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1916  VOL.    XXX.  1917 


THE 


OTTAWA     NATURALIST 


Being  Volume  XXXII  of  the 


TRANSACTIONS 


OF  THE 


OTTAWA  FIELD-NATURALISTS'  CLUB 


Organized  March,  1879.  Incorporated  March,  1884. 


Gbe  ©ttawa  jfiel^lRaturaliste'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OF  CONNAUGHT, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

Council  1916-17 

president: 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Wice=presioentS: 

Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Eoftor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological   Branch, 

Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.   Malte. 


{Treasurer : 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A- 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 

Agriculture) 

librarian : 

Mr.  J.R.  Dymond,  B.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept. 
of  Agriculture) 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


past  president: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  ot  Gouncil: 

Pi ib Ideations:    Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:      F.    W.   Waugh,    E.  D.  Eddy,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,    J.  R. 
Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M. 

Sternberg,   Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archcsology: 

Botany: 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Headers  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E- 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantvne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  AVight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.  Gibson,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.   Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Huditors 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N.C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist, 

$1  .OO  pen  Annum. 


n 


LIST  OF  MEMBERS  OF 
THE  OTTAWA  FIELD-NATURALISTS'  CLUB 

1916-1917 


Adams,  John,  M.A. 

Ami.    H.    M.,    M.A.,    D.Sc,    F.G.S., 

F.R.S.C. 
Ami,  S.  T. 

Anderson,  fames  R.,  (Victoria,  B.C 
Anderson,   Lt.-Col.   W.    P.,   C.M.G., 

M.  Inst.  C.E.,  F.R.G.S. 
Ardley,  Edw.,  (Montreal). 
Argue,  Miss  L.  E. 
Arnold,   Edw.,    (Montreal). 
Attwood,  A.   E.,  M.A. 

Baldwin,  J.  W. 

Ballantyrie,  James. 

Bangs,   f.  S. 

Beaulieu,  G.,  B.A.,  LL.B. 

Beaulne,  J.  I. 

Beaupre,  Edwin,  (Kingston,  Ont.) 

Bennett.  Miss  K.  E. 

Billings,  C.  M. 

Blackader,  Dr.  E.  H. 

Blythe,  Mrs.  Geo. 

Bowers,  H.  L.,  (Oshawa,  Ont.) 

Brewster.  W.,  (Cambridge,  Mass.) 

Brittain, :Prof.  W.,  (Truro.  N.S.) 

Brown,  A.  A.,  (Chatham,  Ont.) 

Brown,  Mrs.  A.  F. 

Brown,  Mrs.  R.  D. 

Brown,  W.   [.,  (Westmount,  Oue.) 

Brown,  F.,  B.S.A. 

Brvce,.P.H.,  M.D. 

Bullock,  Rev.  C.  S. 

Bunting,    Prof.    T.    G.,    (Macdonald 

College,  Oue.) 
Buck,  F.  E..  B  S  A 
Burgess,  T.  T-  W.,  M.D.,  F.R.S.C, 

(Montreal) . 
Burling,  L.  D.,  B  Sc. 
Burt,  Miss  F.  M. 

Calder,  Alex.,  (Winnipeg). 
Calvert,  T-  F.,  (London,  Ont.) 
Cameron,  E.  R.,  M.A. 
Carter,  ]\   T- 
Campbell,  D.  A.,  B.A. 


Campbell.  R.  H. 

Chenev.  Miss  A.  M. 

Chrystal,  R.  X.,  B.S<  . 

Clark,  G.  H.,  B.S.A. 

Clark.  T.  E.,  B.A..  B.  Paed. 

Cobbold,  Paul  A.,  (Haileybury,  Ont.) 

Cole.   |ohn  E..  (Westboro',  Ont.) 

Connor,  M.  F.,  B.Sc. 

Cowan,  Miss  Edith 

Cram.  A.   S. 

Criddle,  X.,  (Treesbank,  Man.) 

Criddle,  S.,  (Treesbank,  Man.) 

Crozcl.  G.,  i<>u!lins,  Rhone.  France). 

Cut  tier,  W.  E.      •         ary,  All 

Currie,  P.  W.,  B.A'. 

Davidson,  John.  (Vancouver,  B.C.) 

Davis,  M.  B..  B.S.A. 

Deam.  C.  O.  iBluffton,  Ind.) 

Dempsey,  J.  H.  C,  (Hamilton). 

Dent.  Miss  E. 

De  Lury.  R.  E.,  Ph.D. 

Dewar,  Miss  Ethel. 

Dickson.  James. 

Dixon,   F.  A. 

Dod,    F.    H.    Wooley-,    (Midnapore, 

Alta.) 
Donaldson.   W. 

Dowling,  D.  B.,  B.A.Sc,  F.R.SC. 
Dowling,  Miss  Isabel. 
Dravton,  F.  L.,  B.S.A. 
Dreher,  W.,  B.S.A. 
Dwight,  Jonathan,  Jr.,  M.D.,   (New 

York). 
Dymond.  J.  R.,  B.A. 

Eastham,  A.,,  B.S.A. 

Eastham,  ].W..  B.Sc,  (Vernon.  B.C.) 

Eddv,  E.  D.,  B.S.A. 

Eifri?,  Rev.  Prof.  G.,  (Oak  Park, 111.) 

Elford,  F.  C. 

Evans,  John  D.,  C.E.,   (Trenton, 

Ont.) 
Evans,  T.  C,  D.V.Sc,  (Tor.) 
Ewart,  D..  I.S.O. 


List  of  Members 


[April 


Farley,  F.  L.,  (Camrose,  Alta.) 

Fenn,  Miss  L. 

Fcrrier,  W.  F.,   (Toronto). 

Finn,  J.  P.,  B.A. 

Fisher,  Hon.  Sydney  A.,  B.A. 

Fleck,  A.  W. 

Fleming,   J.  H.,   (Toronto). 

Foerste,  A.  F.   (Dayton,  Ohio). 

Forsey,  Mrs.  F.  E. 

Fraser,  Geo.,   (Ucluelet.   B.C.) 

Freeman,  H.  E.  F. 

Fryer,  1.  R.,  M.A. 

Fyles,  Miss  F.,  B.A. 

Fyles,  Miss  Winnifred. 

Gallup,  A.  H.,  (Saskatoon-,  Sask.) 

Gavin,  Prof.  B. 

Gibson,  Arthur,  F.E.S. 

Gibson,    J.    W.,    B.A.,    (Vancouver, 

B.C.) 
Gormley,  L.,  (Arnprior,  Ont.) 
Grant,  Sir  J.  A.,  K.C.M.G.,  M.D., 

F.R.C.S.  Edin.,  F.R.S.C,  F.G.S. 
Grant,  Mrs.  E.  C. 
Grant,  W.  W.,    (New  York). 
Graham,  W.  L.,  B.S.A. 
Grisdale,  J.  H.,  B.  Agr. 
Grist,  Miss  Mary  L. 
Groh,  H.,  B.S.A..  (Preston,  Ont.) 
Gussow,  H.  T.,  F.R.M.S. 

Hales,  B.  J.,  (Brandon,  Man.) 

Halkett,  Andrew. 

Hamilton,  Dr.  B.  A.,  (Highland  Park, 

111.) 
Hanham,  A.  W.,  (Duncan,  B.C.) 
Harcourt,  Geo.,  (Edmonton,  Alta.) 
Harrington,  W.  Hague. 
Harrison,  Lt.-Col.  Edward. 
Hayes,  J.  A.,  (Sherrington,  Que.) 
Henry,  J.  K.,  (Vancouver,  B.C.) 
Herriot,  W.,   (Gait,  Ont.) 
Hewit,  H.  O. 

Hewitt.  C.  Gordon,  D.Sc,  F.E.S. 
Hobson,  W.  I).,  (Woodstock,  Ont.) 
Hodge,    C.     F.,    Ph.D.,     (Worcester, 

Mass.) 

Holmden,  R. 

Hope,   James. 

Houghton,  |.  A.,  (Bennington,  Yt.) 

Howes,  ]•:.  A..  B.S.A. 

Hudson,  /V. v".    G.    H.,    (Plattsburgh, 

N.Y.)  S 

Hudson.  H.  F.,  B.S.A. 
Hughson,  W.  G..  B.Sc. 

Irwin,  Lt.-Col.  D.  T.,  C.M.G. 


Jacombe,  F.  W.  H.,  M.A.,  M.F. 

Jamieson,  Thos.,  B.A. 

James,  C.  C,  M.A..  (Toronto). 

James,  L.  E.,  (St.  Thomas,  Ont.) 

Janssen,  J.  T.,  (Hillsdown,  Alta.) 

Janson,  J.  T.,  B.Sc. 

Jenkins,   S.   J.,   B.A. 

Jenny,  C.  F.,   (Boston,  Mass.) 

Jennings,  O.  E.,  (Pittsburg,  Pa.) 

Joanes,  Arthur. 

Jones,  Clarence  G.,  (Borden,  Sask.) 

Johnston,  Geo.  S.,  (Meaford,  Ont.) 

Johnston,  W.  A.,  B.Sc. 

Johnsone,  Miss  A. 


Keele,  J.,  B.A.Sc. 
Kellett,  A.  E. 
Kindle,  E.  M.,  Ph.D. 
Kingston,  A.   G. 
Kitto,  V. 
Klotz,  Dr.  Otto. 
Klotz,  Julius,  M.D.,  ( 
Rnechtel,  A. 


Lanark,  Ont.) 


LeLacheur,  G.,  B.S.A. 
Lajeunesse,  Rev.  J.  A. 
Lambart,  Hon.  0.  H. 
Lambe,    L.    M.,    F.G.S. ,    F.G.S. A., 

F  R  S  C 
Latchford,'    Hon.  F.  R.,     B.  A. 

(Toronto). 
Lawler,  James. 

Lee,  Miss  K.  G.,  (Clinton,  N.Y.) 
Lees,  Miss  V. 
Lemieux,   E.   E. 
Lemoine,  Alp. 
LeSueur,   E.  A. 
Lewis,  J.  B.,  C.E. 
Leyden,  Miss  M. 
Llovd,  Prof.  F.  E.,  (Montreal.) 
Lochhead,   W.,    B.A.,   M.Sc,    (Mac- 

donald  College,  Que.) 
Low,  R.  A. 

McCready,  Prof.  S.  B.,  (Guelph). 

McCurry,  H. 

McDougall,  Miss  J.  C. 

McElhinney,  Dr.  M.  G. 

McGill,  A.,  B.A.,  B.Sc. 

McGillivray.  H. 

Mclnnes,  Win,,  B.  1. 

McMillan,  H.  R.,  B.S.A.,   (Victoria, 

B.C.) 
McMillan,  G.  O.,  M.A.  (Hamilton). 
MacKav,     A.     H.,     LL.D..    B.Sc, 

F.R.S.C.,   (Halifax.) 
Macnamara,  C,  (Arnprior). 


1916] 


List  of  Members 


Macoun,  Prof.  John,  ALA.,  F.L.S., 

F.R.S.C,   (Sidney,  B.C.) 
Macoun,  J.  M.,  C.M.G. 
Macoun,  W.  T. 

Malcolm,  John,  (Fergus,  Ont.) 
Mallock,  G.  S.,  B.A. 
Malte,  M.  O.,  Ph.D. 
Martin,  D.  A.,  (Lawson,  Sask.) 
Matthews,  Miss  Annie  L. 
Mason,  A.  E.,  (Vancouver,  B.C.) 
Meeker,  }.  C.  A.,  (Danbury,  Conn.) 
Megill,  W.  H.  T.,  B.A. 
Merrill,  G.  K.,  (Rockland,  Me.) 
Michaud,  Geo.,   (Ouebec). 
Millar,  G.  A. 

Millen,  Miss  C,  (Hull,  Que.) 
Miller,  Prof.  W.  G.,  (Toronto). 
Mitchell,  P.  C,  (Brandon,  Man.) 
Moe,  Gordon,  B.S.A. 
Morris,  Frank,  (Peterborough,  Ont.) 
Morton,   B. 
Munro,    ].  A.,   (Okanagan     Landing, 

B.C.) 
Murphy,  John. 

Narrawav,  J.   E. 

Nash,  C.W.,  (Toronto). 

Neale,  W.  J. 

Wwcombe,   C.  F.,   M.D.,    (Victoria, 

Newman,  L.  H.,  B.S.A. 
Nicholls,  A.,  (Sault  Ste.  Ivjarie,  Ont.) 
Noble,  J.  W.,  (London,  Ont.) 
Nunnick,  F.  C,  B.S.A. 


O'Brien,  S.  E. 
Oakely,  Mrs.  W.  D. 

Orde,  J.  F.,  K.C. 
Oberholser,      H.     C 
D.C.) 


(Washington, 


Patch,  Clyde  L. 
Patterson,  A.  M. 
Pe'.ch,  C.  E.,  B.S.A.  (Hemminc-f,  rd, 

Oue.) 
Phillips,  P.  B.,  (New  York). 
Prince,  Prof.  E.  E.,  B.A..  F.L.S. 
Putman,  }.  H.,  B.A.,  B.  Paed. 
Raine,  Walter,   (Toronto). 
Raymond,    Dr.    P.    E.,    (Cambridge, 

Mass.) 
Reynolds,  Miss  G.   B. 
Richard,  Rev.  A.  E.,  (Perkins,  Que.) 
Ritchie,  Miss  Isabella. 
Robertson,  C.  N.,  (Montreal). 
Robinson,  Hiram. 
Rose,   B. 


Rush,  M.  L.,  B.A. 
Russell,   Miss  Maud. 
Russell,  Miss  Margaret. 

Sanders,  G.  E.,  B.S.A.,  (Bridgetown, 

N.S.) 
Sanson,  N.  B.,  (Banff,  Alta.) 
Saunders,  W.  E.,  (London,  Ont.) 
Scott,  C.  H. 

Scott,  Miss  Mary  McKay. 
Scott,  W.,  B.A.,  (Toronto). 
Scott,  Rev.  C.  T.,  (Victoria,  B.C.) 
Seton,  E.  Thompson,  (Coscob,  Conn.) 
.Shannon.  Frank,   (Saskatoon,  Sask.) 
Shearman,    F.   J.   W. 
Shutt,  F.  T.,  D.Sc,  M.A.,  F.I.C., 

F.C.S.,  F.R.S.C. 
Sifton,  H.  B.,  M. A. 
Simpson,  Willibert. 
Sirett,  H.,  B.S.A.,   (Biighton,  Ont.) 
Sitwell,  Capt.  L.  H.,  F.R.G.S. 
Skales,  Howard,  (Mt.  Forest,  Ont.) 
Sladen,   F.  W.   L.,  F.E.S. 
Small,  H.  Beaumont,  M.D, 
Smeaton,  W.,  B.A. 
Smith,   Harlan   I. 
Smith,  Napier,  (Montreal,  Que.) 
Sowter,  T.  W.  E. 
Speechlv,  Dr.  H.  Id.,   (Pilot  Mound, 

Man . )' 
Spreckley,  R.  O. 
Sternberg,  C.  H.,  M.A. 
Sternberg,  C.  M. 
Sternberg,  G.  F. 
Stewart,  Miss  D.  M. 
Summerby,  Wm.  J.,  ALA.,  (Russell, 

Ont.) 
Sutton,  Mrs.  L.  L. 
Swaine,  J.  M.,  Al.Sc. 
Symes,  P.   B. 

Taverner,  P.  A. 

Taylor,  F.  B.,  (Fort  Wayne,  Ind.) 

Terrill,  L    M.,  (St.  Lambert,  Que.) 

Topley,  Mrs.  W.    L 

Tothill.  J.   D.,  B.S.A.,   (Fredericton, 

N.B.) 
Treherne,    R.    C,    B.S.A.     (Agassiz, 

B.C.) 
Tyrrell,    J.    B..   B.A.,   B.Sc.,  F.G.S., 

F.G.S.A.,  (Toronto). 

Uglow,  R.  H. 

Valin,   A,. 

Venables.,  E.  P.,  (Vernon,  B.C.) 

Victorin,  Rev.  Bro  (Longueuil,  Que.) 


List  of  Members 


[April 


Waddell,  Miss  K.  T. 

Walker,  Sir  Edmund,  (Toronto). 

Walker,  E.  M.,  B.A.,  M.B.,  F.R.S.C. 
(Toronto). 

Walker,  Bryant,   (Detroit). 

Wallace,  J.   S.,    (Toronto).  - 

Walks,   jr.  B.,   (Winnipeg,  Man.) 

Warwick,  F.  W.,  B.Sc,  (Bucking- 
ham, Que.) 

Watterson,   A.   E. 

Waugh,  F.  W. 

White,  Mrs.  Annie  G.  H.,  (Toronto). 

White,  George  R. 

White,   James,  (Snelgrove,  Ont.) 

White,  O.  C,  B.S.A. 

Whyte,  Miss  Ida  V. 

Whyte,  Miss  Isabella. 


Whyte,   R.   B. 
Wickware,  A.  B.,  V.S. 
Wight,  E.  C. 

Williams,  Miss  M.  B.,  B.A. 
Williams,  J.  B.,   (Toronto). 
Williams,  M.  Y.,  Ph.D. 
Willing,  T.  N.,  (Saskatoon, 
Wilson,  Morley  E.,  Ph.D. 
Wilson,  W.  J.,  Ph.B. 
Winchester,  H.   S. 
Wintemberg,  W.  J. 
Wright,  Miss  S.  E. 

Young,  C.  H. 

Ziemann,  Arthur. 


Sask.) 


CORRESPONDING  MEMBERS 

Bethuxe,  Rev.  C.  J.  S.,  M.A.,  D.C.L..  F.R.S.C.  Guelph,  On1 
Hill,  Albert  J..  AZ. .A . ,  C.E..  New  Westminster,   B.C. 
Holm,  Theodor,  Ph.D..  Brookland,  Washington,  D.C. 
Merriam,  Dr.  C.  Hart,  Washington.   D.C. 
Wickham,   Prof.  H.   F.,   Iowa  City.  Iowa,  U.S. 


jujJUBRAR     I  5 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 


VOL.  XXX. 


OTTAWA,  APRIL,   1916 


Xo.   1 


ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  OTTAWA  FIELD-NATUR- 
ALISTS' CLUB,   1915-16. 


The  Council  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  has  the 
honour  to  report  on  the  work  of  the  past  season — 1915-16. 

Standing  committees,  the  Editor  and  Associate  Editors  of 
The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  the  Librarian,  and  leaders  of  the 
respective  branches,  were  elected  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Council,  held  on  the  1st  of  April,  1  c>  1  5 .  Four  meetings  of  the 
Council  were  held  during  the  year,  and  a  fifth  called  for  16th 
of  March,  but  owing  to  lack  of  a  quorum  no  regular  business 
could  be  transacted. 

The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 

Under  the  continued  editorship  of  Mr.  Arthur  Gibson, 
The  Ottawa  Naturalist,  the  official  organ  of  the  Club,  has 
appeared  regularly  during  the  year,  volume  XXIX  having  been 
completed.  Among  the  more  important  papers  published  in 
the  volume,  several  of  which  are  illustrated  by  plates  or  text 
figures,   the  following  may  be  mentioned: — 

Suggestions  for  Ornithological  Work  in  Canada,  by  P .  A. 
Taverner. 

A  Case  for  Small  Museums,  by  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

On  the  Validity  of   the    Genus  Plethopeltis,  by  R.  M.  Field. 

Revision  of  the  Canadian  Species  of  Agelacrinites,  by  Percy 
E.  Raymond. 

Minerals  from  Baffin  Land,  by  T.  L.  Walker. 

Quebec  Dragon-flies,  by  Rev.  T.  W.  Fyles. 

The  Dangers  of  our  Wilds,  by  Charles  Macnamara. 

Mimicry — Some  of  Xature's  Strategems.  by  B.  C.  Tillet. 

A  New  Crdovician  Pelecypod  from  the  Ottawa  District, 
by  Alice  E.  Wilson. 

Shallow  Water  Deposition  in  the  Cambrian  of  the  Cana- 
dian Cordillera,  by  L.   D.   Burling. 


8  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [April 

The  Evolution  of  the  Sheep,  by  B.  C.  Tillet. 

Some  Habits  of  Swainson's  Hawk  in  Manitoba,  by  Norman 

Criddle. 
The  Use  of  Gum  Damar  in  Paleohistology  (with  notes  on 

the  genus  Benthopecten),  by  G.  H.  Hudson. 

Gleanings  in  Fernland,  by  Frank  Morris. 

The  Curious  Egg  of  the  Hagfish  (Maxine),  by  E.  E.  Prince. 

Fossil  Collecting,  by  E.  M.  Kindle. 

Buprestidae  Known  to  Occur  in  the  Ottawa  District,  by 

Bro.   Germain. 
The  Genera  of  the  Odontopleuridae,  by  P.  E.  Raymond. 

Prenanthes  mainensis:  Notes  of  the   Morphology,  Taxonomy 
and  Distribution  of  this  Hybrid  form,  by  Bro.  M.  Victorin. 

Birds  of  Algonquin  Park,  by  W.  E.  Saunders. 

Excursions. 

The  following  field  excursions  were  arranged  last  spring  by 
the  committee  in  charge: — 
May     8. — Rockcliffe. 

15. — Iron  Mines  at  Ironside. 
"     22. — Britannia. 
"     29. — Aylmer. 
June    5. — Wright's  Grove,  Ricleau  River. 

For  most  of  the  excursions  the  weather  was  favourable, 
and  the  attendance  fairly  good.  About  seventy  were  at  the 
Ironside  excursion,  which  afforded  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
a  study  of  the  interesting  geology  of  the  old  iron  mines. 
The  Rideau  River  excursion  was  attended  by  about  forty. 
Attention  was  mostly  devoted  to  botanical  specimens.  There 
were  no  excursions  conducted  during  the  autumn. 

Lectures. 

The  following  is  the  programme  of  the  series  of  lectures 
for  the  winter  season,  which  was  carried  out  with  certain  changes 
both  as  to  time  and  place. 

Dec.  7. — Wheat  Improvement  in  Canada,  by  Dr.  C.  E. 
Saunders,  Dominion  Cerealist. 

Jan.  11. — Canadian  Folk-tales  and  Oral  Traditions,  by  Mr. 
C.  M.  Barbeau,  Division  of  Anthropology,  Geological  Survey. 

Jan.  2  5. — The  Use  of  Ornamental  Trees  and  Shrubs,  by 
Mr.  W.  T.  Macoun,  Dominion  Horticulturist. 

Feb.  8. — The  Formation  of  the  Great  Plains,  by  Mr.  D.  B. 
Dowling,  Geological  Survey. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  9 

Feb.  22. — The  Evolution  of  Army  Sanitation,  by  Dr.  R. 
Lorme  Gardner. 

Mar.  7. — The  Identification  and  Nesting  of  Some  of  our 
Common  Birds,  by  Mr.  W.   E.  Saunders,  of  London,  Ont. 

Through  the  kindness  of  R.  G.  McConnell,  Esq.,  Deputy 
Minister  of  Mines,  arrangements  had  been  made  with  the 
Lecture  Committee  to  hold  all  the  lectures  in  the  audi- 
torium of  the  Victoria  Museum,  but  owing  to  the  burning  of 
the  Parliament  Building,  which  in  itself  was  a  Dominion-wide 
calamity,  the  auditorium  had  to  be  engaged  for  the  House  of 
Commons,  and  therefore  only  the  first  three  lectures  were  held 
there.  Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  White,  the  assembly  hall 
of  the  Normal  School  was  put  at  the  disposal  of  the  Club  for 
the  remainder  three  lectures,  and  that  of  Dr.  Gardner  was  de- 
livered there  on  the  regular  date,  that  by  Mr.  Saunders  on 
March  13th,  and  that  by  Mr.  Dowling  on  the  night  of  the  annual 
meeting.  We  have  to  express  our  hearty  appreciation  of  the 
kindness  of  those  gentlemen  in  granting  the  use  of  the  audi- 
torium and  assembly  hall,  and  also  of  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Sykes, 
Librarian  of  the  Carnegie  Library,  for  the  use  of  a  room  in  which 
the  meetings  of  Council  were  held.  Our  thanks  are  also  due  to 
the  city  press  for  free  insertion  of  lectures,  excursion  notices 
and  reports. 

Membership. 

During  the  year  18  new  members  joined  the  Club.  The 
present  membership  now  stands  at  32  5. 

Mention  is  feelingly  made  of  the  decease  of  an  ardent 
member  of  the  Club,  Mr.  J.C.  Kearns,  and  who  before  his  death 
testified  of  his  interest  in  it  in  a  bequeathment  of  the  sum  of 
one  hundred  dollars.  In  memory  of  Mr.  Kearns  the  Council 
agreed  not  to  appropriate  this  sum  for  ordinary  expenditure, 
but  to  invest  it,  and  to  devote  the  interest  accruing  to  prizes 
to  members  of  the  Club  for  the  best  collections  of  natural  history 
objects  as  may  be  determined  upon. 

It  remains  to  be  said  that  leaders  of  the  respective  branches 
have  been  busily  engaged  in  their  several  lines  of  natural  history 
or  scientific  work. 

The  Treasurer  reports  a  balance  on  hand  of  thirteen  dollars 
and  seventy  cents   ($13.70.) 

Respectfully  submitted. 

ANDREW  HALKETT, 

Secretary. 


10                             The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [April 

TREASURER'S    STATEMENT    Hi  5- 16 

Receipts. 

Balance  from  1914-15 $  36.25 

Membership  Fees: 

Arrears $     81  00 

1915-16 186.00 

1916-17 : 11.00 

278.00 

Advertisements  in  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  .  .  .  88.50 

Authors'  Extras  sold 64.40 

Provincial  Government   Grant 200.00 

Donation,  Paul  A.  Cobbold,  Esq 1 .00 

Miscellaneous .90 

Copies  of  Ottawa  Naturalist  sold 12.30 

$681  35 

Disbursements. 
Printing   The    Ottawa    Naturalist,    3   Nos.  of 

Vol.  XXVIII.  and  9  Nos.  of  Vol.  XXIX $420.70 

Illustrations 19.10 

Authors'   Extras 8  7.60 

Miscellaneous  printing,  envelopes,  etc 24  69 

Postage,  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  to  members. .  34.40 

Editor 50.00 

Lectures  expenses 13.00 

Postage,  bank  exchange,  etc 18.16 

Cr.  Balance 13.70 


$681.35 
Audited  and  found  correct. 


