  highly  pleased  with  the  result  of  the-  excursion. 

Sixteenth.— The  special  object  of  this  snb-excuision  of  the  1st 
October  was  to  investigate  the  diff^-rent  'species  of  Fraxinus  found  in 
the  locality. 

RockclifTe  was  the  locality  visited,  and  many  different  trees  weie 
examined.  Specimens  of  the  seed  of  the  Red  Ash  {F.  pubescens),  the 
White  Ash  {F.  Americana)  and    the    Black  Asli  {F.  sambnci folia)  were 


115 

gathered  fur  cultivation.  Primus  pumila  was  found  to  occur  in  some 
abundance  round  the  rocky  base  of  Rockcliffe,  and  Astragalus  Coo  peri 
was  not  uncommon.  Several  S[)ecies  of  Aster  and  Solidago  were 
examined,  and  the  only  locality  in  the  neighbourhoo  1,  so  fur  found,  for 
Ceanothus  Americanus  the  New  Jersey  Tea,  was  pointed  out. 

Seventeenth. — A  party  belonging  to  the  Botanical  Section  made 
an  expedition  on  8  th  October  to  Beech  wood  to  look  for  Aplecirum 
hieinale,  a  rare  orchid.  They  were,  however,  unsuccessful  in  their  quest, 
but  were  well  lepaid  by  the  discovery  of  many  other  plants.  INIr.  Fletcher 
explained  the  theories  with  legard  to  tlie  growth  of  parasitic  and 
saprophytic  plants.  Fine  specimens  were  collected  of  Comanira 
umhellata  growing  attached  to  the  roots  ol  Amelanchier  Canadensis. 
Roo's  of  Monotropa  unijlora  were  found  showing,  in  some  instances,  a 
new  bud  for  next  year's  growth.  Attention  was  drawn  to  the  similarity 
of  the  see  Is  of  some  of  the  Edcaceje  to  those  of  Orchids. 

Eighteenth. — Another  expedition  was  made  on  15th  October  for 
the  same  purpose  as  the  preceding ;  Lieut. -Col.  White,  who  had 
already  found  Aplectrum  Jdeniale,  was  with  the  party  and  led  them  to 
the  locality  where  he  had  discovered  it.  After  a  short  search  beneath 
the  fallen  leaves  INIr.  Fred.  Magee  succeeded  in  finding  a  fine  patch  of 
three  plants — two  of  these  bore  two  leaves  each.  This  curious  plant 
throws  u[)  in  the  autuuiu  a  large  handsome  ribbed  leaf  somewhat  like 
the  Lily  of  the  Valley,  it  is  dark  green  above  an<l  purple  beneath.  In 
the  following  summer  a  tall  spike  of  purplish  flowers  appears  in  June 
or  July,  and  then  when  this  is  mature  an  underground  stem  is 
produced  bearing  at  its  tip  a  bud  which  gradually  is  enlarged  till  it 
becomes  a  solid  conn.  From  this  the  autumn  leaf  is  borne.  Some- 
times, as  in  two  of  the  plants  referred  to  above,  there  are 'two  of  these 
bulbs  on  a  plant.  Tue  ol  1  bull)s  nMuiin  a  year  or  two  in  tlie  grouild 
before  decaying,  so  that  there  are  thus  .sometimes  three  or  four  con- 
nected. The  popular  name  of  tliis  plant  is  "  Putt^'-root "  or  "Adam 
and  Eve,"  the  latter  refers  to  the  old  and  new  buH'S  being  found 
connected.  This  kind  of  root  is  not,  however,  an  uncommon  occurrence 
amongst  Orchids.  INIany  of  our  common  species  have  twin  roots  as  we 
find  in  Ilabenaria  IJookivi  and  many  others. 


c 


a    1  B  la  A  ^ 


LlG 

Xi.VETKKXTii. — DL'S|iite  the  coolness  of  tlie  vveatlier  a  u-.imber  of 
■nieniberis  of  the  Club  ;iud  their  friemls  lefb  the  city  Post  Office  at  9.o0 
a.m.,  of  22ii(l  October,  aud  prooeeileil  by  w.iy  of  the  Montreal  Road,  in 
Gloucester,  to  the  mouth  of  Oreeu's  Creek,  some  six  miles  distant. 
The  drive  down  was  rather  cool,  but  by  eleven  o'clock,  when  the  Creek  ■ 
was  reached,  the  bracing  weather  had  moderated,  and  when  collecting 
began  the  excursionists  soon  felt  comfortable.  One  o'clock  brought  the 
pariy  together  and  the  specimens  contained  in  the  baskets  were  eagerly 
discussed.  Before  lunch  the  upper  portion  of  the  Ottawa  River  shore 
had  been  searched  for  nodules  and  recent  shells  with  considerable 
success,  wliilst  the  lower  po)-tion  of  tlie  beach  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Creek  proved  to  be  less  rich  iu  the  sought  for  specimens.  The 
])arty  decided  to  make  a  halt  on  the  way  h^une  at  the  Sulphur  Springs, 
situated  on  the  same  creek,  and  close  to  v\-here  the  bridge  on  the 
Montreal  Road  crosses  it.  This  \Adce  was  soon  reached,  and  on  the 
way  the  outcrop  of  the  shales  belonging  to  the  Chazy  Formation  along 
the  road,  with  the  newer  limestones  flanking  the  hill,  to  the  south, 
about  half-a-mile  east  of  the  toll-gate,  were  examined.  The  waters  of 
the  S[)rings  having  been  tasted  and  an  additional  numbci  of  nodules 
collected  up  the  creek,  especially  of  that  kind  which  is  sphei'oidal  in 
shape.  The  party  re-assembled  and  in  conforQiity  to  the  usual  custom, 
the  leader  in  Geology,  Mi-.  Henry  M.  Ami,  who  was  present,  was  called 
to  say  a  few  words  on  the  result  of  the  day's  outing.  He  accordingly 
briefly  described  the  formation  of  rocks  which  'ad  more  particularly 
engaged  their  attention  during  the  day,  viz.,  the  "  Leda  Clay"  forma- 
tion. The  origin  and  mode  of  depositioo  of  the  clays  and  the  animal 
remains  to  be  found  in  them  were  pointed  out,  after  which  Dr.  Eell,  cf 
the  Geological  Survey,  made  some  remarks  respecting  the  theory 
of  elevation  and  subsidence  of  Continents,  referring  more  particularly 
to  Prof.  CroU's  theory  of  tidal  action  in  the  long  lapse  of  time.  This 
done,  the  excursionists  returned  to  the  city  in  good  time,  quite  satisfied 
that  a  pleasant  day  had  been  spent,  A  number  of  ladies  vvere  present, 
which  speaks  well  for  tiie. interest  which  they  manifest  in  the  natural 
history  .studies  with  which  the  Clnb  is  eniiaged. 


LiBRAiiiAN's  ui:coi;i). 


Brooklvii  Kiitoniolo^jical  >'ocietv  :      Entwinuluiiicii  AiiiericariM,  V»l. 
III,  No.  6. 

Mo'.itroitl     NatiUMl     History    Socioty  :      The   Canadiau    Uecorcl    of 
Science. 

Cuiciiinati  Society  of  Xatuial  History  :  Journal,  Vol    X,  No.  o. 

Ksaex  bieliJ  Club,  England  :     The   Essex   Naturali-t,  Nos.  7,  8,  9. 

American  Oinitliologi.sfs'  Ur.ion  :     The  Auk,  Vol.  IV,  No.  4. 

Torrey  Lot-nical  Cin'o  :      nuii(.-(in,  Vol.  XIV,  Nos.  9  and  10. 

Entomological  Society  of  Ontaiio  :     Tlie  (Janadi  in    Entomologist, 
Vol.  XrX,  Nos.  9,   10  a,d  11. 

New  Vork  Micioscopicnl  Society  :  Journal,  Vol.  Ill,  Nos.  3  and  4. 

L'Univeisite  Laval  :     Annnairc,    1887-^8. 

Dr.  W.    A.   Kellerman  :     Journal   of    Mycology,  Yd.  IIJ,  No.s.  U 
and  10. 

Dt'pt.  of  Agriculture,  ilanitobu  :     Crop  liulktin.  No.  21. 

^tetfoiological  Service  of  Canada  :      Keport,  18S4. 


118 
MONOTROPA  UNIFLORA. 


To  tha  Editor  oj  the  Ottawa  Naturalist :  — 

Dear  Sir  :  In  the  June  number  of  the  Ottawa  NaturaUst  I  notice 
some  views  expressed  by  Mr.  Fletcher  on  the  growth  of  Monotropa.  I 
feel  assured  that  his  views  are  correct.  In  the  suuiruer  of  1873  I  was 
searching  in  a  hardwood  bush  for  roots  of  Aplectrum  hiemale,  when  I 
found  several  bunches  of  roots  which  I  at  once  took  to  be  those  of  M. 
uni^ora.  but  there  was  no  appearance  of  flowei-ing  stems.  I  also 
observed  that  they  were  securely  attached  to  roots,  about  three-sixteenths 
of  an  inch  in  diameter,  of  what  I  took  to  be  maple,  -but  which  may 
have  been  beech. 

There  coidd  be  no  doubt  about  the  parasitic  attachment.  At  first 
1  imagined  that  the  flowering  stems  had  been  ])luckcd,  but  on  examina- 
tion this  was  evidently  not  the  case  as  no  signs  of  injury  could  be  found  ; 
moreover  it  was  in  the  month  of  July,  too  early  in  the  season  for  the 
flowers  to  have  appeared.  I  marked  the  place  ctrefully,  and  drove  in 
several  pegs  beside  roots  which  were  but  little  disturbed.  I  revisited 
the  spot  towards  the  end  of  Se|)  ember,  after  T  had  found  several  in 
flower,  but  found  all  just  as  I  had  left  it;  not  a  plant  was  to  be  seen. 
In  September  of  the  following  year  I  happened  to  be  driving  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  locality,  so  tying  my  horse  I  went  carefully  over 
the  ground  and  found  the  flowers  so  numerous  that  from  a  small  area  I 
t;ould  have  gatliered  a  large  basketful.  From  want  of  time  I  did  not 
carry  the  investigation  further,  but  this  was  enough  to  convince  me  of 
the  a'"curacv  of  Mr.  Flet'iher's  statements. 

W.M.    ElJODlE, 

Toronto,  3rd  June,  1887. 


[Note.— With  regard  to  the  above  interesting  subject,  upon  consulting  Prof. 
Macoun,  be  states  that  he  agrees  with  the  general  tenor  of  Mr.  Brodie's  letter,  but 
adds  witb  regard  to  the  host- plant,  tliat  he  is  sure  that  Monotropa  grows  upon  the 
roots  of  other  plants  besides  tlie  Beech,  as  he  has  found  it  in  many  districts  where 
that  tree  does  not  occur.  In  British  Columbia  he  found  it  common  in  Coniferous 
woods  where  no  deciduous  trees  grew.  It  is  also  abundant  in  tlie  cold  woods  of  the 
Oaspe  peninsular,  on  Anticosti,  and  in  some  parts  of  Nova  Scotia  where  the  Beech  is 
unknown.  Ho  is  of  the  opinion  that  viduable  information  woul  I  um'oubtedly  be 
.gained  by  carrying  out  tlie  ex]ieriment  suggested  in  the  June  number  of  the 
Aaturatisl  of  growing  these  plants  from  seed.— Ed.] 


110 
EDITORIAL. 

Since  our  last  editorial  appeared — in  the  May  number  ot  the 
Naturalist — summer  has  come  and  arone.  and  snowstorms*  and  frosts 
give  warning  of  the  ap[)roach  of  winter.  The  collecting  season,  for 
most  branches  at  least,  is  over,  and  we  have  no  more  pleasant 
Excursions,  or  Saturday  Outings  to  announce.  The  work  of  the  Clab, 
however,  finds  no  stay ;  it  ends  not  with  the  summer,  but  merely 
changes  with  the  seasons.  All  the  varied  treasures  gathered  from  field 
and  forest,  frjm  cliff  and  iiuany,  have  yet  to  be  larefnlly  examined 
and  prepared  for  the  herliarium,  or  the  cabinet,  otherwise  they  will 
be  as  useless  as  the  miser's  gold  stored  in  hidden  reces.ses,  and  will  be 
liable  like  it  to  be  before  long  lost  A  grent  store  of  speciineas  in  all 
branches  should  be  the  result  of  tlie  past  season's  work,  facilitated  as  it 
has  been  by  so  many  Excursions  and  Outings.  Amongst  these  speci- 
mens must  be  many  vnluable  and  rare  species  ;  additions  to  our  lists  ; 
perhaps  forms  new  to  science.  These  will  require  special  and  critical 
study,  in  order  that  they  may  1)3  properly  recorded  for  the  benefit  of 
naturalists  elsewhere. 

Any  member  having  notes  of  interest  should,  if  they  be  not 
intended  for  presentation  in  a  special  paper,  forward  th  m  without 
tlelay  to  the  Leaders  of  the  several  Branches,  to  enable  them  to  prepare 
their  Reports  on  the  season's  labours  and  conquests.  The  Soiiee  Com- 
mittee has  now  nearly  completed  what  we  trust  will  be  an  attractive 
programme  for  the  Winter  Lectures  and  Classes.  This  will  appear  in 
full  next  month  ;  and  the  date  for  the  first  Soiiee  has  been  fixed  for  the 
9th  December,  when  the  Annual  Address  will  be  delivered  by  the 
President— Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte.  .    • 

A  report  will  be  found  in  this  numljer  of  the  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  Entomological  Society  of  Ontario,  which  was  held  in  the  city  for 
the  first  time  since  the  organizitiou  of  the  Ottawa  Field  Naturalists' 
01  ul).  The  meeting  lasted  two  days,  and,  as  the  officers  and  members 
of  our  Club  hid  received  a  cordial  invitation  to  attend  all  the  sessions, 

*Tlie  fust  of  tlipso  was  on  Sunday,  23rd  October,  when  snow  fell  for  scvi'inl 
lionrs,  and  in  unusunl  (luaiitity  for  snoli  an  early  ilate.  A  week  later  there  was 
anotiier  lall  lasting  all  day. 


120 

many  availed  tlieniselves  of  this  oj)[)Oitunit/  of  acquiring  more 
knowled^'e  of  tlie  insect  worul.  We  were  p  rticularly  crratified  to  see 
so  iiianv  present  on  ti.e  evening  wlicn  the  President  delivered  his 
address,  as  it  evidenced  sucli  an  int^u-est  as  should  1)-;  taken  by  our 
members  in  the  work  of  a  kindred  society. 

We  would  ])articular]y  imi)ress  upon  any  nieuibeis  wlio  may  not 
vet  liave  paid  their  subscription  fees  for  tlie  current  year,  tliat  these 
dues  are  payable  in  advance.  Formerly  when  the  transactions  of  tho 
Club  were  {)ublished  almost  at  the  close  of  the  year,  the  Treasnrei'  did 
not  lind  it  necessary  to  call  upon  the  members  before  tliat  time,  bnt 
under  the  present  method  of  monthly  publication  the  Treasurer  (M i-. 
James  Fletcher,  Ex[)erimental  Farm)  has  corres|)onding  payments  to 
make,  and  must  look  to  the  inembeis  to  provide  hiui  with  the  requireil 
funds. 

Another,  and  veiy  important,  way  by  which  the  treas\iry  can  be 
repleted,  and  the  Club  at  the  same  time  strengthened  at  every  point,  is 
in  the  securing  of  new  mendiers.  There  are  nndoubtedly  s  ill  many 
j)ersons  in  the  city  who  might  deiiNc  both  pleasure  and  advantage  from 
attending  the  Leccures  and  Classes  of  the  coming  winter,  and  who  only 
await  information  as  to  the  objects  and  work  of  tlie  Chib  to  induce  them 
to  join  it. 

Members  will  have  observed  no  doubt  that  the  September  and 
October  nunibei-s  of  onr  magazine  contained  only  twelve  pages  each. 
The  eight  pages  tliereby  at  ])resent  lost  will,  however,  be  regaine<J 
when  the  proposed  revised  List  of  Ottawa  Plants  is  ready  for  [lubliea- 
tion,  and  will  enable  the  first  portion  of  that  list  to  l)e  printed  without 
subdivision.  This  new  list  of  our  plants  will  be  one  of  great  value  to 
botaiii  ts,  as  numeror.s  additions  have  been  made  to  the  "  Flora 
Gttawaensis"  [mbli.-hed  in  Transactions  No.  T,  and  information  regard- 
ing the  habitat,  etc.,  (A  each  species  will  be  given. 


121 

NOTES  ON,  AND   THE    PRECISE    GEGLOGTCAL    HORIZON 
OF   SIPHONOTRETA    SCOTIOA,    DAVIDSON. 


BY    HENRY    M.   AMI. 


(A'ead  Mai^ch  3nl,  1887.) 


At  the  Montreal  Meeting  of  the  Arafrican  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  in  1883,  Mr.  J.  F.  Whiteaves,  Palfeontologist, 
&c.,  to  tlie  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  read  a  communication  or 
paper  before  the  Geological  Section,  in  which  there  was  recoi'ded  for 
the  first  time  on  tliis  continent  the  occurrence  of  a  beautifully  f)"inged, 
or  spinose  brachiopod,  which,  from  specimens  sent  liim,  Di\  Thos. 
Davidson,  the  eminent  autiiority  on  the  Brachiopodii,  had  recognized 
to  be  referable  to  a  form  wliich  ha  himself  had  described  as  Si- 
phonotreta  Scotica.  Tlie  specimens  thus  referred  to  de  Verneuil's  genus 
Siphonotret'x  had  been  collected  by  Mr.  J.  "W.  H.  Watts,  of  the  Ottawa 
Field-Naturalists'  Club,  and  that  gentleman  had  handed  them  to  Mr. 
Whiteaves  and  sul>sequently  presented  them  to  the  National  Museum 
at  Ottawa  where  they  are  now  exhibited-  in  the  case».  The  specimens 
in  question  had  been  obtained  from  blocks  of  impure  limestone  lying 
near  Mr.  Watts'  residence  at  Cummings'  Bridge,  near  Ottawa,  aiid 
were  said  to  have  come  out  of  a  well  sunk  by  the  same  gentleman  on 
his  property.  There  was  but  little  doubt,  both  from  the  lithological 
aspect  of  the  rock  containing  the  sjiecimens  of  Siphonotreta  and  otht-r 
fossils  found  an  th's  property,  and  from  the  fades  of  the  included 
fauna,  that  the  measures  whence  they  came  were  referable  to  the  Utica 
Formation.  For  some  time,  however,  a  certain  amount  of  dou'it  was 
entertained  by  a  rinmber  of  paheontologists  as  to  the  precise  geological 
position  of  the  interesting  form  under  consideration  ;  but,  from  receftt 
investigations  made  with  the  special  object  in  view  of  clearing  this 
point,  the  writer,  in  conjunction  with  Mt-ssrs.  McConnell,  Huyt)er  and 
other  member."?  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  has  made  a 
number  of  excursions  during^_  which  sj'>ecimen3  of  this  be;iiitiftil  .sh^ll 
were  collected.  v''^felG/4/ 


\2-2 

In  Older  to  ascertain  definitely  the  tnie  horizon  of  the  Siphonotreta 
in  question,  it  was  necessary  to  find  it  in  situ,  and  further  to  obtain 
from  the  same  bed  or  bads  in  which  it  occurs  as  many  species  of  fossils 
as  possible,  in  other  words,  determine  what  were  its  contemporaries. 
It  had  been  previously  pointed  out  that  the  lowest  measures  of  the 
Utica  formation  about  Ottawa  consisted  in  a  series  of  impure  bands  of 
limestone  at  times,  slightly  dolomitic  and  interstratified  with  black 
brittle  bituminous  shales  all  abounding  in  fossils.  (See  Geological 
Report,  Transactions  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists' Club,  Vol.  I.  No.  4, 
p.  66  ;  also  Vol.  II,  p.  347).  The  close  resemblar.ce  in  lithological 
character  between  the  specimens  sent  to  Dr.  Davidson  by  Mr. 
Whiteaves  and  the  rocks  constituting  the  lower  poriion  of  the  Utica 
formation  where  it  crops  out  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Rideau  River, 
■opposite  the  Rifle  Range,  near  the  rapids,  was  such  as  to  warrant  a 
careful  search  for  SiphonotreUc  in  that  locality.  After  a  somewhat 
careful  searcli  on  tlie  part  of  tl;Ose  members  of  the  Club  above  men- 
liaed,  a  goodly  number  of  specimens  of  this  interesting  species  were 
found  at  the  rapiJs  along  with  other  forms  to  be  mentioned  later  on. 

The  precise  bed  in  which  Siphonotreta  Seotlca  occurs,  is  that  band  of 
impure  bituminous  limestone,  black  or  dark  brown  in  colour,  which 
crosses  the  Rideau  River  at  this  locality  and  forms  the  rapids  or  slight 
fall,  giving  the  peculiar  orographic  aspect  to  that  portion  of  the  river 
Avhich  it  possesses  and  dividing  the  smooth  flowing  water  above  this 
point  stretching  on  to  near  Ilurdman's  Bridge  from  the  rapid  running 
waters  below. 

The  following  is  a  section  of  the  measures  of  the  Utica  formation 
exposed  at  the  head  of  the  rapids  opposite  the  Rifle  Range,  and  in- 
cludes the  zone  of  Siphonotreta  Scotica.  The  middle  and  upper 
measures  of  the  Utica  have  been  denuded  away,  especially  during  glacial 
;times,  and  the  uppermost  beds  of  the  section  are  capped  with  Post- 
.Tertiai-y  deposits  made  up  for  the  most  part  of  debris  of  the  '  till '  and 
^-ixica-va  sand  and  associated  gravel  formations  with  'erratics'  in 
abundance,  the  '  Leda  clay'  having  been  washed  away  in  latter  times. 
The  section  is  given  in  descending  order  : 


123 


CHARACTER   OF    BEDS,    THE    THICKNESS,    &.C. 


These  upper  uie;isures  consist  of  very  soft,  lirittle  and  friable 
bituminous  shales  holding  Triarthms  IJicki,  Greeu  and  other 
fossils. 


Band  of  hard  compact  impure  limostone  teeniini^  with  tiie 
remains  of  Conularia  TrfiilonenKis,  Hall,  and  holding  also 
Zygospira  Ileaii,  Bill,  Leplsena  sericea.  Sow.  Orthis  testu- 
dinaria   l)al.  Calymene  senaria.  Con.,  &.C.,  &c. 


Zone  of  Siphonotreta  Scotica.  Band  of  black  impure  bitu- 
minous limestones  gradually  passing  into  a  series  of  calcareo- 
argillaceous  shales,  at  other  times  compact  and  breaking  with  a 
conchoidal  fracture,  holding  abundance  of  fossils.     (See  lists.) 


Black  and  Inittle  impure  (calcareo-argillaceous)  shales,  bitu- 
minous and  holding  the  remains  of  Asa/ihus  CiutaJcnxiK^ 
Chapman. 

Band  of  impure  limestone. 


Shales,  very  bituminous  and  brittle. 


Band  of  impure  limestone. 


Brownish-black  beds  of  shales,  very  brittle  and  bituminous. 


Two  bands  of  an  irregular  and  unevenly  bedded  lime- 
stone containing  Orthocerata  and  other  fossils  Init  poorly  pre- 
served; limestone  dark  and  somewhat  bituminous. 


(Shales.) 
Thirty  inches. 


(Limestone) 


One  inch. 


(Limestone.) 
/one  of  Siphonotreta. 
A'arics  from  eight  to 
twelve  inches. 

(^halesT)  ■ 


(Limestone.) 


(Shales.) 


(Limestone.) 


(Shales.) 


(Limestone.) 


From  the  band  of  impuri  limestone  lioldlng  Siphonotreta  the 
foUowinsc  s[)ecie3  of  fossils  have  also  been  foiiad  intimately  associated 
therewith  :  — 


1 .  Batostoma  erraticum  Ulrich. 

2.  Lingula  curta,  Hall. 

3.  <«       elongata.  Hall. 

4.  "       fjuadrata,  Eichwald. 

5.  Li'ptiona  sericea,  Sowerby. 

0.  Strophomeua  alternata,  Coniad. 

7.  Orthis  testudinaria,  Dalmau. 

8.  Zygospira  Headi,  Bjillings. 
'J.  "  niodesta.  Say. 


10.  Zj'gospira  (probably  a  new  form). 

11.  Conularia  Trentonensis,  Hall. 

12.  Asaphus  Canadensis,  Chapman. 

13.  "         platyce}ihalus,  Stokes, 
vel  megistos,   Locke. 

14.  Calymene  senaria,  Conrad. 

15.  Beyrichia  oculifera,  Hall. 

16.  Leperditia  cylindrica.  Hall. 


A  mere  glance  at  the  fauna  vdiich  thus  characterizes  the  zone  of 
Slphonolreta  Scotica  in  Americi  is  sufficient  to  indicate  that  the 
measures  whence  thev  came  belong  to  the  ITtica  Formation,  in  the 
u[)per  portion  of  the  Cambro-Silurian  or  Ordovician  System.  A 
single  hand  s])ecimen  showed  the  following  interesting  association  of 
si)ecies  : —  ... 

1.  Siphonotreta  Scotica,  Diiv,  3.   Zygospira  Headi,  Bill. 

2.  Lep'.JBLia  sericea,  Sow.  4.  Asaphus  Canadensis,  Chap. 


124 

From  specimens  obtained  at  tlie  head' of  the  Rifta  Tt.inge  Rapids 
along  the  Rideail  River  by  the  writer  arl^d  froiii  those  of  the  National 
Museum  collection  kindly  place  I  at  the  disposition  of  the  v(-ritet-  by  Mr. 
Whiteavei?,  the  following  notes  have  been  gathered  :  — 

Specivien  No.  i.— Collected  at  the  rapids  along  the  Rideau  River, 
opposite  tlie  Rifle  Range,  in  Gloucester,     Collector  H.M  A.,  188G. 

This  specimen  agrees  well  with  the  beautiful  and  clear  descriptidn 
given  by  JDr.  Davidson  in  his  "  Supplement  to  the  British  Silurian 
Brachiopoda,  1882- 188-1,  p.  217,"  and  only  slight  varidtiohs  such  as 
might  be  merely  local  can  be  observed.  The  dimensions  of  the  shell 
are  as  follows: — Length,  twelve  and  a-half  millimetres;  breadth,  eleven 
millimetres ;  height,  measured  at  about  one  third  the  distance  from  the 
beak  to  the  anterior  exti-emity,  two  millimetres.  Length  of  the  loiigest 
spines,  seen  along  the  anterior  margin,  three  rriillimetres. 

Specimen  No.  ^2. — Collected  by  Mr.  J.  W.  H.  Watts  on  his  pro[)erty, 
Cummings'  Bridge  P.  O.,  Ont  ,  near  Otta\*a  City,  18S3. 

This  specimen  exhibits  the  spines  all  afouhd  the  outer  margin  of 
the  valve  from  near  the  beak  on  one  side  round  the  front  margin  and  near 
the  beak  on  the  other  side-  These  spines,  the  longest  measured  as  yet, 
gave  three  and  a  half  millimetres,  or  one  and  a  half  lines  in  letigth.  In 
the  centre  of  the  umbonal  region  where  the  valve  rises  abruptly  from 
the  beak  hear  tlie  latter  there  is  a  clearly  defined  sinus  or  groove  ex- 
tending only  a  short  distance  anteriorly  and  dying  but  on  the  gently 
covex  or  rtrche'd  valve.     This  feature  is  also  present  in  th^e  next. 

Specinen  No.  3. — Collected  by  Mr.  J.  W,  H.  Watts  at  the  same 
locality  as  No.  2. 

A  very  typical  example  of  the  species  indeed,  whose  length  is 
twelve  and  a  half  millimetres  (6  lines)  and  breadth  ten  and  a  half 
millirhetres  (5  lines).  1'he  height  of  the  valve  is  two  millimetres  but 
the  spines  being  partially  or  wholly  imbedded  in  the  matrix  their  length 
has  nrtt  been  ascertained  exactly. 

The  three  specimens  abbve  referred  to,  aJl-  mentionei  before, 
agree  well  with  Dr.  Davidson's  Scottish  form  Siphonotreta  Scotica ;  never- 
theless as  it  may  pbssibly  happen  that  the  Canadian  form  exhibits  the 
few  points    of    variation    constantly   the    varietal    designation  of  Si- 


125 

phoiiotret-x  Scotlca  var.  Caiiadea^is  now  propose.l,  in:iy  peihaps  nob  be 
entirely  deemed  inappropriate.  Tiie  spines  in  the  Canadian  specimens 
examined  so  far  are  exceedingly  minute  and  numerous,  narrowly 
cylindrical,  pointed  and  smooth  for  the  most  part,  ajid  somewhat  broad 
and  thickened  at  the  base.  Even  under  a  high  power  of  a  microsoope 
the  spines  a])iiear  to  be  smooth,  no  anuulations  being  visible,  whilst 
irregularly  distributed  punctures  at  times  appear  to  be  present — these 
aie  perhaps  due  to  the  mode  of  fossilizition.  The  number  of  spines 
round  the  outer  margin  of  specimen  No.  2,  {supra)  has  been  roughly 
estimated  at  over  three  hundred,  forming  only  one  of  the  many  rows  of 
*'  adpressed  spines  "  ranging  from  the  beak  to  beak  round  tlie  anterior 
front  of  the  shell. 