J.  BALLANTYNE)    .     ,., 
E.C.WIGHT  S"Atldlt0rS 


G.  Le  LACHEUR, 

Treasurer. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  11 

THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  GREAT    PLAINS  OF  NORTH- 
WESTERN CANADA* 

D.  B.  Dowling. 

The  plains  of  Canada  form  but  a  portion  of  the  larger 
plains  of  the  continent,  which  occupy  a  large  part  of  the  interior 
and  are  divided  into  an  eastern  and  a  western  portion  by  a 
great  central  valley.  The  eastern  plains  which  extend  to  the 
St.  Lawrence  lowlands  are  forested  and,  therefore,  seldom  refer- 
red to  as  plains.  Westward,  the  rainfall  being  lighter,  there  is 
a  thinning  of  the  forests  and  there  are  more  open  areas.  These 
are  generally  referred  to  as  the  plains.  In  Canada  the  open 
prairie  of  the  plains  is  being  invaded  by  the  forests  from  the 
north,  so  that  a  division  can  be  ma  '  oi  treeless  plains,  plains 
with  scattered  trees,  and  forested  plains. 

The  first  requisite  in  a  definition  for  these  plains  would 
haps  be  a  nearly  level  surface,  supplemented    by  a  soil  covering, 
and  a  climate  admitting  of   the  pro  some  vegetation, 

for  the  absence  of  moisture  soon    produces   desert   conditions. 
The  formation  of  a  level  ee,   to    take  a  homely  exam; 

suggests  either  -planing  or  plastering.  The  planing  process  oi 
nature  is  a  slow  decay  of  the  old  surface  and  its  removal  by 
erosion.  The  surface  thus  planed  is  inclined  to  be  rockv.  a- 
as  it  is  losing  its  rock  waste,  the  soil  is  to  be  found  sparingly 
in  the  hollows  or  valleys.  In  plastering  the  nature  process 
consists  of  the  spreading  out,  generally  by  large  bodies  of  wa 
of  the  rock  waste  poured  in  by  the  streams.  This  produces  a 
more  perfectly  even  surface  outline  than  is  ever  produced  by 
the  planing  process,  but  our  surface  features  are  the  product 
of  both.  If  the  surface  were  a  part  of  a  perfectly  rigid  sphere,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  explain  the  presence  of  large  areas  con- 
taining the  rock  waste,  or  of  those  plains  built  up  by  the  spread- 
ing action  of  the  sea,  but  as  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  evidence 
showing  that  the  continent  has  not  been  stable  but  sank  in 
certain  areas,  rose  in  others,  and  repeated  the  sinking  and 
rising  several  times,  we  are  forced  to  believe  that  the  crust  is 
flexible,  and  that  its  equilibrium  is  influenced  by  tangential 
strains  or  the  shifting  of  load.  To  this  we  owe  the  submergence 
of  those  parts  which  received  a  coating  of  rock  waste  deposited 
by  the  sea.  Much  of  this  rock  waste  underlies  the  great  agri- 
cultural areas  or  plains,  so  that  we  may  say  that  the  flexibility 
of  the  crust  made  possible  the  peopling  of  the  earth  by  pro- 
viding soil  covered  areas  for  the  plant  growth  necessary 

♦Resume  of  lecture  before  the  O.F.X.C.,  March  21st,  1916. 


«C4> 


MBRAR 


12  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [April 

port  the   animal  life.     The   plains   of   North   America  bear  in 
their  underlying  rocks  records  of  long  invasions  of  the  sea,  and  ' 
these  form  a  part  of  the  history  of  a  continent  which  seems  to 
have  been  a  very  old  feature. 

Much  of  its  early  history  is  very  obscure,  but  we  know 
that  at  several  periods  the  ocean  encroached  and  almost  sub- 
merged the  continent.  The  maximum  submergence  was  pro- 
bably in  Ordovician  times,  when  much  of  the  limestone  de- 
posits of  the  continent  were  formed.  Later  the  seas  seamed 
to  have  been  shallower,  and  the  rocks  formed  by  the  debris 
entering  the  sea  were  of  a  fragmental  character,  and  became 
better  soil  makers.  The  plains  of  eastern  America  owe  most 
of  their  fertility  to  the  decay  of  these  rocks,  but  the  western 
plains,  now  called  the  Great  Plains,  received  still  further  treat- 
ment beneath  a  shallow  muddy  sea  which  covered  the  sand- 
stones and  limestones  of  the  former  plain  by  a  heavy  coating 
of  mud  now  hardened  to  shale.  Then  when  the  sea  invasion 
was  about  over,  the  great  mud  flats  supported  a  very  rich 
vegetation,  which  is  preserved  in  coal  seams.  The  later  addi- 
tions to  the  building  of  the  plains  consist  of  coarser  material, 
and  indicate  a  nearer  source  of  supply  which  means  an  eleva- 
tion of  the  land  underlying  and  adjoining  the  western  edge  of 
the  basin.  With  the  draining  away  of  the  salt  water  there  was 
an  additional  elevation  in  the  land  area  which  amounted  to 
mountain  building.  This  consisted  of  the  formation  of  folds  - 
as  a  partial  relief  from  the  tangential  strain,  but  as  the  move- 
men  continued,  probably  too  rapidly  for  the  material  to  follow 
without  fracture,  most  of  the  folds  became  broken. 

We  thus  find  as  a  typical  structure  in  the  Rocky  Mountains 
fault  blocks  piled  one  against  the  other  in  regular  succession, 
repeating  the  same  series  of  beds  many  times.  In  front  of  the 
broken  area,  or  to  the  east  of  it,  folds  and  breaks  of  less  in- 
tensity and  lower  elevation  occur  at  present,  and  towards  the 
east  the  decreasing  disturbance  in  the  rocks  show  very  clearly 
that  the  strain  was  from  the  west.  The  formation  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  is  about  coincident  with  the  elevation  of  the  plains, 
for  in  their  slow  rise  the  soft  rocks  forming  the  covering  of  the 
broken  folds  we  'e  washed  down  and  carried  across  the  plains 
by  the  streams  or  spread  out  in  lakes.  On  the  completion  of 
the  first  period  of  erosion,  after  the  appearance  of  the  outer 
mountains,  the  plains  p-esented  probably  a  rather  rough  rock- 
strewn  surface  on  the  higher  slopes.  The  removal  of  much  of 
this  debris  was  made  possible  only  by  a  further  elevation,  and 
with  a  steepening  of  the  slope  eastward  the  second  scoring 
began.     This  was  continued  until  from  the  surface  hundreds  of 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  13 

feet  were  removed.     The  cycle  of  denudation  was  not  completed, 
as  is  shown  by  fragments  of  the  first  surface  which  still  remain. 

The  coming  of  the  ice  sheet  of  the  glacial  period  is  thought 
to  have  altered  the  general  topography  but  little,  with  the 
exception  perhaps  of  a  smoothing  of  the  uneven  surface  or  a 
filling  up  of  sharply  cut  valleys.  The  period  during  which  the 
ice  was  wasting  or  melting  is  marked  by  many  drainage  chan- 
nels that  are  now  abandoned.  The  occupation  by  the  glacier 
of  the  valleys  of  the  principal  streams  which  have  a  north- 
eastward trend,  caused  no  doubt  a  damming  up  of  the  water 
which,  together  with  that  from  the  melting  ice,  overflowed  along 
the  ice  front  and  sought  channels  that  were  almost  at  right 
angles  to  the  original  channel.  Many  of  these  are  still  used 
as  part  of  the  present  river  courses,  but  in  the  southern  portion 
of  the  Canadian  plains  there  are  many  of  these  glacially-induced 
channels  that  are  now  abandoned,  and  have  apparently  no 
other  reason  for  their  existence.  The  Saskatchewan  drainage 
was  diverted  to  the  Missouri  for  a  short  period  while  its  former 
valley  through  the  Coteau  was  blocked  by  ice.  The  diversion 
filled  lakes  Chaplin  and  Johnston  and  proceeded  south,  scouring 
out  the  valley  now  occupied  by  Lake  of  the  Rivers,  Willow- 
bunch  and  Big  Muddy  lakes.  A  little  later -the  outlet  was 
shifted  to  east  of  the  Coteau,  and  the  Regina  plain  was  a  lake 
basin  drained  by  the  Souris  river  probably  to  the  Red  River 
valley.  This  lake  was  lowered  by  the  retreat  of  the  ice  to  a 
position  farther  north,  and  a  new  channel  was  again  adopted. 
This  was  deeply  cut  by  the  flowing  stream,  and  is  now  used  by 
the  Qu'Appelle  and  Assiniboine  rivers,  which  have  but  a  small 
flow  at  present. 

The  melting  of  the  ice  in  the  lowlands  of  the  Red  River 
valley  created  a  lake  along  its  front  that  was  not  as  readily 
drained  as  was  the  case  in  the  retreat  of  the  ice  cap  across  the 
prairies.  In  the  Red  River  valley  there  seemed  no  outlet,  and 
the  basin  filled  until  it  spilled  over  its  lowest  point,  far  south 
in  Minnesota  at  Lake  Traverse.  The  removal  or  melting  of 
a  vast  mass  of  ice  in  the  north  seems  to  have  resulted  in  a  slight 
elevation  of  the  crust  that  had  been  depressed  by  the  weight  of 
the  ice.  This  recovery,  which  means  an  actual  tipping  of  the 
lake  basin,  lowered  the  lake  by  spilling  its  water  to  the  south, 
and  as  the  lake  at  its  several  stages  formed  beaches,  the  levels 
of  these  give  us  the  amount  of  tilt  that  occurred  between  their 
dates  of  formation.  This  outlet  was  abandoned  when  the  lake 
secured  a  lower  northern  outlet.  The  greatest  depth  of  water 
over  the  site  of  the  city  of  Winnipeg  was  about  560  feet. 

The  benefit  of  this  old  lake  to  the  agricultural  value  of 
the  Red  River  valley  can  hardlv  be  measured.      Over  the  sur- 


14  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [April 

face  of  the  boulder  clay,  which  covered  the  limestone  outcrops, 
the  waters  of  the  lake  spread  a  thick  coating  of  the  finely- 
ground  shale  that  was  excavated  in  the  digging  of  the  several 
large  valleys  that  cut  through  the  plateau  to  the  west.  This 
deposit,  in  lessening  amount  and  thickness,  is  found  over  the 
lake  basin  area  north  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  and  underlies 
the  plains  around  Dauphin,  Swan  and  Red  Deer  lakes. 

On  account  of  the  soft  nature  of  the  rocks  the  stream 
valleys  are  deeply  incised,  which  adds  to  the  difficulty  of  using 
this  passing  water  on  the  upland  where  it  is  often  needed,  since 
the  rainfall  is  barely  sufficient  during  some  seasons  to  make  up 
for  the  evaporation.  Were  these  rivers  nearer  the  surface  the 
question  of  diversion  would  be  simple,  but  long  and  expensive 
canals  are  required.  The  surface  is  generally  treeless  owing 
to  the  light  rainfall.  Tree  planting  is  proceeding  rapidly 
and  is  quite  noticeable  in  Manitoba,  where  the  bare  prairie  is 
rapidly  disappearing.  This,  if  it  does  not  induce  a  much 
greater  rainfall,  retards  the  evaporation  of  the  ground  moisture. 

As  a  short  summary,  we  may  repeat  that  the  basin  which 
received  the  muddy  deposits  of  Cretaceous  time  has  had  a  varied 
history.  The  rocks  of  the  western  margin  were  elevated  and 
broken  into  long  narrow  blocks,  which  are  piled  up  in  succes- 
sion to  form  the  Rocky  Mountains.  A  second  strip  was  strongly 
folded  but  not  elevated  as  high  as  the  mountains  and  con- 
stitutes the  foothills.  A  third  strip  formed  a  ridge  in  advance 
of  the  folded  foothills  and  now  shows  a  simple  synclinal  struc- 
ture, while  the  remainder,  less  disturbed  but  slo'oping  generally 
to  the  east,  forms  the  Great  Plains  of  the  northwest  provinces. 


SPRING    ENCURSIONS,   1916. 


May    6 — Rockcliffe  to  "McKay's  Lak?  and  vicinity — Geolo- 
gical excursion. 

May  13 — Cache     Bay,    west    o~     Hull — General    Zoological 
excursion. 

May  2  7 — Ferry  Lake  and  vicinity — The  study   oc   Botany 

to  be  given  special  attention. 
June  10 — Aylmer  Park    and    vicinity — General    Zoological 

excursion. 

June  17 — Experimental     Farm — Attention     to     be    given 
chiefly  to  practical  Botany  and  Horticulture. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 

THE  MAGPIE  IN  WESTERN  ONTARIO. 


The  magpie  has  long  been  recognized  as  an  erratic  straggler, 
but  it  has  not  happened  to  strike  the  eye  of  any  observer  in  the 
Western  Peninsula  of  Ontario  of  late  years;  but  on  March  31st, 
at  3.30  p.m.,  one  flew  over  the  farm  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Miner,  at  Kings- 
ville.  He  and  his  son  were  out,  probably  looking  at  the  geese, 
of  which  there  were  at  that  time  between  five  hundred  and  one 
thousand  visiting  him,  and  they  noticed  a  bird  crossing  the 
farm  to  the  north  of  them,  and  took  it  for  a  blue  jay,  but  the 
tail  was  so  long  that  they  examined  it  with  a  field  glass  and 
found  that  the  wings  had  white  patches  on  them,  and  "the  tail 
was  as  long  as  the  body  and  dark."  The  flight  was  much  like 
that  of  a  blue  jay. 

Such  a  definite  description  from  two  good  observers  like 
Mr.  Miner  and  his  son  should  make  a  valid  record  of  the  occur- 
ence of  this  species. — W.    E.  Saunoers. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

The   Editor,  Ottawa  Naturalist: — 

I  should  like  to  know,  through  the  Ottawa  Naturalist, 
the  largest  beaver  ever  caught,  and  the  largest  specimen  in  any 
museum.  I  am  at  present  having  one  mounted  which  weighed 
70  pounds.  This  was  captured  by  Mr.  Dan  Patton,  Midnapore, 
Aha.  Mr.  Thompson-Seton  mentions  one  of  68  pounds  in  his 
"Northern  Animals." 

N.   B.  SANSON, 
Curator,  Govt.  Museum,  Banff,  Alta. 


UNUSUAL  BIRD  RECORDS  AT  MONTREAL  DURING 
THE  FALL  AND  WINTER  OF  1915-1916.    . 


Larus  marinus,  Black-backed  Gull. — Nov.  3,  I  sawT  a 
female  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Dumouchel,  taxidermist.  He 
informed  me  that  this  was  shot  at  Cedars  Rapids  (near  Mont- 
real) on  Oct.  31. 

Larus  Philadelphia,  Bonapartes  Gull. — Nov.  1,  I  saw  one 
at  Dumouchel's   shop,  shot  near  Montreal  on  Oct.  28. 

Branta  canadensis  canadensis,  Canada  Goose. — On  the 
night  of  Jan.  21,  a  flock  flew7  over  St.  Lambert  (opposite  Mont- 
real) in  a  south-westerly  direction,  and  were  heard  honking  for 


16  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [April 

several  minutes.  Geese  were  again  heard  a  few  nights  later, 
although  no  record  of  the  exact  date  was  kept. 

Buteo  borealis  borealis,  Red-tailed  Hawk. — On  Oct.  28  I  saw 
an  adult  male  at  Dumouchel's,  shot  near  Montreal  on  Oct.  24. 

Astur  atricapillus  atricapillus,  Goshawk. — On  Oct.  31  I  saw 
one  in  flight;  also  on  Nov.  3,  I  examined  an  adult  male,  shot 
on  the  Island  on  Nov.  1,  in  the  act  of  devouring  a  domestic  fowl. 

Cryptoglaux  funerea  richardsoni,  Richardson's  Owl. — Nov. 
21,  I  secured  an  adult  male. 

Hesperiphona  vespertina  vespertina,  Evening  Grosbeak. — - 
Feb.  1,  I  saw  two  adult  males,  shot  on  the  Island  at  Pointe  aux 
Trembles  on  Jan.  30.  On  Feb.  18,  I  saw  one  adult  male  and 
three  females  or  immature  birds  feeding  on  seeds  of  shade  ash 
trees  at  St.  Lambert.  Again,  on  Feb.  24  two  flocks,  consist- 
ing of  twenty-four  birds,  were  feeding  on  ash  seeds  in  the  same 
locality.  Of  these,  five  were  bright-coloured  males.  This  species 
is  still  with  us  in  considerable  numbers  at  the  present  date 
(Feb.  28).  The  seeds  of  several  Mountain  Ash  trees  in  the 
vicinity  have  been  quite  ignored. 

Junco  hyemalis  hyemalis,  Slate-coloured  Junco. — On  Jan. 
23,  I  saw  one  with  a  flock  of  Chickadees. 

Bombycilla  garnula,  Bohemian  Waxwing. — Jan.  21,  I  saw 
three  freshly-mounted  birds  at  Dumouchel's.  These  were  secur- 
ed near  Montreal  on  Jan  13.  On  Feb.  9  I  heard  the  burr-like 
song  of  this  species  at  St.  Lambert,  but  failed  to  see  the  singer. 
Feb.  14,  while  passing  the  same  place,  I  again  heard  the  notes, 
and  discovered  an  individual  of  this  species  in  a  maple  tree, 
and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  rufous  under-tail  coverts. 

Of  the  above-mentioned  species  the  Red-tailed  and  Gos- 
hawk are  perhaps  not  rare  here,  but  my  records  are  so  few  that 
I  always  consider  them  worthy  of  note.  I  have  never  before 
observed  either  the  Canada  Goose  or  the  Slate-coloured  Junco 
during  the  months  of  Januarv  or  February,  and  their  occur- 
rence was  probably  due  to  exceptional  mild  weather,  with  a 
steady  south  wind  preceding  their  arrival. 

There  has  been  a  remarkable  absence  of  several  of  our 
most  common  winter  visitors,  notably  Pine  Grosbeak  and  Red- 
poll, due  possibly  to  the  open  weather.  On  the  other  hand, 
Chickadees  and  Red-breasted  Nuthatches  have  been  more  com- 
mon than  usual.  Snow-birds  are  scarce,  and  only  seen  in  small 
companies.  During  the  fall  and  early  winter  I  was  struck  by 
the  unusual  abundance  of  Hawk  Owls  to  be  seen  in  taxidermist 
shops.  These  were  mainly  shot  by  hunters  in  the  Laurentian 
district. 

L.  Mel.  Terrill,  St.  Lambert,  Que. 


y^us^^ 


*• 


THE  OTTAWA   NATURALIST 


VOL.  XXX.  OTTAWA,  MAY,   1916  No.  2 


THE  USE  OF  WILD  PLANTS  AS  FOOD  BY  INDIANS. 


By  Tom  Wilson,  Vancouver,  B.C. 


Previous  to  the  advent  of  the  Christian  Missionaries,  the 
Indians  of  British  Columbia  did  no  cultivation,  as  such.  They 
depended  for  their  vegetable  food  on  certain  kinds  of  roots, 
shoots,  leaves  and  berries  which  grew  in  their  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood, or  which  they  might  come  across  in  their  wanderings. 

The  coast  Indians  were  fishermen  and  lived  mostly  in  vil- 
lages, but  were  partly  nomadic  as  the  seasons  changed.  The 
interior  Indians  were  wholly  so,  and  lived  by  hunting  and 
trapping.  Their  methods  of  preparing  vegetable  stores  varied 
with  the  locality  and  its  climate.  Fruits,  such  as  , saskatoon, 
salmon  bsrry,  etc.,  among  the  coast  Indians  were  beaten  to  a 
p-alp.  partially  fermented,  then  mixed  with  fish  or  bear's  grease, 
and  so  kept,  while  in  the  dry  or  arid  part- of  the  country  sun 
drying  or  evaporation  was  the  method.  This  was  prevalent 
among  the  Indians  of  the  Lillooet,  Shuswap,  Okanagan  and 
Similkameen  countries,  and  to  a  limited  extent  among  the 
Kootenays. 

Commencing  with  the  Service  Berry,  Amelanchier  florida 
Lindl.  and  A.  Cusickii  Fern,  Saskatoon,  Stcokim,  Sheea,  or 
whatever  happens  to  be  the  local  tribe  name,  it  is  certainly 
the  most  important  berry  in  their  estimation.  It  grows  plenti- 
fully in  different  parts  of  the  province,  extending  up  the  coast 
as  far  as  Alaska,  and  even  into  the  interior  and  away  beyond 
the  confines  of  British  Columbia.  On  the  coast,  the  berry  was 
pulped  and  mixed  with  oolachan  grease,  then  pounded  and 
moulded  into  cakes.  This  practice  was  carried  on  by  the 
Tsimtsians,  Tclinkets  and  other  coast  tribes.  In  the  dry  belt 
the  berries  were  simply  sundried. 

The  Soap-oolalie,  Shepherdia  canadensis  L.,  was  partially 
cooked  by  spreading  on  layers  of  damp  grass  after  pulping  and 
allowing  it  to  steam  over  hot  stones.  The  fruit  was  bitter, 
though  not  unpleasantly  so.  It  was  highly  prized  among  the 
Indians,  and  an  extensive  trade  existed  between  the  people 
of  the  Thompson  River  and  those  of  the  coast,  where  it  grows 


18  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

very  sparingly.  It  evaporates  easily,  and  when  for  any  reason 
the  people  were  rushed,  the  berries  were  sun  dried,  and  in  this 
condition  they  kept  very  well.  When  wanted  for  use  a  quan- 
tity was  put  in  a  vessel  and  covered  with  warm  water  for  some 
time;  after  softening  it  was  beaten  with  an  instrument  like  an 
egg  beater,  when  it  foamed  up  like  soap  suds  (hence  the  name), 
or  like  pink  ice  cream.  This  would  be  flavoured  with  some 
fruit  juice  and  eaten  with  a  spoon.  In  other  cases  the  berries 
were  allowed  to  ferment,  and  a  highly  intoxicating  liquor  was 
the  result,  but  the  effect  was  not  nearly  so  lasting  or  so  injurious 
as  bad  whiskey. 

The  fruit  of  the  choke  cherry,  Prunus  demissa  (Nutt.), 
Dietr.,  Zotku,  according  to  the  Thompson  Indians,  was  gathered 
by  the  interior  Indians,  but  this  fruit  is  not  known  by  the  coast 
Indians,  as  the  tree  is  not  found  within  80  or  90  miles  of  the 
coast.     The  berries  were  usually  dried  for  winter  use. 

The  Black  Cap,  Rubus  leucodermis  Dougl.,  grows  luxuriantly 
and  bears  a  heavy  crop,  which  is  easily  picked.  This  fruit  lends 
itself  well  to  evaporation. 

The  Salmon  Berry,  Rubus  spectabilis  Pursh.,  is  by  far  the 
most  handsome  of  this  genus.  It  grows  luxuriantly  all  along 
the  coast,  and  to  a  distance  inland  of  about  80  miles.  The 
fruit  is  large,  sometimes  of  a  deep  crimson  colour  when  ripe,  at 
other  times  of  an  amber  colour.  As  it  is  largely  composed  of 
water  it  will  not  dry  up  and  is  apt  to  rot.  The  Indians  were 
in  the  habit  of  mixing  the  berries  with  bear's  grease  and  boiling 
them,  and  so  making  a  kind  of  jam. 

The  "  Salal,"  Gaultkeria  shallon  Pursh.,  which  grows  abund- 
antly on  Vancouver  Island,  and  also  on  the  coast  of  the  mainland, 
some  places  forming  an  impenetrable  jungle,  bears  heavy  crops  of  a 
very  wholesome  berry,  which  was  picked  in  large  quantities 
by  some  tribes.  With  other  tribes  the  berry  was  not  a  favorite. 
If  the  weather  was  favourable  attempts  were  made  to  evaporate 
the  fruit,  otherwise  the  berries  were  cooked  with  grease. 

The  common  wild  crab  apple  was  gathered  to  a  limited 
extent  by  some  of  our  Indians. 

In  the  foregoing  remarks  mention  has  only  been  made  of 
some  of  the  fruits  gathered  and  eaten  by  our  Indians.  In  addi- 
tion there  is  a  long  list  of  roots  which  were  gathered  and  stored 
for  food. 

On  the  south-east  end  of  Vancouver  the  favourite  bulb, 
"La  camas,"  Camas sia  esculenta  Lindl.,  as  well  as  several  of 
the  wild  onions,  are  still  largely  gathered,  and  form  an  im- 
portant item  of  vegetable  diet.  In  Lillooet,  also,  the  wild  onion 
is  gathered;  in  fact,  the  name  Lillooet  means  "wild  onion." 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  19 

Among  other  bulbs  and  roots  I  may  mention:  Lilium  par- 
viflorum  (Hook.)  Holz,  "Makaoeza,"  in  the  Thompson  lan- 
guage, and  ''Skamiz,"  Erythronium  grandiflorum  Pursh.; 
"Spitlum,"  Lewisia  rediviva  Pursh.,  or  Bitter  Root;  all  were 
eagerly  sought  for.  The  latter,  which  is  extremely  nourishing, 
was  eaten  either  fresh  as  it  was  dug,  or  threaded  on  a  piece  of 
string  and  dried,  very  much  as  apples  were  in  Canada  in  olden 
times. 

One  root  known  by  the  name  of  "potato''  was  frequently 
collected.  This  was  the  corm  or  root-stock  of  Clayionia  lance- 
olata  Pursh.  "These  roots  vary  in  size  from  that  of  an  ordinary 
marble  to  that  of  an  egg.  They  are  very  rich  in  starch,  and 
contain  a  good  deal  of  nourishment.  This  plant  furnished 
the  principal  root  crop.  Certain  families  looked  on  certain 
pieces  of  ground  as  their  own- potatoeilihie  (potato  ground),  and 
I  Know  an  Indian  to-day  whose  sole  title  to  his  land  is  owing 
to  the  fact  that  his  mother,  grandmother  and  other  genera- 
tions had  been  in  the  habit  of  digging  "potatoes"  on  that 
patch.  The  "potatoes"  are  all  gone  now,  but  some  of  the 
land  is  growing  wheat,  and  part  is  in  orchard. 

Bracken  roots  were  occasionally  boiled  and  eaten,  but  only 
in  extreme  cases,  though  a  fairly  nutritive  food  could  be  made 
even  out  of  that  unpromising  article.  Fungi  of  different  kinds 
were  also  eaten,  sometimes  raw;  very  often  they  were  sundried 
for  winter  use. 

I  come  now  to  one  of  the  strangest-looking  materials  for 
food  purposes,  namely,  the  lichens  of  the  dry  belt,  which  hang 
like  old  men's  beards  from  all  the  coniferous  trees,  Alectoria 
jithata  L.  The  process  of  preparation  was  something  like  this: 
A  large  pit  was  dug  in  the  ground  and  the  inside  made  as  smooth 
as  possible.  A  fire  was  then  built  inside,  and  the  pit  thoroughly 
heated.  The  ashes  were  then  thrown  out  and  the  pit  received 
a  lining  of  damp  grass,  on  which  was  laid  a  layer  of  "moss," 
(lichen).  Another  layer  of  damp  grass,  then  more  lichen,  and 
so  on  till  the  pit  was  full.  It  was  then  topped  off  by  more 
grass,  and  .hot  stones  were  laid  around  and  over  the  whole 
mass,  and  it  was  kept  as  hot  as  possible  for  a  day  or  more,  when 
it  was  then  supposed  to  be  cooked.  If  not  well  prepared  it 
was  apt  to  mildew,  but  I  have  eaten  it  a  month  after  cooking 
and  it  was  quite  good. 

Among  the  Indians  of  the  interior  the  most  important,  I 
may  say  the  only  plant  used  for  cordage  purposes,  was  Spatsum, 
Apocynum  cannabinum  L.  The  fibre  was  treated  very  much 
the  same  as  hemp,  and  from  it  was  made  fairly  thick  rope  and 
the  finest  thread.  This  was  usully  spun  by  the  women,  between 
the  palm  of  the  hand  and  the  naked  thigh. 


20  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

What  would  the  coast  Indian  be  without  the  Cedar?  Liter- 
ally lost.  Out  of  the  mighty  logs  he  chipped,  hewed  and  burnt 
his  great  war  canoe,  often  sixty  feet  long,  and  in  which  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  brave  the  wild  waters  of  the  Pacific,  when  he 
went  off  on  a  foray  on  some  of  the  other  weaker  or  less  prepared 
tribes,  after  which  he  brought  back  the  spoil,  and  sometimes 
captives,  to  the  great  potlatch  house,  sometimes  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  long  by  fifty  feet  wide,  all  built  of  cedar — even 
the  great  totem  pole  that  stood  in  front,  telling  maybe  of 
the  owner's  pedigree,  or  perhaps  the  story  of  some  adventure 
that  he  had  had.  And  then  the  dance,  which  would  be  sure 
to  succeed  the  successful  foray.  Why,  the  dancers  themselves 
were  ornamented  with  ceremonial  masks  of  grotesquedooking 
animals,  and  these  again  had  been  cut  out  of  cedar  wood,  while 
the  clothes  they  wore  were  for  the  most  part  made  from  the 
inner  bark  of  the  tree.  And  while  the  dance  was  going  on  an 
old  crone  might  be  seen  spinning  a  fishing  line  from  the  same 
material.     A  great  tree  the  cedar.  Thuja  plicata,  Donn. 

Three  different  plants  were  smoked  before  the  Indians  had 
access  to  T.  &  B.  or  Old  Chum.  Among  the  Kootenays  the  inner 
bark  of  the  Red  Willow,  Cornus  stolonijera  Michx.,  was  used 
sparingly,  and  very  probably  the  custom  was  borrowed  from 
the  Indians  of  the  plains  when  they  went  through  the  passes 
to  hunt  the  buffalo. 

The  leaves  of  the  Arciostaphyios  uva  ursi  (L.)  Sprengel,  were 
smoked  under  the  name  kinnikinnick ;  the  name  certainly  was 
borrowed  from  the  east. 

The  third  plant  was  a  veritable  tobacco — albeit  of  poor 
quality,  Nicotiana  attenuata  Torr.  This  was  gathered  in  bundles 
and  dried,  and  so  smoked;  it  mu-t  have  been  very  hot  smoking. 

Of  the  medicinal  plants  I  shall  only  mention  one,  and  not 
attempt  to  write  the  name  that  the  Squamish  Indians  call 
it.  It  is  difficult  enough  to  pronounce.  The  plant  I  refer  to 
is  "Cascara,"  Rhamnus  Purshiana  DC  The  bark  of  this  tree 
has  been  known  to  the  Indians  for  ages  as  a  medicine,  and  from 
the  Indians  it  was  adopted  by  the  old  miners  and  prospectors. 
No  "old  man  of  the  mountains"  would  think  of  being  without 
a  bottle  of  the  decoction  made-f^om  barberry  bark  and  Oregon 
grape  when  far  from  a  drug  store.  It  is  less  than  thirty  years 
since  Cascara  became  such  a  popular  medicine  among  the 
whites.  Usually  a  clump  of  Rhamnus  may  be  noticed  near  an 
Indian  village.  It  will  be  seen  that  though  strips  of  bark  have 
been  removed  that  they  have  been  taken  vertically,  and  the 
tree  is  never  entirely  girdled,  but  is  treated,  in  a  crude  way, 
very  much  the  same  as  the  Cinchona  is  treated  in  Ceylon  and 
Java.     And  yet  the  trees  grow  vigorously. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  21 

There  is  an  old  saying  that  "he  who  takes  what  is  to  hand 
will  never  want."  This  was  true  of  the  Indians  before  the 
white  man  came  among  them.  They  always  had  enough  to 
eat,  such  as  it  was.  Now  they  sometimes  suffer  from  hunger. 
Once  they  had  the  whole  country  to  roam  over,  to  hunt,  fish, 
pick  berries  and  gather  roots.  Now  the  area  is  circumscribed, 
and  the  habits  of  a  people  cannot  be  changed  in  one  or  two 
generations.  An  Indian  friend  of  mine  made  this  remark: 
"I'm  afraid  we  are  trying  to  be  white  men  too  rapidly." 

The  list  of  plants  given  above  is  not  by  any  means  com- 
plete, but  enough  has  been  given  to  show  that  the  "poor 
Siwash  "  took  what  was  at  hand. 


SOME  NOTES  ON   FOSSIL  COLLECTING,  AND    ON  THE 

EDRIOSATEROIDEA. 


By  George  H.  Hudson. 


The  timely  and  valuable  paper  by  Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle  on 
"Fossil  Collecting,"  which  appeared  in  The  Ottawa  Natura- 
list for  January,  1916,  has  led  me  to  present  certain  notes  and 
problems  belonging  to  the  same  subject. 

We  may  group  the  history  of  fossil  collecting  into  three 
overlapping  periods  or  stages.  At  first  specimens  were  saved 
out  of  simple  curiosity,  and  in  the  "cabinet"  they  found  them- 
selves associated  with  minerals,  archaeological  specimens  and 
objects  of  recent  historic  interest.  In  this  stage  only  the  more 
showy  or  curious  forms  were  preserved,  and  a  trilobite  might 
find  a  setting  within  the  coil  of  a  hangman's  rope. 

In  the  second  stage  the  principle  focus  of  interest  was  also 
the  "cabinet,"  but  this  reflected  more  of  the  developing  indivi- 
duality or  intellectual  advancement  of  the  collector,  in  that  it 
showed  a  more  restricted  field  and  a  devotion  to  its  amplifi- 
cation. Certain  persons  limited  themselves  to  fossils  only,  and 
came  to  value  their  collection  by  the  number  of  markedly  dis- 
tinct species  presented,  and  by  the  perfection  of  the  specimens. 
Duplicates  were  saved  principally  for  purposes  of  exchange,  and 
closely  allied  species  or  varieties  were  rejected  as  not  being 
typical.  The  idea  of  the  fixity  of  species  was  responsible  for 
this  attitude.  This  stage  was  of  the  same  type  as  that  displayed 
in  coin  or  postage-stamp  collecting,  save  that  it  was  less  dis- 
criminating ;  for  in  the  latter  groups  an  exceedingly  slight  change 
in  die  or  plate  often  enhanced  the  value  of  the  specimen.     As 


22  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

the  principle  interest  shown  by  second-stage  fossil  collectors 
was  a  "stock-taking"  of  ancient  life,  we  might  call  this  the  in- 
ventory stage.  This  "inventory,"  however,  necessitated  the 
giving  of  names,  the  description  of  types,  and  the  classification 
of  the  whole — it  was  in  consequence  a  "systematic"  stage. 

The  third  stage  we  may  call  the  problem  stage,  and  here, 
for  the  first  time,  we  meet  with  collectors  whose  purpose  is  the 
development  and  illustration  of  biologic  laws  and  the  modern 
concept  of  organic  evolution.  The  material  collected  must 
throw  light  on  derivation;  on  distribution  in  space  and  time; 
on  the  effect  of  comparatively  fixed  or  changing  environments; 
and  on  the  advancement  or  ultimate  failure  of  the  groups  under 
investigation.  To  solve  these  and  other  biologic  problems,  the 
student  must  acquire  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  ancient 
structure  and  function,  and  this  can  only  be  acquired  through 
material  capable  of  illustrating  minute  anatomical  detail — both 
external  and  internal.  Specimens  are  now  saved,  not  so  much 
for  their  individual  completeness,  as  for  their  evidence  concern- 
ing-details  of  structure.  A  display  series  representing  this  stage 
is  rarely  to  be  seen  outside  of  our  larger  museums. 

The  first  stage  is  frequently  represented  to-day  by  the  con- 
tents of  a  boy's  pocket;  the  second  stage  by  the.  amateur  collec- 
tion of  fossils;  and  the  third  stage  by  the  mass  of  fragments  and 
sections  found  in  the  paleobiologist's  work-shop.  The  first  stage 
is  of  little  educational  value  to  the  average  adult.  The  second 
stage,  however,  is  of  great  value  to  the  general  public  (where  it 
has  access  to  such  collections) ;  to  the  student  of  geology,  for 
by  its  means  he  comes  to  recognize  forms  that  enable  him  to 
identify  strata  of  the  earth's  crust;  and  to  the  student  who  de- 
sires to  enter  the  field  of  paleontology,  or  to  become  acquainted 
in  a  general  way  with  the  past  evolution  of  life.  The  third 
stage  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  world's  progress  in  more 
ways  than  we  have  room  to  enumerate,  and  in  ways  yet  unknown 
to  the  searchers  themselves. 

We  should  recognize  the  fact  that  collectors  in  their  indivi- 
dual development  usually  recapitulate  these  historic  stages, 
and  that  a  collector  may  become  arrested  in  his  development 
during  the  first  or  second  stages.  He  may  branch  out  at  one 
of  these  levels  and  become  a  "new  species,"  but  as  his  work  is 
usually  typical  of  a  stage,  we  shall  find  it  convenient  to  speak 
of  him  as  a  collector  of  the  first,  second  or  third  types. 

The  work  of  collectors  of  the  first  and  second  types  is,  in 
needless  ways,  antagonistic  to  the  work  of  those  of  the  third 
type.  For  instance,  the  inexperienced  collector  makes  a  sur- 
face find,  and  with  chisel  and  hammer  proceeds  to  secure  his 
specimen.     He  begins  with  great  care  to  cut  a  groove  around 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  23 

it  to  enable  him  to  preserve  it  on  a  rectangular  block,  which 
will  display  well  in  his  cabinet.  Before  he  has  completed  his 
work  a  fissure  develops  which  cuts  across  the  specimen  and  re- 
moves perhaps  a  third  of  it.  To  his  mind  this  specimen  is 
spoiled.  He  throws  away  the  separated  fragment,  and  dis- 
appointedly leaves  his  find  in  order  to  search  for  another.  I 
cannot  but  contrast  this  procedure  with  that  of  a  collector  I 
well  remember.  In  breaking  off  a  part  of  a  ledge  some  portions 
of  a  rare  trilobite  were  discovered.  Before  attempting  to  re- 
move the  rest  of  the  specimen  this  collector  first  secured  all 
fallen  fragments  which  preserved  any  portion  of  it,  and  fastened 
them  to  the  removed  piece  with  a  little  glue.  The  portion  still 
remaining  in  the  cliff  edge  was  next  secured  and  the  whole  care- 
fully wrapped  in  paper  and  tied  together.  I  recall  an  instance 
in  which  a  specimen,  after  being  freed  from  its  matrix  in  the 
workshop,  showed  the  loss  of  a  portion  of  a  remarkably  long 
caudal  spine.  In  the  following  year  the  original  collector  made 
a  long  journey  back  to  the  quarry,  found  the  place  from  which 
the  specimen  was  taken,  and  secured  the  rest  of  the  imbedded 
spine. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  destructive  work  of  the  amateur, 
because  he  otitnumbers  the  experienced  collector  ten  to  one, 
and  not  only  destroys  much  valuable  matter  in  the  field,  but 
oftimes  loses  his  interest  in  his  own  collection,  and  allows  it 
finally  to  go  the  way  of  all  waste.  Particularly  is  "this  true  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  certain  boys'  summer  camps,  where 
"nature  study"  leads  them  afield  with  their  "councillors,"  and 
where  indiscriminate  collecting  is  encouraged."  The  damage  in- 
flicted by  the  amateur  is  wholly  unintentional,  and  the  more 
experienced  worker  has  but  to  take  an  interest  in  the  younger 
collectors  to  make  them  very  helpful  allies. 

The  amateur  is  not  the  only  person  who  injures  the  field 
in  which  he  operates.  Many  experienced  collectors  of  the 
"second  type"  still  have  the  dominant  idea  that  well-nigh  per- 
fect specimens  are  alone  worth  saving.  This,  to  my  knowledge, 
has  led  some  of  them  to  crush  with  the  hammer  certain  finds 
that  they  had  stopped  to  examine  and  found  defective.  This 
impulse  to  destroy  in  the  field  may  arise  from  disappointment, 
or  from  the  desire  to  avoid  being  misled  at  a  subsequent  visit. 

To  the  above  loss  we  must  add  that  which  often  occurs  when 
the  "cabinet'  '  is  re-arranged  and  many  specimens  thrown 
away.  Because  of  the  great  difference  in  point  of  view  between 
collectors  of  the  second  and  third  types,  this  loss  may  be  a 
serious  one. 

.         Some  will  doubtless  think  the  picture  overdrawn.     To  their 
minds  the  supply  of  fossil  forms  is  practically  inexhaustable. 


24  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

We  may  grant  this  so  far  as  very  common  species  are  concerned, 
and  for  most  specimens  taken  from  below  the  present  rock  sur- 
face. There  are  two  fields,  however,  in  which  the  loss  is  not 
only  real  but  at  the  same  time  serious.  I  refer  here  to  weathered 
surface  material  and  to  rarer  species  whose  structure  is  not 
fully  known. 

Well  weathered  material  may  in  a  single  specimen  reveal 
many  minute  details,  both  of  outer  surface  and  interior.  If 
the  nearly  complete  form  is  preserved,  such  a  specimen  may  be 
saved,  and  finally  yield  new  truths  to  some  paleobiologist. 
On  the  other  hand  any  great  loss  of  surface  or  of  other  portions 
of  the  whole  may  make  the  specimen  one  of  little  or  no  value  to  a 
collector  of  the  second  type,  yet  the  fragment  might  show  de- 
tails of  inestimable  value  to  the  collector  of  the  third  type.  We 
must  elaborate  these  statements  somewhat  in  order  to  get  a 
clearer  idea  of  their  import. 

A  complete  specimen  may  do  no  more  than  add  a  new  species 
to  our  ever  growing  lists,  while  a  well  weathered  fragment  may 
add  largely  to  our  knowledge  of  the  structure  and  function  of  a 
whole  order.  For  example,  the  type  of  Blastoidocrinus  car- 
charidens  Billings,  shows  less  than  half  of  a  complete  specimen, 
but  it  reveals  the  character  of  its  food-grooves;  cover-plates; 
floor-plates ;  the  drainage  tubes  situated  between  the  outer  ends 
of  the  latter  and  leading  into  the  hydrospires;  the  outer  sur- 
faces of  the  hydrospire  folds ;  the  exceeding  thinness  of  the  latter, 
fitting  the  organ  to  perform  the  function  of  respiration ;  the  fine 
corrugations  on  their  inner  surfaces,  giving  strength"  with  ex- 
treme lightness;  the  external  openings  or  discharge  pores,  show- 
ing the  direction  of  flow  to  be  downward  (cataspires),  and  not 
upward  (anaspires)  as  in  the  blastoidea;  and  the  true  basals. 
(See  N.  Y.  State  Museum  Bulletin  149,  plates  I-IV.)  Not  one 
of  these  things  was  to  be  seen  in  the  well-nigh  perfect  specimen 
collected  by  E.  M.  Hudson  on  Valcour  Island,  until  it  was  sec- 
tioned, and  even  then  the  details  shown  were  neither  so  numerous 
nor  so  complete  as  in  the  holotype,  and  in  other  still  smaller 
fragments.  (N.Y.  State  Museum  Bulletin  107,  plates  1-4).  The 
holotype  also  demonstrates  the  absence  of  a  lancet  plate,  and 
is  itself  clearly  an  example  of  a  new  order  of  Echinoderms,  the 
Parablastoidea  (last  reference,  page  119). 

Let  me  refer  to  another  specimen  less  than  "  half  there." 
This  is  the  type  of  Protopalaeaster  narrawayi,  papers  on 
which  appeared  in  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  in  May,  June, 
July  and  December,  1912,  and  October,  1913.  In  addition 
to  these  papers  the  species  was  figured  in  N.Y.  State  Museum 
Bulletin  164;  bv  W.  K.  Spencer,  in  part  I  of  his  "Monograph 
of  the  Paleozoic  Asteroidea,"   1914;    and  further  shown  by    a 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  25 

fine  plate  in  Schuchert's  "Revision  of  Paleozoic  Stelleroidea," 
U.S.  National  Museum,  1915.  Schuchert's  additional  material 
indicates  that  the  type  specimen  had  lost  practically  its  entire 
apical  skeleton.  It,  however,  reveals  structures  not  yet  seen 
in  any  fossil  sea-star  ever  collected  before.  This  rare  find  of 
Mr.  J.  E.  Narraway  at  City  View  should  prove  of  interest  to  the 
readers  of  this  magazine,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  other  frag- 
ments of  this  species  will  be  found,  as  there  are  many  points  in 
its  structure  not  yet  satisfactorily  explained. 

A  study  of  the  specimen  figured  by  Raymond,  in  Ottawa 
Naturalist,  December,  1912,  is  also  one  of  those  marvellous 
dissections  and  preparations  by  nature  which  has  so  much  to 
say  concerning  the  minute  anatomy  or  histology  of  an  extinct 
subclass  of  Asterozoa.  This  specimen  I  have  treated  in  an 
article  which  will  appear  in  the  Director's  report  of  the  N.  Y. 
State  Museum  for  1915. 

Now,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  Mother  Nature  has  worked 
for  hundreds  of  years  on  some  of  her  surface  material  to  prepare 
it  in  a  manner  that  man  cannot  yet  imitate.  We  might  say 
that  as  a  carefully  dissected  and  preserved  frog,  so  prepared  as 
to  display  its  internal  organs,  would  have  a  greater  money  value 
than  an  ordinary  dead  frog,  so  would  a  dissection  and  prepara- 
tion at  nature's  hands  of  one  of  her  buried  forms  enhance  its 
value.  At  the  same  time,  however,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that 
the  dissection  of  the  frog  is  a  much  easier  matter  than  the  dis- 
section of  any  fossil.  The  field  of  weathered  surface  is  certainly 
limited,  and  collectors  in  any  region  that  has  been  frequently 
visited  will  tell  one  that  good  finds  are  not  so  abundant  as  they 
used  to  be.  When  surface  material  has  so  much  to  tell,  it  is 
certainly  a  matter  of  regret  to  have  a  large  percentage  of  it  de- 
stroyed through  ignorance  and  carelessness.  It  becomes  a  duty 
then  to  conserve  this  material,  and  to  make  it  widely  known 
that  well  weathered  specimens  of  all  uncommon  species,  even 
though  very  fragmentary  (such  as  the  separate  ossicles  of  Blas- 
toidocrinus,  figured  in  N.  Y.  State  Museum  Bulletin  107,  plates 
4-7)  is  desired  for  study  of  external  ornament,  form  of  ossicles, 
or  other  elements  of  structure,  manner  of  articulation,  growth 
stages,  etc. 

Buried  material  is,  of  course,  limitless  so  far  as  common 
species  are  concerned,  but  for  all  rare  forms  such  material  is 
desired  for  study  through  development  and  sectioning.  In 
many  cases  fragments  might  be  of  inestimable  value. 

(To  be  continued.) 


26  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  *  [May 

BIRD  NOTES. 


An  influx  of  Evening  Grosbeaks  occurred  during  the  month 
of  March,  large  flocks  appearing  within  the  city  limits  and  in 
less  settled  districts  marby.  The  birds  were  so  conspicuous  and 
popular  that  many  interesting  items  appeared  in  the  daily  press. 
A  number  of  ignorant  people  either  trapped  or  shot  these  birds, 
but  the  timely  intervention  of  the  proper  authorities  prevented 
what  might  have  been  a  wholesale  slaughter  of  hundreds  of 
this  beautiful  species.  The  Grosbeaks  were  subsisting  on  a 
diet  of  mountain-ash  berries.  Several  trees,  under  personal  ob- 
servation, were  stripped  bare  of  berries  in  two  days.  The  birds 
have  apparently  gone  northward  again,  as  none  have  been  seen 
since  March  26th.  On  March  28th,  on  the  mountain  side,  I 
noticed  a  dead  male,  which  was  in  perfect  condition  and  had 
not  been  shot.  Perhaps  this  bird  died  of  starvation,  as  others 
have  been  lately  picked  up  and  their  crops  have  been  empty. 

The  Pine  Grosbeaks  have  been  conspicuous  by  their  ab- 
sence, only  one  male  and  two  females  being  seen  during  the 
entire  winter.  These  were  also  feeding  on  mountain-ash  berries, 
and  would  occasionally  drop  into  a  pool  of  water  to  take  a  bath. 
The  birds  were  quite  tame,  allowing  anybody  to  approach  within 
a  few  feet  of  them. 

The  spring  migration  has  set  in  in  earnest  and  quite  sud- 
denly. A  week  ago  hard  winter  conditions  were  prevailing, 
but  now  the  weather  is  warm  and  summerlike.  The  Prairie 
Horned  Larks  were  observed  on  March  5th.  Although  crows 
have  been  reported  from  certain  farming  districts  a  few  miles 
outside  of  Montreal  during  the  winter,  the  first  spring  arrivals 
in  this  locality  appeared  on  March  12th,  becoming  more  abun- 
dant each  day.  On  March  26th  a  flock  of  Red-winged  Black- 
birds was  noted,  and  one  Bluebird  put  in  an  appearance.  On 
March  28th  a  Song  Sparrow  was  heard,  and  the  day  following 
the  birds  were  common,  about  fifteen  being  heard  singing  in  an 
orchard  where  there  was  plenty  of  brush  and  cover. 

March  30th  was  a  fine,  warm  spring  day.  At  4  p.m.  I 
visited  an  area  of  low  ground  some  400  yards  square,  and  flanked 
on  one  side  by  a  small  stream  and  a  thin  growth  of  alder  and 
willow  bushes.  This  locality  was  covered  by  snow  and  water, 
and  I  was  immediately  attracted  by  a  flock  of  about  50  Robins, 
which  were  probably  going  further  north,  and  six  Bluebirds 
running  over  its  surface.  The  Bluebirds  would  fly  into  the 
bushes  and  quietly  d  op  to  the  snow  again,  with  an  occasional 
soft  call  note.     The  birds    were    evidently    feeding    on    spiders 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  2  7 

or  insects,  but  after  floundering  through  slush  and  water 
over  boot  tops,  the  food  question  still  remained  a  mystery. 
At  5.30  p.m.  three  Robins  perched  in  trees  and  started  warbling, 
and  continued  so  for  ten  minutes.  The  movement  of  the 
Robins  and  Pluebirds  over  the  surface  of  the  snow  was  an  in- 
teresting sight.  In  the  hardwoods  adjoining,  two  Yellow- 
bellied  Sapsuckers,  one  White-breasted  Nuthatch,  one  Downy 
and  one  Hairy  Woodpecker  were  seen.  As  I  lingered  about  a 
Slate-coloured  Junco  joined  the  group  on  the  ground. 

Westmount,  Que.  W.  J.   BROWN. 


ABERRATION  IN  HEPATIC  A  ACUTILOBA. 


By  Bro.  M.  Victorin,  of  the  Christian  Schools,  Loxgueuil 

College.  Oik. 


The  common  Liverleaf  of  our  western  Quebec  woods,  Hepa- 
tica acutiloba  DC,  is  not  only  a  very  handsome  plant,  but  also 
the  subject  matter  of  more  than  one  interesting  morphological 
problem.  It  can  be,  for  instance,  asserted  that  nearly  every 
beginner  in  botany  has  been  misled  by  the  three-bracted  in- 
volucre subtending  the  flower,  thus  encountering  much  trouble 
in  using  the  keys  of  the  manuals. 

That  this  pseudo-calyx  is  striclty  an  involucre  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  the  parts  of  it  show,  in  certain  teratological 
specimens,  a  tendency  to  cleave  after  the  manner  of  a  well- 
known  group  of  Anemones,  of  which  Anemone  canadensis  L.,  is 
a  good  example.  Hoisted  (1)  hints  at  the  fact,  and  Goffart  (2) 
after  a  careful  study  of  the  leaf  anatomy,  holds  that  Hepatica 
cannot  be  separated  from  Anemone. 

We  wish  to  record  here  some  particular  instances  of  ab- 
normality in  Hepatica.  Figure  1  illustrates  a  specimen  collected 
in  Lougueuil,  Que.,  during  the  month  of  May,  1914,  in  which 
the  bracts  make  a  partial  return  to  the  leaf  form.  One  of  them 
is  nearly  perfect  in  outline,  though  of  small  size;  the  other  two 
are  merely  enlarged,  retaining  their  original  form.  The  flower 
itself,  markedly  depauperate,  is  dioecious. 