It  may  not  be  deemed  out  of  jjluce  in  this  connection  to  give  a 
a  list  of  the  species  of  fossils  associated  with  aS'.  Scotica,  Dav.,  and  col- 
lected at  Craighead,  in  Ayrshiie,  Scotland,  chiefly  by  Mrs.  R.  Gray,  a 
lady  wliose  researches  in  and  contributions  to  palsentology  are  well 
known.  They  are  all  referred  to  the  Llandeilo  formation,  a  series  of 
measures  undei-lying  the  Caradoc-Bala  group,  all  members  of  the 
Cambro-Siluiian  or  Ordovican  System.  The  lust  of  Brachiopoda  lias 
been  compiled  from  S.Davidson's  "Supplement"  (loc.  cit.)  and  the 
Crustacea  are  taken  from  the  admii-able  "  Monograph  of  the  Silurian 
fossils  of  the  Girvan  district,"  by  Dr.  IT.  A.  Nicholson  and  Mr.  Robt. 
Etheridge,jr.,  F.G.S. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  species  frou)  Craighead  in  the  Llandeilo 
formation  from  which  Slphoaotrela  Scotica  was  obtained,  those  common 
to  Canada  all  italicised. 

BRACHIOPODA. 

1.  Lin'jula  quadrate,  f'.ichwaltl.  12.    Ortki»  Icstuilimiria,  Dalmau. 

2.  "        Kanisayi,  Salt<'r.  13.       "       confinis,  Salter. 

3.  Discinia  peiTUgata,  McCoy.  14.       "        biforata.  Schlotheiu. 

4.  Acrotreta  Nicholsoni,  Dav.  15.       "       turgida,  McCoy. 

5.  Leptmna  sericea,  Sow.  16.  Strophomcna  rhomboidalis,  Wilckens. 

6.  "        temiicincta,  McCoy.  17.  "  Imbrex,  Pander,  var. 

7.  "        Yoiuigiaiia,  Dav.  18.  "  c.\i>aiisa,  Sower'oy. 

8.  "        Grayiif,  Dav.  10.  '•  retroilexa,  Salter. 

9.  Lept.Tiia  Etheri'lgei,  Dav.  20.   lihyiiclioiiclla  Balcletcliicusis,  Dav. 

10.  (?)  Ortliis  unguis,  Sow.  21.  "  Peachii,    Dav. 

11.  Urtliis  Sowerbyiann,  Dav.  22.  "  Scotica,  Dav. 


126 


CRUSTACEA. 


Calymene  Bluraenbachii  Brong. 
Bronteus  sp.  (large  form'*. 
Cheirurus  gelasiuosus,  Portlock. 
Encriuurus  punctatus,  Bruauich. 
Encriminis  piiuctatus  var.  arenaceus, 
Salter. 


6.  Ill;T?aus  Bowmani,  Salter. 

7.  "        Roseubergi,  Eichwald. 

8.  Licbas  Hiberiiicus,  Portlock. 


The  association  oi  Siphonotreta  Scotica,  Dav.,  has  thus  been  given 
both  as  regards  its  Canadian  and  European  contemporaries.  There  are 
are  a  number  of  other  forms  occurring  throughout  the  section  at  the 
Eapids,  in  Gloucester,  not  mentioned  which  would  swell  the  list  con- 
siderably, but  subsequent  researches  will  help  in  ascertaining  their 
precise  affinities  and  lead  to  other  forms  being  found. 

There  remains  much  work,  however,  to  be  done  in  ascertaining 
the  internal  characters  of  this  pretty  little  spinose  brachiopod  which  in 
Scotland  and  Canada  used  to  flourish  in  the  old  Cambro-SUurian 
Seas. 

Should  any  member  of  the  Club  find  any  specimen  or  S:pecimens 
of  Sip/ionoireta  Scotica  or  of  its  Canadian  variety  which  would  throw 
additional  light  and  show  the  muscular  and  other  impressions  of  the 
interior  of  this  shell  belonging  to  the  division  of  the  Tretenterata,  he 
or  she  would  be  conferring  a  favour  to  Science  by  contributing  the 
same  in  the  Club's  Transactions  or  elsewhere. 


:o: 


RY 


127 
THE  COUGAR  OR  PANTHER. 


WILLIAM    PITTMAX    LETT. 


(Read  10th  March,  1887.) 


TLis  interesting  animal  [Fells  concolor,  L.)  has  been  vaiiously 
called  Cougar  and  Panther  in  North  America,  Piinca  in  South  America, 
''•  Mountain  Lion  "  in  some  of  tho  Western  States,  and  '•  California 
Lion"  in  Californici.  Amongst  the  old  trappers  and  hunters,  it  \va& 
known  as  the  "Panther;"  and  many  startling  and  wonderful  stories 
liave  been  told  regarding  its  size  and  ferocity  by  those  hardy  pioneeis 
of  the  wildei'uess,  who  followed  their  adventurous  occupation,  with 
their  eyes  always  on  the  watch  for  the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping 
knife,  and  tlieir  eai-s  ever  open  for  the  sound  of  the  war-whoop.  Thoy 
dealt  largely  in  the  marvellous,  in  those  far  back  times — those  early 
days,  before  the  woodman's  exterminating  axe  and  the  resistless  march 
of  the  battalions  of  civilization,  had  driven  out  from  their  forest  fasi' 
nesses  the  gieat  ruminants  and  tho  larger  and  fiercer  carnivora  which 
formerly  abounded  in  localities  where  they  are  now  unknown .  The 
habitat  of  the  Cougar  is  confined  to  the  Ameiican  Continent,  ranging 
from  Canada  to  the  equatorial  foi-ests,  and  as  far  south  as  Terra  del 
Fuego.  It  is  found  in  the  range  of  tho  Andes  at  an  altitude  of  9,000 
feet,  and  is  quite  common  in  South  America,  as  well  as  in  the  forests 
around  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  abounded,  at  one  time,  in  tho  Valley 
of  the  Ottawa,  in  considerable  numbers.  The  Cougar  belongs  to  the 
Felklae,  or  cat  family  ;  and,  except  the  Jaguar,  is  the  largest  animal  of 
its  kind  in  America. 

A  full  grown  cougar  of  the  largest  size  of  which  we  have  any 
authentic  account,  measures  eight  feet  in  length  from  the  point  of  the 
nose  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  and  weighs  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  In  some  rare  instances,  specimens  have  been  found 
reaching  the  uncommon  weight  of  two  hundrel  pounds.  In  a  recen** 
interesting  work  on  Wild  Animals,  written  by  Major  Nutt,  of 
Montreal,  an  account  is  given  of  a  cougar  which  was  killed  in  Texas, 
in  188.3,  which  measured  nine  feet  four  inches,  and  weighed  two 
hundred    and    forty    pounds.        "The   American   Field,''  an   excellent 


128 

o  rt  sm:in's  paper,  tells  of  the  recent  killing  of  one  of  these  animals  at 
GeorgHtown,  El  Dorado  County,  California,  which  measured  nine  feet 
from  tip  to  tip  and  weighed  two  hundred  pounds.  This  variation  in 
size  may  be  quite  possible,  for  every  hunter  of  any  experience*  knows 
that  the  average  weight  of  a  large  Virginian  deer  is  about  two  hundred 
pounds,  although,  occasionally,  extra  largo  bucks  have  been  met  with, 
weighing  two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  even  three  hundred  pounds. 

The  colour  of  the  cougar  is  a  deep  fawn,  inclining  to  white  on  the 
belly.  The  body  is  long  and  somewhat  slender,  and  the  height  about 
two  feet  six  inches  at  the  shoulder.  The  tail  is  two  feet  long  with  a 
small  tuft  of  stiff  hair  at  the  end.  The  legs  are  thick  and  extremelv 
muscular,  and  the  teeth  are  sharp,  strong  and  dangerous  looking.  Like 
all  animals  of  the  cat  tribe,  the  claws  ai'e  keen,  formidable  and  retrac- 
tile, thus  aiding  in  the  seizure  and  retention  of  its  living  prey,  as  well 
as  enabling  it  to  climb  trees  with  facility. 

After  a  gestatory  period  of  about  ninety-two  days,  the  female  brings 
forth  two  kittens  at  a  birth ;  sometimes,  however,  one,  three  or  even 
four  constitute  her  infant  family.  The  young  are  produced  late  in  the 
■winter,  or  early  in  the  spring.  A  reliable  authority,  William  A.  Conk- 
ling,  Ph.  D.,  Director  of  the  Central  Park,  New  York,  speaking  of 
panthers,  remarks  : —    ■ 

"  The  cubs  ai-e  born  with  their  eyelids  closed,  they  open  after 
eight  or  nine  days.  The  incisors  and  canine  teeth  cut  through  the 
gums  ill  eighteen  days.  Ths  body  is  at  first  spoted;  the  spots  dis- 
appear in  about  six  months.  They  are  weaned  when  thi-ee  months  old. 
The  mother  carries  the  young  about  in  her  mouth  in  the  same  manner 
that  a  cat  does."     (Merriam.) 

As  I  intend  to  adhere  as  closely  as  possibly  to  scientific  facts,  T 
shall  make  no  apology  for  presenting  you  with  a  few  admirable  extracts* 
from  a  work,  entitled,  "The  Mammalia  of  th3  Adirondacks,"  by  Dr. 
Clinton  Hart  Merriam,  of  Lieust  Grove,  iu  the  State  of  New  York^ — 
a  volum3  which  thois  who  ;hive  hi  I  ui  opportunity  of  reading  will 
readily  acknowledge  to  ba  an  able  an  I  valuable  contribution  to  the 
Natural  Historv  of  America.  *  *  #  * 


•These  extracts  giving  a  very  full  acco'.mt  of  the  habits  of  this  aniiual  are,  for 
want  of  space,  omitted,  and  the  reader  is  nifutred  to  Dr.  Merriam's  splendid  work. 


129 

The  cougai'  which  you  may  see,  very  inartistically  and  unnaturally, 
set  up  iu  the  glass-case  before  you  must  have  been,  when  living,  a 
remarkably  fine  specimen.  As  nearly  as  possible,  he  must  have  lu  usured 
seven  and  a  half  feet  from  nose  to  end  of  tail.  He  was  shot  by  ;i  boy 
named  Bentley,  upward  of  forty  years  ago,  on  Croil's  Island,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  o])i)Osite  Farran's  Point,  about 
ten  miles  east  of  Morrisburgh,  with  an  iron  spike  or  nail.  The  youth 
killed  the  animal  with  a  single  shot,  a  sporting  exploit  sometimes 
found  difficult  of  accomplishment  by  exjierienced  hunter?. 

About  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  panther  was  found  in  every 
part  of  Ontario  and  Quebec.  I  have  been  assured  l)y  reliable 
authority,  that  about  forty  years  ago,  two  large  specimens  weie  fr.e- 
qufutly  seen  near  the  Village  of  Lachute,  in  the  Province  of  Quebec. 
Since  the  days  of  of  the  adventurous  Kentuckian,  Daniel  Boone,  many 
thrilling  stories  have  been  told  about  the  size,  ferocity  and  destructive- 
ness  of  the  cougar.  It  is  well  known  that  it  has  strong  proclivities  for- 
the  flesh  of  deer  and  smaller  animals,  and  that,  also,  when  pressed  by 
hunger  it  has  been  known  to  destroy  sheep  and  horned  cattle ;  but  we 
have  yet  to  learn  fiom  any  authentic  record  that  one  of  its  char- 
iicteristics  is  to  attack  man,  except  when  wounded  and  brought  to  bay. 
In  the  latter  case,  it  will  defend  itself  to  the  last  with  great  fury. 
Under  such  circumstance.s,  valuable  hounds  have  frequently  been  killed 
in  the  attempt  to  close  with  it. 

On  the  contrary  many  strange  stories  have  been  told  from  time  to 
time,  illustrative  of  the  apparently  unaccountable,  friendly  and  even 
affectionate  feeling  entertained  by  it  for  the  human  race.  I  liave  read 
an  account  recently  which  is  strikingly  illustrative  of  ihe  gentleneSii  of 
of  this  interes'ing  animal  towards  man.  A  farmer  wae  travelling  upon 
a  lonely  road  in  Washington  Territory  to  a  i)lace  called  01ymj)ia.  The 
The  road  led  through  a  thick  bush  for  a  mile  or  more.  In  the  dark- 
ness, he  became  sensible  of  somethiog  rubl>ing  against  his  leg,  and  at 
the  same  time  heard  a  loud  i)urring  sound.  On  looking  down  he  was 
territied  at  the  sight  of  a  large  panther  walking  along  beside  him- 
Every  few  yards  the  animal  would  bound  off  into  the  bush,  only  to 
return  and  repeat  the  cat-like  action,  and    continue  the    purring.      At 


130 

last,  when  getting  neav  the  cleai-ance,  he  head  the  sound  of  waggon 
wheels ;  and  fancying  that  the  attentions  of  the  panther  were  becoming 
aggressive,  he  uttered  a  loud  scream,  and  I  he  animal  bounded  away  in- 
to the  darkness.  When  the  waggon  arrived  at  the  spot,  the  driver 
found  the  terrified  farmer  scarcely  able  to  speak. 

I  have  not  quoted  the  foregoing  intei-esting  incidents  as  positive 
facts  in  natural  history  ;  but  I  imagine  that  there  must  be  some  reason- 
able foundation  for  nan-atives  of  the  kind,  or  they  would  be  unlikely  to 
appear  so  fiequently  as  they  do.  You  are  all  acquainted  with  th^ 
beautiful  story  of  the  Roman  Slave  Androcles,  and  the  Lion,  and  a 
most  affecting  tale  it  is,  au'l  perhaps,  strictly  true.  If  true,  it  speaks 
volumes  for  the  almost  rational  gratitude  of  the  king  of  the  beasts. 
I  have  read,  also,  of  a  certain  class  of  Asiatic  priests  who  kept  tame 
tigers  which  followed  around  like  dogs,  and  were  perfectly  docile  and 
harmless.  The  Cheetar  {Fel'is  jnhata),  the  hunting  leopard  of  India, 
.  forms  a  strong  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence,  which  goes  to  prove  that 
many  savage  animals  are  susceptible  of  an  educational  transformation, 
which,  in  a  great  measure,  neutralizes  their  supposed  natural  pro- 
pensities. The  Ounce,  the  American  Leopard,  and  Panther,  the  Bengal 
Tiger  and  the  South  American  Jaguar  are  untamable.  Even  the 
beautiful  little  Ocelot  is  not  quite  as  tractable  as  a  domestic  cat. 

From  its  length  of  body,  strength  of  limbs,  and  litheness  of  form, 
the  cougar  is  naturally  possessed  of  immense  muscular  power  and 
agility.  These  qualities  are  peculiarly  requisite  to  enable  it  make  the 
the  sudden  and  swift  rushes  with  which  it  suprises  and  captures  its 
prey.  Although  a  rapid  and  expert  climber,  it  would  appear,  according 
to  Morriam,  that  the  cougar  is  not  generally  given  to  ascending  trees. 
It  was,  however',  supposed,  and  commonly  believed,  at  one  time,  that 
its  attack  was  usually  made  from  some  elevation,  or  from  the  over- 
hanging branch  of  a  tree.  James  Fennimore  Coopei",  in  his  famous 
and  inimitable  "  Leather-Slocking  Talcs,"  which,  as  graphic  pictures 
of  Indian  and  hunter's  life,  and  savage  warfare  are,  sui  generis,  the 
most  intensely  interesting  narratives  ever  written — gives  many  strange 
and  attractive  accounts,  which  woirld  lead,  more  or  less,  to  the  belief 
that  the  panther-,  or  "  painter,"  is  a  much  strouge)-,  and  a  much  _more 
formidable  animal  than  he  really  is.  ^^^^^S^Al  ^ 


131 

Perhaps  there  is  no  carnivorous  animal  of  the  same  size  iincl 
genus,  with  the  exception  of  the  cheetah,  that  can  leap  so  far  for  a 
number  of  consecutive  bounds  as  can  the  couorar.  A  full  grown  one 
can  leap  twenty  feet  and  upwards  at  each  bound,  for  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  yards  or  more.  I  can  readily  ciedit  this,  when  I  know  from 
personal  observation,  that  the  largo  wiry-haired  Scotch  staghound  can 
cover  twenty  feet  at  each  stride,  and  keep  up  the  pace  for  a  couple  of 
miles.  A  large  Virginian  deer  can  leap  from  seventeen  to  twenty  feet 
and  keep  up  the  gait  for  a  considerable  distance,  when  freshly  started, 
-with  the  matchless  chorus  of  the  hounds  behind  him.  About  six  years 
ago,  I  had  the  curiosity  to  measure  a  single  bound  of  a  fine  spike 
horned  buck,  after  it  had  rushed  down  the  steep  side  of  one  of  our  own 
Lauren tian  hills  before  the  hounds;  and  I  found  that,  from  the  spot 
from  whence  it  had' started  to  the  point  where  its  fore  feet  struck  the 
earth  again,  the  distance  was  one  humlred  and  eleven  feet,  or  thirty - 
S)ven  y.ir.ls.  The  do  cea'}  Oi-  grade  was,  of  course,  excjedingly 
steep. 

I  have  heard  many  an  exciting  story,  and  read  many  a  thijlling 
account,  of  the  blood-curdling  scream  of  the  panther,  or,  as  this  animal 
has  been  frequently  called,  the  "catamount,"  but  I  have  never  seen 
one  in  the  act  of  screaming,  or  under  any  other  circumstances  except  in 
a  menagerie.  On  two  or  three  occasions,  many  years  ago,  I  heard,  in 
the  thick  forest  near  the  Village  of  Kichmond,  and  afterwards  in  the 
Township  of  Huntley,  some  strangely  startling  and  frightful  screams, 
which  I  then  attributed  to  the  cougar.  Be  this  as  it  may,  I  have  heard 
no  screams  of  the  same  kind  for  the  last  thirty  years. 

Being  always  fond  of  music,  I  soon  learned,  not,  however,  with- 
out some  trouble,  to  imitate  the  terror-striking  scream  of  the  cata. 
mount ;  and  having  been  given  to  harmless  practical  joking,  I  have 
frequently  accelerated  the  gait  of  nocturnal  travellers,  and  had  the 
pleasure  aftei'wards  to  listen  to  their  exaggerated  accounts  of  narrow 
escapes.     It  never  required  more  than  two  good  yells  to  put  the  boldest 

to  flight.        -i  *  ••'  ;  *  ♦ 

I  think  I  have  now  told  you  all  I  know  concerning  the  cougar. 
Tf  I  have  entertained  any  of  my  hearers,  or,  better  still  have  instructed 
any  in  the  smallest  degree,  I  shall  consider  myself  amply  rewarded  for 


132 

« 

the  hours  which  I  have  spent  in  accomplishing  the  little  of  which  I  am 
capable,  as  a  member  of  the  Field  Naturalists'  Club  of  the  City  of 
Ottawa,  an  organizition  which,  I  am  happy  to  say,  numbers  within  its 
circle  of  membership,  many  able  and  scientific  men.  It  seems  to  me 
that  we  have  been  placed  upon  this  earth  for  the  purpose  of  doing  all 
the  good  we  can  to  our  fellow-beings  in  our  day  and  generation.  The 
public  benefactor,  whoever  he  may  be,  and  whatever  niiy  be  his  talents, 
his  i)owers  or  his  influence  for  good,  will  always  find  his  most  grati- 
fying reward  in  the  contemplation  of  the  progress,  prosperity,  enlight- 
ment  or  happiness,  which '  he  has  been  directly  or  indirectly, 
iristrumental  in  promoting.  He  may  be  gifted  with  genius — he  may 
be  endowed  with  talent,  yet  he  is  deserving  of  no  personal  credit  for 
the  j.ossession  of  either.  But,  if  he  has  cherished,  guarded  and 
nurtured  the  celestial  spark  committed  to  his  charge,  until  it  has  grown 
and  expanded  into  a  living  flame,  which  has  developed  and  brightened 
his  own  intelligence,  and  proved  a  beacon  to  guide  the  earnest  searcher 
after  truth,  he  is  entitled  to  ever;y  honour  and  commendation  for  having 
nt  least  endeavoured  to  accomplish  the  manifest  behests  of  his  own 
destiny. 

That  we  have  had  in  the  past,  and  that  we  now  have,  amongst  the 
throbbing  millions  of  tliis  vast  world,  great  and  gifted  men  in  every 
branch  of  human  industry,  and  in  every  avenue  of  human  thought  and 
human  action,  is  due  alone  to  the  wonder-working  })ower  of  that  Om- 
nipotent Hand  that  planted  the  firmament  with  the  sun,  the  moon,  the 
stars  and  the  planets — that  studded  the  arched  equator  of  the  blue 
ocean  of  the  heavens  with  the  glittering  islands  of  the  Milky  Way;  that 
clothed  the  earth  with  verdure  and  beauty ;  that  laid  the  foundations  of 
the  mountains  and  fashioned  "  the  Everlasting  Hills ;"  that  intersected 
terrestrial  space  with  rivers  and  streams,  and  capped  the  towering 
climax  of  immeasurable  might  by  infusing  the  resistless  spirit  of  limit- 
less aspiration  into  •  that  mysteriously  sublime  something  called  the 
human  soul.  Here  the  finite  is  lost  in  the  magnitude  of  the  infinite  ! 
The  most  gifted,  the  most  learned  one  of  human  kind,  when  he  seeks 
to  unravel  the  mystery  of  his  own  natuj'e,  pauses  when  he  is  confronted 
by  God,  and  shrinks  abashed  before  the  majesty  of  the  Incomprehensible  ! 


133 
NOTE   ON    FLOUR  AND    GRAIN    BEETLES. 


\V.    HAGUfi    HARRIXGTON. 


(Bead  lOlh  FebrUay-y,  1887.) 


Among  the  m^e6ts  wliich  prove  nnwelcoine  visitors  or  (Jweflers  xw 
our  lioiises  are  species  of  beet'es  wliicli  are  almost  universiilly  distri- 
buted over  the  world,  and  wbich  cause,  sometimes,  immense  toss 
through  their  attacks  on  stored  grain,  or  on  its  products.  It  is  not  mv 
intention  this  evening  to  give  any  extended  history  of  these  obnoxious 
insects,  but  merely  to  mention  tho  prtn  ipil  ones  wliich  occur  h  re,  and 
to  call  attention  to  the  longevity  of  one  spscies.  The  gru')  which  is  so 
frequently  found  in  flour  and  meal  is  the  larva  of  Tenebrio  molitor,  a 
beetle  belontjing  to  the  Tenebrionidsx?,  several  membei-s  of  wluch  occur 
m,  or  abotit,  houses,  and  ai«e  known  as  "  black  beetles."  The  insect, 
in  its  several  stag6s,  ig  more  abundant  about  bakeries,  mills  and  flour 
ware-l»oni5es,  than!  ih  ordinary  dwellings,  and  is  also  destructive  on 
.shipb'oard.  The  grhb  is  cylindrical  in  sliape  and  about  an  inch  long, 
barro\Ving  and  living  in  the  floor.  The  beetle  is  of  a  blackish-brown 
colonV,  of  mbfer;ito  siz  ^,  flying  abuhdafifcly  at  nJ^hfc,  and  coming  in  St 
open  windows.  The  grain  beetles  ai-e  very  much  smaller  and  belong  to 
the  Ualandrid.Te,  a  family  of  the  Rhyncophora  or  "snout  beetles."  They 
especially  frequent  granaries  and  flour  mills,  and  in  the  former  some- 
times work  great  damage.  Two  species  occur  here,  viz.:  Colandra  einj^oi 
and  C.  granaria,  but  not  so  far  as  I  am  aware  in  Sufficient  abundance 
to  be  very  destructive,  as  they  are  in  more  southerly  portions  of  the 
continent.  The  life  history  of  these  weevils  is  briefly  as  follows  :  The 
females  bores  with  her  long  beak  a  minute  hole  in  a  grain  of  wherat, 
barley  or  rit;e,  kc,  in  which  sho  deposits  an  egg,  from  which  hatche's  a 
little  stout  footless  grub,  or  maggot,  which  burrows  into  the  grain, 
feeding  until  fully  grown  on  its  substance,  and  thfein  undergoiitg  its  trans- 
formations in  the  cmjjty  fchell,  which  is  all  that  remains  when  it  comes 
forth  as  thfe  perfect  beetle.  The  mature  insects,  or  beetles,  also  feed 
upoh  the  grain,  but  do  hot  so  rapidly  consume  it.  As  yon  arfe  aware, 
the  duration  of  the  life  of  the  majOiity  of  insects  is  v^i-y  brief, 
^sp'eci^lly  after  they  h.ive  reached  the  imajgo,  or  perfect  state.  Laf-va; 
mky  live  for  several  months,  or  evien  ytiais,  ijut  their  final  ti-Ansfor- 
mations  undergone  they  letiter  a  brief  exist'ehce,  mesiiiHred  by  Xveeks, 
days,  Or  even  hours. 

Certain  species,  however,  such  as  some  bees  and  wasps  live  fur 
almost  a  yeir,  while  some  ants  are  said  to  live  for  several  years.  The 
S[)ecimens  of  Calandra  granaria  which  I  exhibit  this  evening  are,  when 
the  average  longevity  of  insects  is  considered, genuine  patriarchs;  their 
days  have  been  long  in  the  land.  They  were  given  to  me  on  4th  July, 
ISST),  by  Mr.  Litchford,  who  found  a  great  number  of  them  in  a  flour 


134 

1).iiTe1.  Their  age  at  that  tiin3  was  nob  knovva,  bat  thsy  have  since 
lived  quite  happily  in  their  liniiteJ  qa.irtei-s  (a  small  pill  box)  and  have 
neu-ly  devoiu-ei  tha  sm  ill  O'lintifcy  of  grain  then  allotted  to  thera. 
They  must  be  nearly  twenty  months  old. 

Note. — Of  ten  of  the  above  mentioned  specimens  four  survived  on 
24th  October,  18S7,  and  one  still  remains  alive  on  30th  November, 
1S87,  or  nine  months  and  twenty -days  later. — W,  H.  H. 


■:o: 


SUB-EXCURSIONS. 

Twentieth. — On  the  5th  November  the  clear,  cool  weather  was 
■favorable  for  a  Geological  Outing,  and  accordingly  a  small  party  i>aid 
a  visit  to  an  interesting  exposure  on  the  line  of  the  Canada  Atlantic 
Kailway,  of  a  formation  not  elsewhere  observed  in  the  vicinity.  It 
was  reached  by  a  five  mile  tramp  and  found  to  consist  of  drab  and 
brownish  grey  calcareous  shales,  holding  in  abundance  the  remains  of 
petrified  shells.  These  were  very  well  preserved, the  internal  as  well 
as  external  characters  of  a  number  of  species  being  especially  well 
shown,  thus  enabling  the  geologist  to  determine  the  structure  of  these 
extinct  forms,  which  flourished  and  swam|,in  the  sea  which  in  remote 
geologic  periods  covered  this  i-egion.  A  large  number  of  these  fossils 
were  collected  and  carried  home  for  the  purpose  of  further  study. 

On  the  same  afternooa  the  Leaders  of  the  Entomological  Branch 
visited  the  Beaver  Meadow,  Hull,  and  not'G withstanding  that  the 
grouad  was  covered  with  snow  (about  three  inches)  their  explorations 
were  well  repaid.  The  objects  especially  sought  for  were  galls,  and  a 
•large  number  were  obtained  on  roses,  golden-rods,  willows,  etc.  Several 
cocoons  and  puppe  of  moths,  such  as  Scmia  Ceoropia  anil  Callosamia 
Proniethea,  were  also  found.  This  shows  that  even  at  such  a  late  date, 
and  under  apparently  most  unfavorable  conditions,  collecting  could  still 
be  carried  on  with  fair  success,  and  that  even  in  midwinter  it  would  be 
still  possible. 

Twenty  FIRST. — A  trip  was  made  on  7th  November  by  the  Leaders 
of  the  Entomological  Branch  to  Daw's  Swamp,  with  the  special  object 
of  collecting  moss.  This  was  not  obtained,  as  might  be  supposed,  for 
botanical  puposes,  but  for  the  insects  and  shells  which  abound  in  it, 
and  which  find  in  it  their  winter  residence.  The  ground  wa5  very  wet, 
and  the  surface  more  or  less  frozen  and  snow  covered,  but  a  suflicient 
quantity  was  easily  obtained  to  fill  two  large  sack.s,  and  to  yield  many 
specimens,  a  list  of  which  may  hereafter  be  presented  to  the  Club. 
Numbers  of  the  cocoons  of  Nematns  Erichsomi,  the  Larch  Sawfly,  were 
found,  showing  that  these  insects  had  been  abundant  during  the 
summer. 


New.Members.— 31.  Dr.  Felix  Cornu,  Angers,  Que.     33.  R.  H. 
-Campbell.     33.  A.   O.   Wheder.     34.  W.    W.    Hilbourn,     35.  F.   B. 
Anderson,. W'innipeg,  Man. 


135 

SOIREES. 

1887. 

Dec.      8.  Pi-esideut's  InaugiiiMl  Address Mr.  K.  D.  Whyte. 

18S8. 

Jan.      0.   Clay.s,    Sj.iid.s     and    Gravels     in    the 

vicinity  of  Ottawa,  and  their  cpn- 

tinuatioas Mr.  Amos  Bowman. 

Report  of  the  Geological  Branch. 

'•      19.  Our  Forest  Trees Prof.  Macoun. 