In  April,  1916,  we  observed  on  the  St.  Bruno  Mountain, 
among  a  luxuriant  growth  of  Hepatica,  specimens  departing  from 
the  type  in  the  following  particulars:    flowers  of   an  infrequent 

(1)  Hoisted,  Bull.  Torr.Bot.Club,  14".  121. 

(2)  Goffart  Jules.  Reclierches  sur  V anatomie  des  feuilles  dans  les  Renonculacees.  Arch.    Inst. 

Bot.  Univ.  Liege,  III,  1901. 


28 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


[May 


rose  colour,  depauperate,  dioecious;  involucre  composed  of  4-5 
bracts,  one  of  them  sometimes  bifid. 

The  abortion  of  the  stamens  and  the  reduction  of  the 
petaloid  sepals  seem  to  account  well  for  the  increased  luxuriance 
of  the  vegetative  organs.  Indeed,  a  mass  of  observations  point 
to  the  fact  that,  in  the  metabolism  of  plants,  vegetative  and  re- 
productive activity  behave  in  inverse  ratio. 

The  affinity  of  the  genus  Hepatica  with  Anemone  is  an  in- 
teresting problem,  and  observers  should  be  on  the  lookout  for 
deviations  that  may  open  lines  of  research. 


Fig.  1. 
Abnormal  involucre  of  Hepatica  acutdoba  DC. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  29 

A  PRELIMINARY  PAPER  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CLASSI- 
FICATION OF  INTRAFORMATIONAL  CON- 
GLOMERATES AND  BRECCIAS. 


By  Richard  M.  Field,  Agassiz  Museum,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


Introduction. 

The  term  intraformational  in  contradistinction  to  inter- 
formational  was  first  proposed  by  Walcott  (1)  in  1894.  He 
writes:  "An  intraformational  conglomerate  is  one  formed  within 
a  geologic  formation  of  material  derived  from  and  deposited 
within  that  formation."  In  the  same  paper  he  remarks  upon 
the  importance  of  determining  the  time  element  or  sequence  of 
events  in  the  formation  of  a  sedimentary  or  clastic  rock,  by  a 
study  of  the  shapes  and  textures  of  its  constituents.  Thus,  in 
his  introduction  he  writes  (p.  91):  "Usually  the  presence  of  a 
conglomerate  in  a  stratigraphic  series  of  rocks  is  a  matter  of 
considerable  importance  to  the  geologist.  He  naturally  infers 
the  presence  of  a  break  in  the  continuity  of  sedimentation;  an 
orographic  movement  of  greater  of  less  extent;  erosion  of  pre- 
existing formation."  In  other  words  the  term  conglomerate 
by  its  definition  conveys  to  the  mind  of  the  stratigrapher  a 
great  difference  between  the  ages  of  the  pebbles  and  the 
cement.  It  is  proposed  to  show  in  this  paper  that  there  is  often 
a  nice  distinction  between  the  ages  of  the  constituents  in  most 
conglomerates  and  in  intraformational  conglomerates  in  parti- 
cular. It  is  true  that  we  arrive  at  a  knowledge  of  the  sequence  of 
the  events  which  have  taken  place  in  the  formation  of  any  given 
clastic  by  describing  the  texture  and  shape  of  its  constituents, 
but  the  writer  believes  that  the  tendency  has  been  too  strong 
among  students  of  the  sedimentary  rocks  to  express  their  find- 
ings in  purely  textural  and  structural  terms  without  special 
thought  as  to  their  history  and  origin.  Thus,  any  rock,  be  it 
limestone  or  otherwise,  which  is  formed  of  coarse  and  appar- 
ently water-worn  materials,  is  dubbed  a  conglomerate,  and 
its  natural  history,  even  if  recognized,  is  lightly  passed  over  in 
its  classification. 

It  is  not  proposed  in  this  paper  to  attempt  a  classification 
of  all  conglomerates  on  such  a  basis  as  outlined  above.  A 
study  of  certain  Paleozoic  limestone  conglomerates,  and  espe- 
cially of  certain  structural  and  textural  phenomena  as  exhibited 
in   the    limestone    formations    at    Trenton    Chasm,     Chambers- 


30  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

burg,  Bellefonte  and  elsewhere,  has  led  to  the  belief  that 
a  compilation  and  discussion  of  the  evidence  of  the  so-called 
intraformational  "conglomerates,"  breccias,  or  "corrugations," 
is  needed  if  we  are  to  arrive  at  exact  conclusions  regarding  cer- 
tain common  phenomena  associated  with  the  history  of  the 
ancient  seas. 

Grabau  (2)  states  that  intraformational  brecciati on  is  "prob- 
ably in  all  cases  an  extreme  of  subaquatic-gliding-deformation." 
The  write?  does  not  feel  that  most  of  the  phenomena  observed 
by  him  in  the  Appalachians  will  bear  out  this  statement.  The 
principal  example  of  folding  and  brecciation  cited  by  Grabau  as 
due  to  this  cause,  is  the  one  at  Trenton  Chasm,  New  York. 
Hahn  (3)  described  the  folds  as  due  to  "subaqueous  solifluction." 
Grabau  (sp.  cit.  p.  785)  states  that  "Deformation  through  glid- 
ing may  result  in  complete  brecciation  of  the  deformed  layers. 
The  fragments  may  lie  in  all  positions,  as  in  the  ordinary  intra- 
formational conglomerates,  or  they  may  consist  of  thin  cakes, 
many  of  which  in  the  gliding  process  have  assumed  a  vertical 
position  in  the  mass.  This  forms  the  so-called  'edgewise  con- 
glomerate,' common  in  the  Ordovician  limestones  of  the  Appal- 
achian region.  The  characteristics  of  all  these  formations  seem 
to  point  to  rather  shallow  water  as  the  place  of  deposition  of 
these  strata,  and  the  possible  periodic  exposure  and  hardening 
of  the  surface  layers."  The  writer  has  been  able  to  prove  to 
his  own  satisfaction  that  some  of  the  edgewise  conglomerates  in 
the  Bellefonte  section  are  certainly  not  due  to  subaquatic-gliding- 
deformation,  neither  does  he  believe  that  any  one  hypothesis 
is  able  to  account  for  the  formation  of  all  intraformational  con- 
glomerates, whether  the  orientation  of  their  fragments  be  "edge- 
wise" or  not.  He  feels  convinced  that  the  folds  and  edgewise 
conglomerates  exposed  to  view  in  the  gorge  at  Trenton  Falls 
are,  as  previously  supposed,  truly  of  tectonic  origin,  and,  there- 
fore, not,  in  the  sense  of  Walcott's  definition,  "intraformational 
conglomerates"  at  all,  since  they  were  not  "deposited  in  the 
formation."  A  recent  study  of  the  Trenton  Chasm,  in  com- 
pany with  Drs.  Raymond  and  Shuler,  produced  evidence  which 
points  conclusively  to  the  tectonic  origin  of  the  folds  and  edge- 
wise conglomerates,  as  is  amply  set  forth  in  Miller's  (4)  recent 
paper. 

It  was  only  a  few  years  ago  that  ripple-marks  and  mud- 
cracks  in  limestone  were  conside  "ed  rare  and  unusual  phenomena. 
Indeed  stratigraphers  and  paleontologists  did  not  expect  to 
find  and  did  not  hunt  for  such  structures  in  the  Paleozoic  lime- 
stones. To-day  the  investigators  of  the  Cambrian  and  the 
Ordovician  calcareous  rocks  are  reporting  such  data  from  the 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  31 

St.  Lawrence  valley  to  the  Cretaceous  boundary  "of  the  Paleozoic 
in  Georgia  and  Alabama.  Thus  there  is  gradually  being  amassed 
more  and  more  material  significant  of  the  diagenesis  of  the  Cam- 
brian and  Ordovician  rocks,  and  relating  to  the  history  of  the 
seas  from  and  under  which  they  were  deposited.  It  will  not  do, 
in  this  study,  to  dub  all. coarse,  clastic,  intraformational  rocks, 
whose  constituents  may  or  may  not  be  rounded,  as  simple  con- 
glomerates all  of  similar  origin.  It  is  believed  that  a  more 
careful  examination  of  these  intraformational  structures  in  the 
field  and  laboratory  will  greatly  aid  in  deciphering  the  his- 
tory of  the  original  limestone  sediments.  Upon  the  rock-walls 
of  the  Bellefonte  quarries  have  been  observed  many  of  the  struc- 
tural phenomena  which  are  to  be  found  on  shallow  water  areas, 
mud-flats  and  beaches  of  to-day.  Ripple-marks,  mud-cracks, 
edgewise  conglomerates  and  breccias  are  disclosed  in  close  stra- 
tigraphic  sequence  wherever  exposure  ami  subacrial  erosion 
have  been  able  to  develop  the  hidden  structures.  The  con- 
clusion has  been  reached  that  nearly  all  of  the  intraforma- 
tional conglomerates  and  breccias  seen  at  Chambersburg,  Belle- 
fonte and  Tyrone,  Pennsylvania,  are  of  extremely  shallow  water 
origin;  in  fact,  their  formation  postulates  an  emergence  from 
the  sea  such  as  is  common  under  tidal  action.  That  mud- 
cracked  beds  and  intraformational  breccias  are  in  certain  cases 
one  and  the  same  thing  is,  perhaps,  the  only  original  contribu- 
tion  to  the  origin  and  classification  of  intraformational  struc- 
tures. 

Glomerate  axd  Phexoclast. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  classification  of  intraforma- 
tional structures,  it  seems  best  to  analyz  the  term  conglom- 
erate.* Indeed  the  study  of  intraformational  "conglomerates" 
requires  a  more  careful  consideration  of  all  conglomerates  than 
has  heretofore  been  deemed  necessary.  A  review  of  the  liter- 
ature, as  well  as  certain  examples  studied  in  the  field,  has  shown 
that  not  all  intraformational  conglomerates  are  made  up  of 
water-worn  materials;  in  fact,  certain  of  them  are  composed  of 
distinctly  brecciated  fragments  which  show  no  signs  of  attrition 
by  water  transportation,  a  common  characteristic  according  to 
most  geologists.     Walcott  (op.  cit.  p.  192)  recognized  this  diffi- 

*  Most  stratigrapheis  would  certainly  agree  that  true  breccias  cannot  be  defined  under 
the  general  term  of  conglomerate,  yet  if  we  refer  to  the  Century  Dictionary  we 
discover  that  although  a  conglomerate  is  defined  as  "a  rock  made  up  of  the  rounded 
and  water-worn  debris  of  previously  existing  rocks",  a  breccia  is  defined  as  "a  con- 
glomerate in  which  the  fragments,  instead  of  being  rounded  or  water-worn,  are 
angular".  No  less  an  authority  than  J.  D.  Whitney  is  responsible  for  these  definitions 
but  most  geologists  would  probably  refuse  to  accept  them  as  they  stand.  Quotation 
is  taken  from  the  Century  Dictionary  only  to  show  that  there  is  some  confusion  at 
least  at  present  in  regard  to  just  what  conglomerate  means. 


32  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

culty  when  he  wrote :  ' '  Care  is  to  be  taken  that  intraf ormational 
breccias  are  not  to  be  confounded  with  intraformational  con- 
glomerates. The  former  have  a  wide  geographic  distribution, 
and  owe  their  origin  to  local  disturbances  within  the  beds  af- 
fected, without  pre-supposing  elevation  above  sea  level  and 
erosion."  As  will  be  pointed  out  later,  limestone  breccias  can 
be  formed  under  other  than  truly  tectonic  conditions.  It  may 
seem  strange  at  first  to  consider  a  mud-cracked  limestone  as  a 
brecciated  rock,  and  yet  viewed  in  cross  section,  or  at  right 
angles  to  the  bedding  plane,  the  hand  specimen  or  field  section 
will  often  show  a  characteristic  brecciated  structure.  It  is, 
therefore,  proposed  in  the  present  classification  to  introduce  two 
new  terms,  glomerate  and  phenoclast,  in  describing  all  those 
rocks  (glomerate)  which  are  of  sedimentary  origin,  coarse,  or 
psephitic  in  texture,  whether  or  not  their  "show"  constituents 
(phenoclasts)   give  signs  of  attrition  and  transportation. 

Glomerate,  according  to  the  Century  Dictionary,  means 
"collected  into  a  spherical  form  or  mass."  It  is  an  old 
English  word  and  rarely  used.  Conglomerate,  in  its  ordinary 
sense,  is  also  defined  as  "collected  or  clustered  together," 
the  shape  of  the  materials  forming  the  cluster  being  un- 
defined; while  the  geological  term  "  conglomerate "  is  defined 
as  "a  rock  made  up  of  the  rounded  and  water-worn  debris  of  pre- 
viously existing  rocks,  etc.,"  (the  italics  are  the  writer's).  It 
is  proposed  to  use  the  term  glomerate  in  a  geological  sense  to 
mean  any  sedimentary  or  clastic  rock  made  up  of  roughly  graded 
debris  formed  within  itself  or  from  pre-existing  rocks.  Such  a 
term  would  cover  breccias,  conglomerates  and  certain  other  rocks 
of  doubtful  origin,  and  its  need  will  be  more  obvious  further  on 
in  this  paper.  Nauman,  in  his  "Geognosie,"  proposed  the  term 
Psepkite,  but  it  has  never  been  widely  adopted,  and  probably 
never  will  be,  although  it  is  a  useful  and  descriptive  word  in 
petrology  and  geology.  Nauman  defined  psephite  structure 
thus:  "Die  Fragmente,  aus  welchen  die  klastischen  Gesteine 
bestehen,  sind  entweder  gross,  so  dass  sie  als  formliche  Gestein- 
stucke  erscheinen,  welche  theils  eckig  theils  abgerundet  sein 
koennen.  In  diesem  Falle  lasst  die  structure  als  psephite-struc- 
ture  bezeichen,  weil  sich  die  betreffenden  Gestein  als  Agregate 
grossere  oder  kleinen  Steinen  darstellen "  (p.  446.  The 
italics  are  the  writer's.) 

Phenoclast. — There  is  as  great  a  need  for  a  term  to  ex- 
press the  order  or  size  of  the  constituents  in  a  sedimentary  rock 
as  there  is  for  the  term  phenocryst,  which  designates  a  large 
crystal  in  the  ground  mass  of  a  crystalline  rock.  Phenoclast, 
from  pheno:    show;  and  clast:  clastic,  broken  piece  or  fragment, 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  33 

is  proposed  to  designate  the  larger  fragments,  pebbles  or  allied 
forms  which  are  easily  distinguished  from  the  ground  mass  or 
cementing  material.  They,  the  phenoclasts,  may  be  of  several 
orders  of  size.  The  term  is  convenient,  as  it  is  not  always  cor- 
rect to  refer  to  the  major  constituents  of  a  conglomerate  as 
pebbles,  or  even  brecciated  fragments.  For  instance,  in  the 
edgewise  "conglomerates,"  the  "pebbles"  and  cement  are  apt 
to  be  formed  from  the  same  material;  also  the  shape  of  the 
"pebbles"  is  hardly  pebble-like,  neither  are  the  "pebbles"  true, 
brecciated  fragments.  Also,  in  certain  types  to  be  described 
later,  the  bioglomerates,  the  phenoclasts  are  obviously  neither 
pebbles  nor  angular  material.  Their  outline  is  as  peculiar  and 
distinct  as  is  their  origin.  Thus  we  find  all  variations,  from 
sand-like  particles  to  pebbles  and  breccias,  and  all  of  them  con- 
spicuously distinct  from  the  cement  or  ground  mass. 

Classification. 

(See  table  on  page  35.)  The  stratigrapher  is  primarily  in- 
terested in  the  "  sequence  of  events,"  as  exhibited  by  the  relative 
position  of ,  and  the  structures  and  fossils  within,  the  formations 
which  he  studies  in  the  field.  He  must  observe  texture  and 
structure  as  well  as  fossils — in  short,  he  should  be  lithologist 
and  structural  geologist  as  well  as  paleontologist.  What  little 
the  present  day  stratigrapher  knows  regarding  the  texture  of 
the  sedimentary  rocks,  he  has  acquired  with  the  methods  of 
the  petrologist,  methods  largely  developed  for  the  investigation 
of  the  igneous  or  crystalline  rocks.  The  petrographer  studies 
his  thin  sections  and  classifies  his  specimens  according  to  their 
macroscopic  and  microscopic  textures  and  mineral  contents ; 
the  resulting  data,  together  with  the  structural  details  and 
occurrence  of  the  rocks  in  the  field,  are  used  by  the  petrologist 
to  build  his  classification  of  the  igneous  rocks  and  to  promote 
his  theories  as  to  their  history  and  origin.  Thus,  studies  in 
"  paragenesis "  and  "order  of  crystallization"  within  veins  and 
hypothetical  rock  melts  have  resulted  in  our  present  knowledge, 
through  facts  and  hypothesis,  regarding  the  main,  great  divi- 
sion of  the  rocks  which  form  the  earth's  crust.  Microscopic  in- 
vestigation of  the  sedimentaries,  and  especially  of  the  limestones, 
has  not  appealed  to  the  petrographer.  The  supposed  lack  of 
variation  in  texture,  and  more  or  less  homogeneous  mineral 
composition,  has  failed  to  raise  the  same  amount  of  interest 
in  their  classification  and  origin  as  in  the  igneous  rocks.  Even 
granting  the  fact  that  with  the  limestones  are  associated,  in 
many  cases,  the  relics  of  past  floras  and  faunas,  which  should 
stimulate  investigation  as  to  the  history  of  the  rock's  formation, 


34  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

yet,  because  of  the  inherent  difficulty  of  proving  anything  by 
the  microscope,  the  limestones  have  been  little  studied.  The 
tendency  has  also  been  to  neglect  their  macroscopic  phenomena 
in  the  field,  although  enough  data  has  now  been  collected  to 
stimulate  an  interest  in  its  application  to  causes  and  events. 
It  may  soon  be  possible  to  classify  sedimentary  rocks  according 
to  the  sequence  of  formative  events  which  they  have  undergone. 
Such  a  classification  is  very  much  to  be  desired,  as  it  will  event- 
ually give  us 'a  Natural  History  of  the  sedimentary  rocks.  In 
this  paper  the  attempt  will  be  made  to  classify  intraformational 
glomerates  with  the  above  facts  in  mind.  Thus,  all  intra- 
formational glbmerates  may  be  divided  into  two  groups: 
.4,  those  .whose  present  structure  is  contemporaneous  with 
their  primary  lithification ;  and  B,  those  whose  present  structure 
is  non-contemporaneous  with  their  primary  lithification.  Again, 
under  class  B,  the  present  structures  may  be  either  previous  or 
subsequent  to  the  primary  lithification.  We  will  examine  the 
classification  more  closely  when  we  discuss  the  mode  of  origin 
of  each  type.  As  stated  before,  field  evidence  strongly  points 
to  the  fact  that  it  is  impossible  to  explain  all  intraformational 
glomerates  by  a  single  hypothesis.  It  has  been  suggested  that 
the  rapidly  growing  amount  of  data  concerning  the  occurrences  of 
such  rocks  makes  it  unwise  to  classify  them  all  under  the  term 
conglomerate.  This  statement  will  be  appreciated  fully  by  those 
who  have  observed  different  occurrences  in  the  field,  or  have 
even  read  the  descriptions  by  the  authors  who  have  studied 
and  described  them.  Laying  aside  for  the  moment  the  conclu- 
sions reached  by  each  investigator  as  to  the  origin  of  the  par- 
ticular intraformational  glomerates  in  his  area,  we  may  at  least 
rely  upon  his  attempt  to  describe  what  he  has  seen.  Descrip- 
tions of  intraformational  glomerates  are  so  varied  that  one  is 
forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  variations  cannot  all  be  the 
resitlt  of  a  single  set  of  factors.  The  study  of  intraformational 
glomerates  is  largely  a  study  of  the  phenoclasts  which  bring 
them  so  strikingly  to  the  notice  of  the  field  geologist,  and  it  is 
upon  the  size,  shape,  structure  (if  present),  and  composition  of 
the  phenoclasts  that  this  present  classification  is  largely  made. 
The  arrangement  of  the  phenoclasts  may  be  heterogeneous,  un- 
sorted,  parallel,  banded,  radiate  or  edgewise.  The  arrangement, 
as  well  as  the  size,  shape,  structure  and  composition,  of  the  pheno- 
clasts is  intimately  connected  with  their  origin  and  the  depth 
of  water  under  which  they  were  deposited,  the  strength  of 
tidal  currents,  if  any,  the  topography  of  the  sea  floor,  and 
character  of  the  sediments.  The  presence  of  organisms  in  the 
slimy  mud  of  the  seas  may  also  have  proved  a  determining 
factor  in  their  evolution. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  35 

Classification  of  Intraformational  Glomerates. 
.4 .  Present  structure  contemporaneous  with  primary  lithification. 

I.  Shape  of  phenoclasts  not  dependent  upon  transporta- 

tion and  attrition. 

a.  Endolithic  breccias  (mud-crack  breccias.) 

b.  Bioglomerates. 

1.  Result  of  animal  (?)  activity. 

(a)  "  Strephochetal "  glomerates. 

(b)  "Wingia"  glomerates. 

2.  Result  of  vegetable  activity. 

(a)  "Corosion"  glomerates  (formed  by  algae). 

(b)  Algal  glomerates  (formed  from  algae). 

c.  Gleitungsphenomene ;  sub-aquatic-gliding-deform- 

ation "conglomerates." 

1.  Lacustrine. 

2.  Marine. 

II.  Shape  of  phenoclasts  partially  dependent  upon  trans- 

portation and  attrition. 

a.  Stratified  glomerates. 

b.  "Edgewise"  glomerates. 

B.  Present  structure  non-contemporaneous  with  primary  lithi- 
fication. 

I.  Present   structure   partially   previous   to   primary   lithi- 

fication. 

1 .  Shape  of  phenoclasts  entirely  dependent  upon  trans- 

portation and  attrition. 

a.  Limestone  conglomerates. 

b.  Mixed  conglomerates. 

2.  Shape  of  phenoclasts  not   affected  by   transporta- 

tion and  attrition. 
a.  Cliff  breccias. 

II.  Present  structure  subsequent  to  primary  lithification. 

1.  Tectibreccias. 

2.  Enterolithic  breccias. 

3.  Ice-formed  breccias.      Formed  by 

a.  Icebergs. 

b.  Continental  glaciers. 

1.  Result  of  shove. 

2.  Result  of  thaw. 

Endolithic  Brecciation,  (see  Grabau,  p.  777). — Mud- 
crack  breccias. 

Mud  cracks  are  found  to  be  of  much  commoner  occurrence 
in  the  Cambrian  and  Ordovician  limestones  than  was  formerly 
supposed.  Where  there  was  a  shallowing  of  the  Ordovician 
seas  so  as  to  permit  intermittent  periods  of  dessication,  mud- 
cracks  are  well  developed  over  wide  areas,  and  for  a  stratigraphic 


36  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [May 

distance  of  several  feet.     Apparently  the  conditions  which  allow 
of  the  formation  of  mud-cracks  (see  fig.  1)  also  postulate  a  slight 
variation  in  the  composition  of  the  limy  muds  originally  de- 
posited.    Thus,  a  series  of  alternating  layers,  which  have  been 
successively  cracked  by  dessication,  when  viewed  at  right  angles 
to  their  plane  of  deposition,  show  a  series  of  stratified  brecciated 
fragments.     It  is  interesting  to  note  that  where   quarries   have 
been  opened  in  the  Bellefonte  section  (at  both  the  middle  Beek- 
mantown  and  Lowville  horizons)  so  as  to  expose  the  limestone 
beds  for  some  distance  along  both  the  dip  and  strike,  great  mud- 
cracked  areas  have  been  brought  to  view.     The  writer  has  seen 
a  mud-cracked     surface    on    the    west  wall  of  the  quarries  at 
Tyrone  which  was  at  least  one-half  an  acre  in  area.     Only  the 
closest  inspection,  however,   of  the  section  across  or  at  right 
angles  to  the  dip  will  show  any  structure  that  might  lead  the 
stratigrapher  to  suppose  that  mud-cracks  were  present,  and  in 
such  great  abundance.     When  the  filling  of  the  cracks,  or  rather, 
the  material  surrounding  the  phenoclasts,  is  of  a  different  colour 
or  texture  from  that  of  the  phenoclasts  themselves,  a  stratified 
intraformational  breccia  often  proclaims  that  its  other  name 
is  "mud-crack."     Thus,  in  a  region  such  as  that  characterized 
by  the  Appalachian  type  of  folds,  where  the  rocks  are  usually 
observed  at  an  angle  of  between  2  5  and  60  degrees,  it  is  quite 
natural  that  mud-cracks,  and  ripple-marks  should  be  considered 
rare  phenomena,  except  where  exposed  in  quarries  and  road-cuts 
along   the    strike.     The   mud-crack   zone   may   have    a   strati- 
graphic  thickness  of  only  3  or  4  feet  and  yet  extend  along  the 
strike  a  distance  as  great  as  that  from  Bellefonte  to  Tyrone  (60 
miles),  or  even  farther.     What  the  total  area  of  such  a  mud- 
cracked  surface  might  amount  to  is  difficult  to  surmise.     Owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  dip  of  the  limestones  at  Pleasant  Gap,  several 
miles  east  of  Bellefonte,  is  considerably  flatter  than  the  dip  of 
the  same  beds  at  the  latter  place,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to 
get,  as  yet,  any  exact  data  as  to  the  geographical  extent  of  this 
phenomenon,  but  all  signs  point  to  its  being  an  exceptionally 
wide  one. 

In  connection  with  this  subject  it  might  be  well  to  mention 
a  certain  columnar  structure  observed  and  described  by  E.  M. 
Kindle  (5)  in  the  Silurian  limestone  on  Temiscouata  Lake,  in 
eastern  Quebec.  The  occurrence  of  columnar  structure  in  lime- 
stone is  unusual,  and  very  like  basaltic  columnar  structure  in 
general,  "but  the  columns  are  perhaps  less  regular  in  the  num- 
ber of  faces  shown,  five  to  seven   being    a   common   number." 


(To  be  continued). 


!UJ 


THE  OTTAWA   NATURALIST 


VOL.  XXX.        OTTAWA,  JUNE-JULY,   1916         Xos.  3  and  4 
AMERICAN  INSECT  GALLS. 


By  E.  P.  Felt,  Albany,  N.Y. 


American  gall  insects  constitute  an  exceedingly  interesting 
assemblage,  representing  at  least  five  of  the  larger,  and  better 
known  orders.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  by  far  the  greater 
majority  of  plant  galls  are  produced  by  members  of  the  dip- 
terous family,  Itonididae,  and  the  hymenopterous  family, 
Cynipidae.  Of  approximately  one  thousand  insect  galls  listed, 
members  of  the  above  mentioned  groups  are  responsible  for 
over  90%  (nearly  95%),  with  two  pecies  of  the  delicate  gall 
midges  producing  deformations  to  every  one  of  the  relatively 
better  known  gall  wasps.  The  plant  lice  or  aphids  come  next 
in  the  number  of  species,  though  they  would  be  outranked  if 
the  gall  mites,  the  Eriophyidas,  were  included  in  this  discussion. 
The  other  gall-making  Diptera,  Hymenoptera,  and  the  Hemip- 
tera  and  the  gall-making  Coleoptera  and  Lepidoptera  are, 
numerically  speaking,  of  comparatively  little  importance. 

The  numerous  gall  midges  show  a  diversity  of  taste  not 
evidenced  among  the  gall  wasps.  The  more  than  600  galls  pro- 
duced by  the  midges  occur  on  plants  belonging  to  69  botanical 
families  and  202  genera.  There  is  no  such  specialization,  as 
we  shall  see  later,  in  the  Cynipidae.  The  larvae  of  60  species 
of  midges  live  at  the  expense  of  the  Salicaceae;  48  of  these  are 
found  on  Salix;  28  occur  tipon  the  Jtiglandaceae,  all  but  one 
infesting  Carya;  3  7  attack  the  Fagaceae  (31  of  these  being  upon 
Quercus) ;  52  species  produce  galls  on  the  Rosacea?,  23  on  the 
Leguminoseae,  18  upon  the  Vitaceae,  and  12  5  on  the  Compositae. 
The  most  obvious  concentration  of  species,  aside  from  those 
mentioned  above,  is  the  41  species  reared  from  solidago  and 
the  20  to  be  found  upon  aster.  These  figures  are  approximate, 
yet  taken  in  connection  with  the  great  dive  -sity  in  the  structure 
of  these  small  insect  ,  indicate  that  this  group  has  been  able 
to  maintain  itself  upon  a  great  many  different  plants  through 
a  considerable  physiological  adaptability,  and  that  the  dis- 
tinctness of  the  species  has  been  established  by  relatively  small 
modifications  in  structure. 


38  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Jtme-July 

The  Cynipidae  or  gall  wasps  present  an  entirely  different 
condition  so  far  as  the  relation  to  the  flora  is  concerned.  They 
attack  plants  referable  to  only  six  botanical  families,  and  assign- 
able to  but  eleven  plant  genera.  There  is,  however,  a  most 
striking  concentration  in  food  habits,  since  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  the  more  than  300  gall  makers  subsist  at  the  expense 
of  the  Fagacese  which,  for  this  group,  means  the  genus  Quercus, 
the  exact  number  in  our  list  being  277,  though  this  figure,  like 
"those  above,  is  an  approximation.  Thirty  species  have  been 
rreared  from  the  Rosaceae,  21  (Rhodiles)  living  at  the  expense 
of  the  genus  Rosa.  The  other  species  referable  to  the  Cynipidae 
are  scattered  in  their  food  habits,  the  most  evident  concentra- 
tion, and  this  far  from  marked,  being  the  12  species  reared  from 
various  Compositae,  the  genera  Silphium  and  Lactuca  producing 
four  and  three,  respectively.  This  marked  limitation  in  food 
habits  is  accompanied,  as  might  be  expected,  by  a  high  degree 
of  specialization  in  structure. 

The  Aphididae  or  plant  lice  live  on  a  great  variety  of  plants, 
though  the  gall-making  forms  occur  upon  relatively  few  plant 
families  and  genera,  the  most  evident  concentration  in  food 
habits  being  in  the  genus  Phylloxera,  with  its  29  species  pro- 
ducing galls  on  Carya. 

The  nealy  allied  jumping  plant  lice  or  Psyllidae  present  a 
similar  condition  in  the  genus  Pachypsylla  and  its  relation  to 
the  numerous  types  of  gall  occurring  upon  Celtis. 

The  occurrence  of  a  number  of  galls  produced  by  closely 
related  insects  upon  food  plants  belonging  to  a  genus  or  even 
species,  indicates  a  physiological  relationship,  and  some  of  these 
groups  at  least  offer  excellent  opportunities  for  the  investigator 
who  would  study  the  relation  between  the  specific  identity  of 
gall  makers  and  the  galls  they  inhabit.  It  is  undoubtedly  true 
that  marked  diversity  in  gall  structure  usually  indicates  the 
work  of  different  insects,  though  there  is  a  possibility  that  varia- 
tions in  the  structure  of  these  deformities  may  be  related  to 
some  extent  at  least,  to  the  period  when  the  infestation  occurs; 
in  other  words,  oviposition  before  the  tissues  have  swoollen  to 
any  extent  in  the  bud  may  result  in  a  somewhat  different  de- 
formation than  if  egg  laying  be  delayed  until  the  leaves  are 
partly  unrolled.  There  are  a  number  of  cases  where  appar- 
ently identical  gall  midges  produce  markedly  different  de- 
formations in  the  same  or  closely  allied  plants,  and  we  are  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  time  of  infestation  in  relation  to  the 
development  of  the  host  may  be  an  important  factor  as  well 
as  the  part  of  the  plant  attacked. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  39 

There  is  still  much  to  be  learned  about  insect  galls  and 
their  makers.  Many  new  galls  await  description,  and  exact 
knowledge  respecting  the  habits  of  gall  makers  is  far  from  com- 
plete. Certain  localities  offer  exceptional  facilities  for  solving 
the  unknown,  and  we  would  suggest  to  nature  lovers  that  the 
local  occurrence  of  numerous  galls  should  be  considered  an 
invitation  to  enter  a  charming  and  delightful  field  of  study. 


THE  BARX  OWL  XESTIXG  IX  SOUTHWESTERN 

OXTARIO. 


By  W.  E.  Saunders,  London,  Ont. 


The  Barn  Owl  (Aluco  pratincola)  has  been  known  in  Ontario 
only  as  a  casual  visitor,  and  I  may,  therefore,  be  excused  in 
stating  that  I  regarded  with  incredulity  a  letter  from  Mr.  W. 
C.  Armstrong,  of  Chatham,  written  on  June  29,  which  told  me 
that  there  was  a  nest  of  the  Barn  Owl  containing  six  birds  near 
there.  However,  when  I  telephoned  him  he  was  very  positive, 
and  as  a  result  I  took  the  next  train  to  Chatham,  and  in  the 
afternoon  drove  out  to  Charing  Cross,  where  the  young  birds 
were  in  the  barn  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Hunter.  To  my  surprise  there 
were  really  six  young  Barn  Owls,  almost  full  grown  and  appar- 
ently full  fledged.  They  were  in  a  little  pigeon  house  under 
the  ridge  of  the  barn,  and  as  may  be  supposed,  the  floor,  about 
seven  by  five  feet,  was  well  covered  with  pellets.  The  pellets 
from  these  young  birds  were  of  a  peculiar  flattened  oval  shape, 
and  were  remarkably  uniform  in  character.  They  contained 
a  remarkably  small  proportion  of  bone,  possibly  indicating 
extraordinary  digestive  activity.  All  the  identified  bones  were 
those  of  the  common  field  mouse,  and  the  fur  appeared  to 
belong  entirely  to  the  same  species. 

Immediately  on  our  appearance  on  the  ladder  they  began 
to  hiss  in  a  manner  that  was  to  me  entirely  novel  and  surprising. 
All  six  birds  made  the  noise  together,  and  it  resembled  that 
made  by  escaping  steam.  I  supposed  they  stopped  to  take 
breath  sometimes,  but  as  they  immediately  began  hissing  again 
I  failed  to  detect  them  in  the  act.  They  were  crowded  together 
in  a  corner  of  the  little  room,  and  when  after  a  while  they  stopped 
hissing,  it  reminded  one  of  the  habits  of  the  frogs  which  call  so 
frequently  and  continually,  and  then  on  the  advent  of  an  in- 
truder cease  calling  altogether.     That  is  exactly  what  the  owls 


40  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [June-July 

did,  and  after  several  minutes  of  continual  hissing  the  silence 
when  they  stopped  could  almost  be  felt. 

When  we  offered  them  a  stick  they  attacked  it  with  their 
beak,  and  occasionally  struck  at  it  with  a  foot,  but  they  had 
not  yet  reached  the  age  when  the  uses  of  their  feet  were  pro- 
perly appreciated.  After  a  while  a  ildness  seized  four  of  them 
and  they  rushed  around  the  room,  and  one  went  out  through  a 
small  hole  and  flew  away.  Where  he  went  to  is  still  a  puzzle, 
but  no  doubt  his  parents  found  him  at  night. 

The  old  ones  do  not  appear  in  the  day  time,  but  come  to- 
wards evening  with  food,  and  they  have  always  been  silent  ever 
since  they  arrived  in  February,  the  hiss  being  the  only  sound 
Mr.  Hunter  has  heard  from  them. 

The  only  recent  record  of  these  birds  for  Ontario  was  when 
two  were  taken,  one  at  Pelee  Island  and  one  at  the  base  of  Point 
Pelee  in  1914,  and  there  are  a  few  other  records  of  the  occurrence 
of  the  bird,  but  this,  I  believe,  is  the  first  nesting  that  has  ever 
been  reported. 


SOME  NOTES  ON   FOSSIL    COLLECTING,   AND  ON  THE 

EDRIOASTEROIDEA. 

By  George  H.  Hudson. 

Part  II. 

(Continued  from  page  25.) 


Bather's  "Studies  in  Edrioasteroidea,"  which  appeared  in 
the  Geological  Magazine  at  different  times  from  1898  to  1915 
inclusive,  have  now  been  collected  into  one  volume  and  pub- 
lished by  the  author  at  "Fabo,"  Marryat  Road,  Wimbledon, 
England.  In  this  reprint  the  dates  and  paging  of  the  Geological 
Magazine  have  been  retained,  and  our  references  will,  therefore, 
apply  to  both  the  original  papers  and  the  reprint.  As  examples 
of  thorough  study  of  what  specimens  have  to  reveal,  these  papers 
are  unexcelled.  It  is  highly  probable,  however,  that  the  speci- 
mens themselves  lack  structures  they  once  possessed,  and  that 
such  structures  will  yet  be  found,  either  in  more  complete  in- 
dividuals or  in  fragments.  Before  specifying  what  I  believe 
will  be  the  nature  of  such  finds,  let  me  give  some  instances  of 
structure  rarely  preserved. 

Of  what  he  calls  the  "tubular  pyramid"  on  Pentremites, 
Hambach  says  ("Notes  about  the  Structure  and  Classification 
of  the  Pentremites,";  Trans.  St.  Lotiis  Acad,  of  Science,  Vol. 
IV,  No.  3,  p.  6):  "The  only  species  on  which  Dr.  Shumard  ob- 
served the  same,  was  a  specimen  of  P.  sulcatus,  Roemer 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  41 

It  is  so  seldom  found  preserved,  that  in  thirty  years'  collecting, 
during  which  time  I  collected  at  one  locality  more  than  6,000 
specimens,  I  found  only  two  specimens  having  this  cone-shaped 
body  preserved."  In  his  "Revision  of  the  Blastoidea,"  (1903, 
p.  14),  Hambach  also  calls  attention  to  a  structure  "on  the 
posterior  side  above  the  anal  opening,  on  very  well  preserved 
specimens,  a  small  proboscis  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  constructed  of  small  hexagonal  pieces,  as  shown  in  Figs. 
6  and  7.  To  my  knowledge  it  is  the  first  time  that  such  a  body 
has  been  observed  on  a  Blastoid.  I  found  this  appendix  on 
Pentremites  conoideus,  and  have  now  four  specimens  of  it  show- 
ing this,  so  far  unknown,  organ."  When,  however,  Hambach 
finds  the  ambulacral  area  more  or  less  roofed  over  with  small 
cover-plates,  he  believes  them  to  be  "fragments  of  broken-up 
pinnulae,"  or  "small  ovulum-like  bodies,"  ....  "due 
to  the  oolithic  character  of  the  rock  in  which  they  are  imbedded." 
In  the  latter  case  a  true  structure,  rarely  found,  is  apt  to  be 
cleaned  away,  because  of  a  belief  that  it  does  not  belong  to  the 
specimen.  It  is  well  here  to  emphasize  the  need  of  most  careful 
scrutiny  before  any    attempt  to  modify  an  exposed  surface. 

Of  Blastoidocrinus  it  seems  that  the  nearly  perfect  Valcour 
Island  specimen  is  the  only  one  ever  found  still  retaining  its 
large  "apical  plate,"  its  prominent  series  of  "wing  plates," 
(which  form  above  the  cover  plates  and  completely  hide  the 
latter  from  view),  and  its  brachioles;  yet  B.  carchariaedens  is  one 
of  the  common  fossils  of  the  Chazy  limestone.  Additionl  ex- 
amples might  be  given,  but  the  above  are  sufficient  to  show 
that  species  may  be  abundant  and  the  mass  of  collected  material 
very  great  indeed,  and  yet  valuable  evidence  be  lacking  as  to 
morphology,  function  and  relationship. 

From  certain  resemblances  between  Blastoidocrinus  and 
some  genera  of  the  Edrioasteroidea,  and  from  an  examination 
of  the  only  mechanism  apparently  used  by  the  latter  for  the 
function  of  food-capture,  I  am  forced  to  conclude  that  certain 
genera  now  grouped  by  Bather  in  this  order  possessed  brachioles, 
and  that  purposive  search  for  these  structures  in  additional 
material,  and  it  may  be  very  fragmental,  will  sooner  or  later 
reveal  them.     My  belief  is  based  on  the  following  facts. 

The  Edrioasteroidea  are  closely  allied  to  the  Cystidea,  and 
by  many  made  an  order  of  that  class,  as  in  the  last  edition  of 
Zettel's  Text-book  of  Paleontology  (Eastman).  Bather  follows 
Billings  in  recognizing  the  marked  characteristics  of  this  group, 
but  places  it  no  higher  than  a  class  of  the  subphylum  Pelmatoza. 
making  it  equal  in  rank  to  Cystidea,  Blastoidea  and  Crinoidea, 
All  these  classes  were  feeders  on  minute  or  microscopic  plant 
and  animal  forms  of  the  plankton,  or  on  equally  small  but  per- 


42  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  June-July 

haps  more  abundant  forms  living  on  the  bottom.  The  collect- 
ing apparatus  consisted  of  numerous  small  brachioles  or  pin- 
nules which  captured  the  living  organisms  by  means  of  ciliated 
grooves,  lined  with  viscous  secretions,  and  protected  by  a  series 
of  minute  alternating  cover-plates.  The  material  caught  by 
brachioles  or  pinnules  was  passed  into  common  covered  ways 
leading  to  the  mouth.  The  main  streams  became  in  time  mere 
conduits,  and  the  surplus  water  taken  in  with  capture  and  used 
for  conveyance  was  either  gradually  lost  between  the  cover- 
plates  or  carried  to  specialized  separating  areas,  where  the  water 
was  sent  to  hydrospires  and  made  to  assist  in  respiration.  With 
this  manner  of  food  getting  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  cover- 
plates  nearest  the  mouth  would  tend  to  remain  closed  and  to 
become  permanently  fixed,  or  the  proximal  portions  of  the  food 
grooves  might  become  subtegminal  in  position.  In  every  case 
the  extent  of  the  collecting  portion  of  the  apparatus  is  pro- 
portioned to  the  needs  of  the  organism,  and  to  the  abundance 
of  minute  organisms  in  its  habitat.  Deprive  Crinoid,  Blastoid, 
Parablastoid  or  Cystid  of  its  pinnules  or  brachioles,  and  its 
larger  or  main  covered  food-grooves  could  no  longer  function. 
Now,  we  must  ask  ourselves  these  questions.  If  the  Edrio- 
asteroidea  are  Cystids  they  belong  to  a  group  that  secured  their 
food  by  means  of  brachioles ;  they  were  for  the  greater  part  fixed 
and  sessile  forms,  and  could  therefore  only  feed  on  such  passing 
organisms  as  they  could  capture;  for  their  size  they  show  no 
greater  length  of  covered  food-grooves  than  we  find  in  Malo- 
cystites,  which  was  an  elentherozic  form  and  a  feeder  close  to 
the  sea  bottom.  Why  should  the  Edrioasteroidea  have  lost 
the  inheritance  of  the  collecting  mechanism  of  their  class,  and 
how  could  they  secure  sufficient  food  without  it?  These  are 
serious  questions,  and  they  are  made  no  easier  by  raising  the 
group  to  class  rank,  for  even  then  every  other  class  of  their  sub- 
phylum  required  and  retained  the  fringing  brachioles  or  pin- 
nules. 

If  we  compare  Blastoidocrinus  with  Steganoblastus,  the 
need  for  and  probable  possession  of  brachioles  by  the  latter 
will  become  more  evident.  Both  are  stemmed  forms,  with 
similarly  shaped  body  cavities,  and  with  proportional  surface 
areas,  covered  by  large  food-grooves.  In  Steganoblastus,  a 
name  suggested  by  Bather  on  account  of  the  closely  covered 
condition  of  the  main  food-grooves  (1914,  p.  193),  we  find 
"large  covering  plates,"  (loc.  cit.)  which  form  a  prominent 
rounded  arch  over  the  groove"  (1914,  p.  200).  "At  the  proxi- 
mal end  smaller  plates  may  be  intercalated  along  the  middle 
line"  (19-1-4,  p.  199,  and  fig.  5,  p.  200),  or  "the  medial  suture 
in  the  proximal  region  becomes  curved  and  interlocking"  (1914, 


1916)  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  43 

p.  199),  and  "apparently  immovable  over  the  mouth  region" 
(1915,  p.  212).  In  Blastoidocrinus  we  have  also  a  closely  cov- 
ered condition  of  the  similarly  placed  main  food-grooves.  We 
have  large  covering  plates  which  arch  over  the  groove,  and  are 
rendered  immovable  over  both  rays  and  mouth  region  by  a  series 
of  still  heavier  accessory  plates,  called  by  the  author  "apical  or 
anal  pieces"  and  "wing  plates,"  though  for  the  fotmer  the  term 
supraoral  would  be  perhaps  more  appropriate.  These  ossicles 
are  figured  in  N.Y.  State  Museum  Bulletin  107,  plates  6  and  7. 
In  Blastoidocrinus  a  specimen  the  size  of  Styanoblastus  would 
have  about  3  50  brachioles  for  a  catching  apparatus  to  supply 
its  covered  main  food-grooves.  Bearing  now  in  mind  the  fact 
that  both  were  stemmed  Ordovician  forms  which  lived  in  the 
Ottawa  sea,  we  must  appreciate  the  difficulties  which  arise  if 
we  deny  brachioles  to  Steganoblastus.  Why  should  a  continued 
stemmed  existence  in  a  similar  environment  cause  the  loss  of  a 
specialized  and  efficient  collecting  apparatus,  and  leave  only 
the  five  main  ways  to  the  mouth,  and  these  still  closely  covered 
with  covering-plates,  immovable  at  least  for  the  mouth  region, 
and  for  the  older  portions  of  the  rays. 

There  are  other  interesting  points  to  be  gathered  from 
Bather's  description  in  which  Steganoblastus  resembles  Blas- 
toidocrinus. "The  very  deep  folding  of  the  plates,"  (1914,  p.. 
195),  in  adapical  and  interambulacral  areas  are  in  Blastoido- 
crinus dtie  to  plate  growth  or  development  over  hydrospires. 
There  is  a  "series  of  pores"  between  the  outer  ends  of  the  floor- 
plates  and  "just  below  the  attachment  of  the  cover-plates" 
(1914,  p.  198).  'The  pores  between  the  floor-plates  pass 
through  into  the  thecal  cavity"  (1914,  p,  199),  entering  hydro- 
spires  in  both  Blastoidea  and  Parablastoidea.  "There  is  a 
cover-plate  to  each  floor-plate,  and  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained 
after  prolonged  preparation  and  study,  the  sutures  between 
the  cover-plates  coincide  with  those  between  the  floor-plates. 
Thus,  the  pores,  which  as  already  stated,  lie  just  below  the 
attachment  of  the  cover-plates,  open  under  the  sutures  as  in 
Edrioaster,,  (1914,  p.  199).  Precisely  this  condition  is  to  be 
seen  in  Blastoidocrinus  (N.Y.  Museum  Bulletin  149,  plate  I, 
fig.  2). 

Of  the  outer  border  of  the  food-grooves  Bather  says:  "The 
suture  between  the  cover-plates  and  the  adambulacrals  is  flush, 
and  the  curve  of  the  cover-plates  passes  over,  though  with  a 
distinct  bend,  into  that  of  the  adambulacrals.  The  suture  is 
not  a  straight  line,  but  a  series  of  curves,  the  convex  outer 
edges  of  the  cover-plates  fitting  into  slight  concavities  in  the 
adambulacral  margin.  The  position  and  number  of  the  axial 
ridges  on  this  margin  indicate  that  the  original  adambulacral 


44  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [June-July 

elements  coincided  in  number  but  alternated  in  position  with 
the  cover-plates,  and  therefore  also  with  the  floor-plates.  This 
suture,  then,  is  essentially  a  zigzag  suture  between  two  sets  of 
alternating  plates.  In  consequence  of  this  arrangement  one 
would  expect  to  see  along  the  edges  of  the  groove,  when  the 
cover-plates  pre  removed,  a  series  of  depressions  or  facets  for 
the  reception  of  the  cover-plates.  Unfortunately  the  edges 
have  in  nearly  every  case  been  worn  enough  to  remove  all  trace 
of  these  very  faint  depressions     .      .      .      ."       (1914,  p.  200). 

This  rather  lengthy  quotation  has  been  made  to  show  that 
besides  the  cover-plates  and  floor-plates  we  have  present  in 
Steganoblastus  a  third  series  of  morphological  elements  belong- 
ing to  the  food-groove.  One  must  at  once  question  if  these 
are  not  likely  to  be  homologous  with  the  outer  side-pieces  of 
Blastoidea,  and  to  function  as  do  the  latter  in  assisting  in  the 
■.support  of  brachioles. 

We  should  note  that  the  question  as  to  how  these  five 
closely  or  immovably  covered  rays  secured  an  adequate  food 
supply  is  not  the  only  question  raised  by  a  study  of  the  form 
and  surface  of  Steganoblastus.  How  did  it  perform  the  very 
essential  function  of  respiration,  is  another  and  very  serious 
question.  We  find  ample  provision  in  Blastoidocrinus  and  the- 
Blastids  in  elaborate  hydrospire  systems.  Steganoblastus  must 
also  have  possessed  such  a  system,  and  the  presence  of  hydro- 
spires  is  strongly  suggested  in  Bather's  figures  2  and  3  (1914, 
plate  XV),  where  the  floor-plates  have  been  lost.  A  system 
of  this  kind  however,  presupposes  the  possession  of  brachioles. 

In  Edrioaster  the  branch  channels  which  end  in  pores 
(Bather,  1914,  p.  118)  are  bordered  by  double  ridges,  the  inner- 
most of  which  are  regularly  broken  transversely.  This  struc- 
ture, shown  by  Bather,  1914,  plate  XIV,  fig.  3,  while  not  so 
elaborate  as  that  shown  by  Hambach  in  his  "Revision  of  the 
Blastoidea,"  plate  II,  fig.  5,  is  yet  suggestive  of  the  latter,  and 
is  an  indication  of  structure  associated  with  the  segregation  of 
the  more  solid  contents  of  the  food  stream  from  the  water 
accompanying  it.  Bather  seeks  to  derive  the  Asterozoa  from 
the  Edrioasteroidea  (an  exceedingly  probable  derivation),  but 
in  doing  so  injures  his  case  by  interpreting  the  pores  of  Edrio- 
aster as  podial  openings — going  so  far  as  to  sketch  outlines  of 
an  ampulla  and  base  of  a  podium,  in  1900,  p.  197,  fig.  4.  Primi- 
tive sea-stars  possess  no  podial  openings  between  the  floor- 
plates.  This  fact  is  now  emphasized  by  Spencer  in  his  "Mono- 
graph of  the  British  Paleozoic  Asterozoa,"  part  I,   (1914). 

Under  the  heading  "Relations  of  Steganoblastus,"  Bather 
says:  "The  absence  of  brachioles,  inferred  from  the  lack  of 
brachiole-facets  and  the  presence  of  large  cover-plates,  proves 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  45 

that  Steganoblastus  is  not  a  blastoid,  not  even  one  of  the  Pro- 
toblastoidea,  as  was  at  first  supposed"  (1914,  p.  202).  We 
must  modify  this  statement.  The  presence  of  brachioles  should 
be  inferred  from  the  presence  of  small  bordering  plates  equal 
in  number  to  the  floor-plates,  and  in  zigzag  arrangement  with 
them;  from  the  manifest  need  for  additional  structures  to  assist 
in  food  capture  and  respiration;  from  the  appearances  noted 
suggesting  hydrospires ;  and  from  the  presence  of  cover-plates 
nearly  as  large  and  solidly  fixed  as  in  Blastoidocrinus,  which 
does  possess  brachioles.  The  peculiar  blastoid-like  markings  on 
the  channels  of  the  food-grove  noted  in  Edrioaster  may  be  added 
to  this  list,  for  they  will  probably  be  found  in  both  Blastoido- 
crinus and  Steganoblastus.  Bather  goes  on  to  say:  "Secondly, 
the  structure  of  the  subvective  groove,  with  its  floor-plates  and 
cover-plates,  and  its  pores  between  the  floor-plates,  is  paralleled 
by  Edrioasteroidea  alone  among  Pelmatozoa,  and  in  that  class 
most  closely  by  Edrioaster,  though  there  are  minor  differences" 
(1914,  p.  202).  This  statement  cannot  stand,  for  in  the  points 
enumerated  Steganoblastus  is  paralleled  by  Blastoidocrinus,  and 
both  plates  and  pores  no  doubt  functioned  in  a  similar  manner. 