Report  of  the  Botanical  Branch. 

Feb.       2.  Vegetable  Parasites Mr.  James  Fletcher. 

Notes  on  Gall-forming  Insects Mi-.  W.  H.  Harrington 

Report  of  the  Entomological  Branch. 

'•      16.   Autumn  on  the  Ottawa  River Mr.  A.  0.  Wheeler. 

Report  of  the  Conchological  Branch. 

March  1.   Our  Squirrels Mr,   J.  Ballantyne. 

Report  of  the  Ornithological  Branch. 


Members  are  requested  to  prepare  short  notes  on  any  subject 
which  nwy  have  been  brought  to  their  notice  during  the  year,  for 
presentation  at  any  of  the  above  meetings.  Additions  to  or  changes  in 
the  Programme  will  be  announced  in  future  issues  of  the  Ottawa 
Naturalist. 

The  Soirees  will  be  held  in  the  Museum  of  the  Ottawa  Literary 
and  Scientific  Society,  25  S[)arks  Street,  and  the  chair  will  on  all 
occasion3  be  taken  ])unctually  at  eight  o'clock. 


Admission  free  to  Members  of  the  Club;    to  Non-Membeks 

TEX    cents. 


/^^» 


v^^li-^^ 


LIBRARY 


^y 


1-36 
iMONDAY   AFTERNOOIS    LECTURES. 

1888. 

January    1).  Ornithology.  Prof.  John  Macoiia. 

"         IG.  Geology.  Mr.  Henry  M.  Ami. 

<'         23.  Mineralog/.  D-.  Geo.  C  lotie. 

"         30.  Conchology.  Mr.  F.  R.  Latch  ford. 

Feburary  6.  Zoology — General.  Dr.  H.  Beaumont*  SiualL 

"        13.  Entomology.  Mr.  James  Fletcher. 

"        20.  Entomology.  Mr.  W.  Hague  Harrington. 

27.  Botany.  Mr.  R.   B.  Whyte. 

March       5.  Mosses.  Prof.  John  Maccun. 

"  12.  Classification  of  Plants.  Prof.  John  Macouh. 


Any  change  in  the  above  list  will  be  duly  announced  in  the 
Ottawa  Naturalist. 

It  is  aimed  to  make  these  lectures  intelligible  to  those  entirely 
ignorant  of  Natural  History,  and  at  the  same  time  instructive  to  those 
who  have  made  some  progress  in  the  study  of  the  subjects  to  be 
discussed.  They  will  be  brief,  in  order  that  ample  time  may  be  afforded 
for  subsequent  discussion,  and  replies  to  questions. 

They  will  commence  promply  at  4.15  o'clock,  so  as  to  be  concluded 
by  5.30. 

Admission  Free. 


Members  of  the  Ottawa  Literary  and  Scientific  Society,  and 
teachers  in  the  various  Edubation^aEl  Institutions  of  the  city  are 
especially  invited  to  be  present. 


137 
PEEST DENT'S  ADDRESS. 

^]u.  Ft.  B.  Whvtk. 


{Delivered,  8lh  Lee,  1S87.) 

Members  of  the  Ottawa  Field  Naturalists'  Club,  Lidies  and  O'entlemen  : 

I  Jo  not  propose  to-night  lo  give  30U  an  elaborate  paper  on  any 
special  point  of  Natural  History,  but  only  to  ask  your  attention   for  a 
short  time  to  a  brief    address  on  a  subject  that  should,  at  least,   be 
interesting    to    all    present :     That  of   the  Ottawa  Field    Naturalists' 
Club  present,  past  and  future,  what  we  are  doing,  what  we  have  done 
iu  the  past  and  what  I  think  we  ought  to  aim  at  doing  in  the  years  to 
come.     If  you  do  not  agree  with  my  ideas  of  the  work  of  the  Club,  I 
hope  30U  will  not  scruple  to  say  so,  as  there  will  be  ample  time  for  the 
fullest  discussion,  and  on  the  right  settlement  of  some  of  the  points 
that  I  will  refer  to,  the  future  prosperity  and  well  being  of  the  Club  will 
very    materially    depend.        It    is    with    great    pleasure    that     1    can 
congratulate    you  on  the  continued  and  increasing  prosperity  of   the 
Club.     This  is  shown  not  only  by  the  largely  increased  membership; 
a  larger  number  having  joined  our  ranks  during  the  past  season  than 
during  any  previous  year,  but  by  what  is  of  much  more  consequence 
the  much  greater  percentage  of  the  members  who  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  working  of  the  Club.     The  fact  too  is  particularly  notice- 
able amongst  those  lately  added  to  our  number.  A  great  encouragement 
to  the  council  has  been  the  sympathy  shown  in  our  efforts  by  those 
engaged   in   the   impartant   profession   of  teaching.     These  ladies  and 
gentlemen  recognizing  the  advantages  offered  from  an  educational  point 
of  view,  have,  many  of  them,  cast  in  their  lot  with  us,   to  the  mutual 
benefit  of  all  concerned.      Original  work  has  been  vigorously  prosecuted 
by  the  specialists   in   all   the   branches,  and   greater  efforts  have  been 
made   by  the  council   to  gain   the  interest   of   outsiders.     The    usual 
methods  of  procedure  adopted  in  past  years  have  been  continued  up  to 
the  present  time,  and  the  lectures  and  classes  will   be  held  during  the 
present  winter  as  heretofore. 


138 

At  <mv  first  excursion  tlie  Club,  for  the  seveutli  time,  visited 
Kin<ys  Mountain,  which  seems  to  have  lost  none  of  its  okl  tiuio  attrac- 
tiveness  for  our  members.  In  the  past  it  has  always  proved  the  most 
popular  excursion  of  each  season,  a  record  which  this  year  it  has  added 
to  by  being  the  largest  we  ever  had;  no  less  than  111)  members  and 
friends  taking  part  in  it;  nearly  all  of  whom  attempted  the  ascent  of 
the  mountain  and  no  less  than  75  gathered  on  the  bare  rock  at  the 
top,  probal)ly  the  largest  number  that  was  ever  theie  at  any  one  time. 
I  do  not  wonder  at  the  attraction  it  has  for  our  members,  as  it  would 
be  hard  to  Had  a  more  delightful  spot  for  a  day's  outing. 

Our  second  excursion,  on  June  25th,  vvas  to  the  shores  of  I/ake 
Deschenes,  below  Aylmer.  This  was  a  new  locality  and  proved  an 
excellent  collecting  ground  for  l)oth  Botanist  and  Entomologist,  the 
flora  being  unvisually  abundant  and  showy,  Eosa  hlanda  and  Carolina 
and  the  largf*  showy  flowers  of  our  only  wKd  lily,  L.  F hiladeLpJdcutn , 
being  found  in  gi'Pat  profusion.  Being  in  Aylmer  in  the  end  of 
August,  1  went  over  the  same  ground  and  was  much  surprised  to  find 
dt  a  barren  waste  with  hai'dly  a  flower  to  be  found.  The  change  was 
partly  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  excessive  dryness  of  the  season,  but 
chiefly,  I  think,  by  there  being  out  a  thin  layer  of  soil  over  the  lime- 
stone, holding  sufficient  moisture  to  sustain  growth  during  the  spriig 
and  early  summer,  but  under  the  hot  summer  sun  becoming  too  dry  for 
ordinary  vegetation,  only  such  deep  rooting  plants  as  trees  and  grasses 
being  able  to  maintain  themselves.  The  great  contrast  between  my 
"two  visits  shows  how  careful  the  excursion  committee  have  to  be  to 
-select  tliel'test  sea-son  Un-  each  locality. 

The  success  of  our  third  excursion,  on  July  2nd  to  Buckingham, 
\«'a'S "Somewhat  mai'red  by  the  unpromising  appe9,rance  of  the  weather. 
AVhen  tlie  hour  came  fur  the  Ijoat  to  start  only  24  menibers  were  on 
Land,  not  half  of  tliose  we  expected  ;  however,  for  those  who  did  go,  it 
^tnmed  out  a  most  enjoyable  day,  as  the  clouds  moderated  the  heat  and 
made  the  somewhat  long  walk  through  the  woods  from  the  wharf  to 
our  rendezvous  at  the  railway  bridge  a  most  delightful  one.  Most  of 
the  party  passed  the  day  in  the  vicinity  of  the  falls,  but  a  few  of  tiie 
more  enthusiastic  bot mists  walked   up    the   river  along  the   slide  and- 


139 

were  well  repaid,  as  thanks  to  a  never  failing  supply  af  water  from, 
the  leaky  slide,  the  vegetation  was  very  rich  and  luxuriant.  Among 
the  trophies  they  brought  back  were)  some  Indian  turuiiV'j  wi*h  corra* 
that  almost  rivaled  the  edible  turnip  in  size,  some  of  then>  being  four 
inches  in  diameter.  Our  entomologists  also  were  jubilant  over  the 
capture  of  many  rare  insects,  amongst  them  being  a  female  of  the  rare 
northern  butterfly  CoUas  Interior. 

On  August  13th  we  visited  Briianui;*,  and  thougli  nothing  of 
marked  interest  was  discovered  a  very  enjoyable  day  was  spent 
along  the  i-iver  bank.  Above  the  station,  near  the  lighthouse,  were 
found  large  (juantities  of  the  liandsome  heads  of  the  l<utton-bush  and 
the  gorgeous  spikes  of  the  Cardinal  flower. 

On  )Se])t.  17th  was  held  the  fifth  and  last  excursion  of  the  seasort 
to  Kirk's  Ferry  and  Falls  on  the  Gatineau,  four  miles  beyond  Chelsea. 
The  perfect  weather,  charming  drive,  and  the  many  attractions  of  the 
locality  visited  all  contributed  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  successful 
excursions  ever  held  by  the  Club,  and  many  wishes  were  ex.presseJ 
that  the  committee  would  hold  our  first  excursion  next  season)  to-  the 
same  place.  It  being  our  first  visit  our  ever  active  botanists  were 
diligent  in  searching  for  new  species,  and  several  additions  were  made 
to  our  list,  the  most  notable  being  a  new  blueberry  {V.  coespiiosiim)^ 
a  golden  rod  (^Soii.iayo  aryiita)  and  the  curious  grass  {Andvopogon 
scopanns).  It  was  also  an  unusually  interesting  day  for  our 
Mineralogists,  for  in  that  great  mineral  reservoir  the  Laurentian. 
formation.  Phosphate,  Plumbago,  Mica,  Iron  Pyrites,  Hornblende,  Jic.^ 
were  abundant,  especially  in  the  cliff's  along  the  river  banks. 

The  sub-excursions,  at  which  a  large  proportion  of  our  work  is  done, 
have  been  more  numerous  and  better  attended  than  in  past  years. 
From  the  first  week  in  May  till  late  in  the  fall,  when  the  weather 
])ermitted,  these  working  parties,  of  which  there  were  2 1 ,  left  the  Post 
Otfice  at  2  P.M.  evf.ry  Saturday  in  charge  of  one  or  more  of  the 
leaders  for  convenient  places  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  ;  some  of  them 
rivaling  our  general  excursions  in  the  numbers  that  attended. 

In  the  bejiinning  of  the  season  1  suggested  to  the  leaders  that  it 
would   add   greatly  to  the   interest  and  value  of  (he^e  trumps   if  they 


140 

would  c^ive  eleiiientnrj  lectures  at  each  of  them  similar  in  character  to- 
those  we  have  always  had  at  the  general  excur-,ions.  My  thanks  are 
due  to  the  leaders,  particvilarly  to  Messrs.  Fletcher,  Harrington  and 
Ami,  for  the  able  and  efficient  manner  in  which  my  snggestioa  «^as 
carried  out.  At  nearly  every  outing  simple  elementary  lectures 
were  wiven  on  the  Geological  formation,  plants  and  insects  of  the 
<listricts  visited,  in  such  a  style  as  to  be  interesting  and  instructive  not 
only  to  the  student  of  those  branches,  but  to  every  one  present,  no 
matter  how  slight  their  knowledge  might  be  of  Natural  History.  That 
a  great  additional  interest  was  taken  in  these  excursions,  on  account  of 
the  addresses,  was  evident  from  the  improved  attendance  and  the 
anxiety  shown  by  those  present  to  be  at  the  rendezvous  in  time  to  hear 
the  leaders,  and  by  the  manifest  interest  taken  in  their  remarks. 

The  council  of  last  }ear  recommended  to  their  successors  that 
instead  of  issuing  our  transactions  in  a  yearly  part,  which  rarely 
appeared  before  the  following  winter,  we  should  publish  a  monthly 
magazine  under  the  name  of  the  "  Ottawa  Naturalist."  We  have 
carried  out  their  recommendation,  and  I  think  our  little  paper  has  been 
received  with  general  favor  by  our  members.  Most  of  the  papers  and 
I'eports  read  at  last  winter's  Soirees  have  appealed  in  it,  and  the  next 
number  will  contain  the  last  of  them.  We  will  now  be  able  to  print 
our  papers  shortly  after  they  are  read  instead  of  waiting  eight  or  ten 
months  as  in  the  past,  when,  as  in  many  cases,  they  had  ceased  to  be  of 
interest.  Another  great  advantage  of  a  monthly  publication  is  that  we 
arc  able  to  give  an  official  account  of  all  our  excursions  during  the 
month  that  is  past  and  announcements  of  those  for  the  following 
month,  so  that  those  members  who  are  not  able  to  take  part  in  them 
are  in  a  much  better  position  to  know  what  the  Club  is  doing  than  bv 
the  old  system.  The  last  number  issued  (December)  contains  the  pro- 
gramme of  Soirees  and  afternoon  Lectures  for  the  present  winter 
season,  and  you  will,  on  referring  to  it,  find  that  the  meetings  promise 
to  be  no  less  instructive  and  interesting  than  those  of  former  years. 

The  number  of  our  corresponding  members  remains  the  same  as 
last  year.  Prof.  Saunders,  who  has  been  in  that  position  for  several 
years,  having  been  appointed  Director  to  the  Experimental  Farm,  and 


taken  up  his  vesitleuce  hera,  b33)m33  an  active  member.  He  will  be  a 
great  acquisition  to  our  P^ntomologists,  who,  though  our  most  active 
and  energetic  members  are  few  in  numbers.  Miss  Ormerod,  who  has 
been  chosen  l)y  tlie  council  to  fill  the  vacancy,  is  the  well  known 
English  Economic  Entomologist.  The  Club  is  indebted  to  her  for 
many  favors  in  the  ships  of  book->  an  I  reports  on  Economic  Entomology, 
all  of  them  of  great  value. 

I  have  now  given  vou  a  brief  sketch  uf  what  we  have  done  during 

CD  ^  Q 

the  past  season,  and  it  may  not  be  ami.ss  here  to  look  back  at  v/hat 
has  been  accomplished  since  our  organization  eitrht  vearsago.  Through 
the  wisdom  of  the  first  council  a  printed  record  has  been  carefully  kept 
of  all  our  transactions  since  the  beginning,  and  when  the  question  is 
asked,  "  what  have  you  done?"  we  are  now  in  the  position  to  show 
from  our  volumes  of  transactions  no  unconsiderable  amount  of  good 
solid  work. 

I  have  had  the  Transactions  issued  during  the  past  eight  years 
bound  in  one  volume,  which  I  now  show  to  you.  It  is  a  goodly  volume 
and  contains  a  satibfactory  record  of  the  work  of  the  Club.  On  exam, 
ining  the  contents  it  will  be  seen  that  they  are  varied  and  interesting, 
and  that  every  dejiartment  of  Natural  History  is  treated  of  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  I  find  that  thirty-eight  members  of  the  Club  have  been 
contributors  to  the  volume,  and  that  it  contains  sixty-one  Papers  read 
at  the  Soirees,  and  also  thirty-two  Reports  and  eleven  short  papers  or 
Notes. 

As  might  be  expected.  Botany  is  found  to  head  the  list  with  nine 
papers;  Entomology  comes  next  in  order  with  eight;  Zoology,  Min- 
eralogy and  Geology  have  each  six;  Conchology  has  three,  and  there 
are  fifteen  miscellaneous  papers,  among  which  ai-e  such  as  Mr.  H.  B. 
Small's  on  Mu.seum  Education,  Sir  James  Grant's  on  the  Brain,  and 
Mr.  W.  D.  LeSueur's  on  Design  in  Nature. 

A  valuable  feature  of  the  volume  is  the  lists  which  it  contains, 
such  as  tho.se  of  Blants,  Shells,  Birds,  Beetles,  Fossils,  etc. 

But,  important  and  valuable  as  our  work  undoubtedly  his  been 
in  investigating  and  recording  the  results  as  shown  by  our  transactions, 
there    is  another    department    of  it   which    I  think  is  of  even  greater 


142 

Jealue,  the  odacational  work  whLh  we  liave   accomplished.     From   the 
I  organization  of  the  Club  its  Councils  have  recognized  the  importance  of 
'  this  phase  of  our  work,  and  the  number  of  active  naturalists  now  con- 
nected with  it  shows  that  we  have  not    labored  in   vain.     Besides    the 
•  eleraentai-y  lectures  at  excursions,  to  which  I  have  already   referred,  an 
important  factor  in  our  educational  efforts  has  been  our  course  of  after- 
noon   classes,  these    originating    in   a    Botany  cla.ss,  conducted  by  Mr. 
Fletcher  for  three  winters,  developed  into  our  Monday  afternuon  course 
of  elementary  lectures  in  all  the  leading  departments    of   Natural    His- 
tory.    These    lectures   are    intended    to   be    simply    expositions  of  the 
main  facts  and  principles  of  the  subjects  treated    of,    given    in    such   a 
manner    as   to   be    understood  by  the  merest  novice  and  to  be  interest- 
ing to  those  further  advanced,  as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  many   of 
■  OUT  leading  Naturalists  make  a  point    of  always    being    present.     The 
"Council  are  pleased  to  see  that  these  meetings  are  steadily   growing    in 
4»opularity,  though  still  nothing  like  as  well  attended  as  they  ought   to 
lie,  considering  how  great  are  the  advantages  offered  to  the  student,  and 
■all  perfectly  free  of  charge,  open  to  all,  young  or  old,   member    or    non- 
member   of   the    Club.     I  am  sure  if  it  was  generally  known  that  such 
a,n  admirable  course  of  instruction  in   these  subjects    was   open  to    all 
who    chose    to   avail    themselves    of   it    this    room  would  not  hold  our 
;audiences. 

In  the  same  line  were  two  courses  of  lessons  given  in  Central 
School  West  with  special  excursions  in  connection  with  them  conduct- 
■ed  by  the  botanical  leaders  ;  by  these  and  in  every  other  way  that 
:seemed  open  to  them  the  Councils  have  endeavored  to  cultivate  a  love 
for  the  study  of  Natural  History,  and  upon  the  whole  we  have  every 
reason  to  be  gratified  wich  the  measure  of  success  that  has  attended 
their  efF<)rts. 

The  foregoing  being  a  brief  account  of  what  the  Club  ha?  done 
=and  is  doing,  the  question  arises,  what  shall  we  do  in  the  future,  shall 
we  go  on  in  the  same  jxiths,  endeavoring  to  perfect  our  work  in  the 
lines  laid  down  in  our  rules,  keeping  it  a  strictly  locil  club,  or  shall 
■we,  as  some  of  our  members,  and  some  outsiders,  have  advocated,  en- 
large our  bounds  and  convert  our  club  into  a  general    Natural   History 


143 

Society  ?  The  principal  reason  given  for  this  change  is  tlie  following  : 
It  is  said  that  Ottawa  being  the  seat  of  the  Geological  Survey  and 
Experimental  Farm,  we  could  take  advantage  of  the  labors  of  mem- 
bers of  these  institutions,  which  we  cannot  do  to  such  a  large  extent  if 
we  limit  our  lectures  to  a  record  of  local  work. 

I  do  not  recommend  the  change  though  there  is  something  to  be 
said  in  its  favor. 

It  seems  to  me  that  some  chaiige  in  the  work  of  the  Club  is  called 
for.  Wo  have  pretty  well  accomplished  our  task  of  investigating  and 
recording  the  results  ;  the  small  additions  that  have  been  made  to  our 
lists  of  late  years  show  that  not  much  now  remains  to  be  done,  the 
average  yearly  addition  to  our  plant  list  for  the  last  five  years  is  under 
a  dozen.  Our  list  of  shells  is  fairly  complete.  We  have  only  publish- 
ed one  list  of  insects,  the  Coleoptera,  but  our  Entomologists  have  the 
material  for  conii)iling  lists  of  the  other  orders  whenever  we  are  ready 
o  publish  them.  Our  Geological  lists  are  not  quite  so  complete,  but 
this  work  is  of  course  done  with  special  facilities  Vjy  the  Geological 
Survey. 

Our  greatest  want  in  that  line  is  in  the  Zoological  branch,  so  far 
very  little  work  has  been  done  in  that  department.  Next  to  nothing  is 
known  by  our  members  of  the  common  wild  animals  and  reptiles  of 
this  locality,  making  it  a  fertile  field  for  study  and  investigation,  the  ' 
only  work  that  has  so  far  been  done  being  Mr.  Lett's  admirable  series  of 
papers  on  Ducks,  Deer,  the  Otter,  Black  Bear  and  Pu'na,  and  Mr.  Small's 
capital  paper  on  "Our  Ottawa  Fishes."  This  season  we  are  to  have 
Mr.  Hallantyne's  observations  on  "Our  Squirrels,"  but  a  great  deal  re- 
mains to  be  done.  Every  year  our  animals  are  becoming  s'larcer,  and 
papers  on  the  mammals  or  reptiles  of  the  district  would  be  interesting 
and  valuable^. 

In  the  other  departments  thougii  I  have  spoken  of  our  work  as 
being  nearly  finished  it  is  oidy  so  as  to  collectors,  there  is  still  an  im- 
mense field  open  to  the  Botanist  and  Entomologist  in  working  out  the 
life  I'.istories  of  the  objects  of  his  study,  in  the  latter  branch  a  good 
deal  has  been  done,  and  our  local  Entomologists  have  done  their  share, 
but  in  botany  there  is  ample  scope  for  all  our  workers  for  many  years 
to  come. 


144 

A%  an  example  I  miglit  refer  to  the  discussion  on  Monotropa  and 
CoraandrH  last  winter  and  to  the  results  arising  from  the  questions 
then  considered.  Many  other  doubtful  points  call  for  further  study. 
How  little  we  know  about  the  way  in  which  our  common  wild  flowers 
are  fertilized  ;  we  know  in  a  general  way  which  are  fertilized  by  wind 
and  which  by  insects,  but  the  particular  agents  that  perform  the  work 
for  eaok  species  are  known  in  very  few  instances. 

Even  in  such  an  apparently  simple  matter  as  the  circulation  of 
sap  there  is  a  great  deal  of  uncertainty,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  the  theoi-y  given  in  the  text  books  requires  revision.  Many  other 
points  are  as  vague,  but  enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  in  the 
department  of  Botany  there  is  ample  room  for  all  our  energies. 

But  as  I  mentioned  before,  important  as  our  woik  as  collectors 
and  investigators  undoubtedly  is,  I  think  it  second  to  our  educational 
functions.  I  have  already  given  you  a  brief  sketch  of  what  we  have 
done  in  that  way,  and  it  seems  extraordinary  that  so  few  have  taken 
advantage  of  the  opportunities  we  have  offered  tliem  We  have  had 
not  only  to  put  the  means  of  instruction  before  people,  but  have  had  to 
persuade  them  to  take  advantage  of  it.  I  have  even  heard  parents 
say  that  they  did  not  want  their  children  to  be  bothered  with  learning 
even  the  few  branches  of  Natural  History  that  have  been  taught  in  our 
Public  Schools,  and  this  in  the  face  of  the  enormous  benefits  which  are 
acknowledged  bv  all  to  have  been  derived  from  scientific  investigations' 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  almost  phenomenal  strides  which 
have  been  made  in  the  progress  of  the  world  during  the  past  century 
•are  due  entirely  to  the  development  of  scientific  knowledge. 

Having  said  so  much  this  evening  about  our  desire  to  develop  the 
educational  advantages  of  the  study  of  Natural  History,  it  may 
naturally  be  asked  what  are  the  advantages  offered  in  this  line  by 
association  with  such  an  organization  as  our  Club?  I  would  answer 
there  are  certain  direct  advantages  of  a  special  educational  value. 
First  amongst  these  may  be  mentioned  the  inculcation  of  methodical 
habits  of  thought  by  which  all  discoveries  must  be  examined.  The 
results  of  each  examination  must  then  be  cai-efully  recorded  in  a  neit 
-and  systematic  manner   ready    lor   i-eferenca   at   any  minute   on   some 


145 

future  occasion.  And  mud)  more  so  is  this  the  case  when  original 
descriptions  or  discoveries  have  to  be  recorded  for  the  use  of  others.  A 
concise  style  and  an  accurate  use  of  exact  words  are  then  absolutely 
necessary,  and  by  so  much  as  this  is  acquired  to  that  extent  will  the 
work  of  any  student  be  useful  to  science.  A  necessary  part  of 
thorough  investigation  in  anj-  branch  of  Natural  History  is  the  forma- 
tion of  a  collection  by  which  Sf)8cimens  are  always  on  hand  for  examin- 
ation, and  in  no  way  are  the  principles  I  have  alluded  to  better 
exemplified.  In  the  very  collecting  of  the  material  the  faculty  of 
observation  is  cultivated  and  developed,  the  power  to  discriminate 
between  species  and  to  appreciate  minute  differences  is  attained. 

The  specimens  when  identified  must  then  be  carefully  and  neatly 
arranged  and  classified.  Now  all  these  are  exercises  of  great  use  in. 
j)roperly  training  a  mind  to  methods  of  thought  which  can  be  easily 
ap{)lied  in  any  vocation  of  life  when  and  wherever  required.  And  it  is 
not  necessary  nor  even  advisable  to  carry  any  of  these  studies  (when 
used  as  a  training  for  the  mind)  to  a  great  length,  we  cannot  all  bo 
Darwins  or  Lubbocks  or  Grab's — no,  the  very  elements  of  any  branch 
of  science  are  sufficient  as  the  means  for  the  practice  of  this  intellectual 
training. 

But  in  addition  to  the.se/direct  advantages  there  are  also  some  of  a, 
more  general  nature  to  which,  for  a  moment  or  two  longer,  I  will  draw 
your  attention. 

As  the  great  aim  in  life  of  all  huniau  beings  is  the  pursuit  of 
happiness,  I  would  n)ention  first  the  [)leaRure  it  adds  to  life.  No  one 
who  is  not  acquainted  with  the  common  objects  of  the  woods  and  fields 
can  conceive  the  keen  delight  experienced  by  a  naturalist,  when  after 
the  long  imprisonment  of  our  tedious  winter,  he  is  able  again  to  go  forth 
into  the  fields  to  look  for  the  first  appearance  of  our  lovely  spring 
flowers,  to  see  the  bursting  of  the  buds  and  to  listen  to  the  call  notes 
of  the  first  birds,  sweet  hariungers  of  the  happy  summer  time  to  come. 
To  such  a  one  all  these  are  old  friend.s,  and  the  pleasure  of  greeting 
them  year  by  year  as  they  show  their  faces  with  beauty  always  fresh 
and  new  is  not  less  than  that  experienced  when  we  meet  human  friends 
from  whom  we  h;ive  been  separated    for  a   long  time,  but    with  whom, 


146 

unfortunately,  beauty  gradually  fades  without  a  hope  of  renewal.     Nor 
is  this   pleasure  a  selfish  one  for  the  Naturalist   alone,  it   is  enjoyed  to 
a  less  but  an  appreciable  extent  by  all  those  who  associate  with  him- 
It  was  only  a  day  or  two  ago   that   a    member  of  our   own   Club  bore 
testimony  to  this,  in  excusing  himself  for  not  taking  up  a  special  study? 
"  I  cannot  find  time  for  that,  but  I  always   attend   the  Club  excursions 
when  possible,  simply  for   the   enjoyment  and   benefit  which  I  derive 
from  going  into  the  country  with  you."     This  naturally  leads  us  to 
another  advantage,  namely,  the  benefit  to  health;  and  on  this  point  I 
can  speak  from  experience.      For  those  who  are  confined  indoors  or  to 
a  desk  by  business,  I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  to  exaggerate  the  .value 
of  a  love  for  a  study   which  impels  them  to  leave  the   vitiated    atmos 
phere  of  the   city,   and   go  far  afield  to  seek   their   recreation   out   of 
doors  and  thus  to  breath  the  pure  air  ot  the  woods,  the  fields  and  the 
mountain  side.     And  awain  there  is  another  feature  about  these  stuaies 
which  is  no  small  advantage,  the  giving  a  knowledge   of  the  natural 
beauties  of  the  place  we  live  in.     In  a  world  filled  with  beauty  and  in 
which,  in  fact,  everything  when  properly  examined  is  beautiful,  it  is  by 
no  means  uncommon   to   hear   thoughtless  people  say,  wherever  they 
may  be,  "there  are  no  pretty  walks  or  drives  here;"  to  such  I  would 
say:   "  Are  there  any  Naturalists   in  your  locality]  if  so,  ask   them    to 
show  you,  and  then,  I  think,  you   will  alter  your  opinion."     I    am    led 
to  mention  this  from  the  frequency  of  the  remark,  especially  from  new 
members  when  joining  in   an  excursion,  ''  I   had   no    idea    that   there 
were  so  many  pretty  places  about  Ottawa." 