We  have  here  a  very  definite  problem  to  solve,  and  as  we 
are  more  likely  to  find  or  notice  that  which  first  exists  in  the 
"mind's  eye,"  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  problem  may  lead 
to  an  early  solution.  This  idea  of  a  problem-phase  in  collecting 
is  one  we  should  carefully  bear  in  mind. 

Before  closing  the  present  paper  a  few  remarks  on  "field 
notes"  may  not  be  out  of  place.  It  is  sometimes  desirable  to 
know  the  position  assumed  by  a  form,  either  while  living  or 
during  burial.  With  surface  material  the  determination  is 
easily  made.  In  the  case  of  the  holotype  of  Palaeocrinus 
striatus  Billings,  we  desired  to  know  whether  or  not  the  flatten- 
ing of  the  theca  was  normal.  The  varying  degrees  of  weather- 
ing, and  the  cutting  away  of  the  under  side  to  free  it  from  its 
matrix  showed  that  this  specimen  was  buried  with  the  flattened 
posterior  side  down.  The  bent  in  condition  of  that  surface  may 
then  have  been  simply  due  to  pressure  after  burial.  (N.Y.  State 
Museum  Bulletin  149,  p.  216-217).  In  the  Valcour  Island 
specimen  of  Blastoidocrinus  carchariacdens  Billings,  a  knowledge 
of  the  side  down  at  death  would  assist  in  proving  the  respiratory 
function  of  the  hydrospires  and  the  condition  of  the  growing 
inner  edges  of  their  folds,  for  fine  muds  were  swept  into  these 
folds  after  the  stem  could  no  longer  support  the  theca,  and 
before  death  occurred.  (N.Y.  State  Museum  Bulletin  107,  p. 
114,  and  fig.  2  on  p.  105).  In  Canadacystis  emmonsi  (Hudson), 
the  rounded,  protruding  portion  of  the  theca  seems  to  have 
been  an  adaptation  to  secure  stable  equilibrium  on  the  sea  floor 


46  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  June-July 

with  arms  and  mouth  uppermost.  Most  specimens  of  Malo- 
cystites  when  rolled  on  a  table  come  to  rest  with  the  food- 
collecting  field  uppermost.  That  the  theca  in  this  species  rested 
on  the  bottom  is  shown  by  the  area  over  which  arm  extension 
did  not  take  place,  and  in  this  portion  of  the  theca  the  plates 
were  the  heavier,  thus  lowering  the  center  of  mass  and  securing 
stable  equilibrium  with  this  part  down.  Dr.  Foerste  (1914) 
believes  that  the  slope  of  the  bed  or  surface  of  attachment  in- 
fluences not  only  the  form  of  the  theca,  in  Agelacrinus,  but  also 
the  bending  of  the  rays;  and  Bather  (1915,  Geological  Magazine, 
p.  261)  says:  "Here,  as  in  so  many  similar  cases,  the  field  col- 
lector and  observers  have  not  supplied  the  laboratory  worker 
with  the  desired  evidence."  Not  only  has  gravity  left  many 
an  unread  story  of  its  influence,  but  even  orientation  has  some 
important  new  items  for  us;  for  instance,  see  Patten,  1912 
(Evolution  of  the  Vertebrates)  p.  377-3  79,  and  fig.  2  57,  where 
much  of  the  "mode  of  life"  of  Bothriolepsis  is  determined  from 
the  position  of  the  remains  of  this  genus  as  preserved  in  the 
beds  near  Dalhousie,  New  Brunswick.  Orientation  may  also 
have  much  to  tell  the  paleogeographer  as  to  direction  of  stream 
flow  and  of  tidal  currents.  It  would  be  a  very  easy  matter  to 
mark  collected  material  in  the  field  with  an  arrow  in  its  under 
surface,  indicating  north.  There  seems  to  be  room  yet  for 
improvement  in  our  purpose  in  going  afield,  in  our  judgment 
of  the  character  of  the  material  saved,  in  our  marking  the 
specimens  when  found,  and  in  the  character  of  our  field  notes. 
We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  there  is  much  to  be  saved  and 
gained  through  any  guiding  care  or  assistance  we  may  give  to 
those  lovers  of  nature  who  belong  to  the  generations  that  are 
following  ours. 


NOTE. 


Mr.  J.  H.  Emerton,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  spider  specialist, 
recently  visited  Ottawa  and  other  points  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  spiders.  During  his  stay  in  Canada  he  obtained  a 
large  number  of  different  species,  the  collection  of  some  of 
which  extended  the  known  range  of  distribution.  Mr.  Emerton 
is  making  a  special  study  of  Canadian  spiders.  Members  of  the 
Club  interested  in  entomology  could  assist  materially  in  such 
study  by  sending  specimens  from  their  immediate  districts. 
If  preferable,  the  Editor  of  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  would 
be  glad  to  forward  any  material  sent  to  him. 


LIBRARY 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


A  PRELIM IX ARY  PAPER  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CLASSI- 
FICATION OF  INTRAFORMATIONAL  CON- 
GLOMERATES AND  BRECCIAS. 


By  Richard  M.   Field,  Agassiz    Museum,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


(Continued  from  page  36.) 

The  author  shows  that  in  ground  plan  these  structures  are 
quite  similar  to  mud-cracks,  and  that  they  may  be  accounted  for 
by  the  excessive  dessication  of  limy  sediments  or  clay-like  material 
which  has  been  preserved  above  water  level  for  a  sufficient 
period  of  time  to  permit  of  an  abnormal  deepening  of  the  surface 
mud- cracks.  Should  the  spaces  or  cracks  between  successive 
layers  of  such  columnated  limestones  become  impregnated  with 
a  subsequent  deposition  of  limy,  or  even  sandy  material,  an  in- 
teresting type  of  intraformational  breccia  would  probably  be 
formed. 

Hyde  (6)  describes  a  peculiar  limestone  conglomerate 
from  the  so-called  "fresh-water"  horizon  of  the  Ohio  coal  mea- 
sures. He  writes:  "after  complete  evaporation  and  cracking 
of  the  limy  surface,  it  is  necessary  to  suppose  that  there  was  a 
submergence  in  order  to  account  for  the  matrix  of  small  frag- 
ments and  shells  in  which  the  pebbles  all  rest.  *  *  *  *  If, 
after  the  conglomerate  was  completely  formed,  the  deposition 
of  limestone  had  been  resumed  instead  of  a  soft  shale,  the 
result  would  have  been  a  typical  intraformational  conglomerate 
of  a  thinner  type,  in  which  the  structure  would  probably  have 
been  so  obscured  that  a  detailed  study  would  have  been  im- 
possible, or  only  possible  with  a  great  amount  of  labour." 

Bioglomerates. 

There  is  some  evidence  that  certain  intraformational  con- 
glomerates may  have  been  formed  partly  by  organic  agencies. 
Their  origin  may  have  been  the  result  of  either  plant  or  animal 
(?)  activities,  and  furthermore,  the  organisms  may  have  had 
either  a  direct  or  indirect  structural  influence.  Certain  so-called 
"limestone  conglomerates"  are  svipposed  to  be  composed  of 
fossil  organisms.  Thus,  Seeley  (7)  describes  conglomerates 
from  the  Beekmantown  of  the  Champlain  valley  as  having  their 
pebbles  formed  from  sponges,  a  new  genus,  which  he  called 
Wingia.  Brown  (8)  describes  certain  conglomerates  at  Belle- 
fonte   as   due  to  the   action  of  lime-secreting  algae.     He  notes 


48  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [June-July 

how  important  the  algae  are  as  reef-building  organisms  to-day, 
and  remarks  that  Lithothamnion-structure  is  easily  obliterated 
by  percolating  waters  so  as  to  form  a  structureless  limestone. 
He  concludes:  "It  is  freely  admitted  that  in  these  pebble-like 
structures  from  the  Cambrian  and  Ordovician  limestones,  no 
organic  structure  has  been  found  sufficiently  well  preserved  to 
prove  conclusively  that  they  are  of  algal  origin,  but  their  simi- 
larity to  such  structures  now  forming  is  very  suggestive."  In 
discussing  the  orientation  of  the  edgewise  conglomerates,  he 
follows  Hahn's  and  Grabau's  theory  that  the  deformation  and 
regrouping  is  largely  due  to  "submarine  slumping."  The  " Stre- 
phochetal  conglomerates"  mentioned  by  Seeley  (9)  are  probably 
not  true  conglomerates.  Seeley  writes  (op.  cit.  p.  152):  "The 
spherical  or  elongated  masses  breaking  down  from  a  weathering 
rock  appear  like  rolled  fragments  or  calcareous  concretions,  and 
such  without  doubt  they  are  in  many  cases.  Yet  a  careful  study 
of  these  will  disclose  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  these  nodular 
forms  have  definite  structure."  Thus,  the  stratigrapher  is  apt 
to  be  led  astray  by  certain  fossiliferous  rocks,  which,  upon  a 
macroscopic  and  hasty  examination,  have  all  the  earmarks  of  a 
true  intraformational  conglomerate,  but  which  really  owe  their 
structure  to  a  certain  type  of  organism  included  in  them.  It 
is  possible,  however,  that  true  intraformational  conglomerates 
may  be  formed  by  the  activities  of  organisms.  The  writer  col- 
lected an  interesting  specimen  from  the  lower  Beekmantown  at 
Bellefonte,  which  would  seem  to  suggest  another  mode  of  origin, 
but  somewhat  along  the  lines  suggested  by  Brown.  The  speci- 
men shows  a  narrow  band  of  unstratified  and  peculiarly  shaped 
phenoclasts  (see  fig.  2).  The  phenoclasts  themselves  are  only 
slightly  fossiliferous  and  are  fine-grained,  showing  no  definite 
crystal  structure,  and  have  peculiar  and  varied  outlines.  The 
interstices  are  filled  with  a  cement  largely  composed  of  algae 
and  the  debris  of  small  shells,  the  former  preponderating. 
The  shape  of  the  phenoclasts  and  the  presence  of  the  algae  in 
the  cement  would  seem  to  show  that  the  fine-grained,  un- 
crystallized  muds  deposited  in  intermittent  layers  upon  the  sea 
floor  were  broken  while  still  in  a  plastic  state  by  the  action  of 
the  algae.  The  processes  of  primary  deposition  of  the  limy  mud, 
floculation,  and  redisposition  of  the  "conglomerate  mass"  were 
practically  coterminous  with  the  primary  lithification  of  the 
limestone  under  discussion.  Sardeson  (10)  in  discussing  the 
pseudo-brecciated  structure  of  the  Ordovician  limestones  of 
Manitoba,  originally  described  by  Wallace  (11),  makes  the  fol- 
lowing statement :  "In  the  bed  number  3,  lumps,  cakes  and  lenses 
of  pure,  light-coloured,  fine-grained  limestone  lie  isolated  in  a 
brown,  fucoidal  shale,  and  the  evidence  is  then  clear  that  the 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  49 

lime  was  originally  deposited  in  lumps  or  masses.  The  lime 
quite  certainly  came  mainly  from  the  decomposition  of  marine 
algae  in  the  manner  lately  described  by  Thomas  C.  Brown. 
Without  entering  into  a  discussion  of  the  questions  as  to  what 
plants  and  animals  may  have  contributed  to  the  limy  deposit, 
or  in  what  manner  the  lime  was  collected,  it  is  sufficiently  evi- 
dent to  me  that  something  deposited  lime  in  small  and  large 
masses.  The  lenses  and  lumpy  patches  of  relatively  pure  lime 
in  all  parts  of  the  Galena-Trenton  frequently  inclose  fossil  shells, 
etc.,  in  a  way  to  show  that  these  limy  bodies  were  soft  when  de- 
posited; that  is  to  say,  they  often  partly  inclose  shells,  stipes  of 
graptolites,  fucoids,  etc.,  either  in  the  manner  of  objects  over- 
flowed by  soft  lime  or  in  the  manner  of  objects  partly  sunken  into 
such  a  soft  deposit.  Shells  of  Lingulae  are  found  which  had 
bored  into  them — and  the  boring,  was  done,  of  course,  while 
they  were  not  consolidated."  Sardeson  himself  advances  a 
rather  ingenious  hypothesis  for  the  formation  of  "corrosion  con- 
glomerates" (op.  cit.  p.  276).  He  believes  that  the  "fucoids" 
found  in  the  shaly  limestones  associated  with  the  conglomerates 
are  the  roots  of  a  sea- weed,  closely  related  to  Camarocladia,  and 
that  because  of  the  hardness  of  the  sea-floor  these  roots  are 
supposed  to  have  been  able  to  penetrate  vertically  but  a  short 
distance,  and  thus  could  be  easily  uprooted  by  the  rafting  of 
flotsam  at  the  surface  of  the  water.  He  concludes:  "Since  the 
conglomerates  are  found  in  limited  horizons  instead  of  through- 
out the  beds  or  formations,  their  origin  is  to  be  attributed  rather 
to  catastrophies,  such  as  rafts  of  sea- weeds,  etc.,  *  *  *  *." 
Here  again  we  may  have  a  true  intraformational  conglomerate 
formed  by  vegetable  means. 

Gleitungspheomene. 

Sub-aquatic  and  sub-aerial-gliding-deformation  or  soli- 
fluction.  Under  the  heading  "Sub-aquatic,  gliding  deforma- 
tion," Grabau  (op.  cit.  p.  780)  writes:  "Offshore  deposits  of 
sediments  on  a  gently  sloping  sea  or  lake  bottom  may  suffer, 
from  time  to  time,  deformation  of  the  surface  layers  through 
gliding  or  slipping  down  the  gently-inclined  sea  floor.  *  *  * 
The  most  remarkable  fact  about  the  gliding  in  Zug  was  that  it 
took  place  on  an  average  grade  of  6%  (3°26'),  while  the  larger 
and  more  pronounced  movement  occurred  on  a  grade  as  low 
as  4.4%  (2°31')).  The  material  thus  slid  into  the  lake  was 
brecciated  (italics  are  the  author's)  and  folded  with  overfolds, 
overthrusts,  reversals  of  layers,  excessive  strata,  etc.,  and  fur- 
nishes an  excellent  guide  to  the  interpretation  of  similar  move- 
ment in  the  past."  Under  the  heading  "Examples  of  fossil 
subaqueous  solifluction,"    (op.   cit.   p.    781),  the  author  quotes 


50  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [June-July 

numerous  examples  from  the  Cambrian  to  the  Miocene,  bringing 
out  the  interesting  fact  that  the  intraformational  structures  are 
to  be  found  at  all  stages  of  the  earth's  history.  He  does  not 
distinguish,  however,  between  kinds  of  sediments  in  which  these 
folds  and  breccias  are  developed,  and  whether  or  not  they  were 
formed  under  fresh  or  salt  water.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
Hahn  builds  his  hypothesis  upon  the  observation  of  the  move- 
ments and  deformations  of  lake  deposits  and  clays.  Grabau, 
likewise,  cites  examples  of  deformation  in  the  Miocenic  marls 
of  Oeningen.  He  shows  two  photographs  of  this  clay  folded 
in  this  way,  in  neither  of  which  has  the  writer  been  able  to  ob- 
serve any  signs  of  true  brecciation,  or  such  brecciation  as  was 
supposed  to  have  taken  place  in  the  formation  of  the  edgewise 
conglomerates  at  Bellefonte,  Gaspe  peninsula,  and  Trenton 
Chasm.  In  short,  the  tightly  closed  and  delicately  delineated 
folds,  so  beautift;lly  illustrative,  are  very  typical  of  the  sub- 
aqueous solifluction  of  clays.  Whether  or  not  this  peculiar  type 
of  folding  is  to  be  found  in  limestones  is  open  to  question. 
The  writer  has  observed  such  folds  in  clays  and  delta  deposits, 
but  he  has  not  seen  any  signs  of  true  brecciation.  It 
is  possible  that  many  of  the  Pleistocene,  and  even  older  occur- 
rences, may  be  of  glacial  origin,  They  appear  to  be  rather 
typical  of  clay  deposits  and  glacial  rock  flours.  In  the  case  of  the 
Devonian  examples  of  intraformational  breccias  from  the  Cape 
Bon  Ami  limestones  of  the  Gaspe  region,  we  have  a  contorted 
and  brecciated  bed  made  up  of  alternating  layers  of  shale 
and  limestone,  which,  as  described,  is  similar  to  those  found 
at  Trenton  Chasm.  It  seems  a  somewhat  strange  coinci- 
dence that  while  subaquatic  solifluction  is  postulated  as 
having  taken  place,  in  most  instances,  in  a  more  or  less  homo- 
genous type  of  deposit,  that  in  such  localities  as  Gaspe,  Trenton 
Chasm  and  elsewhere  it  should  be  confined  to  that  portion  of 
the  strata  in  which  there  is  a  variation  in  the  constitution  of 
the  sediments  deposited  Although  the  writer  fully  realizes 
that  the  above  cited  facts  may  not  be  fatal  to  any  hypothesis 
regarding  submarine-gliding-deformation,  yet,  as  the  evidence  in 
these  cases  tends  very  strongly  to  prove  an  alternative  hypo- 
thesis, it  must  be  scrutinized  with  some  care.  Although  some 
"edgewise  conglomerates"  may  be  due  to  submarine  slumping, 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  that  the  majority  of  intraformational 
breccias  are  the  result  of  this  process.  Certain  of  the  intra- 
formational glomerates  are  of  wide  geographic  extent,  and  of 
great  stratigraphic  regularity,  although  of  great  thinness.  It 
is  perhaps  easier  to  conceive  of  a  more  or  less  horizontal,  mud- 
cracked  flat  or  tidal  estuary  than  it  is  to  conceive  of  a  sub- 
marine slope,  along  which  "slumping"  had  taken  place  regularly 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  51 

and  evenly  over  a  similar  distance.  Although  it  has  heretofore 
been  stated  otherwise,  the  textures  of  the  phenoclasts,  in^most 
of  the  stratified  and  unstratified  glomerates  examined  by  the 
writer,  have  been  found  to  be  slightly  different  from  the  matrix. 
This  tends  to  show  that  the  sediments  forming  the  phenoclasts 
and  the  cement  were  not  derived  from  the  same  horizon.  It  is 
only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  this  lack  of  homogenity  be- 
tween the  phenoclasts  and  their  cement  is  intimately  connected 
with  their  history.  The  writer  believes  that  subaquatic-gliding 
-deformation  is  undoubtedly  a  good  theory  to  account  for  the 
production  of  intraformational  phenomena,  btit  that  its  applica- 
tion in  the  case  of  the  intraformational  limestone  glomerates  is, 
according  to  the  present  data,  extremely  limited. 

Unstratified  and  EdcxEWise  Conglomerates. 

Of  all  intraformational  glomerates,  probably  the  so-called 
edgewise  variety  is  the  most  notable  in  the  field.  Edgewise 
glomerates  are  apt  to  have  their  structure  well  developed 
by  differential  weathering,  and  the  striking  arrangement  of 
the  phenoclasts  has  caused  several  students  of  the  sedimentary 
rocks  to  offer  an  explanation  as  to  their  origin.  Probably  the 
two  leading  hypotheses  regarding  the  origin  of  these  special 
glomerates  are  those  of  Hahn,  and  Walcott,  previously  men- 
tioned. The  writer  believes  that  certain  edgewise  conglomerates 
which  he  has  seen  owe  the  explanation  of  their  origin  to  Wal- 
cott's  theory,  although  it  is  possible  that  edgewise  breccias  may 
be  formed  under  the  conditions  postulated  by  Hahn  and  Grabau. 
Certain  thin-bedded  glomerates  whose  phenoclasts  are  but  slight- 
ly abraded,  probably  owe  their  origin  to  such  conditions  as  those 
observed  by  Walcott  (12)  at  Noye's  Point,  Rhode  Island.  'I 
noticed  that  when  the  tide  went  out  before  daylight,  the  layer  of 
fine  sand  and  mud,  exposed  to  the  dry  wind  and  sun  during  the 
day,  hardened,  and  that  when  the  surface  of  the  water  of  the 
incoming  tide  was  broken  by  small  waves,  the  hardened  layer 
was  lifted,  broken  into  angular  fragments  and  piled,  in  some 
places,  to  a  depth  of  several  inches;  while  in  other  places  it  was 
simply  turned  over  and  was  very  little  disturbed.  .  When  much 
disturbed,  the  edges  of  the  fragments  were  rounded,  so  as  to 
give  them  the  appearance  of  having  rolled  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. In  one  instance,  the  ensuing  out-flowing  tide  deposited 
a  thin  layer  of  sand  and  silt  over  the  brecciated  fragments." 
From  these  observations  it  is  evident  that  should  the  same 
phenomena  occur  on  a  sinking  shore  line,  glomerates  of  the  char- 
acter so  often  met  with  by  the  field  geologist,  would  be  formed. 
When  there  has  been  a  special  heaping  or  sorting  of  the  pheno- 
clasts by  marine  currents,  we  should  expect  to  find  true  "edge- 


52  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [June-July 

wise  conglomerates."  It  is  conceivable  that  conditions  suitable 
for  the  formation  of  such  "edgewise  conglomerates"  would 
probably  be  more  or  less  local  within  the  whole  disturbed  zone 
— that  is,  that  a  typical  arrangement  of  the  phenoclasts  might 
not  exist  throughout  the  intraformational  glomerates.  Walcott 
does  not  mention  the  possible  effect  of  the  scouring  action  of 
tidal  currents  upon  a  previously  mud-cracked  surface.  A  tidal 
flat  whose  sediments  were  composed  of  a  limy  mud,  when  des- 
sicated,  would,  if  disturbed  by  a  subsequent  and  sufficiently 
powerful  tidal  action,  yield  a  quantity  of  tough,  not  brittle, 
phenoclasts,  which  might  be  redeposited  with  little  or  no  signs 
of  attrition  except  at  the  edges.  Ripple-marked  and  mud- 
cracked  bars  and  flats  are  very  apt,  at  the  present  day,  to  be 
dissected  by  shallow  currents,  and  these  channels  should  act  as 
catch  basins  into  which  the  phenoclasts  derived  from  the  mud- 
cracked  zone  are  tumbled  by  the  onrushing  tide.  Agassiz  (13) 
noticed  that  the  lime-mud  deposited  by  the  waves  of  Florida 
hardened  within  a  few  hours  to  such  a  degree  that  it  made  a 
ringing  sound  when  walked  upon.  This  scaly  deposit  becomes 
exceptionally  brittle  between  tides,  and  might,  under  certain 
conditions  of  deposition,  be  broken  up  by  the  advancing  waves 
and  re-deposited  in  much  the  same  manner  as  suggested  by 
•Walcott. 

(To  be  continued) 


NOTE. 


The  Editor  of  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  has  frequently 
been  asked,  by  members  of  the  Club,  for  information  on  Nature 
Guide  books.  He  has  thought  it  advisable  to  list  the  pocket 
guides  which  are  now  available,  and  which  may  be  obtained  at 
The  Book  Store  (A.  H.  Jarvis),  Bank  St.,  Ottawa,  or  from 
James  Hope  &  Sons,  Sparks  St.,  Ottawa.  These  are  as 
follows : 

The  Bird  Guide— Land  Birds 

The  Bird  Guide— Water  Birds 

The  Flower  Guide 

The  Tree  Guide 

The  Butterfly  Guide 

The  Animal  Guide 

All  of  the  above  are  "beautifully  illustrated  in  colours. 
They  are  invaluable  to  the  nature  lover,  and  in  price  are 
$1.00  each. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist 


Vol.  XXX.  Plate  I. 


(Half  natural  size.) 


Paedeumias  robsonensis  Burling 
Lower  Cambrian,  British  Columbia. 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

VOL.  XXX.        OTTAWA,  AUG. -SEPT..  1916.        Nos.  5  and  6 

PAEDEUMIAS  AND  THE  MESON ACIDiE,  WITH  DESCRIP- 
TION OF  A  NEW  SPECIES,  HAVING  AT  LEAST 
44  SEGMENTS,  FROM  THE  LOWER  CAM- 
BRIAN OF  BRITISH  COLUMBIA,  (a) 

By  Lancaster  D.  Burling. 


By  common  consent  we  are  accustomed  to  regard  the 
Crustacea  as  derived  from  the  annelids,  and  we  have  pointed 
to  their  abundantly  segmented  body  as  a  reason  for  assigning 
this  ancestorship  to  them.  As  late  as  1915  (b)  it  was  possible, 
however,  to  say  that  there  are  never  less  than  two  nor  more 
than  29  segments  in  the  thorax  of  a  trilobite.  Walcott  (c)  has 
recently  described  and  figured  a  specimen  with  42  normal  seg- 
ments. The  specimen  to  be  described  contains  at  least  44 
segments  (the  end  is  broken  away),  29  of  which  are  rudimentary 
segments  posterior  to  a  spine-bearing  fifteenth.  The  great 
number  of  segments  gives  sufficient  interest  to  this  trilobite 
to  warrant  its  description,  and  a  discussion  of  its  bearing  on 
the  evolution  of  the  Mesonacidae. 

Paedeumias  robsonensis  n.  sp. 

Pazdeumias  n.  sp.,  Burling,  1916,  Bull.  Geol.  Soc.  America,  vol.  27, 

pp.    158-159. 
Pcedcumias  n.  sp.,  Burling,  1916,  Geol.  Surv.  Canada,  Sunim.  Rept. 

for    1915,   p.    100. 

Description. — Outline  of  the  cephalon  almost  semi-circular, 
marginal  rim  relatively  wide  and  flat,  genal  and  intergenal 
spines  distinct.  Glabella  crushed  in  front,  but  apparently 
parallel-sided  and  reaching  in  front  to  the  marginal  rim.  Eyes 
prominent,  broad  at  the  anterior  end,  where  they  merge  into 
and  even  cross  portions  of  the  glabella,  and  narrow  at  the  pos- 
terior end  which  lies  just  within  the  posterior  margins,  is  raised, 
and  does  not  reach  the  sides  of  the  glabella.  Glabellar  furrows 
deeply  marked,  four  pairs  being  visible  in  the  unmashed  portion 
of  the  glabella  described.  The  two  posterior  pairs  are  almost 
transverse,  and  extend  two-thirds  of  the  way  from  the  dorsal 
furrow  to  the  centre  of  the    glabella;  the  third  pair,  counting 

(«)  Published  bv  the  permission  of  the  Deputy  Minister  of  Mines. 