:o:- 


147 
SOIREES. 


First. — The  ojjeiiing  meeting  of  the  Winter  Course  for  the  year 
1887-88  was  held  on  Tluirstlay,  the  8th  December,  in  the  M.iseum  of 
the  Ottawa  Literary  and  Scientific  Society,  when  the  President,  Mr.  R. 
B.  Whyte,  delivered  his  address,  which  is  printed  in  this  number,  and 
which  was  listened  to  with  much  interest  by  the  audience.  On  its 
conclusion  Prof.  Macoun,  who  occupied  tlie  chair,  invited  a  full  dis- 
cussion of  the  suggestions  and  statements  contained  in  the  address. 
Mr.  Fletcher  thought  that  it  was  very  necessary  to  carefully  consider 
the  past  history  of  the  Club,  before  attempting  any  change  in  its  (jJau 
of  operations.  lie  was  pleased  to  see  so  many  teachers,  and  e-pecially 
ladies,  interesting  them-selves  in  the  work  of  the  Club,  for  if  the  future 
work  WHS  to  be  useful  there  was  no  better  way  to  secure  this  end  than 
by  gaining  the  support  of  the  teachers.  J\lr.  Ami  did  not  think  that  it 
was  advisable  at  present  to  attempt  an  extension  of  the  work,  or 
a  widening  of  the  sphere  of  labour.  Dr.  Wicksteed  suggested  that 
desirable  contributions  to  the  season's  programme  would  be  papers  on 
the  city  drinking-water,  and  the  reported  discovery  of  natural  gas  ft 
Ejstman's  Springs.  Mr.  Fletcher,  with  reference  to  the  suggested 
extension  of  the  operations  of  the  Clul),  considered  that  it  was  a  ques- 
tion of  such  vital  importance  as  to  merit  a  most  ample  discussion,  and 
one  not  to  l)e  rashly  decided.  There  was  still  plenty  of  material 
unstudied  in  this  vicinity,  and  requiring  o.xamination  and  description. 
Ai  all  the  Excursions  abundance  of  specimens  had  been  found  of  great 
interest.  Prof.  Maooun  said  that  about  thirty  years  ago  the  late  Mr. 
Billings  h\d  started  the  Canadian  Geologist  anl  Xaturalist,  a  journal 
which  still  continues  to  lend  its  aid  to  science.  Although  the  Club 
had  been  working  for  eight  years,  there  was  no  scarcity  of  material  to  in- 
vestigate nor  could  it  be  exhausted  for  many  years  to  cume,  yet  he  was 
strongly  of  opinion  that  much  would  be  gained  by  making  tlie  Club  the 
nucleus,  so  Co  speak,  of  a  general  Natural  History  Society  tliat  would  in- 
vite to  it  workers  in  all  sections  of  the  Dominion,  and  benefit  by  their 
hibours.  Under  the  present  Constitution,-  whereby  only  papers  on  local 
subjects  were  invited,  it  was  not  possible  for  members  whose  duties 
•carried  them   far  afield,   as  (or  exan.ple  the  Geological  Survey  Staff,  to 


148 

'contribute  any  reports  of  their  investigations.  Mr.  Ballantyne  was  in 
favour  of  some  such  widening  of  the  plan  of  work,  as  would  give 
interest  to  a  greater  number,  and  tliought  that  much  of  value  was  at 
present  lost  by  the  limit  set  to  the  subject  matter  of  papers.  Dr. 
Baptie  desired  to  draw  attention  to  the  value  tliat  records  made  in  one 
department  of  science  might  have  for  workers  in  another  department, 
apparently  in  no  way  connected  therewith.  As  an  instance  he  might 
state  that  he  had  been  much  intei-ested  in  certain  observations  made  by 
our  entomologists  last  autumn.  M.  CJuerard,  a  French  author  of 
repute,  supposes  the  unusual  prevalence — epidemic  prevalence — of 
fevers  in  Europe,  at  certain  periods,  is  due  to  the  transportation  of 
germs  by  atmospheric  currents  from  the  continent  of  America.  A 
•curious  co-incidence  bearing  unon  the  view  that  certain  fever  germs 
may  be  conveyed  by  the  wind  to  considerable  distances  is  that  just 
before  the  marked  outbreak  of  fever,  Mr.  Harrington  found  large 
numbei-s  of  the  cotton  moth  in  Ottawa,  October  9th.  Their  home  is 
in  the  South.  How  came  they  here?  By  air  currents — it  is  believed. 
If  air  currents  brought  the  moths  from  the  malarious  South,  might  not 
the  fever  germs  have  been  brouofht  also?  Those  who  entertain  views 
akin  to  that  of  Mr.  Gu^rard  may  find  in  this  fact,  brought  to  light  by 
the  Entomologists  of  our  Club,  a  confirmation  of  their  opinion,  and 
■especially  so  if  the  Meteorologists  of  the  Club  can  show  that  storms, 
•originating  over  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  passing  up  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi,  rarely,  if  ever,  get  beyond  the  valley  of  the  Ottawa.  A 
vote  of  thanks  having  been  tendered  to  the  President,  he  made  a  few 
remarks  in  acknowledgment  thereof,  stating  that  in  his  opinion  papers 
from  workers  outside  the  present  limits  assigned  by  the  Club  would  be 
of  value  to  it,  provided  they  did  not  in  any  way  interfere,  by  creating 
additional  work  for  the  Council,  with  educational  objects. 


New  Memb"rs, — 36.   William   A.  D.   Lees.      37    Miss  Gertrude 
Harmer.      38.   Miss  May  L.  Grist.      39.    Miss  Marion  J.  Whyte. 


149 

TESTI?.10NY"  OF  OTTAWA  CLAYS  AND  GRAVELS  TO  THE 
EXPANSION  OF  THE  GULF  OF  ST.  LAWREN^^T^Jg^ 

AND    CANADIAN    LAKES  WITHIN  THi«^^ ^ 

HUxMAN  PERIOD. 


By  Amos  Bowmax. 


(Read  5 Ik  January,  18S8.) 

It  WHS  my  good  fortune  during  the  past  summer  to 
many  of  the  d.ilighlful  excursions  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists' 
Club.  The  publication  of  some  maps  of  mining  operations  in  the  Cari- 
boo District,  B.C.,  kept  me  out  of  the  field  of  the  gold-bearing  gravels 
but  not  entirely  out  of  the  larger  Held  of  surface  geology,  and  of  the 
ancient  rivers,  which  had  a  history  in  this  country,  as  in  most 
countries,  before  the  present  streams  began  their  work  of  shaping  the 
hills  and  valleys  as  we  now  know  them. 

Our  first  excursion  to  which  I  will  make  reference,  was  that  to  the' 
Hogs  Back,  on  the  liideau  Biver,  four  miles  south  of  Ottawa.  Boulder 
clays  were  seen  on  the  right  bank  above  the  falls;  and  next  overlving, 
them  the  leda  clays  along  the  canal,  continuing  to  Ottawa  City.  The.<^e 
prepared  us  by  laying  a  foundation  for  a  section  of  the  post  tertiary 
or  pleistocene  tertiary,  sometimes  also  called  quaternary,  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, all  these  terms  having  nearly  the'same  meaning. 

The  meaning  of  this  [ileistocene  history  of  the  country  which  is 
most  significant  to  us  is  that  of  which  we  have  a  faint  irlimmerinf  in 
tradition.  It  has  been  handed  down  by  difllerent  races  both  savage  and 
civilized ;  and  is  recorded  in  the  sacred  writings  ;  dating  from  the  most 
remote  history  of  mankind,  when  writing  was  first  invented  to  record 
the  ancient  tradition".  It  is  that  of  tlie  great  flood,  or  sin  flood,  of 
which  Noah  was  the  hero,  according  to  our  version.  In  making 
allusion  here  to  the  myth  of  Noah  I  do  so  simjjly  to  reuiind  yovi  of  a 
most  notable  feature  of  the  pleistocene  epoch,  the  record  of  which  i.s 
so  well  marked  in  our  suifdce  geology  that  it  is  capable  of  being  read 
with  ease  by  any  on*  ;  the  iiicniui y  of  which  has  so  impressed  itself 
upon  aboriginal  uiankiiid. 


J50 

It  liad  two  i-L-.niirkable  features;  the  ice  or  glacial  period,  tlie  record 
of  which  is  seen  in  tlie  boulder  clays  and  later  the  great  subsidence, 
or  flood, and  lake  period,  the  record  of  which  is  seen  in  the  leda  clays. 
The  bool^  of  the  boulder  clays  is  more  ragged  and  torn  than  that  of  the 
leda  clays,  yet  it  is  quite  readable,  especially  to  those  who  have  wit- 
nessed the  action  of  glaciers,  or  solid  ice  streams.  At  the  Hogs  Back 
we  saw  simply  Itoulders  mixed  irregularly  in  clay  lying  upon  a  smooth 
bed  rock.     In  the  valley  of  the  Eifie  ground  we  saw  only  boulders. 

The  principal  difficulty  in  reading  the  simple  record  of  the  boulder 
clays,  arises  from  the  fact  that  our  ice  streams  often  became  confluent 
by  overflowing  the  dividing  ridges,  and  the  boulder  clays  are  necessarily 
covered  in  most  localities  hereabouts  by  the  later  deposits  of  clay  and 
sand.  At  the  Quyon  Creek,  and  at  very  many  other  places  when 
looked  for,  the  polished  bed  rock  and  tumbled  clay  containing  boulders 
can  be  seen  underlying  the  jliills  and  benches,  and  the  flat  expansions 
into  conntry  flelds  of  the  leda  clays.  One  of  the  these  ice  streams 
which  came  down  the  valley  of  the  Gatineau  left  its  debris  in  a  ter- 
minal moraine  behind  Hull,  directly  opposite  the  Parliament  Buildings, 
But  this  an  old  story,  which  you  have  all  read — on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Deschenes  and  elsewhere. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  fact,  well  known  to  all  geologists, 
that  the  gravels  and  other  deposits  of  the  glacial  or  flood  period  have 
yielded  along  with  their  shells,  and  their  fossil  fish,  and  mammalian 
bones,  undoubted  fossil  human  remains,  from  many,  and  scattered  pai'ts 
of  Euroi)e  and  America.  They  are  chiefly  arrow  heads  and  utensils  less 
perishable  than  bones,  in  washes  of  the  streams, —  not  unlike  those  ex- 
hibited in  the  Geological  Survey  Museum.  It  is  not  strange  therefore 
•that  tradition  has  taken  cognisance,  however  vaguely,  of  the  period  of 
•the  floods. 

The  fact  of  the  humble  ancestory  of  mankind  has  been  firmly 
■established  in  recent  years,  by  scientific  proof  that  is  no  longer 
disputed.  We  may  confidently  look  therefoi-e  in  the  gravels  of  the 
tertiary  ^streams  if  we  can  find  them,  and  identify  them,  for  the 
evidences  of  mankind  and  his  com})anions  of  that  period. 

Our  excursion  to  Kings  Mountain,  twelve  miles  west  of  Ottawa, 
took  us  to  the   top  of  the  leda  clavs  and   higher  ;  to    the   levtd  of  the 


15  i 

«axicava  samJs  (ia  oiu*  section),  and    liiglicr  slill.      Fiou!    (.he   suimnit 
we  got  a  view  of  a  vast  and  iiitere.stinjr  horizon. 

Allow  me  to  recall  to  you  tiie  scene  i  f  that  deli^litfnl  day  on  the 
siunmit,  and  to  pliotograph,  not  the  glorious  country  in  sight,  but 
the  Field  Naturalists'  Club,  lor  future  refeienoe.  A  hundred  people 
and  more,  of  scientific  culture  and  occupation,  resident  at  the  Cajiital  of 
the  Dominion — including  botanists,  entomologists,  geologists,  palje.)nto- 
logists  and  other  sp3ciali.?ts  of  re[)utation  and  standing,  ladies  and 
children — with  nets  and  collecting  cxses  are  grouped  on  th  ?  summit  of  a 
roche  moulonnce  and  its  adjacent  slopes.  Tliey  have  come  in  omnibuses 
and  buggies;  and  in  ascending  the  mountain  afoot  they  have  learned  each 
a  pleasant  lesson  from  the  lips  of  Nature.  3-lecall  the  freshness  of 
those  living  truths,  of  which  the  biological  leaders  spoke;  the  pages  of 
the  first  day  of  the  creation  which  the  geological  leader  told  us  how  to 
read  with  our  own  eyes.  Recall  the  company — the  thoughtful  men,  the 
bright  women  and  children,  and  tell  me  whether  or  not,  having  seen 
that  picture,  you  believe  the  Capital  of  the  Dominion,  (now  publishing 
its  monthly  scientific  periodical,  The  Ottawa  Naturalist)  has  a 
respectable  constituency  of  scientific  men  and  women  today?  Ottawa 
is  becoming  more  and  more  representative  of  the  Dominion.  Its 
scientific  constituency  has  been  organized  ;  henceforth  it  has  a  more 
important  duty  to  perform. 

East,  west  and  south  the  mountain  oveilooks  a  plain,  which  we 
saw  in  approaching  Chelsea,  was  in  large  i)art  a  terrace,  composed  of 
leda  clay.  At  Chelsea  this  is  270  feet  above  the  sea;  150  feet  above 
the  Ottawa  river,  and  80  feet  above  the  Ottawa  Post  Office. 

Between  Chelsea  and  Kingsmere  we  rose  over  hills  of  sand. 
About  the  level  of  Kingsmere  a  general  upper  level  of  the  sand  hills 
skirts  the  mountain  on  the  southern  and  eastern  side,  as  you  will  recall, 
and  recognize  by  this  sketch  of  the  mountain  as  seen  from  Parliament 
Hill,  Ottawa  City.  [Sketch  on  board — drawn  in  the  form  of  a  .section 
-of  the  clays,  sands  and  gravels  from  the  level  of  the  Gatineau 
river.] 

I  made  it  my  business  to  trace  afoot  the  upper  surface  of  the  sand 
liills,  from  Kingsmere   to  the   south-eastern   corner   of  the    mountain, 


152 

and  to  ascend  the  mountain  from  Welch's  farm  where  its  upper 
surface  in  the  sketch  appears  to  be  flat  and  level  as  seen  from  Ottawa 
City-  My  object  in  doing  so  was  to  ascertain  first  whether  the  sand 
hills  c institute  a  true  terrace;  and  furHier  to  ascertain  whether 
the  summit  of  tlie  mountain  was  itsell  fiat  topped,  by  reason  of  the 
levelling  influence  of  water. 

The  sand  hills  are  composed  of  a  clean  yellow  sand,  very  little 
intermixed  with  boulders.  They  are  entirely  of  detrilal  origin  of  later 
age  than  the  leda  clays;  and  are  simply  higher  members  of  the 
saxicava  sands.  The  bench  level  above  Welch's  farm  was  found  to  be 
680  feet  above  the  sea.  and  on  a  general  level  with  the  sand  hills  nearest 
to  Kingsmere. 

That  the  Welch  terrace  is  of  marine  origin,  and  a  shore  line  of  the 
pleistocene  flood  period,  will  be  made  clear  to  you  by  a  little  reflection. 
No  marine  fossils  can  be  produced  by  me  at  this  time,  in  support  of  the 
proposition,  yet  I  can  make  it  without  reserve  ;  because  the  mountain 
faces  openly  the  wide  expanse  of  plains  which  were  at  that  compara- 
tivelv  recent  date  the  enlarged  gulf  or  inland  sea  of   the  St.  Lawrence. 

If  further  evidence  be  required  I  will  refer  you  to  Sir  Wm, 
Logan's  Geology  of  Canada,  18G3,  citing  the  elevations  of  marine  clays 
along  the  shores  of  this  inland  sea,  at  Ha  Ha  Bay  GOO  feet  above  the 
sea,  at  Grenville  500  feet,  and  of  similar  clays  skirting  the  hills  all 
along  its  northern  shore  between  Ha  Ha  Bay  and  the  valley  of  the 
Ottawa.  He  cites  saxicava  sands  at  the  falls  of  Bell  River  at  400 
feet,  at  Beauport  350  feet,  and  on  Montreal  mountain  470  feet  above  the 
sea. 

As  the  formation  of  clays  on  the  one  hand,  and  sands  on  the  other, 
is  dependant,  however,  upon  local  conditions,  and  is  not  a  feature  of 
succession  in  time,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  leda  an.l  saxicava 
shells  can  only  be  made  use  of  as  names  for  local,  and  limited  portions 
of  the  section  we  are  constructing.  Clays,  sands  and  gravels  may 
alternate,  and  occur  again  and  again  throughout  the  series,  according 
to  drainage  and  lowest  water  level  of  the  locality  and  time. 

Next  ascending  from  Welch's  terrace  to  the  summit  of  the  flat 
topped  mountain  (seen  NE  of  us  from  tlie  summit  of  King's 
mountain)    I    found    the    elevation    to    be    910    feet    above    the    sea; 


ir)3 

very  little  lower  than  King's  mountain.  The  general  surface  of  the 
top  proved  to  be  nearly  flat.  It  was  strewn  with  loose  and  rounded 
boulders;  clay  and  sand  filling  uj)  the  interstices  between  rocky  ])arts, 
to  a  general  even  surface,  more  soil  than  rock.  Did  the  water  which 
undoubtedly  made,  and  at  the  same  time  levelled  AV^elch's  terrace,  lise 
230  feet  higher  and  level  also  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  or  was  it 
ice  that  levelled  and  tilled  uj)  its  interstices'?  This  question  I  would 
not  undertake  to  decide,  without  abundant  and  conclusive  evidence. 
Such  it  was  not  in  ray  power  to  jH'OCure  in  a  day's  excursion.  But  the 
evidence  as  it  stands,  including  th^  lines  of  the]sketeh,  I  think  you  will 
agree  with  me,  is  in  favour  of  water.  T  do  not  remember  liaving  seen 
anywhere  else  the  results  of  ice  action  displaying  so  nice  a  sense  of  the 
horizontal,  u[)on  a  mountain  top.  According  to  the  testimony  of  Mr. 
Welch  (whatever  it  may  be  worth)  clays  and  sands  continued  in- 
definitely northwards  on  the  mountain  along  with  tlie  boulders,  filling 
up  and  levelling  up  irregualities  for  many  miles  iip  the  Gatineau  valley 
at  slightly  increasing  levels,  until  it  assumed  th(>  character  of  a  plain, 
rather  than  that  of  a  mountain. 

Not  without  interest  in  the  same  connection  ure  the  fucts  reported 
by  New  England  geologists,  and  quoted  by  Sir  W'ni.  Logan,  in  regard 
to  the  terraces  fringing  the  mountainous  region  directly  across  the 
pleistocene  sea  of  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Kings  INtountain.  At  Kipton» 
Vermont  there  is  a  terrace  2196  ft.  above  the  sea-  At  Lake  Memphre- 
magog  are  found  clays  798.  ft.,  and  a  terrace  1204  ft.  above  the  sea. 
In  the  White  Mountains  Prof.  Hitchcock  reports  terraces  2449,  and 
2GG5  ft.  above  the  sea  :  and  the  list  could  be  greatly  extended.  No 
marine  fossils  appear  to  have  been  found  in  any  of  these  terraces. 
Is  the  negative  evidence  conclusive  that  they  are  not  sea  terraces  ] 

September  17th  the  Club  proceeded  uj)  the  Gatineau  valley  to  Kirk's 
Ferry,  where  the  leda  clays,  themselves  in  the  form  of  lofty  hills  and 
benches,  picturesquely  surround  old  hummocks  and  islands  of  Lauren- 
tian  rock,  the  combination  producing  a  novel  and  jtleasing  landscape. 
Mountain  and  terrace  contrasting  with  ^terraced  plains  furnLsh  many 
ideal  landscapes  along  these  shores  of  the  glacial  Laurentian  gulf  or 
sea,  in  this  part  of  Canada.  The  clays  of  Kii'k's  Ferry  appear  to  have 
been  cut  off  from  those  of  Chelsea  by  an  intervening  canon,  but  they 


151- 

occur  at   the   same    level,    ami    were    douljtless    formerly,    or  are  still, 
continuous. 

A  little  above  Chelsea  the  clays  are  overlaid  by  a  heavy  wash  of 
stream  boulders  represenring  the  position  of  the  Gatineau  river  during 
a  later  stage  in  its  history,      [Shown  on  section.] 

October  22nd  the  last  excursion  of  the  season  was  made  to  the 
mouth  of  Green's  Creek,  five  or  six  miles  east  of  Ottawa,  and  to  the 
sulphur  springs,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  fossils  fiom  the  leda 
clays.  You  are  already  well  acquainted  with  these  ;  yet  it  is  a  pleasing 
realization  of  the  flood  period  described,  to  see  these  still  living  inhab- 
itants of  the  waters  of  Labrador  and  of  Hudson's  Bay  imbedded  in 
boulders  now  under  the  wheat  fields  of  inland  Ontario.  I  did  not  cari-y 
with  me  any  barometers  on  this  occasion,  but  estimated  the  average 
top  of  the  terraces  of  the  clay  at  ihe  riverside  30  to  40  ft.  above  the 
summer  stage  of  the  Ottawa,  or  IGO  feet  above  the  sea;  the  sulphur 
springs,  several  miles  up  Green's  Creek,  at  about  the  same  height  ;  tho 
leda  clays  adjacent  50  ft  higher  ;  the  overlying  sands  and  interbedded 
clays  of  High  Bluff  220  ft.  above  the  sea.  The  latter  were  observed 
on  another  occasion  spreading  over  the  entire  country  at  the  head  of 
Green's  Creek  ;  and  farther  throuohout  Carleton  and  Russell  counties 
afc  about  the  same  level — 250  ft,  above  the  sea — as  far  as  Duncan ville 
covering  and  forming  the  watershed  between  Ottawa  City  and  Cornwall 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  :  e.\.hibitin(f  in  Russell  couutv  some  of  the  best 
farming  land  of  Ontario. 

Tiie  width  of  the  ex(>osed  sea  bottom  of  the  leda  clays  from 
King's  mountain  to  Lake  Champlain  was  greater  than  ai-e  now  any  of 
the  Canadian  lakes, — 140  miles — and  over,  in  many  places. 

I  have  drawn  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  including 
the  Canadian  lakes,  on  which  are  exhibited  the  elevatiors  and  relative 
positions  with  reference  to  the  drainage  outlet  of  the  terraces,  of  the 
known  surface  of  the  inland  sea  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  which  I  have 
referred.      [Shown  on  tlie  waU.J 

I  will  now  ask  you  to  accompany   me  farther  inland  towai'd  that 

portion  cf  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  which  is  at  present  filled  by 

the  great  Canadian   lakes.       Let   us   inquire   into    the   relation  of  the 

farms   of  the   salt   water  region  hereabouts,  to  thoseo  f  tlie  freshwater 
region  surrounding  these  lakes. 


IT)  5 

Tiie  t'x  tension  iiihind  of  the  ijleistocene  gulf  or  se.i  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence is  the  first  thought  to' suggest  itself.  But  how  far  up  di«l  ulie  salt 
water  extend  ?  is  the  question.  Marine  fossils  collected,  and  reported  by 
Sir  William  Lo:fa:i  and  his  assistants,  proved  the  extension  as  fur  as  the 
Archaean  peninsula,  or  isthnuis  wl)ich  extended  from  the  Clfats  Ra])ids, 
on  the  Ottawa  Rivet-  25  miles  above  Ottawa,  to  Kingston  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Adirondacks.  JJeyond  this  riilge  is  the  valley  of  the  great 
lakes  of  the  St.  Lawrence  into  which  I  am  not  aware  any  evidence  has 
been  produced  of  the  presence  of  the  waters  of  tiio  sea.  I  spent  Sun-, 
day,  November  Gtl),  in  repeating  a  former  excursion  of  tiie  Club  which 
I  did  not  accompany  to  the  Chats  Rapids,  with  a  vi.w  to  studying  the 
character  of  thi.s  ancient  ridge,  or  jeninsu!a,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the 
Ottawa  River.  At  Quyon,  on  the  left  bank,  travelling  northwards  I 
rose  over  100  ft.  in  21  miles  to  the  level  of  a  flat  wide  plain,  which 
extended  up  the  river,  past  the  Chats  Rapids  to  Sliawville  14  miles, 
and  to  Claik's  7  miles  beyond  Quyon. 

At  Quyon,  Shawville,  and  Clark's  the  saxicava  sands  were  seen 
overlaid  by  heavy  gravel  deposits  of  a  river  formation  of  the  pleistocene. 
Marine  fossils  have  indeed  been  reported  by  Sir  William  Logan  as  far 
up  the  Ottawa  valley  as  Lake  Coulonge,  80  miles  above  Ottawa  City  ; 
and  I  think  Mr.  Ami  can  tell  you  of  localities  beyond  that,  which  have 
furnished  tlie  characteristic  fossils  of  Green's  Creek. 

There  was  a  peculiarity  at  Quycn,  however,  which  is  worthy  of 
mention — the  hunimocky  surface  of  tlie  leda  clays,  produced  by  glacial 
action.  The  ice  action  was  jylainly  later  than  the  clay  deposits  ;  con- 
sequently it  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  waters  which  deposited  the 
clays. 

On  the  line  of  the  Canada  Pacific  from  Carleton  Junction  to 
Peterborough,  where  I  crossed  the  Arcluean  peoinsula,  during  my 
recent  holiday  vacation,  glacial  action  on  a  great  scale  was  again  ob- 
served, following  a  line  evidently  ha\  ing  a  relation  to  this  ancient 
peninsula.  Thero  were  smooth  and  level,  or  slightly  rolling  forms  : 
then  suddenly  the  characteristic  pinnacles  of  Waterloo  county,  less 
develo[)ed  than  in  W^at'rloo,  but  accompt^nied,  or  perliaps  replaced,  a 
little  further  east  l)y  the  characteristic  smaller  glacial  hummocks  of 
Quyon.      As  ocular  evidence  of  this  glacial    action    1    will    direct   your 


I  :)o 


attention  to  Kand  i  McNally's  new  map  of  Canada  [exhibited]  where 
the  nests  of  lakes  te!l  the  story  better  than  I  can.  1  have  drawn  two 
lines  on  it  including  the  region  of  these  lakes — which  is  seen  to  be  a 
little  above,  and  westward  of  the  Cambro-Silurian  beach  on  the  Geo- 
logical Siir^y  map. 

The  railwav  levels  of  the  Toronto  Canada  Pacific  branch,  crossing 
the  belt  from  west  to  east,  show  a  gradual  descent,  at  a  low  elevation 
above  the  sea,  from  Tweed  in  the  valley  of  the  Moira  River  324  ft.,  to 
Perth  station  in  the  valley  of  the  Kideau  184  ft  above  the  sea.  There 
is  a  summit  between,  20  miles  east  of  Sharbot  Lake,  in  the  middle  of 
the  lake  belt,  505  ft.  above  the  sea. 

This  summit  is  distant  from  Welch's  terrace  on  Kings  mountain- 
CO  miles  in  a  direct  line;  and  its  elevation  is  I  GO  ft.  lower  than  the 
terrace.  The  railway  levels  are  from  the  section  of  the  old  Ontario  and 
Quebec,  now  Canada  Pacific  Railway  ;  my  own  elevation  of  Welch's 
terrace  was  obtained  by  means  of  two  good  aneroid  barometers  read  at 
Hull  station  185  ft.  above  the  sea,  at  Kings  mountain,  and  again  at 
Hull  the  same  day  on  recurning, — so  as  to  eliminate  at  once  the  w^eather, 
and  any  instrumental  iri'egularities. 

Now  let  us  take  the  train  to  Brockville,  and  examine  what  the 
valley  of  the   St.   Lawrence  has   to  tell  of  the  connection  between  the 
pleistocene  salt  water  sea,  and  the  valley  of  the  great  Canadian  lakes. 
The  Geological  Survey  reports  have  so  fully  described  the  country  of 
the  Archfean  neck  below  Kingston,  that  I  need  not  recall  many  points. 
Kinsrston  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario  is  246  ft.  above  the  sea,  as  shown 
on  my  section.     All  the  surrounding  country  is  low  and  level.     The 
leda  clays  are  visible  at  many  ])oints  along  the   St.  Lawrence,  between 
Kingston  and  Brockville,  either  on  the  Canadian  or  the  American  side. 
To  make  a  long  story  short  the   condition   of  things  is   precisely   that 
described  at  Quyon.     To   this  I  have  to  make  the  exception  of  the  fact 
that  marine  fossils  have  not  been  found  in  these  clays  above  Brockville 
as  they  are  above  Quyon.     That  these  clays  are   continuous  with  the 
valley  of  the  great  lakes,  and  are  identical  with  the  lake  region  clays,  I 
can  simi)ly  state  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  G.  K.    Gilbert  who  has  made 
a  study  of  this  region,  and  of  the  pleistocene  outlet  of  Lake  Ontario  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  including  the  localities  under  consideration. 


157 

You  will  observe  that  I  have  paid  more  particular  attention  to  the 
higher  levels  of  the  flood  period,  or  the  plestiocene  drainage,  than  to 
the  pliocene,  or  later  tertiary  diainage,  when  our  humble  but  interest- 
ing ancestors  must  have  already  spread  themselves  by  their  character- 
istic enterprise,  over  all  the  "known  and  unknown"  parts  of  the 
temperate  latitudes  of  the  globe.  The  great  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
which  is  now  filled  by  Lakes  Ontai-io,  Erie,  Huron  and  Superior 
undoubtedly  existed  in  the  Pliocene  tertiary,  that  is,  before  the  advent 
of  the  flood  pei'iod.      It  must  also  liave  had  an  outlet. 

The  confluent  ice  body  into  which  the  ice  streams  developed  at  the 
period  of  extreme  precipatation  and  cold  ended  southwards  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  Ohio  as  is  delineated  by  H.  Carville  Lewis,  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Geological  Sui-vey,  (Report  2  in  188-1). 

Necessarily  great  river  valleys  existed  before  the  advent  of  the 
ice  streams,  and  of  the  confluent  ice  body  referred  to.  They  were  at 
first  followed  by  them  ;  but  finally  in  many  instances  they  were  filled 
up  and  altered  in  course  by  the  debris  of  the  glaciers ;  and  neatly 
plastered  over,  and  hidden  beyond  suspicion,  by  the  loaming  clays  of 
the  happy  Canadian  farmer.  These  ancient  rivers  of  the  preceding 
(tertiary)  epoch  had  alread}-  cut  down  deep  into  the  Cambro-Silurian 
bed  rock;  for  this  country  had  been  untold  ages  out  of  water.  You 
cannot  go  to  the  Chats  flapids,  and  to  the  Grenville  and  Lachine 
rapids,  and  point  to  to  the  exposed  bed  rock  in  evidence  of  the  depth 
of  the  former  erosion,  because  the  ancient  streams,  as  is  well  known, 
have  been  diverted  in  many  well  known  cases. 

Suppose  this  country  to  be  rai.sed  1,000  Feet  higher  al)ove  the  sea, 
and  new  streams  to  have  dug  down  until  they  unearthed  the  old  ones, 
in  patches  and  remnants;  these  tilled  with  gold  to  tempt  the  miner  to 
a  frenzy  of  investigation,  and  you  will  have  before  you  the  conditions 
of  the  mining  industry  of  surface  geology  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Every 
body  in  that  school  becomes  a  geologist  by  profession.  The  Chinaman 
and  the  white  man  together  become  experts,  because  their  fortune 
depends  upon  their  reading  nature  skilfully  and  correctly. 

In  reading  the  record  of  the  boulder  clays  and  of  the  leda  clays  of 

\this  country  we  read  the  history  of  its  former  rivers,  and  naturally  of  its 

^inhabitants,  its  vegetaljlo  and  animal  life,  the  kinds  th-it  existed  before 
^^e  flood  of  our  own  most  anoient  and  interesting  tradition. 


'?) 


158 

If  jou  ask  what  els„'  the  gravels  and  cl.iys  can  tell  us  that  we  mar 
read  for  ourselves,  I  can  mention  then  besides  the  arctic  leda  and 
saxicava  shells,  and  the  Hudson  Bay  fish  of  Green's  Creek,  belonging 
to  the  flood  poriod  re'erred  to,  the  leaves  and  woods  and  Tnammalian 
bones  of  the  more  ancient  rivers  to  which  I  have  referred  as  genei'ally 
biirietl  out  of  sight  by  the  boulder  clays  and  the  leda  clays.  The 
U2')per  courses  of  all  these  ancient  streams  were  necessarily  higher,  and 
in  many  places  the  debris  whicli  filled  them  must  have  been,  since  ex- 
posed; sometimes  accidentiilly,  as  in  connection  with  coal  mining  in 
Pennsylvania;  in  wells  and  borings,  for  coal  oil,  or  salt,  or  other 
minerals.  Exposures  may  exist  where  our  eyes  have  not  learned  to 
read  them.  As  you  know,  a  milder  climate  than  the  present  preceded 
the  cold  period  and  its  flood  phenomena.  So  it  was  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  in  Greenland,  and  generally  in  northern  America  and  Europe 
during  the  middle  and  later  tertiary. 

River  gravels  of  pliocene  age  ante-dating  the  present  mammalian 
creation — the  genus  liotno  only  excepted — have  been  abundantly  ex- 
posed and  identiSed  in  the  auriferous  gravels  of  the  P.icific  Coast. 
They  are  filled  up  river  valleys  like  ours,  which  have  been  i-e-excavated 
by  natural  operations,  and  sifted  by  men  in  quest  of  gold  with  a 
thoroughness  no  other  quest  could  ever  have  accomplished.  During 
the  years  1869,  1870,  1871,  it  was  my  lot  to  be  engaged  in  their  study,  in 
connection  with  the  Geological  Survey  of  California.  Leaves,  woods, 
mammalian  bones  and  human  relics,  consisting  of  implements  and 
bones  were  industriously  collected.  The  j)lant  life  was  thoroughly 
studied,  and  reported  on  by  Leo  Lesquereux  w^ho  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  vegetable  biologists.  Their  i)Hocene  age  has  been  established,  and 
the  facts  have  been  accessible  to  all  men  in  published  form — have  lain, 
in  fact,  in  the  public  libraries  of  Ottawa  for  a  dozan  years.  An  article 
in  the  Overland  Monthbj,  written  hy  myself  about  1873,  which 
described  a  prolific  find  of  mortars  and  p  stlcp  in  a  mountain  of  basalt 
covered  gravel,  with  a  precision  not  to  be  escapi^d  from,  had  a  wide 
popular  circulation  and  has  slept  on  the  shelves  (.>f  a  hundred  libraries. 

To  generous  Louis  Agassiz,  and  to  the  circumstance  of  his  visiting 
the  Pacific  Coast  ;>t  that  time,  the  world  is  indebted  for  the   machinery 


159 

of  publication*  whieli  liin  worked  a  change  in  tiie  scientilic  world  ; 
formerly  unwilling,  how  it  is  ready  to  acc3i)t  these  facts.  Arthur 
Wallace,  returning  from  a  recent  visit  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  writes,  re- 
garding these  iinds  of  human  remains  in  the  pliocene  tertiary  river 
valleys  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  that  so  far  from  being  improbable,  and 
strange,  the  non-existence  of  such  remains  in  the  pliocene  period 
would  be  far  more  remarkable,  improbable  and  strangp,  in  the  light  of 
to-day. 

For  further^information  on  the  preglacial  drainage  of  Lake  Ontario 
I  refer  you  to  the  observations  of  J.  \\ .  Spencer,  formerly  o^  Hamilton, 
and  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  published  by  the  Philosophical 
Society  of  Washington,  ISSl.  Mr.  Spencer  has  presented  many  facts 
that  are  interesting  on  the  pliocene  erosion,  or  former  valley  of  the 
lakes,  in  the  region  within  reach  from  Hamilton;  and  also  on  the  con- 
nection of  the  valleys  of  the  Mississippi  region  where  he  is  at  present 
located. 

It  remains  for  me  to  trace  a  little  further,  and  to  review  the  facts 
regai'ding  the  pleistocene  period,  not  of  erosions  or  deep  cut  valleys, 
but  of  flood,  and  filling  up  of  the  ancient  valleys;  of  terraces,  and  of 
plains  to  which  we  owe  so  much  that  is  beautiful  in  the  wide  "  level 
and  rolling"  expanse  which  is  the  paradise  of  the  Canadian  farmer- 
The  subject  goes  beyond  ray  capacity;  the  poet  and  the  artist  must  do 
justice  to  this  favored  land  of  lakes,  of  rich  agricultural  .soil,  and  of 
niaole  forest,  that  was  only  yesterday  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  sea. 
I  have  seen  many  countries,  and  frankly,  I  do  not  believe  that  nature 
— intent  on  rearing  a  vigorous  race — in  all  the  woiM  has  given  its 
children  another  like  it. 

Probably  a  majority  of  the  persons  present  who  have  followed  the 
line  of  facts  presented,  v/ill  have  drawn  their  own  conclusions,  in 
advance  of  what  I  shall  say.  If  my  facts  are  to  bo  trusted,  the  evidence 
seems  pretty  conclusive  that  the  sea  penetrated  into,  and  occupied  the 
valley  of  the  great  lakes  fur  a  time  at  leist  during  the  pleistocene 
epoch.  It  is  not  my  business  or  jiurpose  at  present  to  account  for  the 
a1)sence   of  marine   fossils   in   the  valley  of  the   St.    Lawrence   above 

*\Vliitiipy's   Auriferous  Gravels,  in   Meicoiis   of  the  Ikluscum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  (.'ambiidc;"',  ISSd. 


IGO 

Ci-ockville,  while  they  have  been  found  up  the  Ottawa  in  position  and 
elevation  corresponding  to  Lake  Ontario. 

Having  climbed  Mount  Washington  I  will  say  that  I  cannot 
conceive  of  any  terraces  on  the  flanks  at  any  latitude  like  2,GG5  feet,  as 
''eported  by  Prof.  Hitchcock,  of  any  other  origin  than  that  of  sea 
terraces.  A  different  conclusion  could  be  arri\ed  at  on  tlie  hypothesis 
of  a  recent  change  of  level,  whereby  the  region  of  the  four  great  lakes 
could  be  supposed  to  have  been  depressed.  But  I  have  described  to  you 
the  Ottawa  leda  clay  terraces  as  extending  northward  beyond  the 
Archjean  neck,  which  has  been  reared  as  a  dividing  line  between  salt 
water,  and  the  fresh  waters  of  the  pleistocene  epoch.  I  have  shown 
that  the  ice  phenomena  of  that  region  are  superficial,  and  later  than 
the  clays ;  that  a  separating  ridge  in  the  sixty  miles  between  Kings 
Mountain  and  Sharbot  Lake,  by  reason  of  change  of  level,  is  uutenaV)le  ; 
while  the  continuity  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  Ontario  Lake  shore 
clays  confirm  these  facts.  If  by  levelling  along  the  terraces,  a  change 
of  level  can  be  shown  to  have  occurred  the  facts  I  have  given  will  still 
remain  to  be  disposed  of.  Such  levels  have  been  taken  by  Messrs. 
Gilbert  and  Upham,  on  both  sides  of  the  American  boundary  line. 
In  spite  of  the  difficulty  of  identification  of  terraces  they  may  readily 
establish  important  points  connected  with  the  pleistocene  history  of  the 
lakes. 

But  if  you  would  exclude  the  salt  water  sea  of  the  lower  St.  Lawrence 
from  the  one  great  fi-esh  water  lake  which  united  the  areas  of  the  four 
Canadian  lakes  another  material  must  be  produced  that  could  do 
it  other  than  ridges  or  soil  of  the  surface.  An  ice  dam  has  been  sus2:ested. 
It  would  have  lain  along  the  region  of  the  belt  of  little  lakes  and  glacial 
hummocks  described  between  the  Chats  Rapids  and  Kingston.  I  have 
yet  to  hear  from  any  one  who  has  ever  seen  such  an  ice  dam,  in  any 
of  the  icy  regions  of  the  globe.  It  must  have  been  more  than  an  ice 
dam  ;  an  ice  stream  which  had  the  effect  of  a  dam.  A  concentrated 
ice  stream  flowing  in  the  direction  of  the  united  upper  Gatineau, 
Coulonge  and  upper  Ottawa  rivers  might  well  have  filled  the  gap  be- 
tween King's  mountain  and  the  Adirondacks — and  so  replenished  the 
melting  action  of  warmer  water,  against  which  diminishing  influence 
no  other  ice  dam  could  have  maintained  itselr".      Such  an  ice  dam  — or 


1(51 

icejara,  Ibeg  leave   to  amentl — would   account   satisfactorily  for   the 
absence  of  marine  fossils  in  the  lake  region. 

It  would  not  alter  the  fact  of  the  flooding  of  the  lake  region  in  the 
period  of  the  leda  clays,  the  same  as  if  such  ice  dam  had  not  had  any 
existence.  If  such  ice  dam  existed,  it  was  towax'd  the  close  of  the  flood 
period,  and  oiiiy  after  the  clays  I  have  described  had  been  laid  down 
along  the  old  river  valleys,  and  over  all  the  lower  places. 

In  regard  to  the  shoi-e  lines  and  terraces  of  the  huge  shallow  St. 
Lawrence  sea  or  lake  which  united  the  four  Canadian  lakes  during  the 
pleistocene  epoch,  on  the  sides  toward  Hudson  Bay  and  Winnipeg 
Lake  respectively,  where  ice  dams  also  would  appear  to  have  been 
necessary  to  exclude  salt  water.  Dr.  Bell  and  Mr.  Lawson,  who  have 
worked  in  those  I'egions,  Dr.  Dawson  who  has  studied  the  countrv 
beyond,  and  others  will  [irobably  ba  able  to  contribute  many  more 
interesting  facts,  the  mei'e  statement  of  which  may  carry  their  own 
explanation  with  them 


-:o: 


1G2 

SOIREES. 

Second. — On  Tlmi-sday,  the  5th  January.  Mr.  Amos  Bowman,  of 
the  Geological  Survey  Staff,  explained  the  significance  of  the  clays, 
sands  and  gravels  of  this  district,  and  drew  especial  attention  to  their 
mode  of  occurrence  at  the  localities  visited  by  the  Club  Excursions. 
By  means  of  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
including  the  Great  Lakes,  and  a  map  marked  with  blue  outlines,  he 
showed  the  widest  expansion,  and  greatest  elevation  which  the  waters 
of  this  great  basin  attained  in  the  Pleistocene  period.  Diagrams  were 
also  drawn  on  the  blackboard  showing  the  relations  of  the  clays  and  sands 
to  the  gravel  deposits  formed  by  the  rivers  when  these  ran  at  corres- 
ponding elevations.  The  level  of  the  Welch  terrace,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  near  OheLea,  was  shown  by  the  section  to  over-top  the  hills 
of  Ontario,  and  to  intersect  the  grade  of  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie.  The  paper,  which  was  highly  appreciated  by  all  present,  will 
be  found  in  the  present  number. 

Mr.  H.  B.  Small  said  that  he  had  listened  with  very  much 
pleasure  to  the  lecture,  which  had  presented  to  the  members  in  a  very 
clear  manner  the  very  important  subject  treated  of.  It  seemed  to  him 
especially  a  proof  of  the  great  value  of  the  Club  outings,  as  a  means 
of  elucidating  such  lectures,  for  if  the  localities  referred  to  by  Mr. 
Bowman  had  not  been  visited  by  the  members,  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible for  them  to  have  so  fully  realized  the  character  and  extent  of 
the  deposits  in  question.  Mr.  Stewart  stated  that  he  had  seen  in 
Madoc  nodules,  obtained  from  Deer  Creek,  in  the  County  of  Hastings, 
which  exactly  resembled  those  obtained  from  Green's  Creek,  near 
Ottawa,  but  that  not  having  had  an  opportunity  of  opening  these 
nodules  he  could  not  say  whether  tliey  actually  contained  fossils.  In 
reply  to  a  question  by  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte  as  to  whether  the  boulders, 
which  oc3ur  in  large  numbers  between  the  Ottawa  River  and  the 
Chelsea  Mountains  were  deposited  by  glaciers,  Mr.  Bowman  explained 
that  ice  was  the;  only  known  ai,'ent  for  the  transportation  of  such 
masses.  Mr.  Ami  made  some  remarks  as  to  the  evidence  of  glacial 
action  in  certain  localities  mentioned,  and    to  the  deposition    of  certain 

deposits  of  gravel  at  Brittania,  but  owing   to    the   late   hour  the  discus- 
.sion  was  not  prolonged. 


1G3 

Third.  —  Prof.  Macoun  deliv^ered,  on  Tliui-sday,  the  l!)t!i  January, 
an  address  on  "  Our  Forest  Trees,"  considered  both  from  tl;e  geological 
records,  and  from  their  present  occurrence.  The  concluding  portion  of 
the  address,,  calling  attention  to  the  enormous  annual  Avaste  of  our 
forests,  due  to  careless  lumbering,  and  frequent  bush  Mres,  appealed 
especially  to  the  audience,  for  at  Ottawa  peo[)le  have  continual  evidences 
of  this  destruction  presented  to  them. 

Vv  ith  reference  to  the  lecturer's  theory  that  our  trees  originated  in 
the  north  and  had  been  gradually  pressed  southward  by  the  increasing 
cold  of  their  original  habitat,  the  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan  asked  why  more 
species  of  trees  were  not  now  found  in  Europe,  where  the  climate  more 
nearly  resembles  that  of  the  Tertiary  ))eriod,  than  in  Canada.    In  rejily 
Prof.  Macoun  explained  that  the  area  of  Europe  had   once    l>een    much 
greater,   but  owing   to   subsidence  large  tracts  had  been  covered  by  the 
sea,  and  with  the  increasing  cold  the   trees   were   driven   seawaixl  and 
finally   became  extinct,  whereas  on  the  American  continent  the  species 
had  an  uninterrupted  retreat  southward.     J\Ir.  Ami  made  some  inter- 
esting remarks  on  the  cretaceous  formations  discovered  by  Dr.  Dawson 
in  British  Columbia,  and  the  great  forests  and  animals  of  which  they 
give  evidence,  and  which  show  the  same  agreement  with  the  flora  and 
fauna  of  Jai)an  at  that  time,  as  the  present  forests   of  that  country   do 
to  those   of  America   as   pointed   cut  by  the  lecturer.     Prof.  Macoun 
mentioned  that  at  that  remote  time  the  Rocky  Mountains  had  not  yet 
Ijeen    upheaved,   and   that  a    vast  plain — more  or  less  undulating  and 
broken — stretched  from    the    Laurcntides   to  the  Pacific,  and  i)i'obably 
oven  to  Japan.     ^Ir.  George  Holland  did  not  think  that  the  citizens  of 
Ottawa  could  be  accused  of  indifference  in  regard  to  the   action  of  the 
mill-owners   in    filling  the  river  with  sawdust,  as  they  had  no  means  of 
preventing  it.    1  n  the  destruction  of  our  foiests  there  was  a  race  between 
the  lumberman  and  the  settler,  and  \>y  much    the   greater   damage    was 
<lone  by   the    latter.      He    was  oljliged  under  the  laws  of  the  Province 
trum  which  he  obtained  his  land  to  destroy   a   ceitain  quantity   of  the 
forest  on  penalty  of  eviction,  and  in  his  anxiety  and  endeavour  to  do  so, 
more  of  the  forest  was  destroyed  in  one  year  by  fire,  than  would  be  cut 
iiuwii  in  a  decade  liy  the  lumberman   whose    interest  it  was  to  conserve 
ills   iiiniis.      Mr.    II.    l!.    Small   desiteil    to   thank  the    lecturer   for  the 


164 

viffoi-ons  notes  of  alanu  he  had  sounded.  It  was  a  hmieutable  fact  that 
but  few  leninants  of  the  vast  virgin  forests  could  now  be  found.  There 
had  been  at  Casselman  a  considerable  area  untouched,  but  this  was  now 
fast  being  destroyed.  There  remained  a  section  of  original  forest  in 
Ontario  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Petewawa,  Madawaska  and 
Muskoka  rivers,  which  it  had  been  proposed  to  set  apart  as  a  Provincial 
Park,  for  the  conservation  of  the  forest  and  also  of  the  larger  animals 
which  are  so  I'apidly  being  exterminated.  He  had  much  pleasure  in 
movins  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Prof.  Macoun  for  his  valuable  address. 
Mr.  Ballantyne,  in  seconding  the  vote  of  thanks,  referred  to  the 
economic  questions  which  had  been  brouglit  forward,  and  to  the  action 
taken  by  the  Ontario  Government  toward  ascertaining  the  best  methods 
for  preserving' and  replanting  the  forest  areas.  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan 
asked  why  they  did  not  avail  themselves  of  the  experience  of  other 
countries  in  this  direction,  instead  of  spending  so  much  time  in  such 
investigations  as  had  just  ])een  mentioned,  while  there  was  a  continual 
destruction  going  on,  the  effects  of  which  could  never  be  remedied.  Of 
minerals  there  was  an  inexhaustible  store,  so  that  waste  of  them  did 
not  so  greatly  matter,  but  the  vegetable  and  animal  supplies  for  man's 
use  were  limited,  and  being  under  liis  control  should  be  carefully  pre- 
served for  the  requirements  of  the  future. 

Mr.  J.  Stewart  read  a  brief  paper  giving  a  synopsis  of  geological 
work  performed  during  the  past  summer  by  Mr.  W,  R.  Billings,  Mr. 
T.  W".  E.  Sowter  and  himself  in  various  localities.  Several  new  genera 
and  species  of  Crinoids,  etc.,  had  been  discovered,  as  well  as  many 
additions  to  the  published  list  of  fossils  for  this  district.  In  reply  to  a 
question  by  Mr.  H.  B.  Small  regarding  the  opening  of  clay  nodules, 
Mr.  Stewart  explained  the  method  of  alternate  boiling  and  freezing 
adopted  by  him.  JMr.  Ami  stated  that  he  had  also  found  this  plan 
very  efiectual,  and  that  in  some  cases  the  splitting  occurred  during  the 
act  of  boiling. 

Mr.  Ami  then  read  some  notes  on  his  examination  of  the  New 
Edinburgh  exposures  of  the  Utica,  accompanied  by  a  list  of  the  species 
collected  from  these^-^€i;y  fossiliferous  rocks,  indicating  those  new  to 
the  Club  lists.      :^9iS^^i  ^ 


165 
ON  UTICA  FOSSILS  FROM  RIDEAU,  OTTAWA,  ONT, 


By  Henry  M.  Ami,  M.A.,  F.G.S. 


{Read  19th  January,  1888.) 

As  a  natural  consequence  of  the  recent  annexation  of  the  vice-regaF 
suburb  of  New  Edinburgh,  cr  Fideau,  to  the  municipality  of  Ottawa, 
this  new  ward  has  had  extensive  operations  performed  within  its  limits 
during  the  past  summer.  Rideau,  for  the  most  part,  exhibits  through- 
out its  entire  area  the  bare  strata  of  the  Utica  and  Trenton  formations, 
seeing  that  tho  newer  Post-Tertiai-ies  have  been  almost  completely 
swept  away  and  denuded  in  times  subsequent  to  the  deposition  of  the 
"boulder  clays,"  "  Leda  clay"  and  "  Saxicava  sands,"  which  at  some 
period  covered  the  valley  of  the  Rideau  River.  An  extensive  series  of 
trenches  were  opened  and  a  system  of  pipes  laid  for  water  supply  iiv 
the  various  streets,  to  such  an  extent  that  an  excellent  opportunity  was 
afforded  the  members  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  and  other* 
of  examining  not  only  the  stratigraphy  of  the  rocks  occurring  there,  but 
also  of  making  collections  in  the  highly  fossiliferous  measures  brought 
to  view  and  of  obtaining  not  a  few  fossils  of  rare  occurrence,  many  of 
which  have  proved  new  to  the  locality  and  a  few  new  to  science. 
These  latter,  it  is  hoped,  will  shortly  be  described,  ami  communicated 
at  one  of  the  Club's  Soil  ees. 

Detailed  sections  of  the  strata  were  obtained  at  various  points 
along  Crichton  Street  and  elsewhere,  and  these  may  prove  valuable  for 
both  paliBontological  and  stratigraphical  purposes.  In  order  to  give 
satisfactory  notes  on  the  distribution  of  the  fossils  of  the  Utica  here  as 
in  other  quarti'i  s,  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  insert  these  sections,  giving 
the  sequence  of  strata  and  the  precise  horizon  at  which  most  of  the 
species  mentioned  in  the  lists  to  be  given  hereafter  propeily  belong, 
in  the  description  of  the  strata,  their  lilhological  character  as  well  as 
the  thickness  of  the  beds  and  tlio  fossil  remains  entombed  within  them 
and  so  well  preserved,  are  given  in  more  or  less  detail  according  as  the 
facts  were  ]iresented  to  the  writer  in  the  field  work.        VN^'^'^/ 


16G 


SECTION  OF  UTICA  ALONG  CRICHTON  STREET,  RlDEAU. 

STRATA    HORIZONTAL — IX    DESENDIXG    ORDER. 


Superficial  deposits,  road  metal,  &c.  (Recent). 


Utica  Formation. 


Band  of  impure  nodular  argillaceous  limestone  belonging  to  the 
Utica  formation. 


Series  of  thin  and  soft  brittle  shaly  strata,  with  occasional  rounded 
concretionary  masses  of  various  sizes  distributed  in  the  softer  ma- 
terial.   _^^_ 

Band  composed  almost  exclusively  of  impure  nodular  lime- 
stone, arranged  in  irregular  masses  separated  by  shaly  or  argillaceous 
material. 


Shaly  strata,  apparently  destitute  of  nodular  or  concretionary 
masses,  cleavage  planes  in  the  shales  at  right  angles  to  the  planes  of 
stratification. 


Baud  of  partially  disintegrated  nodular  limestone. 


Series  of  very  soft  earthy  strata,  most  probably  shaly  at  one  time, 
jut  deprivf  d  of  its  cementing  materials. 


Band  of  dark-grey,  hard,  compact,  impure  limestone,  not  so 
bjtuminous  as  beds  in  lower  part  of  this  section,  nodular  and  conore 
tionary  in  certain  portions  which  are  probably  bo  disintegrated  as  to 
point  out  the  lines  of  conehoidal  fractuie  in  which  the  beds  would 
break.  Rhombohedraof  calciteare  rather  abimdautin  numerous  veins. 
Bed  holiing  Asaphiis  C(ina(ff7isis,  Chapman  ;  Triarthrux  Becki,  Green 
Leptcena  sericea,  Shy  ;  Orthis  testudiiiaria  Dalman  ;  Lfptobolus  and 
■Lingula,  &c. 


Dark  brittle  and  bituminous  shales,  very  thin  and  fissile,  hold- 
ing abundant  remains  of  the  ubiquitous  shell  Lepta-na  sericea, 
Sowerbv. 


Band  of  light-weathering,  dark,  bituminous  limestone,  in  which 
were  found  the  remains  of  Bucania  cxjiansa,  Hall,  and  Leiptiena  sericea, 
Sowerby  (a  rugose  variety  of  the  latter). 


Note. — Proceeding  in  a  northerly  direction,  along  the  same  street, 

the  above  bed,  of  which  only  ten  and  a  half  inches  are  exposed  at  the 

bottom  of  the  trench  where  the  section  was  taken,  may    be    seen    to 

•crop  out  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  opposite  house  No.   101,  where 

the  following  section  was  observed  : 

Additional  five   inches  of  dark,    impure,    bituminous   limestone 
similar  to  above,  disintegrating  in  certain  jiortions  of  the  band. 


Hard,  compact,  dark,   impure,   bituminous  shales  or  shaly  lime 
stoue,    holding  abundant   fossil   remains :    0.  testudinaria,   Dalman ; 
■Leptienu  sericea,  Sowerby  ;   Endoceras  Proteiforme,  Hall,  &c.,  &c. 


Seriesot  black,  bituminous  shales  teeming  with  fossils,  typical  of 
the  Utica  formation  :  LepUvna  sericea,  Sowerby  ;  Strophomena  allernata, 
'Conrad ;  Orthis  testudinaria,  Dalman  ;  Zygospira  Ileadi,  Billings  ; 
Lyroicsma  pulcheUurr',  llaM;  Endoceras  Pioleijorme,  Hall;  Asaphus 
Canadensis,  Chajmian,  &c.,  .Ic.  (base  of  section)". 


4  inches. 


Impure 
limestone, 
3  inches. 


Soft,  brittle 
shales, 
14  inches. 


Impure 
limestone, 
8  inches. 


Shales, 
IH  inches. 


limestone, 
6  inches. 


Soft,  earthy 
strata, 
10^  inches. 


Impure 
limestone, 
6  inches. 


Brittle 
shales, 
3  inches. 


Bituminous 
limestone, 
10^  in., 
(plus). 


5  inches. 


Imp.  shales 
or  limestone, 
2  ft.  1  in. 


Bituminous 

shales, 
4  inches, 

(plu,). 


1G7 

lictwecn  tlie  slraliim  last  mentioued  {nu/.>ia)  and  llic  next  mentioned,  there  are 
a  few  inches  of  bituminous  liniestones  and  shales  which  connect  tliem  without  brcflk, 
and  the  section  is  thus  continued  in  descending/  ordei- : 


Dark,    impure,    bituminous    limestone    band,    holding    I.Pi>lwiui 
xiricea,  Sowerliy  ;  and  other  fossil  remaias. 


8oft,  friable,  purplish  black,  disintegrating,  fossilifeious  jiiales — 
very  cliaracteristic  in  its  mode  of  occurrence  and  distributed  in  other 
]iortions  of  Ottawa  City  and  elsewhere — holding  abundance  of  white 
weathering  fossil  remains,  amongst  which  were  recognized:  0/lhi.s 
tisludinaria,  Dalman  ;  Lcptiena  serieca,  Sowerl)v,  and  Asaphiis  Can- 
adengin,  Cha})man. 


Jiaud    of  unevenly  bedded,  impure,  bituminous  limestone  with 
Asaji/ius  Canadensis  and  Orlliis  Imludinaria. 


iSofr,  friable  shales,  holding  abuudance  of  fossils  ;  very  .-imilar  to 
and  evidently  deposited  under  exactly  similar  conditions,  as  the  one- 
and-a-half  inch  band  below  :  Li'plifna  serieca,  Sowerby,  and  varieties 
with  elougate-mucronate  lateral  extremities,  also  Orthi.s  tesludinaria, 
Dalman,  are  present  in  large  numbers. 


Band  of  light-gray,  impure  limestone,  bituminous,  and  holding : 
Orthis  tesludinaria,  Dalman  ;  Lrptiena  neric/a,  Sowerby;  Coniilaria 
TrcnloncuHis. 