(6)  Schuchert,  Pirsson  and  Schuchert's  Textbook  of  Geologv,  1915,  p.  606. 

(c)  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  64,  1916,  p.  162,  pi.  26,  figs".  4b,  4c. 


54  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Aug. -Sept- 

from  the  back,  is  represented  on  either  side  by  a  dimple  situated 
midway  between  the  side  and  the  centre  of  the  glabella,  and 
midway  between  the  furrows  anterior  and  posterior  to  it.  The 
glabellar  furrow  nearest  the  front  is  a  short  diagonal  groove 
starting  just  back  of  the  point  of  union  between  the  anterior 
end  of  the  eye  lobe  and  the  glabella,  and  occupying  the  central 
portion  of  the  distance  from  the  side  to  the  centre  of  the  glabella. 
Surface  of  the  cephalon  an  irregular  network  of  raised  inoscu- 
lating lines  more  or  less  radial  to  the  outer  margin.  Pleurae 
of  two  distinct  types,  an  anterior  normal  set  of  fourteen  and  a 
posterior  rudimentary  set  of  29  (or  more,  the  end  is  broken 
away)  separated  by  a  spine-bearing  segment.  Ihe  ends  of  the 
first  fourteen  ribs  become  progressively  longer  toward  the 
posterior  end  of  the  trilobite,  and  the  fourteenth  pair  almost 
surround  the  rudimentary  29.  These  are  further  protected  by 
the  spine  on  the  fifteenth  segment,  which  is  likewise  extended. 
The  rudimentary  ribs  differ  little  in  width  of  axis  from  those 
which  precede  them,  but  the  sides  are  very  small.  Pleural 
grooves  broad,  flat,  and  almost  parallel-sided  in  those  forming 
the  middle  portion  of  the  trilobite.  Toward  the  spine-bearing 
fifteenth  segment  the  pleurae  become  relatively  much  wider  for 
their  length,  and  the  pleural  groove  cuts  more  and  more  dia- 
gonally until  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  it  cuts  directly 
across  from  the  anterior  inner  corner  to  the  posterior  outer 
corner.  Rudimentary  segments  almost  plain,  pleural  grooves 
being  indistinct  or  wanting.  The  taper  to  the  29  rudimentary 
segments  which  have  been  preserved  is  so  gradual  as  to  render 
it  extremely  probable  that  there  were  many  more  than  29 
segments  anterior  to  the  pygidium. 

The  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  pleurae  on  the  right  side  of  the 
specimen  described  have  suffered  injury,  being  broken  off 
close  to  the  axis  at  such  a  time  or  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
ends  have  healed,  and  show  a  tendency  toward  a  normal  ter- 
mination. The  fifth  one  in  particular  is  broken  clear  across, 
and  in  it  the  pleural  groove  stops  just  inside  of  the  newly  curved 
margin;  the  fourth  and  sixth  were  broken  across  transversely 
so  as  to  leave  the  greater  portion  respectively  of  the  upper  and 
lower  margins.  This  particular  trilobite  is  as  large  or  larger 
than  the  largest  that  has  so  far  been  discovered  in  the  Lower 
Cambrian  of  British  Columbia  or  Alberta.  If  we  assume  that 
the  accident  occurred  during  the  youth  of  the  trilobite,  we 
must  grant  that  these  early  forms  did  not  have  the  power  of 
renewing  broken  or  lost  portions,  but  this  conclusion  is  negatived 
by  its  ability  to  heal  up  the  broken  ends  and  fashion  them  off. 
The  accident  was,  therefore,  probably  of  recent  occurrence. 
And  since  it  must  have  happened  during  his  maturity,  we  are 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  5  5 

somewhat  justified  in  assuming  that  our  trilobite  lost  this  por- 
tion of  his  anatomy  to  a  foe  more  voracious,  if  not  larger,  than 
himself.  The  occurrence  certainly  lends  weight  to  the  infer- 
ence that  the  Lower  Cambrian  trilobite  was  not  the  supreme 
arbiter  we  have  supposed  him  to  be ;  however,  he  may  have  been 
struck  by  material  dislodged  from  a  ledge  beneath  which  he 
was  crawling. 

Horizon  and  Locality. — Lower  Cambrian,  Mahto  forma- 
tion, collected  from  drift  block  on  the  slope  of  the  Mural  glacier 
just  under  Mumm  Peak,  Mt.  Robson  region,  British  Columbia. 
Collected  by  E.  C.  Amies. 

Observations. — Paedeumias  robsonensis  differs  from  P. 
transitans — the  only  other  species  known — (a):  (1)  in  having 
29  instead  of  2  to  6  rudimentary  segments  posterior  to  the  spine- 
bearing  fifteenth,  and  in  the  more  highly  developed  character 
of  the  rudimentary  segments — they  are  better  described  as 
small  short  ribs  in  P.  robsonensis,  while  those  of  P.  transitans 
are  truly  rudimentary;  (2)  in  having  a  highly  ornamented 
cephalic  surface;  (3)  in  the  character  of  the  glabellar  furrows. 
which  approach  closely  to  those  represented  in  the  cephalon 
from  Mt.  Stephen,  B.C.,  doubtfully  referred  to  Olenellus  giU 
berti  by  Walcott  (b) ;  and  (4)  in  the  width  and  flatness  of  the 
marginal  cephalic  rim. 

Paedeumias  robsonensis  resembles  P.  transitans  in  general 
shape  and  outline,  in  the  number  and  general  character  of  the 
normal  segments  and  the  pleural  furrows,  and  in  the  abrupt- 
ness of  the  change  from  regular  to  rudimentary  segments. 

These  resemblances  seem  to  warrant  the  inclusion  of 
Paedeumias  robsonensis  in  the  genus  Paedeumias,  but  the 
differences  are  such  as  to  justify  its  reference  to  a  new  species. 
The  specific  name  robsonensis  is  derived  from  Mount  Robson, 
in  whose   general   vicinity  this  trilobite  was  secured. 

General  Considerations. — The  resorption  of  segments 
posterior  to  the  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  in  the  genera  of  the 
Mesonacidae  (a  family  of  trilobites  apparently  confined  to  the 
upper  portion  of  the  Lower  Cambrian)  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  functioning  parts,  those  necessary  for  the  life  of  the 
individual,  were  confined  to  the  first  fourteen.  Once  this  adap- 
tation to  fourteen  vital  segments  is  made,  and  Wanneria  appears 
to  show  the  trilobite  at  the  moment  this  took  place,  resorption 
of  the  remainder  begins.  The  finding  of  29  rudimentary  pos- 
terior segments  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  resorption 
takes  place  laterally,  that  is,  they  become  smaller  in  size  before 

(a)  Walcott,  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  53,  1910,  pp.  30S-310,  pis   24,  25,  32,  33,  34  and 

44. 
(6)  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  53,  1910,  pi.  36,  fig.  16. 


56  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Aug.-Sept. 

they  become  fewer  in  number.  Of  known  genera  of  the  Meso- 
nacidct,  Mesonacis  and  Paedeumias  have  a  spine-bearing  fifteenth 
segment,  and  the  progression  from  the  rib-like  fifteenth  seg- 
ment of  Mesonacis  through  the  more  rudimentary  fifteenth 
segment  of  Paedeumias  robsonensis,  and  the  almost  telson-like 
segment  of  Paedeumias  transitans  (which  cuminates  in  the  telson 
of  Olenellus)  is  paralleled  by  the  progression  from  the  rib-like 
posterior  segments  of  Mesonacis  to  the  less  rib-like  segments 
of  Paedeumias  transitans.  Moreover,  the  close  relationship  of 
the  three  genera  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  each  the  third 
segment  is  enlarged.  That  the  number  of  rudimentary  seg- 
ments alone  bears  little  or  no  relation  to  the  relative  primitive- 
ness  of  the  form  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  Mesonacis,  which 
is  clearly  more  primitive  than  Paedeumias,  has  less  than  one- 
third  the  number  of  rudimentary  segments.  Nevadia,  which 
appears  to  be  the  most  primitive  as  well  as  the  earliest  of  the 
Mesonacidae,  does  not  seem  to  have  reached  the  stage  where 
differentiation  of  its  segments  might  take  place.  In  it  there 
is  a  steady  progressive  decrease  in  the  length  of  the  pleural 
groove  from  the  first  to  the  eighteenth,  with  from  six  to  eleven 
posterior  segments  whose  pleural  portion  is  unmarked. 

In  Elliptocephala  the  five  segments  posterior  to  the  anterior 
thirteen  (not  fourteen  as  in  the  Mesonacis-Paedeumias-Olenellus 
line)  are  all  spine-bearing,  and  are  identical  in  everything  but 
size.  This  feature  has  only  been  described  for  one  other  form, 
namely,  Redlichia  chinensis,  and  while  the  posterior  five  seg- 
ments in  this  species  are  spine-bearing  and  do  not  otherwise 
differ  from  those  anterior  to  them,  we  have  no  information  as 
to  the  number  of  the  anterior  segments.  It  is  at  least  12  (a), 
however.  In  Wanneria  there  is  a  tendency  toward  nodes  or 
spines  on  the  anterior  thirteen  segments,  and  the  fourteenth 
bears  a  short  spine,  but  except  in  this  respect  it  is  indistin- 
guishable from  the  progressively  smaller  segments  posterior 
to  it.  In  this  genus  there  is  no  suggestion  of  a  resorption  of 
segments,  and  it  seems  natural  to  suppose  that  Holmia  may 
have  been  derived  from  it  since  that  genus  also  betrays  no 
tendency  toward  resorption,  and  the  anterior  fourteen  segments 
only  of  the  sixteen  bear  spines.  In  neither  Holmia  nor  Wanneria 
is  there  any  enlargement  of  the  third  segment. 

The  fact  that  there  is  no  enlargement  of  the  third  segment 
in  Nevadia  corroborates  the  indication  given  by  the  character 
of  its  ribs,  and  appears  to  justify  us  in  believing  it  to  be  very 
primitive.  The  general  resemblance  between  this  genus  and 
species  of  Callavia  such  as  eucharis  and  perfecta  (b)  is  worthy 

(a)  Walcott,  Research  in  China,  vol.  3,  1913,  pi.  24,  figs.  1,  la. 

(6)  Walcott,  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  57,  No.  11,  1913,  pi.  S3,  figs.  1  and  3. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  57 

of  note.  Schmidtiellus  mickwitzi  (Schmidt)  (a),  with  its  thirteen 
segments,  absence  of  any  enlargement  of  the  third,  and  the 
presence  of  a  spine  on  the  eighth  segment,  is  clearly  distinct 
from  Mesonacis,  but  its  relationships  are  obscure.  Of  the 
genera  in  which  there  is  no  tendency  toward  resorption  (Wati- 
neria,  Holmia,  and  Callavia),  Callavia  (b)  alone  shows  a  ten- 
dency toward  an  enlargement  of  the  third  segment.  The 
genera  showing  resorption  (Mesonacis,  PaeJeumias,  and  Olenel- 
lus)  all  have  an  enlarged  third  segment.  This  is  also  true  for 
Elliptocephala  (c),  though  the  differentiation  between  the  third 
and  other  ribs  disappears  in  this  species  in  the  adult.  In 
Olenelloides  (d),  a  bizarre  survivor  of  Mesonacidae,  the  third 
segment  is  enlarged. 

The  enlargement  of  the  third  segment  appears  to  be  im- 
portant from  a  morphological  standpoint,  and  it  is  preserved 
among  Middle  Cambrian  trilobites  bearing  relationships  to  the 
Lower  Cambrian  Mesonacidae  in  the  youthful  forms  of  Zacan- 
thoides  (e),  and  the  adult  forms  of  Albertella  helena  (/).  Its 
importance  in  the  latter  species  is,  however,  largely  negatived 
by  the  fact  that  in  the  very  closely  related  Albertella  bosworthi 
(g)  it  is  the  fourth  segment  which  is  enlarged.  In  both  species 
the  total  number  of  segments  is  the  same,  seven,  but  the  number 
of  segments  uniting  to  form  the  tail  is  larger  in  bosworthi  than 
in  helena.  The  second  segment  is  enlarged  in  the  young  of  the 
following  species  of  Paradoxi  ies  :  hohemicus  Boeck,  injlatus  Corda, 
lyelli  Barrande,  nigulosus  Corda,  and  spinosus  Boeck.  In  Hydro- 
cephalus car  ens,  H.  saturnoides  and Paradoxid^s pitsillits  Barrande 
the  anterior  two  segments  are  enlarged.  In  Shumanlia  pusilla 
(Sars)  the  fourth  ssgment  is  large,  irrespective  of  the  number 
of  segments  between  the  fourth  and  the  tail.  In  several  species 
of  Cybele  it  is  the  sixth  pair,  and  Cyphaspis  barrandei  and  C. 
burmeisieri  are  each  characterized  by  the  presence  of  a  very  long 
median  spine  on  the  sixth  segment.  In  one  species  of  Illaenus 
{hisingeri  Barrancle)  it  is  the  first.  In  Bathynotus  it  is  the 
eleventh  and  last,  iviedian  thoracic  spines  have  been  described 
for  the  following  Cambrian  species:  Saratogia  hera  Walcott  (h), 
Norwoodia  tenera  Walcott  (/),  and  AT.  gracilis  Walcott  (/)'.  Za- 
canthoides,  which  has  been  mentioned  as  one  of  the  two  Middle 


(K)  Moberg  in  Moberg  and  Segerberg,  1906,  Kongl.  Fvsiog.  Sallskapets  Handl.,  N.F.,   Bd  . 

17,  1906,  p.  35. 
(6)  Walcott,  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  5  7,  No.  11,  1913,  pi.  S3,  figs.  1  and  3. 
(c)  Walcott,  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  53,  No.  6,  1910,  p.  269. 
(il)  Peach,  Quart.  Jour.  Geol.  Soc.  London,  vol.  50,  pp.  669-670,  pi.  32,  figs.  1-6.  • 
(e)  Walcott,  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.  vol.  53,  No.  2,  1908,  pi.  3,  figs.  5  and  10. 
(/)  Idem,  pi.  2,  fig.  8. 
('/..  Idem,  pi.   1,  fig.  5. 

(h)  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.  vol.  64,  1916,  pi.  35,  fig.  3b. 
(i)  Idem,  pi.  2  8,  fig.  2d. 
(j)  Idem,  pi.  27,  fig.  2f. 


58  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Aug. -Sept. 

Cambrian  genera  showing  enlargements  of  the  third  segment, 
includes  one  species  (idahoensis  Walcott)  (a)  characterized  by 
the  presence  of  a  long  median  spine  on  the  fifth  segment,  and 
one  species  (typicalis  Walcott)  (b)  in  which  the  median  spine 
adorns  the  eighth  segment.  This  enlargement  of  certain  seg- 
ments is  comparatively  rare  among  the  trilobites,  and  its  fur- 
ther study  should  yield  results  of  morphologic  value.  The 
foregoing  can  only  be  considered  as  a  resume  of  some  of  the 
facts  which  may  contribute  "to  the  observational  basis  of  the 
ultimate  discussion." 


A  PRELIMINARY  PAPER  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  CLASSI- 
FICATION OF  INTRAFORMATIONAL  CON- 
GLOMERATES AND  BRECCIAS. 


By  Richard  M.   Field,   Agassiz  Museum,  Cambridge,  Mass. 


(Continued  f.oni  page  52.) 

Limestone  Conglomerates. 
Intraformational  conglomerates  have  been  described  which 
are  more  nearly  related  to  conglomerates  in  the  ordinary  sense 
than  those  hereto+ore  discussed.  The  phenoclasts  (true  pebbles 
in  this  case)  of  these  conglomerates  are  usually  of  several  orders, 
of  size,  and  all  but  the  largest  are  water-worn,  i.e.,  derived,  by 
transportation  and  attrition,  from  indurated,  angular  material. 
The  pebbles  contain  the  same  fossils  as  are  found  in  the  cement- 
ing material  or  ground  mass,  and  thus  the  conglomerate  is 
proved  to  be  truly  intraformational  in  time.  Such  conglomerates 
are  of  manifold  occurrence.  Walcott  (op.  cit.  p.  34)  describes 
one  from  a  locality  below  Schodack  Landing,  Rensselaer  County, 
N.Y.  He  writes:  "It  (the  conglomerate)  shows  that  the  lime- 
stone pebbles,  boulders  and  brecciated  fragments  were  formed 
from  a  calcareous  sediment  sufficiently  consolidated  to  be  broken 
up  and  more  or  less  rounded  by  attrition,  and  these  collected 
to  form  a  bed  of  conglomerates,  the  matrix  of  which  is  usually 
calcareous."  Sometimes  these  glomerates  are  very  coarse,  and 
contain  phenoclasts  the  size  of  boulders  (two  to  four  feet  in 
diameter).  Walcott  describes  such  conglomerates  from  east- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  others  from  Tennessee,  in  Cook,  Sevier 
and  Blount  counties.  In  one  portion  of  the  Cictico  conglom- 
erates, he   states    (op.  cit.  p.  38),    some  of  the  boulders    reach 

(.n)  Smithsonian  Misc.  Coll.,  vol.  S3,  No.  2,  1908,  pi.  3. 

(b)  Canadian  Alpine  Jotim.  vol.  1,  1908,  pi.  opp.  p.  248,  fig.  1. 


19161  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  59 

a  diameter  of  six  feet.  Regarding  the  origin  of  the  coarse  in- 
traformational  conglomerates,  Walcott  writes  (op.cit.  p.  39: 
"The  relation  of  the  bedded  limestone  to  the  subjacent  con- 
glomerates proves  that  the  calcareous  mud  which  was  subse- 
quently consolidated  into  the  limestones  solidified  soon  after 
position.  This  is  shown  by  the  presence  of  limestone  with 
sharp,  clear-cut  edges.  The  presence  of  the  conglomerates  above 
the  limestone  beds,  from  some  portion  of  which  they  were  de- 
rived, leads  one  to  believe  that  the  sea-bed  was  raised  in  rid] 
or  domes  above  sea-level,  and  thus  subjected  to  the  action  of 
sea-shore  ice,  if  present  and  aerial  agents  of  erosion  *  *  *." 
The  mode  of  occurrence  of  the  lders,  especially  those  in 

the  limestone  at  Stone's  Quarry,  leads  to  the  hypothesis  that 
they  may  have  been  dropped  upon  the  sea-bed  from  floating 
ice.  No  other  explanation  occurs  to  me  that  will  account  for 
the  placing  of  them  upon  the  sea-bed,  so  as  to  not  disturb  to 
any  marked  degree  the  sediment  then  accumulating 

Mixed  Conglomerates. 

A  very  interesting  type  of  conglomerate  which  might  be 
classified  under  B,  I,  1,  is  that  described  by  Raymond  (14) 
from  the  Levis.  The    Levis    formation    consists    mostly    of 

shale,  with  zones  of  hard  blue    and  light  grey  limestone,    and 
thick  and  thin  beds  of  limestone   conglomerate.       Neither   the 
top  nor  bottom  of  the  formation  is  known.      *       *       *      Very 
fossiliferous    pebbles    have    been    found   in    the    conglomerates- 
in    the     Levis,    and    the    fossils    show    them    to    be .  derived 
from  strata  of  three    geological    ages.      The    pebbles   are:     1st, 
Lower  Cambrian;   2nd,  Upper  Cambrian   or  Lower  Ordovician; 
3rd,  Beekmantown.      Besides  the    limestone    pebbles   there  are 
many  of  igneous   rocks   and   quartzites,  but    they  do  not  form 
nearly    so    large    a    proportion    of    the    conglomerates    as    do 
those  composed  of  limestone.      These    conglomerates  also  con- 
tain pebbles  of  the  red  and  green    shale,  and  sandstone  of  the 
Sillery,  thus  proving  that  the  Sillery  is  older  than  the  Levis,  while 
the  presence  of  Beekmantown  fossils   in  both  pebbles  and  matrix 
of  the  conglomerates  shows  that  the  Levis  is  of  the  same  age 
as  the  Beekmantown  at  Phillipsburg,  Quebec."     According  to 
Walcott's  definition  these  may  not  be  considered  as  intraform- 
ational   conglomerates,    since   the   majority   of   the   pebbles   are 
apparently  not  derived  from  the  strictly  subjacent  zones  of  the 
same  formation.     Since  such  a  type  is  not  interformational,  and 
since  it  is  intraformational  in  all  other  respects,  except  for  the 
fact  that  its   pebbles  are  not    derived  from  the  same  formation, 
it  is  believed  best  to  provisionally  classify  it  under  B,  I,  1.     In 
short,  this  type  of  clastic  does  not  postulate  any  such  condition 


60  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Aug.-Sept. 

of  unconformity  as  that  represented  by  a  basal  conglomerate. 
Deposition  was  continuous  throughout  Levis  time,  as  shown 
by  the  fossils,  but  the  conditions  governing  the  character  of  the 
sediments  deposited  were  varied. 

Cliff  Breccias. 

It  is  possible  that  certain  intraformational  glomerates  whose 
phenoclasts  are  angular  and  not  rounded  are  largely  made  up 
of  cliff  breccias.  Certain  of  the  unevenly  graded  glomerates  as 
mentioned  above  may  have  had  their  larger  and  angular  material 
derived  from  ridges  or  domes  raised  above  sea  level,  as  pos- 
tulated by  Walcott. 

Tectibreccias. 

For  a  full  discussion  of  intraformational  folds  and  breccias 
of  tectonic  origin  the  reader  is  referred  to  W.  J.  Miller's  paper: 
"Notes  on  the  Intraformational  Contorted  Strata  at  Trenton 
Falls."  The  writer's  visit  to  this  interesting  locality  convinced 
him  of  two  important  facts.  Firstly,  that  the  "contortions"  and 
breccias  had  taken  place  most  characteristically  in  zones  where 
deposition  of  sediments  had  been  varied  and  alternating.  Second- 
ly, breaking  down  of  the  folds  was,  locally,  very  pronounced; 
extreme  overthrusts  of  the  hardened  or  purer  limestone  layers 
resulting  in  the  formation  of  edgewise  breccias  contained  in  a 
greatly  crushed  and  squeezed  but  structureless  mass  of  shale. 
It  seemed  obvious  from  a  personal  examination  of  this  pheno- 
menon, that  the  thin  limestone  bands  must  have  been  well 
indurated  before  they  were  brecciated,  and  that  the  interbedded, 
shaly  limestones,  because  of  their  composition,  took  up  the 
thrust  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  little  or  no  contortions  or  folds, 
such  as  is  shown  in  the  stringers  of  brittle  limestone  contained 
within  them.  The  general  overthrust  phenomena  exhibited  in 
the  more  massive  beds  of  the  Trenton  formation  and  their  asso- 
ciation with  the  nearby  Prospect  fault,  seem  to  point  conclu- 
sively to  the  tectonic  origin  of  the  contortions  and  breccias. 
Intraformational  breccias  of  this  type  are  not  to  be  confounded 
with  Fault  breccias  or  Crush  conglomerates.  They  are  to  be 
expected  in  those  portions  of  a  formation  which  have  under- 
gone varied  conditions  of  deposition  and  subsequent  exogenic 
deformation.  As  intraformations  they  are  interstratified  with 
the  formation  in  which  they  occur,  and  are  never  found  in  cross- 
cutting  position.  It  is  also  interesting  to  note  that  the  pheno- 
clasts of  such  glomerates  should  be  of  a  different  composition 
and  texture  from  the  matrix. 

Ice-Formed  Glomerates. 
It  is  possible  that  icebergs  and  glaciers  may  have  featured 
in  the  formation  of  intraformational  glomerates.     The  shoving 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  61 

force  or  push  and  drag  of  a  glacier  has  been  supposed  to  have 
produced  folding  and  overthrusting  in  the  partly  consolidated 
Pleistocene  clays  which  it  overrode.  A  single  case  has  been 
mentioned  by  Sardeson  (15)  in  which  the  loosening  of  subjacent 
limestone  strata  consequential  to  glaciation,  has  produced  a  local 
brecciation.  This  case  is  not  intraformational  under  Walcott's 
definition,  as  the  beds  in  question  are  Paleozoic  in  age,  but  it 
is  conceivable  that  the  glaciation  of  certain  surfaces  might  have 
produced  true  intraformational  breccias.  It  has  been  supposed 
that  the  close  and  peculiar  folding  in  certain  Pleistocene  clays 
and  delta  deposits  is  the  result  of  "drag"  by  grounding  icebergs. 
Whether  or  not  these  folds  owe  their  origin  to  such  a  cause, 
it  is  probably  doubtful  if  intraformational  breccias  could  be 
formed  in  this  way,  owing  to  the  peculiar  consistency  of  the 
sediments.  The  argument  here  against  brecciation  as  a  result 
of  intense  folding  and  overthrusting  is  much  the  same  as  in  the 
case  of  subaqueous-gliding-deformation  in  clay  deposits. 

Conclusions. 

The  attempt  has  been  made  in  the  foregoing  pages  to 
classify  intraformational  glomerates  according  to  their  possible 
as  well  as  probable  origin.  It  is  fully  realized  that  the  classifi- 
cation is  merely  preliminary  in  its  scope,  and  no  attempt  has 
been  made  to  cover  all  the  literature  on  the  subject.  The  thesis 
has  been  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  certain  textures  and 
structures,  especially  in  limestones,  and  to  suggest  that  then- 
systematic  study  may  lead  to  a  more  comprehensive  view  of 
the  history  of  the  seas  from  and  under  which  they  were  de- 
posited. Walcott  was  the  first  to  define  the  difference  between 
intraformational    and    interformational    conglomerates.  His 

paper  is  important  as  it  deals  with  the  origin  and  deposition  of 
limestones,  and  points  the  way  to  a  more  careful  consideration 
of  unconformity  and  disconformity  in  the  field.  Wherever  the 
stratigrapher  finds  a  change  in  the  structure  of  the  zones,  no 
matter  how  superficial  such  change  may  at  first  appear,  he  should 
be  on  his  guard  for  a  probable  change  in  the  conditions  of  de- 
position and  all  the  attendant  geological  phenomena,  which 
may  hypothetically  be  the  cause  of  such  a  change.  It  has  been 
pointed  out  that  the  usual  rock  section,  as  exposed  by  streams 
and  roads,  is  apt  to  give  little  or  no  evidence  of  important  struc- 
tural phenomena,  such  as  ripple- marks,  mud  cracks,  etc.  Under 
certain  conditions  intraformational  limestone  glomerates  are 
very  difficult  to  detec  .  in  the  field,  owing  to  the  more  or  less 
homogenous  composition  of  the  phenoclasts  and  cement.  The 
relation  of  intraformational  zones  to  fossiliferous  zones  is  of  great 
significance  in  the  study  of  limestones,  and  it  has  been  found 


62 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [Aug. -Sept. 