Thiu,  irregular  and  unevenly  bedded,  soft,  friable,  earthy  shales, 
disintegrating  rapidly,  when  exposed,  and  teeming  with  fossil  remains. 
These  fossils  often  appear  on  the  unearthed  suifaces  white  in  colour 
on  the  brownish-gray  shales.  Ortlns  tcsludinnria,  Dalman,  and  Lfji. 
tuna  ncricra,  Sowerliy,  seem  to  lie  the  two  forms  most  prevalent,  and 
are  often  so  preserved  as  to  show  characteristic  intern.il  and  external 
markings. 

lilack,  bituminous,  impure  limestone  band,  with  Leplirjia  tertcea, 
Sowerby  ;  Orthis  einacerata.  Meek,  and  Asap/nts  Canad'^nai'',  Chapman. 


Hlack  and  bituminous  shales,  holding  abundance  of  organic  re- 
mains, especially  those  of  the  characteristic  Asaphvs  Canadcnxis, 
Chapman,  of  which  the  numbers  })resent  are  exceedingly  great. 


J?and  of  impure,  highly  bituminous  limestone,  yielding  a  strong 
odour  of  itetiolcum,  when  struck  with  a  hammer  ;  black  in  colour,  with 
irregular,  sharp,  splintery  and  conchoidal  fractures,  in  which  occur 
the  remains  of  As-i/dii/s  Canadensis,  Chapman  ;  Strop/tomena  alternala, 
Conrad,  kc. 

Black,  bituminous  and  somewhat  splinti-ry  brittle  shales,  holding 
the  following  fossils  :  Lc/ilOffraplus  JlacciduK,  Hall  ;  (?)  Sai/encUii.  am- 
/liffua,  Walcott  ;  L^/iloholits  insignia,  Hall;  Schizorrania  Jilota,  Hall; 
J^rpUrnn  serieca,  Sowerby  ;  Cumilaria  Trenloneiisi-',  Hall  ;  Kndoreras 
Proleifonne,  var  leituislriatinn,  Hall;  Asa/diw  ('ana  fensis,  Cliapman  ; 
LepcrdUia,  sp.  allied  ^  L.  cyLtndriea,  Hall. 


Bituminous 
limestone, 
9  inches. 


Soft,'  fiiable 
I'ha/e.-, 
8  inches. 


unevenly 
bedded 
limestone, 
7  inches. 


Soft,  friable 
shales, 
24  inches. 


Jiituminous 
limestone, 
4  inches. 


Soft,  earthy 
shales, 
1  T  inches. 


Bituminous 
limestone, 
8  inches. 


Bitumincus 
shales, 
14  inches. 


Impure, 
l)ituminous 
limestone, 
11  inciies. 


Bituminous 
shale?, 
7  inches. 


Tliese  sections  taken  togetliei- yivc  a    total    thickness    of   /ourteeu 
/eel  tea  inches,  so   fur   us   examined  in    '  Ridcan,'    wldtlj,   wi.li    the    fair 


168 

allowance  of  a  few  inches  of  strata,  which  may  be  styled  passage-beds 
or  beds  of  transition,  constitute  the  lowest  portion  of  the  Utica  forma- 
tion, as  it  is  developed  at  Rideau,  where  it  overlies,  perfectly  conforma- 
bly, the  black,  nodular  and  impure  bituminous  limestones  of  the 
Trenton  formation,  which  begins  immediately  below  these  sections, 
and  wliich  at  the  northern  end  of  Crichton  street  are  clearly  observed 
as  thick  bedded  limestones,  characterised  by  the  presence  of  Murchisonia 
hellicincta,  Hal),  StropJiomena  alternata,  Conrad,  Leptcena  sericea, 
Sowerby,  monticuliporoid  corals,  (probably  Prasopora  Selwyni,  Nichol- 
son), etc.,  all  eminently  Trenton  in  fades. 

From  these  beds  of  the  Utica  formation  in  Eideau  the  following 
species  of  fossils  v;ere  obtained  during  the  summer  of  1887,  which 
illustrate  the  palaeontology  of  the  rocks  in  question  and  indicate  the 
fauna  which  swarmed  in  the  old  Ordovician  or  Cambro-Silurian  sea 
about  Ottawa. 

I.  Rhabdophora  : 

1.   Leptograptus  flaccidus,  Hall. 

L'.   Orthograptus  quadribrachiatus,  Hall.t 

3.  1  1  Sagenella  ambigua,  Walcott. 

II.  POLYZOA  : 

4.  Helopora  sp.'' 

5.  Batostoma  erraticum,  Ulrich. 

III.  Brachiopoda  : 

6.  Lingula  obtusa,  Hall. 

7.  "       Cobourgensis,  Billings. 

8.  "       Daphne,  Billings. 

9.  Leptobolus  insignis.  Hall. 

10.  Lepttyna  sericea,  Sowerby. 

11.  Strophomena  alternata,  Conrad. 

12.  Orthis  bella-rugosa,  Hall. 
12.  "       testudinaria,  Dal  man. 

14,  '•'       emacerata,  Meek.  • 

15.  "       sp  (cf.  O.  pectinella,  Conrad.) 
IG.   Zygospira  Headi,  Billings. 


1G9 

IV.  Lamrllibranchiata  : 

17.  Ambonyclua  sp.  nov.* 

18.  Modiolopsis  curta,  Hall.* 

19.  "  anodontoldes.  Conrad.* 

20.  Lyrodesnia  pulcbellutu,  Hall. 

V.  Pteropoda  : 

21.  Conularia  Trentoneusis,  Hall. 

VI.  Gasteropoda  : 

22.  Belleroplion  bilobatus,  Sowerby. 

23.  Bucania  expansa,  Hall. 

24.  Pleurotomaria  subconica,  Hall. 

25.  Metoptonia  n.  sp. 

A^JI.  Cephalopoda  : 

2G.   Endoceras  proteifoime,  Hall  (type). 

27.  "  "  var.  tenuistriatum,  Hall. 

28.  Trocholites  ammonius,  Conrad. 

VIII.  Crustacea  : 

21).  Triarthrus  Becki,  Green. 

30.  Asaphus  megistos,  Locke  (=Isotelus  gigas,  Dekay.) 

vel  platycephalus,  Stoke.s. 

31.  "         Canadensis,  Chapman. 

32.  Calymene  senaria,  Conrad. 

IX.  Annelida: 

33.  Serpulites  dissolutus,  Billings,  var. 

X.  OSTRACODA  : 

34.  Leperditia  cyJindrica,  Hall. 

35.  "  minutissinia,  Hall. 


t  Also  a  species  of  Diplograptus  besides  other  obscui'e  forms. 
*  Species  marked  with  an  asterisk  are  new  to  this  locality. 


4i|LISRARY 


t^S^j^.^A'' 


170 

NOTES  ON  GEOLOGICAL  WORK  DUKING   THE   SUMMER 

OF  1S87. 


Mr.  John  Stewart. 


{Kead  Hnh  Janucmj,  1S88.) 

During  the  past  season,  from  May  to  September,  the  following 
places  were  visited  by  W.  R.  Billings,  T.  W.  E,  Sowter,  and  myself, 
and  in  addition  to  these,  individual  outings  were  made  :  — 

Hull,  May  Uth,  19th,  24th,  June  29th,  July  1st,  August  27th  ; 
New  Edinburgh,  May  21st,  24th,  28th,  June  25th,  July  9th,  23rd, 
September  17th;  Aylmer,  June  9th,  21st,  July  1st;  Hogsback,  July 
2nd;  Division  Street,  May  29th,  June  29th,  July  17th,  24th,  August 
7th,  14th,  21st;  Mount  Sherwood,  June  5th,  2Gth  ;  Little  Chaudiere, 
Sept.  24th  ;  Paquette's  Rapids,  September  5th  to  12th. 

To  avoid  repetition,  it  is  not  considered  necessary  to  mention  all 
specimens  found  during  these  pleasant  trips,  but  only  such  as  are  new, 
either  to  the  locality,  or  to  the  formation  under  which  they  are  men- 
tioned, or  to  science,  although  many  interesting,  beautiful  and  instruc- 
tive finds  were  made  in  addition  to  the  following  : — 


'O 


TRENTON  FORMATION. 

Crinoids.  Locality. 

Taxocrinus,  N.  Sp Hull. 

Carabocrinus,  N.  Sp Division  Street. 

Anomalccrinus,  1 N.  Sp Hull. 

One  species  each  of  two  new  genei'a  of  Crinoids Hull. 

Blastoids. 

A  species  of  a  new  genua  of  Blastoids Division  Street. 

Gasteuopods. 

Fusispira  terebriformis Hull. 

MetoptoTna  erato H  all. 


171 

BuACHiopoDs.  Locality. 

Came rella  paiideii Hull. 

Lingula  riciniformis Hull. 

do       kin2;stouensi.s Hull. 

Ortiiis  borealis Division  Street. 

Orthis  pectinella Division  Street. 

Orthis  i)licatella Between  C  and  II,  Con.  (',  Nepean. 

UnCA  FORMATION 

Brachioiods. 

Lingula  cobourgensis New  Edinburgli. 

Strophoniena  canierata  ?  oi-  Imbrex  ? New  Edinburgli. 

POST  TERTIARY. 

Nodules  containing  the  following  new  species  have  been  obtained  from 
Green's  Creek  and  Ottawa  River  : — 

3  Starfish,  1  Leaf,  1  Small  plant. 

CHAZY  FORMATION. 

Several  undetermined  si)ecies  of  Lopl)osi)ira,  ^       ,j       ,      , 

(J     i»        m        1      i.      T  •        1      II  1         /        Hogsltack; 

bcalites,  (  tenodonta,   Lingula,  Itliynchon-  [  °    , 

ella  and   Lei)erditia,  which   Mr.  Sowter  is  (  .    , 

,    ,   .  ^  '  \        Aylmer. 

now  studying.  J  *' 


Mr.  Billings,  i\Ir.  Sowter  and  myself  have  had  the  honor  of  send- 
ing lo  Professor  Charles  Wachsmuth  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  specimens  of 
Crinoids  from  our  collections  for  purposes  of  ilhistration  in  the  valuable 
monograph  on  the  Palfeocrinoida;  of  North  America  which  he  is  engaged 
in  writing.  This  is  a  loss  to  the  literature  of  the  Club,  as  these  new 
species  and  genera  would  under  other  circumstances  have  been 
described  by  Mr.  W.  R.  Billings.  The  trip  to  Paquette's  Rapids  from 
September  5th  to  12th  was  a  much  enjoyed  period  of  the  season's  work, 
and  although  outside  the  ordinary  limit  of  the  Club's  field  of  operations, 
this  section  of  workers  considers  that  the  enlargement  of  the  scene  to 
include  this  favored  spot,  on  account  of  the  exceedingly  beautiful  speci- 
mens obtained  there, — if  for  no  other  reason,  and  there  are  many  others 
— would  be  a  step  in  the  right  direction. 


172 

REPORT  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL  BRANCH  FOR  THE 

SEASON  OF  1887. 

To  the  Council  of  the  Ot/aiva  Field-Naturalists   Cllub  : 

In  presenting  this  the  seventh  annual  Report  of  the  Geological 
Branch  of  tlie  Club,  the  lea  lers  have  much  pleasure  iu  stating  that 
a  continued  and  increasing  activity  has  characterized  the  past  season's 
work,  and  that  in  many  instances  rare  and  interesting  discoveries  have 
been  made  in  the  strata  of  rocks  so  developed  in  and  about  Ottawa. 
This  region,  in  which  there  has  been  a  considerable  number  of  workers 
in  geology  for  years  past,  nevertheless  contains  abundance  of  material 
as  yot  unfouv}d,  and  only  awaiting  the  keen  and  observant  eyes  of  the 
merabei's  of  this  Club. 

As  years  go  on  this  branch  of  the  Club's  work  appeal's  to  develope 
more  and  more,  so  that  whilst  a  goodly  number  of  our  members  are 
actively  engaged  in  working  up  the  "  Geology  of  Ottawa  "  in  its  inter- 
esting details,  the  field  is  so  vast  and  the  materials  so  plentiful  and  near 
at  hand  that  there  is  room  for  a  small  army  of  geologists,  such  as  our 
city,  from  its  natural  position,  could  well  produce,  all  of  whom  would 
find  ample  scope  for  specialties  in  different  lines  of  enquiry. 

Appointed  by  your  Council,  last  spring,  to  lead  the  vai'ious  parties 
interested  in  geology  at  the  excursions  and  sub-excursions  of  the  Club 
your  leaders  have  striven  to  do  their  utmost  in  furthering  the  aims  of 
the  Club  in  this  direction,  so  that  scarcely  a  single  one  of  these  excur- 
sions was  undertaken  and  conducted  without  one  or  other  of  the  leaders 
being  present. 

Certain  years  often  present  advantages  for  working  up  definite  fovm- 
acions,  and  whilst  the  season  of  1886  was  particularly  favorable  to  the 
students  of  the  Post-Tertiary,  from  the  fact  that  the  streets  of  our  city 
were  excavated  to  depths  ranging  from  eleven  to  eighteen  feet  for  sewage 
purposes,  thereby  exhibiting  the  glacial  and  post-glacial  deposits,  the 
season  of  1887  has  seen  the  vice-regal  ward  opened  up  and  cut  through 
to  a  considerable  depth,  exposing  in  a  beautiful  manner  the  perfectly 
conformable  contact  of  the  Utica  and  the  Trenton  formations.  The 
former  consisting  of  bituminous  shales  and  alternating  limestones,  is 
replete  with  exquisitely  preserved  fossil  remains,  many  of  which  were 
collected  and  jjroved  new  to  this  locality. 


173 

From  the  7th  of  May  to  the  l8th  of  November,  inclusive,  i.e. 
from  the  time  when  the  grour»cl  was  first;  rid  of  its  proximate  winter 
covering  to  the  time  when  a  few  inches  of  snow  had  already  fallen, 
sub-excursions  and  excursions  were  held  to  various  objective  points. 
On  such  occasions,  the  leader  who  happened  to  be  present  usually 
addressed  the  members,  giving  in  a  general  way  the  summary  of  the 
day's  outing  and  results  in  geology.  These  have  already  been  i-e|)orted 
upon  in  the  Ottawa  Naturamst,  which  each  member  has  received 
every  month. 

It  i-)  gratifying  to  record  tliat  during  the  past  sfasou  ladies  inter- 
ested in  geology  joined  the  geological  section,  ami  were  at  various  out- 
ings, and  actively  engaged  in  collecting  specimens. 

On  several  occasions  members  had  the  pleasure  of  going  out  on 
excursions  or  sub-excursions  with  distinguished  men,  non-residents  of 
Ottawa,  actively  engaged  in  geological  research.  This  year  Mr.  G.  F. 
Matthew,  of  St.  John,  N.B.,  Prof.  L.  W.  Bailey,  of  the  University  of 
New  Brunswick,  Fredericton,  and  iMr.  N.  Saint  Cyr,  of  the  Department 
of  Public  Instruction,  Quebec,  were  amongst  those  who  visited  us,  and 
were  shown  to  places  of  interest  where  collections  were  made  and  named 
by  one  of  the  members. 

In  this  year's  report  it  has  been  deemed  advisable  not  to  publisli 
the  results  of  the  season's  work  under  the  various  formations,  notwith- 
standing the  undoubted  usefulness  of  that  scheme,  but  in  the  form  of 
"  Notes,"  or  contributions  to  The  Naturalist,  and  to  be  read  at  the 
winter  soirees  by  the  individual  workers. 

In  conclusion,  the  leaders  are  confident,  judging  from  the  very 
encouraging  season's  work  just  closecl,  that  there  is  every  prospect  gf 
progress  in  the  elucidating  in  the  years  to  come  of  the  various  forma- 
tions about  Ottawa.  The  want  of  a  good  topographical  map,  however, 
has  long  been  felt,  and  if  there  were  such  a  one  the  geological  bound- 
aries of  the  various  formations  as  known  at  present  could  be  laid  down, 
with  a  view  to  forming  a  basis  for  further  study,  as  this  region  is  con- 
siderably faulted  and  disturbed  at  many  points  which  are  of  great 
interest. 

Januarv,  1888.  HENRY  M.  AMI,  ) 

C.  F.   MAKSAN.   O.M.I  ,  [Leaders. 
JOHN  STEWART,  ) 


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175 

SOIREES. 

Fourth. — On  Wednesday,  the  2nd  Febiuai  y,  Mr.  Henry  M.  Ami 
contributed  a  note  on  .the  "  Sequence  of  Geological  Formations  about 
Ottawa,"  after  which  Mr.  J.mies  Fletcher  read  a  very  interesting  and 
valuable  paper  on  "  Vegetable  Parasites."  As  tliese  papers  will  appear 
in  future  numbers  of  TiiK  Ottawa  Naturalist,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
give  any  abstract  of  tiiem  here.  They  were  followed  by  a  lengthy  dis- 
cussion, principally  upon  ihe  degree  of  para.sitism  which  might  be  cor- 
rectly attiibuted  to  nionotroi>a  and  comandra.  Prof.  Macoun  considered 
that  thpse  present  had  listened  to  a  paper  of  unusual  interest  and  clear- 
ness of  statement,  and  .supported  Mr.  Fletcher  in  his  views  on  the  para- 
sitism of  the  above  named  plants.  Dr.  Baptie  on  the  other  hand  was 
of  the  opinion  that  comandra  was  capable  of  existing  quite  indepen- 
dently of  any  other  [jlant,  as  it  was  well  supplied  with  roots,  while  the 
attachments  to  the  roots  of  other  plants  were  few  in  number.  Prof. 
Macoun  said  that  this  plant  belonged  to  the  order  ne.xt  to  that  in  which 
the  mistletoe  was  placed,  and  in  his  opinion  was  at  least  Bemi-parasitic, 
He  found  it  impossible  to  dry  this  plan:;  green,  and  this  fact  would,  as 
mentioned  by  the  lecturer,  point  to  the  absence  of  true  chloro))hyll. 
With  reference  to  monotropa,  Dr.  Baptie  held  that  it  was  not  i)arasitic,. 
or  that  at  least  there  was  no  evidence  of  parasitism,  and  he  thought  that 
the  intermediary  stage  suggested  by  Mr.  Fletcher,  had  as  yet  no  grounds, 
for  acceptance.  No  connection  of  monotropa  with  tlie  roots  of  any 
plant  had  yet  been  recorded,  and  no  person  had  ever  seen  the  under- 
ground root-growth  which  had  been  suggested.  JNFr.  Fletcher  in  reply 
said  it  would  be  almost  impossiV>]e  for  any  one  to  observe  this  stage,  on 
account  of  the  growth  being  entirely  underground,  but  he  trusted  at- 
tempts would  be  made  to  grow  the  plant  from  seed,  and  so  definitely 
settle  the  question.  Mr.  R.  B.  Whyte  supjjorted  the  idea  that  the 
plants  mentioned  were  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  [)arasitic,  according  aa 

they  showed  the  presence  or  absence  of  chlorophyll.  A  short  discussion 
thftn  followed  on  the  paper  which  had  been  read  by  iNIr.  Ami,  chiefly 
with  reference  to  the  prospects  of  natural  gas  being  found  near  Ottawa 
in  quantities  available  for  economic  purposes.  Mr.  ,T.  Stewart,  Rev. 
Prof.  Marsan,  Prof.  Macoun  and  Mr.  Harrington  joined  in  this  discus- 
sion, as  well  as  Mr.  Ami.  A  fine  series  of  the  parasitic  plants  men- 
tioned in  Mr.  Fletcher's  i)aper  was  exhibited  bv  Prof.  Macoun. 


17G 
AFTERNOON  LECTURES. 

First. — On  Monday,  9tb  January,  Prof.  Macoun  gave  the  first  of 
a,  course  of   Afternoon  Lectures  ai-ranged — as  in  former  years  — for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  the  study  of  the   several    Branches   of  Natural 
History  to  the  members  of  the  Club,  and  also  to  any  persons  desiring 
to  profit  by  the  instruction  oS'ered  gratuitously  by  the  Club.     The  sub- 
ject discussed  was  Ornithology,  and  the  wider  pi-inciples  of  the  classiBca- 
tion    of   birds   were    presented    in    a    clear   and    interesting    manner. 
Specimens  of  the  skins  of  well-known  species  were  exhibited  in  illustra- 
tion  of    the    structural    diflferences    pointed    out.       The    address    was 
followed  by  an  instructive    discussion    on   the  food   habits  of  certain 
species. 

Secjnd. — Mr.  Ami  was  to  have  delivered  the  lecture  on  Monday, 
16th  January,  taking  as  his  subject  Geology,  but  as  he  was  unfortunately 
prevented  by  sickness  from  being  present,  his  place  was  taken  by  Prof. 
Macoun,  who  gave  a  most  agreeable  address  upon  the  same  subject. 
He  outlined  in  a  graphic  manner  the  supposed  formation  of  the  earth, 
passing  from  the  gaseous,  through  the  liquid  condition,  until  by  cooling, 
the  mineral  substances  were  precipitated,  and  the  land,  water  and  air 
were  formed.  The  appearance  first  of  plant  life,  and  then  when  the 
atmosphere  had  been  freed  from  its  carbonic  a';id  gas—  the  carbon  being 
deposited  in  the  form  of  coal — of  air  breathing  animals  was  briefly 
sketched,  and  the  geological  evidences  of  their  development  noted.  The 
importance  of  geology  in  this  connection  was  thus  forcibly  shown,  and 
the  necessity  for  its  careful  study  made  apparent.  In  the  discussion 
that  followed  Mr.  Ballantyne  expressed  himself  as  fully  believing  in  the 
theory  of  evolution  of  species,  as  opposed  to  that  of  specific  creations. 

Third.— On  Monday,  23rd  January,  Mr.  Henry  M.  Ami  gave  a 
most  interesting  address  on  the  study  of  Geology.  This  science  he 
stated  dealt  with  the  origin  of  our  planet,  the  foimation,  rise  and  fall 
of  continents.  It  was  the  physical  history  of  our  earth,  as  well  as  the 
physical  geography.  He  then  briefly  considered  the  advent  of  life  on 
earth  ;  its  progress  in  time  ;  the  characteristic  floi-as  and  faunas  of  dif- 
ferent epochs ;  the  time  when  certain  types  were  introduced,  and  the 
periods  of  their  abundance  and  decay.     The  economic  minerals  deposi- 


1^  1^ 
I  i 

ted  during  the  diffex-ent  geological  epochs  were  next   discussed,  and  the 
origin,  mode  of  occurrence   and   distribution   of  some  of  the  commoner 
ones,  such  as  coal,  petroleum,  lead,  silver,  copper,  iron,  gold  and  phos- 
l>hate  were  touched  upon.     Mr.  Ami  showed  that  the  study  of  Geology 
wa.s  useful,  healthful  and  interesting,  and  that  it  was  not  so  difficult  as 
to  deter  any  of  his  hearers  from  entering   its  attractive  fields.     In  in- 
vestigating the  geological   features   of  any  locality,  a  few  fundamental 
l>rinciples  alone  were  necessary   for  the   beginner.     The  leading  rocks 
occurring  about  Ottawa  weie  then  considered,  with  the  different  forma- 
tions exhibited.     There  were  two  well  defined  series  of  rocks  ;  those  of 
igneous  and  those  of  aqueous  origin.   The  Chel.sea  hills  afforded  examples 
of  the  former,  whilst  the  Parliament  Hill  belonged  to  the  second,  being 
of  f-edimentary  origin.     The  various  ways  in  which  such  stratified  rocks 
were  formed  were  briefly  outlined,  and  the  sequence  given  of  the  forma- 
tions found  at  Ottawa,  with  the  forms  of  life  which  characterize  them. 
In  conclusion  Mr.  Ami  referred  to  the  extensive   fields   open  for  study 
at  Ottawa,  and   made   an   earnest  ap[ieal   to  those   present   to   become 
workers. 

A  number  of  specimens  were  e.xhibited,  amongst  whicli  was  one 
of "  mountain  cork,"  a  mineral  of  rare  occurrence,  which  had  been 
sent  to  him  by  Mr.  Warwick,  of  Buckingham.  Several  interesting 
points  were  di.scussed  by  IMessrs.  Stewart,  Fletcher,  AVhyte  and  the 
lecturer. 

Fourth.  —  On  Monday,  30th  January,  u  valuable  address  was  given 
by  Mr.  F.  Pi.  Latchford  on  Conchology.  Shells,  he  stated,  were  por- 
tions of  certain  animals  called  Molluscs,  and  were  objects  in  many  in- 
stances both  of  utility  and  beauty,  while  the  softer  portions  of  many 
species,  such  a<<  the  oyster,  mussel,  and  clam,  furnished  large  supplies 
of  palatable  and  nutrituous  food.  They  might  conveniently  bo  divided 
into  two  great  groups,  viz.,  univalves  and  bivalves.  The  lutter  were 
represented  more  largely  in  America  than  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  In  the  basin  drained  \>y  the  Oi.io  Kiver  fur  instance  there 
were  found  about  three  hundred  species  of  Unionida',  whilst  all 
Europe  fumi.shed  only  seven  or  eight.  While  freshwater  shells  of 
some  families  were  well  represented  in  Canada,  the  land  shells  dimin- 
ished greaHy  l»otli  in  species  and  in(li%idi;als  ms  these  nnithern  latitudes 


178 

■were  obtaiaetl,  and  one  Aimily  which  only  alTords  one  species  here    has 
hundreds  of  species  in  the  Southern  States.     Our  laud  molluscs    could, 
witli  a  few  ioxceptions,  be  placed  in  two  groups,  the  Helicidaj    and    the 
Liraacidfe,  the  hitter  containing  the  slugs,  or  species  having  rudimentary 
shells.      Our    species    were    not    climbers,  and    were    to    be    looked  for 
mostly  in  damp  situations.      The  l.irger  species   could    be    obtained    by 
turnin"  over  loss  and  stones  where  the  ground  was  rich  and  moist,  and 
many  of  the  smaller  forms  occurred  plentifully  in    the  same    situations 
but  required  ito  be  closely  searched  for.      The  small    species    coald   also 
be    obtained    l«y    coliecting    moss,    grass,    leaves,    etc.,    from     suitable 
localities    and    sifting    these    materials.      Of    water   shells,  such  as  the 
Limna^idie,  the  greatest  abundance  would  be  found    in    warm    shallow 
bays,  while    the    Unionidie    were  to  be  searched  for  when  the  water  in 
•rivers  and  lakes  was  at  the  lowest  stage.     Other    forms    would  best  be 
found  in  the  rapids  of  streams  at  low  water.     Some    admirable    direct- 
ions for  cleaning  and  preserving  specimens    were    given,    and   mention 
made  of  certain  books  for  reference,  and    of  the   value    of   exchanging 
with  callectors  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Latchford  exhibited  a  number  of  beautiful  specimens  which 
were  greatly  admired  by  all  pit  sent,  and  an  interesting  discussion  fol- 
ilowed  in  which  Messrs.  White,  Harrington,  Fletcher,  Macoun,  Small 
and  Ami  took  part. 

Fifth. On   Monday,  the   9th    February,   Dr.    H.   B.    Small   was 

•unable  to  be  present  to  deliver  his  promised  talk  on  Zoology,  but  Prof. 
Macoun  very  kindly  filled  the  gap  and  gave  an  admirable  elementary 
■discourse  on  the  vertebrates,  omitting  the  birds,  of  which  he  had 
already  spoken  on  a  former  day.  Of  the  fishes,  which  stand  at  the 
bottom  of  this  division  of  animal  life,  we  had  still  surviving  in  the 
Ottawa  river  representatives  of  some  of  the  earliest,  and  lower  forms, 
"in  the  gar-pike,  or  bill-fish,  aad  the  sturgeon.  Regarding  many  of  the 
nuuierous  .species  of  fi.sh  found  in  \W  varied  and  e.xtensive  waters  of 
this  region  scaictly  anything  was  known,  especially  of  the  smaller 
■forms,  and  it  was  most  desirable  that  some  member  of  the  Club  should 
take  ut>  the  study.  The  influence  of  habitat  u])on  the  size  of  trout  and 
other  fish  was  well  illustrated.  Of  the  R.^  ptiles,  mention  was  first 
enade    of    the    three   genera    of   Anura   which   occur    here,    and    which 


179 

iricliule  our  toads,  frogs  and  tree  frogs;  tlion  the  salatnanders  were 
briefly  discuss?d.  Of  our  snakes  and  tuitlos  n.ucli  remained  to  be 
learned,  and  special  attention  should  be  given  to  their  study  and  col- 
lection. Passing  on  lo  the  ManinuiLs,  the  speaker  gave  a  very  interest- 
ing comparison  of  the  marsupials,  or  pouched  niaminals,  now  chiefly 
found  in  Australasia,  with  the  placental  *orms  which  an  elsewhere 
found.  The  different  c^roups,  sucli  as  the  rodtsnts,  ungulates  and 
carnivores  were  outlir.ed,  and  finally  reference  wan  made  to  man  and 
the  evidences  of  his  existence  in  bygone  days. 

In  the  discussion  whicli  followed,  further  interesting  points  were 
brought  forward  by  the  several  speakers  and  l)y  Prof.  Macoun's  r  ply 
to  them,  especially  in  regard  to  the  failure  of  the  Noni.;'.l  ami  ot'.ier 
public  schools  to  teach  Zoology,  which  was  brought  (urwanl  by  Mr. 
J.  Stewart.  Mr.  Harrington  exhibited  a  fine  specimen  of  llesperomis 
leucopiis,  the  white-footed  mouse,  which  he  had  trapi)ed  the  previous 
night  in  his  shed.  Attention  was  caMed  to  the  great  beauty  of  this 
native  field  mouse  and  a  few  remarks  were  made  on  its  habits.  The 
President,   Mr.   li.   B.   Whyte,  urged  the  collection  and  study  of  our 

-small  mammals,  of  which  there  are  many  species  but  little  known  to 
the  membtjrs.  Mv.  Ami  made  some  remarks  on  the  abundance  of  the 
lower  forms  of  animal  life  and  the  interest  attaching  to  their  study. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


SoiKtKS — As  the  Soiree  fixed  for  tiie  IGth  February,  had  to  lie 
postponed  because  the  Concert  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  took  i)lace 
upon  that  date,  cwo  of  the  evening  meetings  still  remain  to  be  held, 
and  will  be  as  follows: — March  1st,  A  Papcn-  by  Mr.  J.  B.iUautync 
upon  "  Our  Squirrels"  and  Reports  of  the  Botanical  and  Entomological 
Branches;  March  15th,  A  Paper  by  Mr.  A.  O.  Wheeler  entitled 
"  Autumn  on  the  Ottawa,"  and  Rei)orts  of  the  Conchological  and 
'Ornithological  Branches. 

IMoNDAY    Afternoon    Lkctlres. —  February    L'lUh,    .Mr.    \i.     15. 
Wh,>te  on  Botany  ;  March  5th,  Prof.  ^lacoun  on  Mosses  ;   March  l.'uli, 
•on  Classification  of  Plants. 

Annual   Mkkting.-  -March    2()th,   Third   Tuesday   in   month-    the 
Annual   Meeting  for  Election  of  OHicers  will   be  held   at  4.15   in   the 
Museum  of  the  (Jttawa  Literary  and  Scientific  Society.      A  full  .ittcnd 
ance  of  tlui  membeis  is  greatlv  to   be  desired   in    tin;    interests    of   tin- 
'Club. 


180 


Afternoon  Lectures,  176;  Programme  of, 
136. 

Ami,  H.  M.,  Great  Ice  Age  at  Ottawa,  65, 

81  ;    Siphonotreta  Scotica,  121  ;    Utica 

Fossils,  165. 
Announcements,  32,  48,  64,  80,  92,  104, 

179. 
Annual  Meeting,  1887,  Report  of,  11. 
Balance  Sheet,  1886-7,  Treasurer's,  16. 
Baptie,  Dr.  Geo.,  on  Monotropa,  40. 
Beetles,  Grain  and  Flour,  133. 
Billings,  W.  E.,  on  a  new  genus  and  three 

new  species  of  Crinoids,  49. 
Botanical  Branch,  1886-7,  Report  of,  75. 
Bowman,    Amos,    Testimony   of    Ottawa 

Clays  and  Gravels,  etc.,  149. 
Brodie,  Wm.,  on  Monotropa,  118. 
Clays  and  Gravels,  Testimony  of  Ottawa, 

to   the    Expansion  of  the  Gulf  of  St. 

Lawrence,  etc.,  149. 
Concholgical  Branch,  1886-7,  Report  of, 

107. 
Constitution,  6. 
Cougar,  or  Panther,  127. 
Council,  1886-7,  Annual  Repoit  of,  12. 

Crinoids,  new  genus  and  three  new- 
species  of,  Ottawa,  49. 

Editorial,  29,  119  ;  Announcement,  9. 

Entomological,  Report  of  Branch,  1886-7, 
22  ;  Society  of  Ontario,  Annual  Meet- 
ing, 109. 

Excursions,  Aylmer,  62  ;  Brittania,  92  ; 
Buckingham,  77  ;  Kingsmerc,  44  ; 
Kirk's  Ferry,  111. 

Experimental  Farm,  59. 

Fletcher,  James,  on  Monotropa,  43. 

Flora  Ottawaensis,  additions  to,  77. 

Geological,  notes  of  work  during  1887,  by 
J.  Stewart,  170 ;  Report  of  Branch, 
1886-7,  93  ;  Report  of  Branch,  1887-8, 
172. 

Harrington,  W.  IL,  on  Flour  and  Grain 
Beetles,  133. 


55481 


Ice  Age,  Great,  at  Ottawa,  65,  81. 

Latchford,  F.  R.  on  Salamanders,  105. 

Lett,  W.  P.,  on  Cougar  or  Panther,  127. 

Librarian,  Record,  31,  56,  89,  117  ;  Re- 
port 1886-7,  26. 

Macoun,  Prof.  J.,  President's  Address,  17. 

Members,  List  of,  4  ;  List  of  Correspond- 
ing, 6;  New,  25,  134,  148. 

Meteorological  Abstract,  174. 

Mines  of  Ottawa  Region,  development  of, 
33. 

Monotropa  uniflora.  118  ;  a  Paiasite  ?  40. 

Officers,  List  of,  3. 

Ornithological  Branch.  1886-7,  Report  of, 
98. 

Panther,  Cougar  or,  127. 

President's  Address,  Prof.  Macoun,  17; 
R.  B.  Whyte,  137. 

Royal  Society  of  Canada,  Report  of  Dele- 
gate to,  1886,  27;  1887,  55. 

Salamanders,  Ottawa,  105. 

Siphonotreta  Scotica,  Notes  on,  121 . 

Soirees,147,162,175  ;  Programme  of,  135, 

Stewart,  John,  Notes  on  Geological  Work, 
1887,  170;  Development  of  Mines  of 
Ottawa  Region,  33. 

Sub-Excursions,  Beaver  Meadow,  HuU, 
58,  91,  113,  114,  134;  Beechwood, 
4G,  115;  Billings  Bridge,  47,  113; 
Canada  Atlantic  Ry.  Track,  134  ;  Cave 
Creek,  57;  Dow's  Swamp,  79,  134; 
Dnck  Island,  114  ;  Experimental  Farm, 
59  ;  Gatineau  Point,  91  ;  Green's  Creek, 
116  ;  Hemlock  Lake,  59  ;  Rockliffe,  80. 
114  ;  Stewart's  Bush,  91. 

Treasurer's  Balance  Sheet,  16. 

Utica  Fossils,  found  at  New  Edinburgh, 
165. 

Whyte,  R.  B.,  President's  Address,  137  ; 
Report  of   Delegate  to  Royal  Society, 


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Volume  I.     No.  I. 


"•'" /^ 


wo:- Kicld-Iyeflupaiisls  •vfiluJD* 


upa. 

(Organized  March,  1879.     Incorporattd  March.  1884.) 


e(p9TE^T^^- 


VkOK 


'List  of  Officers 3 

List  of  Members    4 

Constitution " 

Kfiitorial  Announcement i 

Report  of  Annual   Meeting 11 

Annual  Report  of  Council 12 

Treasurer's  Balance  Sheet 16 


feiili^er)  |fpir)hr)2  ar)d  If  uklist)ir)q  6«rr)par)^,  ^ielcailje  ©1. 


iss: 


S) 


International  Tsnt  and  Awning  Ccmpany, 

184  sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


M;iiuifactiiiers  of  Teiils,  Camp  Furniture, 
.\u  niiiurs.  \\"indo\v  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  ftc,  &c.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice.' 

NOTICE  -Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  otherlarge  Buyers. 

Sen(lforPrices.CataiogiiesFre8.oii  Application 

\  A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Iiiteniatioual  Tent  &  Awning  Co. 

Tl^L^I'HONK    CONNECTipN. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
dthemist  and  gruuglst, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon  their  excellence 
alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminencej 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spr.ng  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lotsot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers;  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

O.   I^OSS    &    OO- 


Stuflies  of  Plant  UU'  in  raimfla,  by  Mr.C.  P.  TraUl, 
Illustrateit  wiih  I'dlourpil  Ilthns  from  lirawiiiiicB  l>y 
MiM.  Cimnil.N'rlaiu $3.50 

Our  Artie  Prnvince,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henry  W.  Elliolt    ; 5.00 

RlytliB  and  MarvelM  ot  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Prorlor. .     2.*10 

Ratcnarok  :   the  Age  ol  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  Ignatius 

Poniudly    2.40 

Manual  Traiiunj?,  tlie  Solution  of  Social  and  Icdua- 
trial  Problems,  by  Cha9.  H.  Ham    

Men  nf  the  Kei;;n;  a  Bio^rai  liical  Dict!onnry  of  Emi- 
nent PeiKOHM  ot  British  and  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  died  durint;  th«  Hetsn  of  (^ueeii  Victoria 5.25 

A  PojMdar  Hist<>ry  ol   Astnmomy   during  the  Nine- 

teiMith  century,  by  Clarke 4.80 

The     English    Parliament,    in    its   Transfoi  mations 

throu[.'h  a  thon8and  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gueiat  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  HLstnrical  Sindy,  by  Edward  Freeman  ...     3.00 

Tlie  Railways  of  tlie  Republic,  by  J  .  F.  H  iidrfon 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 
G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  &  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTERWORTH   &  CO. 

Ill)  Sl-ARKS   StRHHT. 

A.  J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES. 

108  SPARKS  ST. 

Boots  afid  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,      -     •     -     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 
PRINCIPftL,    -    SAMUEL  WOODS,  Wl.fl. 


-e)  -[^     ~^i-^'-<j^ 


IDay.   1§§7. 


* 

VoLirMF.  I.     No.  II. 


.-^^SSl^^j 


^ 


Qflbe 


(Orj-.iiiized  Mnrih.  187Q.      Incorp'ir.ntcu  .March.  1884.) 


GQR^ER^S. 


President's  .Address 17 

Entomologiral  Kei^urt 22 

Librarian's   keiH)rt,  1886-S7 26 

Report  to  the  Royal  Society  of  ('anada 27 

Editorial '. 29 

Liljrarijn's   Record .1' 

Announcements ^2 


Siti^ei)  |^r-ir)linq  aqtJl  If  ublis^iriq  Eorrjpein^f.  ^'^\clcal|c  ©1. 

m  *1 


■"1 


f 


Published  Monthly  ait  $i.oo  per  annum. 


Patron  . 

HIS  EXCELLENCY   THE    MARQUIS   OF    LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  (tknkrai.  ok  <.'anada. 

President:    H..B.  Whyte. 

Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  .VIacoun    ]    2x0,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secreiarii  :    W.  H.  Hahuix(;tox.  (Post  Ortice  Dept.) 

Trcaanrer  :    James  Fletcher.  (  Lil)r;ii'v  of  Pailiainent-.) 

Librarian  :    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.    (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  .\L  Ami,  ]  Dr.  (Ji;o.  P.aptik. 

§t;tnMng  Coinmitlcrs  of  dT-onucil : 
Pii'disliiiKj — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrfngton,  James   Flktciiicr. 
Excurtiion.s — T.  J.   MacLaughli.v,    H.    M.   Ami,   Dr.    Lai'TIK. 
.S'om'^.s' —  Prof.   J.   Macoun.   Prof.   S.    Woods.   Dr.  Small 

(j'<'u/oi/i/--\i.   M.   A.Mi,  Rev.   Prof.    Marsan,  John   Stewart. 

Botany—^.   Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,    Dr.    Ijaftie. 

Conchologij — F.   Pi.   Latchfohd,   H.    1!.  Small. 

Entomoloyy  -  W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletchi:r,  'J'.  J.  .M A('r..AL'(;iiLiN. 

Ornithologji — G.    R.  White,  Phof.  >LA(oirN. 

Editor:     \V.  JI.  Harrin(;to\. 


The    Lilirarian    will   furnisli    the    Pnldieat  ions   of  t-lii-   (Jliil)   at   the 
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ti 

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)' 


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International  Tent  and  Awning  Company, 


184  sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


Manufacturers  of 'J'ents,  Camp  Furniture. 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  vS;c.,  tic,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  anv  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 


NOTICE— Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

SeiidlorPrices.Gaiaiopes  Free  Oil  Application 

All-.     A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Manager 

International  Tent  &  Awning  Co. 

I'll.l-  IHiiM.;    CdNMXTION. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
(Khemist  and  gruggist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Sq.uare  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Pul)lic 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and   upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence: 

which  establishes  them  as  UN'KQUAi,Li£i5  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 

Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lots  ot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers;  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 


3B003C    XjIS^X*. 

StlKlies  of  Plaiil  Life  in  Paiiarlit,  by  Mr.U.  P,  Tr.nill. 
Ulustrattil  with  i-olouriHi  lilhiif  from  diHwiiiK.'!  Iiy 
Mia.  CbHmbfrlin J-.M 

Our  Arctic  Province.  Alnnkii  «nvi  tlie  Seal  Islanils,  by 

Henry  W.  Klliolt    '..00 

Mylbs  auil  Miirvels  of  .\strononiy,  by  H.  A.  I'roclor  .     2,^0 

RHUiiarok  :    tlie  Age  <>l  Fire  ami  Gravel,  by  IgnallliK 

Donnelly   -40 

Miinunl  Training,  tbe  (Solution  of  .Social  anil  Irdiis- 
trial  Problems,  by  Clias.  H.  Ham    

Men  of  tlie  KelK'i;  a  Biofcrailiical  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent PersouK  of  Hritish  anil  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  ilie.l  ilurins  tlie  Keifju  of  Queen  Victoria "i.S.i 

A  Popular  History  ol  Aslrononiy  durinK  tlie  Nine- 
teenth ceutury,  by  Clarke -t.liO 

The     KiiKlish    Parliament,    in    its   'i'ransformations    ' 
lhiiiu:.-h  a  thonaaml  years,  by  Dr.  Ruiiolf  Gneiat  ...     ♦  po 

Methods  of  Historical  HI  nily,  liy  Kilwanl  Freeman  ...     ii.OO 

The  Railways  ot  the  Republic,  l.y  .J.  P.  Huilson 3.40 

J.  DURIE  &  £0N,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


THE  LA R( JEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

i\  THE  crrv  .\r 
BUTTERWORTH   &   CO. 

no  Sparks  Strkkt. 


A.  J.  STEPHENS, 

FIN  E  SHOES. 

lOa  SPARKS  ST. 

Boo/s  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 


G.  W.  McCULLOUGH,      |  IvI.  IvI.  FTISB, 

^r.x.  :e.^il  i  MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPAllKS  ST.. 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK.  OTTAWA,      -     -     -     ONTARIO. 


Anthracits  k  BItumincus  Ccal 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS. 


OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apjjly  to  the 
PRINCIPAL,    ■    SAinUEL  WOODS,  lYI.fl. 


9        s; 


"e) 


4-' 


•i^. 


(»_ 


.Jur)c,  1§§7. 


T 


TpE 


]^, 


.0TTJiw^  i^^Tai^Tihisf. 


Volume  I.     No.  III. 


;w( 


icla-JiafuralisIs  •vf.luD*  ; 


avva 

(Organized  March,  187Q.     Incorporated  March,  rSSt-) 


W 


The  Developuiput  of  the  Mines  of  the  Ottawa  Jlrgiuii ....  '■'>■'> 

I.s  Moiiotropa  Ihiiflorii  a  Paiasite ? -jn 

Excursion  to  King's  Mere U 

Sub-Exeursions 4»! 

Announcements IS 


tiili5er)  j^rir)iir)G|  and   Publisl^ioq  GoiT)par)y,  ^cfc(al[c  St. 


i§S7. 


±s:) 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


Patron  : 

HIS   EXCELLENCY   THE    MARQUIS   OF    LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    |    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary :    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliaraenf.) 

Lihrarianri  :    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Cowmitten:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  JVI.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

^lantring  Committees  of  Couiuil : 
Pa'-Hshhig — Prof.  S.  Wooi»s,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.    MacLaughlin,   H.   M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptie. 
•Soirees  —  Prof.  J.    Macoun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

ITcabfrs  : 
Geology  -\{.    M.   Ami,  Rev.  Prof.   Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Butatty—J.   Flktchek,  Dr.  Small,    Dr.   Baptie. 
Coiichology — F.   R.   Lxtchford,   H.   B.  Small. 

Entomology-  W.  d.  Harringion,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 
Ornithology — G.   R.  White,  Pkof.  .VIacoun. 

Editor  :    W.  H.  Harrington. 


The   Librarian    will  furuisli    the  PLii)licatiuns  of  the   Cliil)  at   the 
following  rates  : — 

Traii.sactioiis,  Part  1,    Not  soM  singly  \ 

u      .^'oj^?*'"  V$1.00for  Vol.  L 

"  4'   25  "  ) 

"  5,   30  "  I 

"  9,    40  "  \$]m  for  Vol.  II. 

"  7,  30  "  I 

(Less  10/^  to  members.) 

Tht^  Ottawa  Naturalist,   f  1.00  per  nnnnm. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .T-'i         " 
Moiitlily  |)arts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  p  r  doz. 
To  members,        8  "  .75        '• 


International  Tent  and  Awning' Company, 

184  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


Manufacturers  of  Tents,  Camp  lurnitnre. 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  I'lain  and  deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Tlags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterprojf  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  ftc,  &c.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 

NOTICE  -Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

SendiorPrices.CataiopesFreeoD  Application 

Address,       A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Manager 

Iiileriialioiial  Tent  &  Awiiiug  Co. 

TicLKriioNE  Connection. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
(Themist  and  gruggifit, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  a^ad  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminetire 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  aid  Durability. 

Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lots  of  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  wall  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

o.  K.OSS  cSc  00. 


ytuflies  of  Plant  Life  in  (Camilla,  by  Mr.C.  P.  Traill, 
lllustrnteil  with  rolourofi  lithos  from  drawini^w  by, 
Mrs.  rimniberliu ., $3.50 

Our  Arctic  Pniviiice,  Alaska  atid  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henry  W.  KUiolt 5.00 

Myths  HiKl  MarvL'U  of  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Proctor. .     2.'iO 

Utii:naiok  :    the  Ajce  ot  Fire  and  Grtivel,  by  Ignatius 

Donnelly 2.40 

Manual  Training;,  the  Nolution  of  Social  and  Indus- 
trial PioblL'iMs,  by  Chiis.  H.  Ham    J.... 

Men  of  the  KeiKn:  a  BioKi*^!  hical  Dict.ionar.y  of  Emi- 
nent Persons  ot  Hiitish  and  ('olonial  Birth  who 
have  died  during  tlie  Reign  of  Queen  Victoria 5.25 

A  Popular  History  ot  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke 4.80 

The  English  Parliament,  in  its  Tran«foimations 
ihroujcli  a  thonsand  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gneisf  ...     4  00 

Methoils  of  Historical  Miudy,  by  Edward  Freeman  ..  .     3.00 

The  Railways  of  the  Republic,  by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 

G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracits  &  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTERW^ORTH   &   CO. 

110  Sparks  Street. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FIN  E  SHOES, 

103  SPARKS  ST. 

Boots  afid  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 


2!vl-  IvI.  P'-^HE, 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTA\NfK,     -     -     ■     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLSQE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 
PRINCIPAL,    -    SAIVJUEL  W;)ODS,  IVI.A. 


^\ 


e) 


(a)  \^ 


(2 2_ 


'■'f 


sppB 


Volume  I.     No.  IV. 


I 


lS:/ffdwa- Hicla=Hafliralisfs  •  Club* 

(Organized  March,  1879.     Incorporated  March,  1884.) 


e^ijTE^TS. 


A  new  Genus  and  Three  new  Species  of  Crinoids.     W.  K. 

Billiiif,'s 4!» 

Ii('])oit  to  tlie  Uoyal  Societj'  of  Canada 55 

ljil)iarian's  Record 56 

Sul)- Exclusions 57 

Excursion  to  Aylnicr *>'2 

Annminccnients 'it 


(jili^er)  PpiqIiq^  aod   PuLlisl^ing  Corr)peir)y.  Lacteal [g  2)1. 

1SS7. 


^.(^ 


w o 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


Patron : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE   MAllQUTS   OF   LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J,  Macoun    j    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary:    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

Lihi-arian:    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (De|>t.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  A.mi,  j  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

^iHiibing  Committees  of  Council : 
Publishing— VviOF.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,   H.   M.   Ami,  Dr.   Baptik. 
Soirees — Prof.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

(  ITeabers  : 

Geology — H.   M.   Ami,  Rev.  Prof.   Marsan,  John  Stkwart. 
Botany — J.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,   Dr.   Baptie. 
Conchology — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology — W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLaughlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor  :    W.  H.  Harrington. 


The  Librarian   will  furnish   the  Publications  of  the  Club  at  the 
following  rates  : — 


'» 


Transactions,  Part  1,   Not  soil  singly 

'■$1.00  for  Vol.  L 

n.OO  for  Vol.  II. 

(Less  10%  to  members.) 

Th«  Ottawa  Naturalist,  $1.00  pei-  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  nienjbers,       .7')         " 
Montlily  parts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  p;-r  doz. 
To  nieuibers,        8  "  .IS        '■ 


"     2, 

25 

"     3, 

2.0 

"     4, 

25 

"     5, 

30 

"     9. 

40 

"     7, 

.30 

International  Tent  and  Awning   Company, 

184  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 

Manufacturers  of  Tents,  Camp  Furniture, 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
.if  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  S:c.,  &c. ,  on  hand  and  made  to 
ortlcr  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 


NOTICE— Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

Send  lor  Prices.  Catalogues  Free  on  Application 

Address,      A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Manager 

luteruatloual  Teut  &  AwiiiM  Co. 

Telki'hone  Connkction. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
(Uhcmist  and  gruiggifit, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 

Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lotsot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

O-  i?.oss  (Sc  00. 


:]bc:>ok:  IjIST. 

Stuilies  of  Plant  Liln  in  I'anHdiv,  by  Mr.'J.  P.  Traill, 
llhlstrateii  wiili  ooluured  litln)S  Iruni  lirawhigs  by 
IMls.  Chantb^rlin : ?3.00 

Our  Arctic  Pntvince,  Alaska  antt  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henr.v  W.  Klllott    v» •■ ''■OO 

Myllis  and  Marvels  ot  Astronnniy,  by  K.  A.  I'roctor. .     2.40 

Ki'iKnnrcpk  :  the  Age  ol  Five  and  Gravel,  by  Ignatius 
Ttonnelly   -. 2.40 

Manual  Traiiiinf?,  the  >^nlntl()n  ot  Social  and  Indus- 
trial Pritblenis,  by  Clias.  H.  Ham    

Men  111'  the  Kei^n:  a  liinsral  hical  Uklliinary  (it  Emi- 
nent Persuiis  (if  British  and  Colonial  Hirtli  who 
have  died  during  the  KeiKU  of  Queen  Vicliiria 6.25 

A  Popular  History  ol  Astronomy  during  tile  Nine- 
teenth celitui-y,  by  Clarke 4,80 

The     Knglisli    Parliament,    in    its   Trauisfoi  nialionh 

llirnui;h  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Kudol  t  Gneist  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  Historical  Sliidy,  by  Kdwald  Freeman  .  .  .     3.00 

The  Hallways  ol  the  I{H|,idilic,  by  .1.  P.   lIlMsoii 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  iOn,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 

G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  &  Eitumincus  Ccal 

RU.S.SELL  HOUSE  BL'  CK. 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  ANP  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTERTVORTH   &   CO. 

110  Sparks  Street. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES. 

103  SPARKS  ST. 

Boofs  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,      -     ■     ■     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 
PRINCIPAL,    -    SAIVIUEL  WOODS,  lyi.A. 


e) 


v 


*-^^s^ 


@ <» 


/( 


©^u^usf-,  i§§7. 


fpB 


Volume  I.     No.  V. 


fb- 


9f«)< 


©ffay^a  •  BieU-Raf  uPalisfs'  •  Eluk  * 

(Organized  March,  1879.     Incorporated  March,  18S4.) 


^)/ 


I'ABK. 

The  Great  Ice  Age  and  Subsequent  Formations  at  Ottawa, 

Ontario.     H.  M.  Ami,  M.A.,  F.G.S 65 

Koport  of  tlie  Botanical  Branch 75 

Additions  to  tlie  "  Flora  Ottawaensis " 77 

Excursion  to  l^)uckingham , 77 

Sub- Excursions 70 

♦♦« 

I, 
(iih^er)  |3Fir)lir)^  aijta  ^ulalisr)ir)q  Gorrjpeti^y,  ^clc(al{e  Of. 

i§§7. 

Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


XI 


■fe 


Patron : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE   MAKQUIS   OF    LAN.SDOWNE, 
GovEENOR  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vice-Preaidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    [    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods, 

Secretary :    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:   James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

'    Librarian:   T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

^tan&ing  Committtts  of  (Konncil : 
Publishing — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W*  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.  Baptie. 
Soirees— 'Pko¥.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.  Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

Geology— K.  M.,  Ami,  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan,  John  Stewart, 

Botany — J.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,   Dr.   Baptie. 

Conehology — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology — W,  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T,  J.  MacLaughlin. 

Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor  :    W.  H.  Harrington. 


Tlie  Librarian   will  furnish  the  Publications  of  the  Club  at  the 
following  rates  : — 

Transactions,  Part  1,  Not  sohl  singly 

'■$LO0  for  Vol.  I. 

$1.00  for  Vol.  II. 


(Less  10%  to  members.) 

The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  $1.00  per  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75        " 
Monthly  parts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  per  doz.. 
To  members,       8  "  >1b 


2, 

25  Cents, 

3, 

ox         <t 

4, 

25     " 

&, 

30      " 

9, 

40      " 

1, 

SO      '^ 

HENRY   WATTERS, 
dlhcmljit  and  irutjgi.'jt, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

'l'h<:se  Instrumc-ms  have  been   fcefi.re  ihc  1'- 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excell 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminenre 
wnich  establishes  them  as  u.sf.iiuali.ko  in 

Tone,  Touch.  Workmanship  nnd  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Vear<. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLK  AGKMS.  OXX.VW.l.  ONT, 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lots  of  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

o.  i^oss  &  00. 


StmllcR  of  Plain  hid-  in  Carimla.  Iiy  Mi-.i,'.  I'.  Traill. 
llhlRtrnli-il  Willi  colourcil  lilliiw  from  iliawllif;8  Ijv 
Mr«.  (MianilHM'liu '  $3.50 

Our  AiTtIc  Province,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  isiiimlsi  by 

Hi-liry  W.  Klliolt    f,.00 

Mjilis  anil  Marvelx  of  Astronomy,  by  It.  A.  Proclor!!     2.40 

Kaitimrok  :   the  Age  ol  Fire  and  (Sravel,  by  IfiiatiiiM 

Tlonnt;lly   2.-I0 

Manual  TiainhiK,  the  Solution  of  Social  and  liidus- 
trlal  Prohlcnis,  by  Chas.  H.  Ham    

Men  of  tliK  KclKii:  «  Bio(?ra|ihl(ul  Dictionary  of  Kmi- 
mnl  P.-1B011S  of  British  and  r<.loniHl  Iflrth  who 
havi'  (llvd  durliic  the  RcJKn  of  CJneeli  Victoria 5.25 

A  Popnlnr  History  ol  Astronomy  durinR  the  Nine- 
teenth rintiiry.  by  Clarke 4,80 

The  KnKllsh  Parliament,  in  Its  TninMloimatloiis 
Ihroiu-h  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Kmlolf  Onelst  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  HIslorlial  Study,  by  Kdwaril  Precinaii  ...     3.00 

'iliB  Hallways  of  the  He|iiiblii',  l.y  .1.  K,  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 

G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

.A.r,r.   e,.a.iij 

Anthracite  k  Bituminous  Ccal 

RtTSSELL  ItOUSE  BLOCK. 


R-  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  ANP  FURS. 


THK  i..\R(;e.st  stock  of 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

i\  I  hi:  fri\'  .\r 
BUTTERWORTH   &  CO. 

110  Spahks  Strekt. 

A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

103  Sl'AKK.S  ST. 

Boofs  and  S/ioes  Made  to  Ahasure. 


MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

09  SP.\KKS  .ST., 
OT^k'^k,     •     •     -     ONTARIO. 


OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLSCS 


For  terms  apply  to  tl^c 
PRINCIPAL,    -    SAMUEL  WOODS.  MA 


International  Tent  and  Awning  Company, 


184  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


Manufacturers  of  Tents,  Camp  Furniture, 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  &c.,  &.C.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 


NOTICE— Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

Send  lor  Prices,  catalogues  Free  on  Application 

Address,      A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Manager 

Iiilernatioiial  Teiil  &  kmm  Co. 

Telephone  Connection. 


"q) 


qA 


e_ 


SepterT)bcr,  1§§7. 


]■ 


TpB 


OfT^W^  ^^fORTlhlST 


Volume  I.     No.  VI. 


*©fiay^Gr-Rielcl-Rafuralisfs'  •  Llub* 

(Organized  M.-.rrh,  1679.     Incorporated  March,  r«64) 


^>^\y\jyy\y\i 


G§)5TERT^- 


The  Great  Ice  Age  and  Subsequent  Fonnatious  at  Ottawa, 

Ontario.     H.  M.  Auii,  M.A.,  F.G.S 81 

I-iliraiiiui's  llecord 81* 

Sub- Kxcursions -'^ 

Kxeiu'sion  to  Puittaiiia •*- 

AnnouiK-ements "- 


iSS?. 


_® 


e i2 


^,(*■ 


.•)        O 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


Patron  : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE   MARQUIS   OF    LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  Gknehal  of  Canada. 

President:    K.  B.  VVhyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  MacoUxN    |    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary:    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

Librarian:    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Cowmittee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

^tanbing  Committees  of  Council : 
Publishing — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James   Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.   MacLaughlin,   H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptik. 
Soirees  — ^Rov.  J.   Maooun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

Iitabers  : 
Geology — H.  M.  Ami,  Rev.  Prof.   Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Botany — J.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,    Dr.   Baptie. 
Conchology — F.   R.   Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology-  V^.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLaughlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor:    W.H.Harrington. 


The  Librai'ian   will  furnish   the  Publications  of  the  Club  at   the 
followins  rates  : — 


Transactions,  Part  1, 

Not  sol  1  sins^ly 

"     2 

25  C 

!eut>j. 

"     3,' 

25 

(. 

"     4, 

25 

(t 

"     ^, 

.30 

(( 

"     9. 

40 

(; 

'      ( , 

30 

u 

;1.00  for  Vol.  L 


$1.00  for  Vol.  11. 


(Less  10%  to  members.) 

The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  $1.00  per  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75         " 
Monthly  parts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  p«r  doz. 
To  members,       8  "  .75        '■ 


i 


International  Tent  and  Awning   Company, 


184  sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


Manufacturers  of  Tents,  Camp  Furniture, 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  &.C.,  &c.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  si/e  or  style  on  short  notice. 

NOTICE— Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers, 

SendlorPrices,  Catalogues  Freeon  Application 

Address,      A.  G.  FORGIE, 

Manager 

IiiterDalioiial  Tent  &  Awiiiui  Co.  | 

'I'elfci'Iione  Connection. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
dlltcmist  and  gruggiBt, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Orand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence* 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOL.E  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lotsot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

C.   I^^OSS    &    CO. 


studies  of  riaiif  Life  in  ('Miiada,  by  Mr.';.  P.  Traill, 
lllustrateil  wilh  <'olonr<Hl  litlin>;  fioiii  drawings  by 
Mrs.  Clianiherlin ?:j.fiO 

Our  Arctic  Prnvince,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  IslainlB,  by 

Henry  W.  Elliott    S.OO 

Myllis  and  Marvels  of  Astronomy,  by  U.  A.  Troclor. .     2.40 

Ra^naruk  :  the  Ajje  ot  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  Ignatius 
Oonnelly   2. -10 

Mannal  Training,  the  Solution  of  Siicial  and  hidue- 
trial  Problein.s,  by  ChaB.  H.  Ham    

Men  of  the  Reign:  a  Bio^raijliical  Dictionary  of  Knii- 
nent  Persons  of  British  and  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  died  duriutf  the  Keign  of  Queen  Victoria 5.25 

A  Popular  History  of  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke 4.80 

The     Knj^Iish    Parliament,    in    its   Transfoi  mations 

lhrou{;h  a  thousand  years,  by  I>r.  Uuilolf  Gneist  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  Historical  Sludv,  bv  Edward  Fieenian  . .  .     3.00 

The  Railways  of  tlie  Kepnbli.-,  by  J  .  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 

G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  &  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS. 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CAHRIAGS2 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTERWORTH   &  CO. 

110  Spauks  Strkkt. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

103  SPARKS  ST. 

Boots  and  Shoes  Made  to  Aleasiire. 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,     -     -     ■     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLECK 


For  terms  apply  to  the 
PRINCIPAL,    ■    SAIflUEL  WOODS,  m.fl. 


■4-' 


f 


Qclokcr,  1§§7. 
Volume  I.     No.  VII.  ^^r— -.-^ 

.^^J^> 

*  ©Hdy^et  •  RicU-Retfumllsfs'  •  biuD  * 

(Organrted  Mnrch,  1879.     Incorporated  March,  1884.) 

e§5spE9TS. 

Report  of  tlie  Geological  Branch J3 

RciKirt  of  the  Ornithological  Branch »» 

Announcements 


8iii5e9  griijiioa  «i)<^  l!uUisbir,3  Gcrrjpcr)^,  ^elcalfe  St. 


4SS7. 


S) 


1 

i 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


HIS  EXCELLENCY   THE   MARQUIS   OF   LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    IsT,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    |    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary:    W.  H.  Harrington,  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

'  Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliainenf.) 

Librarian:    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  SmaLl,  |  H.  JVI.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

Slanging  diommittEcs  of  Conmil : 
Puhlishing — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  H.   M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptie. 
Soirees— 'Pkoy.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

ITtabcrs  : 
Geology — H.  M.  Ami,  PtEV.  Prof.  Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Botany— J'.-  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,   Dr.  Baptie. 
ConchoJogy — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology — W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Pkof.  Macoun. 

Editor  :    W.  H.  Harrington. 


The  Li4)rarian   will  furnish  the  Publications  of  the  Club  at  the 
following  rateg  : — 


Transactions,  Part  1,  Not  soM 

singly 

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(( 

) 

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i( 

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The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  -f  1.00  per  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75         " 
Monthly  parts,  10  cents  each,  |1.00  per  doz. 
To  members,        8  "  .75       '•' 


International  Tent  and  Awning   Company, 


184  sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


•Manufhcturers  of  Tents,  Camp  Furniture, 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  &c. ,  &c.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 


NOTICE— Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

Send  forPrices,  Catalogues  Free  on  Application 

Address,      A.  G.  FORGIE, 

M.iiiager 

luterualioual  Teul  &  Awuiiii  Co. 

Tklki'honf,  Connkction. 


fe*^:OV->    ^ 


HENRY  WATTERS, 
dhemist  and  gruggist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  PubUc 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminencel 
which  establishes  them  as  Unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c,  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c  per  yard. 

Two  large  lotsot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec* 
tively,  are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers;  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country, 

O-  K.oss  &  00. 


StutUes  of  Plant  Lift-  in  ('unafia,  liy  Mr.':,  p.  Traill. 
lUustrateil  with  coloured  lithos  from  drawiuiis  by 
MvH.  Cliamherlin 13.50 

Out  Arctic  Province,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henry  W.  Elliott 5.00 

Myths  and  Marvels  of  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Proctor..     2. -10 

Katrnarok  :   the  Age  ol  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  Ignatius 

Donnelly 2.40 

Mantiat  Training,  the  Solution  of  Social  and  Indus- 
trial problems,  by  Chas.  H.  Ham    , 

Men  of  the  Reign:  a  Bioi^raihical  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent Pei'sona  of  British  and  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  died  during  the  Keign  of  Queen  Victoria 5,25 

A  Popular  History  of  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke 4.80 

The     Knglish    Parliament,    in    its   Trannfoi  mations 

through  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gneist  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  Historical  Sludy,  by  Edward  Freeman  . . .     3.00 

The  itailways  of  the  Republic,  by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  k  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 

R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTER-WORTH   &   CO. 

110  Sparks  Street. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

102  SPARKS  ST. 

Boots  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 


MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,     -     -     -     ONTARIO. 


QHUkWk  LADIES'  COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 

PRINCIPAL,    -     -     REV.  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


"e) 


f^AW 


§f  the 


(9 


(Organized  Marcli,  1879.     Incorporated  March.  1884.) 


GQRTE5TS. 


Note  on  Ottawa  Salamanders 

Report  of  the  Concliological  Brauch 
Eutomological  Societj'  of  Ontario . . . 

txcursiou  to  Kirk'a  Ferry 

Sub-Excursions 

Librarian's  Record 

Monotropa  Uuiflora 

Editorial 


I'AUK 

.  105 

.  lu7 

.  loy 

.  Ill 

.  11:! 

.  117 

.  118 

.  11!* 


f 


Sillier)  |fi>ir)lir)^  apJ  |f  ulalisl^ir)^  Gorrjpanj,  ^elcolje  ©I. 


iS3-7. 


^ 


Published  Monthly  at  $i.oo  per  annum. 


I 


.-k 


Pair  071  : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE   MARQUIS   OF   LANSDOWNE, 

Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  R.  Whyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    |    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary:    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasure?' :    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

Librarian:    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  [  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

^tanbing  Cominittfts  of  (Kountil : 
Publishing — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  HarriiIjgton,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  H.  M.  Ami,  Dr.  Baptie. 
Soirees— Frof.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.  Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

ITtabcrs  : 
Geology— H.  M.  Ami,  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Botany — J.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,   Dr.  Baptie, 
Conchology — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.  B.  Small. 

Entomology — W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLaughlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor  :    W.  H.  Harrington. 


The  Librarian   will  furnish   the  Publications  of  the  Club  at  the 
following  rates  : —  , 

Transactions,  Part  1,   Not  sold  singly 

2,  25  Cents.  5>$1.00  for  Vol.  L 


4,  25 

5,  .30  ' 
9,  40  ' 
7,  30  ' 


l$1.00for  Yol.  n. 


(Less  10%  to  meniber.s.) 

The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  $1.00  per  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75         " 
Monthly  parts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  per  doz. 
To  members,       8  "  .75       '  = 


International  Tent  and  Awning   Comp 

184  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa. 


any, 


Manufacturers  of  Tents,  Camp  Furniture, 
Awnings,  Window  Shades,  Plain  and  Deco- 
rated Curtain  Poles,  Curtain  Chains,  Flags 
of  all  Nations.  Waterproof  Horse  and  Wag- 
gon Covers,  &c.,  &c.,  on  hand  and  made  to 
order  in  any  size  or  style  on  short  notice. 


NOTICE-  Special  Discount  to  Lumbermen, 
Contractors,  and  other  large  Buyers. 

SeadlorPrices.  Catalogues  Free  on  Application 

Address,      A.  G.  FOROIE, 

Manager 

luteruatloual  Teut  &  Awiiiui  Co,  I 

Telephone  Connection. 


HENRY  WATTERS, 
Chemist  and  f  ruggist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 


These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon  their  excellence 
alone  have  attained  an  Unpurehased  Pre-eminence! 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  (k  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25  c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c.  per  yard. 

Two  large  lotsot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  ch^ap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 


Studios  of  Plant  Life  in  Canada,  by  Mi-.«'.  P.  Traill. 
Illustrated  wiili  coloured  litlioa  Iroin  drawingw  by 
Ml  8.  Chamberlin J3.50 

Our  Arctic  Province,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  Islauds,  by 

Henry  W.  KUiott    r..00 

Mytl)H  and  Marvels  oi  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Proctor..     3.40 

Kasiiarok  :   the  Age  ot  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  ]gnat1u8 

Donnelly   2.40 

Manual  Training,  the  Solution  of  Social  and  Icdue- 
trial  Problems,  by  Chas.  H.  Ham    

Men  of  the  Keign:  a  Biot;ra|.bical  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent Peieons  of  British  and  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  died  during  the  Keign  uf  Queen  Violoria .'»,25 

A  Popular  History  of  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke 4. HO 

The    Kiiglish    Parliament,    in    its   Transformations 

tlirout,'h  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gneist  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  Historical  Study,  by  Edward  Freeman  .  .  .     3.00 

'I'he  Railways  ol  the  Republic,  by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON.iSPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 
G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  k  Bituminous  Ccal 

KUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 

R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  ANP  FURS. 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 

BUTTEItWORTH  &  CiO. 

110  Sparks  Street. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

108  SPARKS  ST. 

B(}ots  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,     -     -     -     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES'  COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 

PRINCIPAL,    -     •    REV.  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


9  G- 


P^ 


Q) 


4^—^^ 


-^ 


(» 


JoJeccn^ter,  1§§7. 


] 


TpE 


* 


Volume  I.     No.  TX. 


The 


^ 


^* 


©IfdyS^a  .  Eicld^nafuralisfs'  •  Glut  ^  ! 


(Organized  Mnroh.  1879.     Incorporated  Man  li,  1884.) 


^\X^y\/V^V'\^\>>,/-V^\>-vyvy>j\^\y(Vy>^\y     . 


EQBTERTS- 


r«iiK 


r» 


Notes  oil  Siphonotreta  Scotica 121 

Till'  Cougiir  01-  PiUither I'J? 

Note  on  Flour  and  Grain  Beetles ]'M 

Sul)-Excuisioiis ]'M 

New  Members ....  1  .'<  4 

Soi!ee.s I'M) 

Mondav  Afternoon  Lectures 13ti 


Ciili^er)  |'jpir)lir)^  <ai-)el  l^ulalisl^irjq  Gorrjpao^y,  ^"lelcalje  Ol 

1SS7. 


*l^ 


-S) 


@_ 


V("«^ 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
(Ulu'mist  Jiiul  gruiggist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  "Workmanship  and  Dnratility. 

Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25  c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c.  per  yard. 

Two  large  lots  of  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers;  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

O-   IR^OSS    &    OO- 


3BCX3XC    XLtXSO?. 

Studies  of  Plant  Lite  in  rjmadii,  by  Mr.C.  P.  Traill. 
Illustrated  with  L-olouieil  Uthos  from  drawings  by 
Mrs.  Chaiiiberlin $3.50 

Our  Arctic  Province,  Alaska  and  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henry  W.  Kliinn   5.00 

Myilis  and  Marvels  of  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Froirtor. .     2. -JO 

Rai<nar()k  :   the  A}je  ol  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  T^natins 

Donnelly  2.40 

Manual  Training,  the  Solution  of  Social  and  Indus- 
trial Problems,  by  Chas.  H.  Mam    

Men  of  the  Keign:  a  Biogra|diical  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent Perstnis  ot  Uritish  and  Colonial  IJirlli  who 
have  dieil  during  the  Kei^n  of  Queen  Victoria 5.25 

A  Popular  History  ot  'Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke -1.80 

The     hnglish    Parliament,    in    its   Trans  foi  mat  ions 

through  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  (riieist  ...     4  00 

Methods  of  Historical  Study,  by  Edward  Freeman  . .  .     3.(10 

The  R!lilway^*  ol  the  Kfi.ublic.  by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  &  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 

R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  CARRIAGES 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTER.'WORTH   &  C;0 . 

110  Sfakks  Street. 


A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINESHOES, 

102  SPAKKS  ST. 

Boots  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 


MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,      -     ■     ■     ONTARIO. 


OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 

PRINCIPAL.    -     -     REV.  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


e) 


'1, 


(»- 


'-^(f 


Jai-juafV;  1§§§. 


TpE 


Vor.ITMF,  I.      No.  X. 


fl 


nc 


ti- 


¥ 


■^f 


awa  •  Kiela = JVcr  I  li  ra  1 1  s  t  s  •  L 1  u  Id  *  j 

J 


'aiUFQ 

(Organized  Marcli,  lo/y.      Im-nnj  m 


GOR^ERT^S. 


rrpsitlciit's  Address VM 

Soin^es 147 

New   Meinbt^rs 1 4S 


Lili^er)  Priniiriq  ai^d  Pu]alisf)inq  Eonjparij,  (^"Velcalje  Oi. 


S>L 


^"i    s 


^ 


•I-35S. 


^-=2- 


^ 


Published  Monthly  at  $i.oo  per  annum. 


Patron  : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  MARQUIS   OF   LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President:    R.  B.  Whyte. 
rice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    |    2nd,  Pk^f.  S.  Woods. 

SHcrfturi/ :    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  (Jffice  Dept.) 

I'redsurer  :    .Tame.s  Fletcher.  (Ijibvary  of  Parliament.) 

Lihrariun  :    T.  J.  M acLauuhlin.    (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Cunnaitter:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptik. 

^§taubiiig  Committcfs  of  Council : 
PuLlis/ting—FROF.  a.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Exr/trsious — T.  .t.   MacLaughlin,  I^.  M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptie. 
,sV)/?vV.v  — Prof.  J.   Macoun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

Gp.ul<)(jy--}\.  M.   Ami,  Rev.   Prof.  Marsax,  John  Stewart. 

Juddni) — J.  Flltcher,  Dr.  Small,    Dr.   Baptie. 

V()ii<:liulo(jy—¥.   R.  Latchfokd,  H.   B.  Small. 

KnidDKiloyy — W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 

OrnitJiologii — G.    R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor:    \V.  H.  Harkingtox.  ' 


TJie    l^ibrarian    will  furuisb    tlie    Publications  of  tlie   Club  at   the 
following  rates  : — 

'riansactioMs,  Part  1.   Not  solil  singly  \ 

V   -.        ',  >$1.00  for  Yol,  I. 

) 

•'      5.   30      "I 

"     \K   40      '•  $1.00  for  Y61.  II. 

"      7,   30      ''  ) 

(Less  10%  to  members. ) 

TliK  (Jttawa  Naturalist,   $1.00  {)er  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75         " 
Montliiy  paits,  10  cents  each,  .fl.OO  per  doz. 
'Jo  niciiibi-rs,        8  "  .75        '• 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
0IhniU5it  and  i)ruc|C|i5it, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and   Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

'i'hese  Instruments  have  been   l^efore  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  ye:irs,  and   upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence 
which  establishes  them  as  uxkqualled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  DuraWlit.y. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  V'ears. 

J.  L.  ORtVSE  &  SON, 

SOLE  ACiElSTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.   ROSS  &  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  ada]:)ted  for  nice  Spring  Suits,    i 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard.  , 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c-.  p6r  juard. 

I'wo  large  lots  ot  lilack  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  wfU  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 


Studies  ot  Plain   Life  in  Canada,  by  Mr.C.  P.  Traill, 
lllu.sirateil  Willi  coloured  litlios  trom  drawings  byi 
Mis.. Cham berUn ^^.5^ 

Our  .Arctic  Province.  Alaska  and  tlie  Seal  Islands,  by 

Hunry  W.  Klliolt    ; .5.00 

Myilis  and  Marvels  of  .Astronomy,  by  K;  A.  Proctor..     2.40 

Rai;naiok  :   the  Age  ot  Fire  ^ud  Gravel,  by  Ignatius      ,  . 
Donnelly   1. j.^ ^.     3.40 

Manual  Tiaining,  the  Solutioi:,  of  Social  ^ind  Indne- 
trial  Problems,  by  Chas,  H.Ham    

Men  of  the  lieign;  a  Bi(>t,'ra|ihioal  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent Persoiiw  <tf  liritisli  and  Colonial  Birth  who 
have  died  durinti  the  Ueign  of  Queen  Victoria 5.25 

A  Fopiilar  History  ut  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teen Ih  century,  by  Clarke , 4.80 

The  -  English    Parliament,    in    its   Tranf<forniations 

throu;;h  a  thouganil  years,  by  l>r.  Rudolf  Gneist-  ...     4  06 

Metlinds  of  Historical  -Sludv,  bv  Ethvard  Freeman  . .  .     3.00 

Tlie  Railways  o!  the  Kt-public.  by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.4^ 

J.  DURIE  &  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 
G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  &  Eitumincus  C:al 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREir^S   CARRIAGES 

IX    THE  CITY  AT 
BUTTERIWORTH   &   CO. 

110  Spaiiks  Strjset. 

A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINESHOES, 

10*^  SPAKK8  8T. 

Boots  aud  Shoes  MAdet(>  Measure, 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 
OTTAWA,      -     -     •     ONTARIO. 


R.    J.   DEVLIN  I  OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


HAT3  AND  FURS. 


P'or  terms  apiily  to  the 
PRINCIPAL.    -     -     REV7  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


'^' 


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^-^.^-^^ — -i& 


(2 ii 


/{^ 


Kcbruary.  1§§§. 


TpE 


Volume  I.     No.  XI.  ^. 

The  _£ 


k 


l^ffdwa  •  J>ield=lya!uralisf  s 

(Organized  March.  1879.     Incorporated  M.nrch,  1884.) 


GOBTERT^- 


Testimony  of  Ottawa  Clays  and  Gravels  to  the  Expansion 
of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Canadian  Lakes 
within  the  Human  Period.     Amos  Bowman 1-19 

Soirees 1C2 


Eiii^ar)  |fpir)fir)^  (ar)d  |f  ublisl)ir)g  Corijpany- ^l^^'calfe  Si. 


•ISSS. 


h/ 


5       S" 


_S) 


(2_ 


V(i 


Published  Monthly  at  $1.00  per  annum. 


Patron  : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  MARQUIS   OF   LANSDOWNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vide-Bresidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    |    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

•Secretary  :    W.  H.  Harrington.^  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

Librarian:    T.  J.  MacLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Committee:   Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie. 

Sianbing  Committees  of  Council : 
Publishing — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  H.  Harrington,  James  Fletcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.  MacLaughlin,  H.   M.  Ami,  Dr.   Baptie. 
Soirees  — 'P^ov.  J.  Macoun,  Prof.  S.    Woods,  Dr.  Small. 

^cabirs  : 
Geology — H.  M.  Ami,  Rev.  Prof.  Marsan,  John  Stewart. 
Botany— S.  Fletcher,  Dr.  Small,   Dr.  Baptie. 
Conchology — F.  R.  Latchford,  H.   B.  Small. 

Entomology— W.  H.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 
Ornithology — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor  :    VV.  H.  Harrington. 


The  Librarian   will  furiiisb   the  Publications  of  the  Club  at  the 
following  rates  : — 


Transactions,  Part  1,   Not  sold  singly 


I 


"     3'  95  ^1f^^"  VSl.OO  for  Vol.  L 

"  4'  25  " 

"  5,  30  " 

"  9,  40  " 

"  7,   30  " 

(Less  10%  to  members.) 

The  Ottawi^  Naturalist,  $1.00  per  annum. 
Exti'a  copy  to  membei-s,       .75         " 
Monthly  parts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  per  doz. 
To  members,       8  "  .75        '• 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
Chemist  ami  grutjgist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 


Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Instruments  have  been  before  the  Public 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their   excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence 
which  establishes  them  as  unequalled  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


C.  ROSS  &,  Co.  are  offering  this  month  a  very  large  assortment 
of  New  Saxony  Costume  Cloths,  specially  adapted  for  nice  Spring  Suits, 
at  the  low  price  of  25c.  per  yard. 

A  beautiful  selection  of  Dress  Silks  is  being  offered  at  75c.  per  yard. 

Two  large  lots  ot  Black  Satin  Rhadames,  at  75c.  and  $1.25  respec- 
tively, are  well  worth  the  attention  of  buyers:  they  are  very  cheap. 

Samples  will  be  sent,  on  application,  to  those  living  in  the  country. 

C.   I^OSS    «Sc    GO. 


studies  of  Plant  Life  in  naii.ula,  liy  Mr.C.  P.  Traill. 
Illustrated  Willi  coluurecl  litlios  from  drawings  by 
Mrs.  Chaniherlin $3.50 

Our  Arctic  Province,  Alaska  ami  the  Seal  Islands,  by 

Henry  W.  Klliolt    .^.00 

Myths  and  Marvels  of  Astronomy,  by  K.  A.  Proctor. .     2.40 

Raiinarok  :   the  Age  of  Fire  and  Gravel,  by  Ignatius 

Donnelly  2.40 

Manual  Traininf?,  the  Sohitiou  of  Social  and  Indus- 
trial Problems,  by  Chas.  H.  Ham    

Men  of  the  Reign:  a  Bio^rajihical  Dictionary  of  Emi- 
nent Persons  of  British  and  f'oUuiial  Birth  who 
have  died  during  the  Reign  of  Queen  Victoria 5.25 

A  Popular  History  of  Astronomy  during  the  Nine- 
teenth century,  by  Clarke 4.80 

The     English    Parliament,    in    its   Transformations 

throutiU  a  thousand  years,  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gneist  ...     4  00 

Metliods  of  Histiirical  Study,  by  Edward  Freeman  . .  .     3.00 

The  Railway;^  of  the  Republic," by  J.  F.  Hudson 2.40 

J.  DURIE  i  SON,  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  SLEIGHS 

IN    THE  CITY  AT 

butter:worth  &  c;o. 

110  Sparks  Strekt. 

A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

102  SPARKS  ST. 

Boafs  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 


G.  W.  McCULLOUGH,  3M.  "LIL.  I^TKB, 

K   .1.     .."^';^T.^.'^^'^        r,     I  MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

Anthracite  k  Bituminous  Ccal 


RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 


R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  ANP  FURS, 


99  SPARKS  ST., 


OTTAWA, 


ONTARIO. 


OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 

PRINCIPAL.    -     -     REV.  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


•^,  ■▼■" 


Q) 


eiS— — ^«^ 


(i> 


-TT 


I?)apcl),  1§§§. 


if 


TBe 


.Q^fAW^  ^^^eil^TlhlSf  * 


Volume  I.     No.  XII.. 


Tb« 


,Ti^^98^eTi©9^ 


(9 


dwa- l^ield^iyafupalisfs  •  (l-lub* 

(Organized  March,  1879.     Incorporated  March,  1884.) 

On  Utica  Fossils  from  Kideau,  Ottawa,  Out.     Henry  M. 

Ami,  M.A.,  F.G.S " Ki") 

Notes  on  Geological  Work  during  the  Summer  ol'  18H7. 

Mr.  John  Stewart I  "•' 

Report  of  the  Geologieal  IJrancli  for  the  season  of  18S7 . .  17- 
Abstraet    of    Meteorological   Statistics    at  Ottawa,  .hine 

1886  to  May  1887J  inclusive 174 

Soirees 1 7.'» 

Afternoon  Lectures  176 

Announcements 1 71> 

Index 180 


ISSS. 


y 


h^ 


S) 


5_ 


Published  Monthly  at  $i.oo  per  annum. 


Patron  : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY   THE   MAKQUTS   OF    LANSD(3WNE, 
Governor  General  of  Canada. 

President :    R.  B.  Whyte. 
Vice-Presidents  :    1st,  Prof.  J.  Macoun    ]    2nd,  Prof.  S.  Woods. 

Secretary :    W.  H.  Harrington.  (Post  Office  Dept.) 

Treasurer:    James  Fletcher.  (Library  of  Parliament.) 

Librarian:    T.  J.  M acLaughlin.   (Dept.  Public  Works.) 
Corntnittee:    Dr.  H.  B.  Small,  |  H.  M.  Ami,  |  Dr.  Geo.  Baptie, 

^mnbing  Committees  of  (founcil : 
Publisldny — Prof.  S.  Woods,  W.  M.  Harrington,- James  Flelcher. 
Excursions — T.  J.   MacLaughlin,   H.   M.  Ami,  Dr.    Baptik. 
Soirees  — 'Pkof.  J.   Macoun,  Prof.  S.   Woods,  Dr.  S.M'\ll. 

Geology — H.   M.   Ami,  Rev.   Prof.   Marsan,  John  Stewart. 

Potany—S.  Fletcher,  Dr.   Small,    Dr.   Baptie. 

Conchology—F.   R.   Latchford,   H.   B.  Small. 

Pnto7nology-  W.-U.  Harrington,  J.  Fletcher,  T.  J.  MacLadghlin. 

Ornithohgy — G.  R.  White,  Prof.  Macoun. 

Editor:    W.  H.  Harrington. 


The   Lilirarian    will  funiisli    the  Piil)lications  of  the   Cliil)  at   the 
following  i-ates  : — 

Transactions,  Part  1,   Not  soM  singly 'j 


^    -p  '^-ent^.  y^\X)0  for  Vol.  L 


"  4,  25  " 

"  5  30  "  j 

"  9,'  40  '•  $1.00  for  Vol.  IL 

"  7,  30  "  ) 

(Less  10%  to  menil)ers.) 

Th«  Ottawa  Naturalist,  ^LOO  per  annum. 
Extra  copy  to  members,       .75         " 
Monthly  ])arts,  10  cents  each,  $1.00  [)er  doz. 
To  members,        8.  "  .75        '■ 


.V 


HENRY   WATTERS, 
(llhcmist  and  iruggist, 

Corner  of  Sparks  and  Bank  Streets, 
OTT-A.'WJ^. 


mmi, 

Grand,  Square  and  Upright 

These  Insti-uments  have  been  before  the  PubHc 
for  nearly  fifty  years,  and  upon    their    excellence 

alone  have  attained  an  Unpurchased  Pre-eminence 

which  establishes  them  as  unkquallkd  in 

Tone,  Touch,  Workmanship  and  Durability. 
Every  Piano  Fully  Warranted  for  Five  Years. 

J.  L.  ORME  &  SON, 

SOLE  AGENTS.  OTTAWA,  ONT. 


O-  I^OSS   &c   oo. 

MAKE  TO  .ORDER  Ladies  Mantles,  Costumes,  Hats  and 
Bonnets.  Are  the  largest  dealers  in  the  city  in  Silks,  Plushes,  Vel- 
vets, Dress  Materials,  Cloths,  Mantles  and  Millinery. 

We  make  prices  an  object  to  buyers. 
Wholesale  and  Retail  Departments,  94  &  96  Sparks  Streets,  24,  26,  28 
&  30  Metcalfe  Street. 


J.DURIE&SON 

Booksellers, 

Stationers, 

Publishers. 


)aily  orders  to  the  United  States. 

A    case   from   Loudon  received  by  Allan 
Steamer  everj'  week. 

G.  W.  McCULLOUGH, 

Anthracite  ^  Bituminous  Ccal 

RUSSELL  HOUSE  BLOCK. 

R.  J.  DEVLIN, 

HATS  AND  FURS, 


THE  LARGEST  STOCK  OF 

CHILDREN'S  SLEIGHS 

IN  THE  CITY  AT 

butter:worth  &  c:o. 

110  Sparks  Street. 

A.   J.  STEPHENS, 

FINE  SHOES, 

102  SPARKS  ST. 

Boots  and  Shoes  Made  to  Measure. 

MEN'S  OUTFITTER, 

99  SPARKS  ST., 

OTTAWA,      -     -     -     ONTARIO. 

OTTAWA  LADIES' COLLEGE 


For  terms  apply  to  the 

PRINCIPAL    -     -     REV.  W.  D.  BALLANTYNE. 


■■^''''.WIIOI    1  IDKAHY 


liiH    IfiHS     .