Figure    1. 


Figure  2 


191  on. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


63 


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Figure  3. 


64  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [Aug.-Sept. 

that  it  is  sometimes  a  good  deal  easier  to  discover  the  fossili- 
ferous  zones  in  the  Beekmantown  than  the  glomerates 
subjacent  to  them.  The  study  of  intraformational  glomerates 
includes  a  careful  examination  of  the  phenoclasts  and  cement 
as  well  as  the  structure  and  field  relations  of  the  strata  above 
and  below  the  zone  in  question.  The  examination  of  the 
texture,  shape  and  composition  of  the  phenoclasts  and  cement 
is  mainly  petrographic  in  its  nature,  and  upon  it  will  largely 
depend  the  plausibility  of  the  students'  views  as  to  origin. 

Certain  liberties  have  been  taken  with  Walcott's  original  defi- 
nition of  intraformational  conglomerates.  This  was  deemed  neces  • 
sary  for  two  reasons:  first,  because  some  of  the  types  discussed 
by  Walcott  are  not  typically  conglomeratic  (in  the  geological 
sense) ;  second,  because  the  term  is  such  a  useful  and  necessary 
one  in  stratigraphy  that  it  should  be  applicable  to  an  important 
group  of  elastics  intimately  associated  with  the  history  of  the 
Paleozoic  and  Mesozoic  seas.  Whether  or  not  it  will  ultimately 
be  deemed  advisable  to  group  such  rocks  as  tectibreccias,  bio- 
glomerates  and  edgewise  conglomerates  under  the  term  intra- 
formational is  open  for  discussion.  The  attempt  has  been  made 
to  list  and  classify  certain  clearly,  as  well  as  obscurely,  defined 
examples  of  limestones,  writh  the  hope  that  this  systematic  study 
may  help  in  reaching  the  ultimate  goal — the  history  and  origin 
of  the  calcareous  terrains  of  the  world. 

DESCRIPTION    OF    FIGURES. 

Figure  1. — Diagramatic  sketch  of  a  supposed  bioglomerate 
from  the  lower  Beekmantown  limestone  at  Bellefonte,  Penna. 
The  large  phenoclast  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  figure  shows 
structure  which  may  be  organic  in  origin.  Most  of  the  pheno- 
clasts present  peculiar  outlines  not  at  all  similar  to  the  outlines 
of  the  pebbles  in  an  ordinary  conglomerate.  The  small  dots 
are  supposed  to  represent  agal-like  organisms'  which  have  worked 
their  way  into  the  soft  limy  material  and  broken  it  up  into 
the  characteristic  shapes  shown  in  the  diagram.  The  pheno- 
clasts are  fine  grained,  and  sometimes  contain  fragments  of 
small  fossils.  Most  of  the  fossils,  however,  are  found  in  the 
more  granular  ground  mass. 

Figure  2. — This  figure  is  illustrative  of  an  actual  specimen 
of  mud-cracked  limestone  found  in  one  of  the  quarries  at  Belle- 
fonte, and  illustrates  on  a  smaller  scale  the  phenomena  exhibited 
on  the  east  wall  along  the  strike  of  the  quarries  from  Bellefonte 
to  Tyrone,  Pennsylvania.  The  shaded  lines  on  the  surface, 
traversed  by  the  two  parallel  calcite  veins,  represent  mud- 
cracks.  Viewed  in  section  the  structure  is  that  of  a  typical 
stratified  glomerate.     The  figure  is    supposed  to  illustrate  the 


1916  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  65 

two  principal    factors  controlling  the  formation  of  such  a  glo- 
merate : 

1 .  Alternation  of  the  conditions  of  deposition. 

2.  Dessication. 

Figure  3  of  this  article  is  a  diagramatic  summary  of 
the  argument  for  a  classification  of  sedimentary  rocks,  and 
especially  of  intraformational  glomerates,  according  to  the 
sequence  of  formative  events  which  they  have  undergone.  The 
figures  are  more  or  less  diagramatic,  and  no  attempt  has  been 
made  to  draw  an  accurate  picture  of  each  type.  The  reader 
may  consult  the  various  descriptions  for  accurate  illustrations. 
Seven  types  of  glomerates  are  represented  in  the  columnar  sec- 
tion, six  intraformational  and  one  interformational.  In  order 
to  make  the  comparisons  of  the  six  intraformational  glomerates 
relatively  the  more  graphic,  they  are  all  supposed  to  have  formed 
within  a  single  formation,  characterized  by  the  index  fossil 
Ophileta  complanata. 

Beginning  with  .4  time,  we  have  deposition  of  pure  lime- 
stone until  B  time,  which  commences  with  alternating  deposi- 
tions of  pure  and  shaly  limestone,  followed  by  mud-flat  condi- 
tions with  dessication  and  the  formation  of  mud-crack  zones 
or  stratified  breccias.  Here  the  phenoclast  b  is  practically  of 
the  same  age  as  the  cement  or  matrix.  During  the  rest  of  B 
time,  marine  currents  are  dominant  and  form  edgewise  glom- 
erates, whose  phenoclasts  of  the  b'  type  have  been  carried  a  short 
distance  and  slightly  abraded,  so  that  they  are  slightly  older 
in  relation  to  their  matrix  than  those  of  the  b  type.  From  the 
close  of  B  time  to  the  beginning  of  D  time,  pure,  structureless 
limestone  is  laid  down.  During  D  time  conditions  are  favorable 
for  the  formation  of  bioglomerates.  Here  again,  as  in  the  case 
of  early  B  time,  the  phenoclasts  are  formed  in  place,  and  are 
practically  contemporaneous  with  the  cement.  Through  E  we 
have  a  period  of  pure  limestone  deposition,  except  during  the 
middle  when  shale  was  formed  interstratified  with  the  limestone. 
In  F  time  we  have  the  formation  of  a  limestone  conglomerate 
whose  phenoclasts  e  are  true  water-worn  pebbles  derived  from 
the  subjacent  zone  E.  Obviously  the  pebbles  of  this  conglom- 
erate were  formed  long  before  they  were  deposited,  and  long 
before  the  ensuing  lithification  of  the  mass.  Compare  the  pebbles 
of  this  type  with  the  phenoclasts  of  the  preceding  types.  During 
G  time  there  is  a  short  period  of  pure  limestone  deposition,  fol- 
lowed by  a  period  characterized  by  conglomerates  of  the  mixed 
type,  certain  of  whose  pebbles  contain  the  same  fossils  as  the 
cement  (Ophileta  complanata),  proving  that  the  conglomerate 
is  truly  intraformational  in  character.  /  time  sees  the  close  of 
the  period  characterized  by  0.  complanata.     Uplift  and  erosion 


66  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [Aug.-Sept. 

result  in  a  basal  conglomerate  resting  with  unconformity  on 
older  strata,  and  succeeded  by  sandstone  and  limestone  in  which 
occur  Maclurea  magna. 

Long  after  the  deposition  and  lithification  of  the  formation 
described,  and  perhaps  of  several  succeeding  ones,  tectonic 
forces  cause  the  deformation  of  the  sub-zone  X  in  the  zone  E. 
Obviously  the  age  of  the  phenoclasts  in  this  tectibreccia  is  much 
younger  than  the  ages  of  any  of  the  phenoclasts  heretofore  dis- 
cussed, whether  they  are  intraformational  or  even  interform- 
ational.  Finally,  it  is  a  fact  that  not  all  the  types  described 
can  be  distinguished  in  the  field  at  a  glance.  Type  X  may  be 
easily  confused  with  gliding  deformation  structures;  type  D  with 
type  F,  etc. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

1. — Wal:o';t,  C.  D.,:  "Paleozoic  Intraformational  Con- 
glomerates."  Bull.  Geol.  Soc.  Am.,  1894,  5,  p.   191. 

2.— Grabau,  A.  W. :  "Principles  of  Stratigrapy,"  N.Y.,  1913. 

3. — Hahn,  F.F.:  "  Untermeerische  Gleitung  bei  Trenton 
Falls  (Nord  Amerika)  und  ihr  Verhaltniss  zu  Ahalichen  Storungs- 
bildern.  Neues  Jahrbuch  fur  Mineralogie,  etc.  Beilage  Band 
XXXVI,  pp.  1-41,  taf.  1-3,  1912. 

4. — Miller,  W.  J.:  "Notes  on  the  Intraformational  Con- 
torted Strata  at  Trenton  Falls."  Report  of  the  Director  of  the 
N.Y.  State  Museum  for  1914,  1915. 

5. — Kindle,  E.  M.:  "Columnar  Structure  in  Limestone." 
Museum  Bull.  2,  Canada  Dept.  Mines  Geol.  Sur.   14,  1914. 

6. — Hyde,  J.  E.:  '  Dessication  Conglomerates  in  the  Coal 
Measures  Limestone  of  Ohio."  Am.  Jour.  Sci.  XXV,  1908,  p.  400. 

7. — Seeley,  H.  M.:  Report  of  the  Vermont  State  Geologist 
for  1906,  pp.  174-178. 

8. — Brown,  T.  C. :  "Notes  on  the  Origin  of  Certain  Pale- 
ozoic Sediments.  Illustrated  by  the  Cambrian  and  Ordovician 
Rocks  of  Centre  County,  Penna."     J*ur.  Geol.  XXI,  3. 

9. — Seeley,  H.  M.:  Report  of  the  Vermont  State  Geologist 
for  1901-1902,  p.  153. 

10. — Sardeson,  F.  W. :  "Characteristics  of  a  Corrosional 
Conglomerate."     Bull.  Geol.  Soc.  Am,    25,  1914,  p.  271. 

11. — Wallace,  R.  C. :  "  Pseudo-brecciation  in  Ordovician 
Limestone  in  Manitoba. 

12. — Walcott,  C.  D.:"The  Cambrian  Rocks  of  Penna." 
Bull.   134,  U.S.G.S.,   1896. 

13. — Agassiz,  A.:  "Three  Cruises  of  the  ....  Blake,"  vol.  1, 
p.  87,  1888. 

14. — Raymond,  P.  E. :  Excursions  of  the  12th  International 
Congress,  1913.     Guide  Book  1.     Excursion  A  1,  part  1,  p.  29. 

15.— Sardeson,  F.  W. :  "The  Folding  of  Subjacent  Strata  by 
Glacial  Action."     Jour.  Geol.  XIV.  (p.  226),  April-May,  1906. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist 

ANOTHER  NESTING  SITE  FOR  THE  PRAIRIE  WARBLER 

IN   ONTARIO. 
By  W.   E.  Saunders,  London,    Oxt. 


The  Prairie  Warbler  (Dendroica  discolor)  is  one  of  the  rarest 
and  most  casual  migrant  visitors  to  Ontario,  and  the  only  hint 
of  a  breeding  station  in  this  province  was  the  one  obtained 
when  I  found  a  few  singing  males  near  the  tip  of  the  Bruce 
Peninsula  in   1900. 

On  the  14th  of  June  this  year  I  was  at  Port  Franks  (at  the 
south-east  corner  of  Lake  Huron),  in  company  with  Mr.  N. 
Tripp,  of  Forest.  Early  in  the  morning  Mr.  Tripp  took  me 
across  the  river  to  a  region  where  he  found  two  birds  which 
he  took  to  be  Prairie  Warblers,  on  June  14th,  1915,  and  as  soon 
as  we  reached  the  locality  we  heard  the  characteristic  song  of 
this  bird,  consisting  of  ten  or  twelve  very  short  notes,  rising 
not  more  than  two  tones  in  the  whole  song,  the  notes  resembling 
a  wheezy  whistle. 

The  location  was  within  two  or  three  hundred  yards  of 
the  lake  shore,  where  most  of  the  surface  was  sand,  with  scatter- 
ing vegetation,  but  the  warbler  was  singing  from  an  island  of 
juniper,  with  a  few  white  and  red  pines  and  birch,  the  mound 
rising  to  perhaps  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  the  top  of  it  being 
something  like  thirty  or  forty  feet  across.  After  watching  him 
sing  in  a  red  pine  at  very  short  range,  where  he  was  feeding,  he 
flew  sixty  yards  to  another  similar  island,  where  he  sang  again. 

The  next  morning  I  investigated  the  locality  more  thor- 
oughly, and  found  at  least  two  other  males  singing,  but  nothing 
more  was  learned  of  their  business  in  this  locality,  though  the  date 
is  an  acceptable  proof  that  they  were  on  their  breeding  ground. 

The  country  along  the  lake  shore  for  several  miles  each 
way  is  similar  to  that  where  these  birds  were  found,  and  it  is 
probable  that  extended  investigation  will  disclose  the  presence 
of  a  breeding  colony  of  some  moment.  On  the  west  side  of 
the  river  mouth,  in  a  grassy  marsh,  were  a  number  of  pairs  of 
the  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren,  but  outside  of  these  two  species 
nothing  rare  was  seen  in  the  two  days  which  I  spent  at  the  Port. 

There  were  no  White  Throats,  Juncos,  Northern  Thrushes, 
no  Olive-sided  Flycatchers,  all  of  which  are  supposed  to  nest 
in  small  numbers  in  that  district;  nor  did  I  find  either  Broad- 
winged  nor  Sharp-shinned  Hawks,  which  were  the  object  of 
the  expedition. 

The  Yellow  Lady's  Slipper  was  growing  near  the  Short- 
billed  Marsh  Wren  colony,  on  the  open  prairie-like  land,  in 
exactly  similar  conditions  to  those  under  which  I  have  found 


68  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [Aug.-Sept. 

it  on  the  Alberta  prairies.  The  Blue-eyed  grass  (Sisyriuchium) 
was  in  thousands  on  the  same  territory,  while  in  the  shaded 
sand  under  the  pine  trees  blue  lupines  occurred  by  the  acre. 
White  variants  of  the  latter  were  common,  and  one  such  was 
seen  of  the  Sisyrinchium.  This  district  is  a  very  interesting 
one  to  the  botanist,  and  I  have  a  feeling  of  fresh  surprise  on 
every  visit  to  find  the  tulip  tree  and  the  red  pine  growing  to- 
gether. In  the  autumn  of  last  year  I  visited  this  district,  and 
was  delighted  in  the  great  quantity  of  Liatris  flowering  in  the 
woods.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  a  great  deal  of  the  latter  is 
wild,  and  also  that  cattle  are  absent,  many  unusual  plants  are 
found  in  comparative  profusion. 


BOOK  NOTICE. 

"Conservation  of  Fish,  Birds  and  Game,"  issued  by 
the  Commission  of  Conservation.  This  volume  is  a  report  of 
the  proceedings  of  a  conference  of  the  Committee  on  Fisheries, 
Game  and  Fur-bearing  Animals  of  the  Commission,  and  con- 
tains a  fund  of  information  regarding  the  present  condition  and 
the  necessity  for  protection  of  Canada's  fish,  birds  and  mammals. 

Canada  is  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  international 
movement  for  the  protection  of  wild  life.  A  Migratory  Bird 
Treaty  between  Canada  and  the  United  States  is  under 
consideration.  Through  the  influence  of  the  Commission  of 
Conservation  and  other  interests,  bird  reservations  are  being 
created,  where  the  birds  may  find  safe  nesting  and  breeding 
places. 

The  fur-bearing  animals  of  Northern  and  Western  Canada 
are  being  rapidly  exterminated.  This  is  clearly  shown  by  the 
present  report.  To  secure  their  mor^  adequate  protection,  the 
Commission  is  advocating  the  amendment  of  the  Northwest 
Game  Act  to  place  responsibility  for  its  administration  upon 
the  Dominion  Parks  Branch,  which  already  protects  the  ani- 
mals in  the  Dominion  National  Parks. 

The  future  of  the  fisheries  of  Canada  is  dealt  with  in  an 
able  manner.  That  they  are  of  great  present  value  is  recog- 
nized, but  there  is  also  a  potential  value  in  our  oceanic  and 
inland  waters  which,  upon  development,  would  mean  the  crea- 
tion of  new  industries.  To  meet  this  condition  the  Commission 
is  suggesting  vocational  training  and  simple  demonstration 
stations  for  the  fishermen,  that  they  may  take  advantage  of 
the   most   practical   and  modern   methods   of  their  calling. 

The  report  is  replete  with  illustrations  applicable  to  the 
subject  matter. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist 


Vol.  XXX.    Plate  II. 


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THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

VOL.  XXX.  OCTOBER,   1916.  Xo.   7 

COMAROCYSTITES  AXD  CARYOCRINITES 

Cystids  with  pixxuliferous  free  arms. 


By  A.  F.  Foerste,  Daytox,  Ohio. 


IXDEX 
I.     Preliminary  remarks  on  the  arm  structure  of  crinoids  and  cystids. 

1.  The  origin  of  biserial  arms. 

2.  Uniserial  arms  and  pinnules  in  Comarocystites. 

3.  Biserial  arms  and  brachiolar  pinnules  in  Caryocrinites. 

4.  Biserial  brachiolar  pinnules  in  Stephanocrinus. 

II.     Detailed  description  of  Comarocystitf.s  punctatus  Billings. 

5.  Chief  characteristics  of  the  theca. 

6.  The  numbering  of  the  rays  of  the  food-groove  system. 

7.  The  thecal  plates  bordering  on  the  transverse  apical  food-groove. 

8.  The  location  of  the  hydropore. 

9.  The  covering  plates  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove. 

10.  The  anal  pyramid. 

11.  Fixity  in  the  arrangement  of  the  thecal  plates  limited   to   the  immediate  vicinity  of 

the  transverse  apical  food-groove  and  of  the  anal  pyramid. 

12.  The  arrangement  of  the  basal  thecal  plates. 

13.  The  structure  of  the  thecal  plates. 

14.  Sections  across  the  anal  pyramid  and  the  transverse  apical  food-groove. 

15.  The  arms  of  Comarocvstites  punctatus. 

16.  The  pinnules. 

17.  The  absence  of  food-grooves  on  the  brachials. 

18.  The  column  or  stem. 

19.  Geological  horizon  and  geographical  distribution. 

20.  Literature  on  Comarocvstites  punctatus. 

III.     Detailed  description  of  Comarocystites  shumardi  Meek  and  \Yorthen. 

21.  Comarocystites  shumardi. 

22.  The  so-called  variety  obconicus. 

23.  The  structure  of  the  thecal  plates. 

24.  Horizon  and  distribution. 

25.  Literature  on  Comarocystites  shumardi  and  obconicus. 

IV.     General  remarks  on  Comarocystites. 

26.  The  zoological  position  of  Comarocystites. 

V.     Addenda. 
2  7.     Xotes  on  Caryocrinites  omatus  Say. 
2  8.     Acknowledgments. 


I.  Prelimtxary  Remarks  ox  the  Arm  Structure  of 
Crixoids  axd  Cystids. 

1.  The  origin  of  biserial  arms. — According  to  Dr.  F.  A. 
Bather  (Caradoeian  Cystidea  from  Girvan,  1913,  p.  385),  "the 
brachioles  of  Blastoids  and  Cystids  differ  from  the  Crinoid  braeh- 
itvm.  not  merely  in  more  fundamental  features,  but  also  in  the 
fact  that  they  are  invariably  biserial  and  present  no  trace  of 
an  anterior  uniserial  stage."  The  crinoid  arm.  on  the  contrary, 
is  regarded  by   Bather   (Echinoderma,    1900,   p.    116),   to    have 


70  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

originated  from  a  uniserial  form,  even  in  those  cases  in  which 
the  arm  structure  at  present  is  biserial,  and  diagrams  are  given 
illustrating  how  a  uniserial  arm  might  develop  into  a  biserial  one. 
It  is  well  known  that  biserial  arms  frequently  are  uniserial  at 
the  base,  and  the  arrangement  here  is  regarded  as  more  primi- 
tive. (See  also  Wachsmuth  and  Springer,  Revision  of  the  Pal- 
aeocrinidea,  II,  1881,  pp.  22-25;  III,  sec.  1,  1885,  p.  14;  III,  sec. 
2,   1886,  p.  230.) 

According  to  Austin  H.  Clark  (A  Monoograph  of  the  Exist- 
ing Crinoids,  1915,  pp.  184,  189,  350,  352,  354),  however,  the 
biserial  arrangement  is  more  primitive  in  crinoids;  the  biserial 
arrangement  being  the  palaeozoic  type,  while  the  uniserial 
arrangement  originated  chiefly  in  post-palaeozoic  times. 

Clark's  conception  of  the  origin  of  the  biserial  arrange- 
ment of  the  ossicles  of  crinoid  arms  is  so  different  fr  m  that 
commonly  accepted  that  it  is  quoted  here  in  full: 

"The  crinoid  arms  are  primarily  paired  interradial  struc- 
tures which  have  become  joined  along  their  radial  edges,  forming 
a  radial  biserial  appendage,  the  ossicles  later  slipping  in  between 
each  other  so  that  an  elongate  uniserial  appendage  results.  The 
original  arms  were,  therefore,  primarily  ten  in  number. 
Originally,  before  their  union  into  five,  the  arms  probably  bore 
no  ventral  ambulacral  structures,  and  had  no  function  other 
than  that  of  increasing  the  surface  of  the  disk  by  increasing 
the  distance  between  the  points  of  attachment."  (Loc.  cit., 
p.  350.) 

The  following  statement  by  Clark  also  is  illuminating: 

"In  such  fossil  forms  as  have  biserial  arms  it  is  to  be  re- 
marked that  at  the  arm  bases  the  brachials  become  uniserial; 
this  is  not  to  be  interpreted  as  indicating  that  the  arms  were 
originally  uniserial,  but  quite  otherwise;  mechanical  considera- 
tions have  forced  the  amalgamation  of  the  two  primitive  radials 
into  one,  and  similarly  have  forced  the  uniserial  arrangement 
of  the  first  two,  and  partially  of  the  third  and  fourth,  brachials." 
(Loc.  cit.,  p.  354.) 

"It  is  probable  that  the  pinnules  represent  the  original 
type  of  crinoidal  appendage,  and  that  these  appendages  were 
arranged  in  five  pairs,  the  two  components  of  each  pair  being, 
so  to  speak,  back  to  back;  but  the  pinnules  have  become  enor- 
mously reduplicated,  while  in  addition  (they)  have  come  to 
lie  along  either  side  of  long  body  processes  (arms)  of  subsequent 
development."  (Loc.  cit.,  p.  274,  but  omitting  all  references 
to  cirri.) 

Since  the  pinnules  of  crinoids  are  uniserial,  it  is  certain 
that  Clark  regarded  the  uniserial  arrangement  of  ossicles  as 
primitive  among  crinoid  appendages.     Even  the  primitive  arms 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  71 

of  crinoids  were  imagined  to  have  been  uniserial.  However,  in 
times  preceding  the  advent  of  the  actually  known  paleozoic 
crinoids,  adjacent  uniserial  arms  were  supposed  to  have  united 
laterally  in  pairs  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  rise,  first,  to  bi- 
serial  arms,  and,  later,  to  pseudo-uni serial  ones.  According 
to  this  theory,  the  pinnules  of  the  theoretical  uniserial  arms 
might  be  arranged  in  a  single  series  along  one  side  of  the  arm, 
while  the  pinnules  of  the  pseudo-uniserial  arms  should  occur 
in  two  series,  successive  pinnules  being  attached  alternately 
to  opposite  sides  of  the  series  of  arm  ossicles.  If  the  food- 
groove  along  the  ventral  surface  of  the  crinoid  arms  be  regarded 
as  originating  along  the  line  of  junction  of  the  two  imaginary 
primitive  uniserial  arms,  this  food-groove  might  be  retained 
in  pseudo-uniserial  arms  originating  from  biserial  forms,  but 
need  not  be  present  in  the  imaginary  primitive  uniserial  arms. 

The  views  favored  by  Clark,  and  the  various  possible  de- 
ductions from  them,  are  interesting.  They  would  be  more 
interesting  if  they  found  support  in  the  probable  phylogeny 
of  fossil  species.  It  must  be  conceded,  however,  that'  in  the 
earliest  known  representatives  of  the  crinoids,  the  primary 
radials  and  primibrachs  of  Clark  already  were  united  laterally 
so  as  to  present  an  initial  series  of  five,  instead  of  ten  arms,  as 
demanded  by  Clark's  theory,  and  all  the  arms  bear  food-grooves. 
Moreover,  even  the  earliest  known  biserial  arms  are  more  or 
less  uniserial  at  the  base. 

2.    Uniserial  arms  and  pinnules  in  Comarocystites. 

In  the  absence  of  anything  corresponding  to  the  supposed 
primitive  arm  structure  of  crinoids,  among  known  Crinoidea, 
it  may  be  interesting  to  note  that,  among  the  Cystidea,  the  free 
arms  of  Comarocystites  are  uniserial  (Plate  III),  do  not  bear  a 
food-groove  along  the  ventral  side,  and  support  pinnules  ar- 
ranged in  a  single  row  along  the  right  side  of  the  arm  (the  ven- 
tral surface  being  directed  away  from  the  observer,  and  the 
distal  end  of  the  arm  being  directed  upward) ;  moreover,  the 
pinntiles  consist  of  a  uniserial  row  of  ossicles.  In  a  similar 
manner  the  uniserial  row  of  plates  supporting  the  recumbent 
food-grooves  of  Amygdalocystites  (Canadian  Organic  Remains, 
III,  1858,  plate  VI),  also  might  be  regarded  as  uniserial  arms, 
bearing  a  single  row  of  uniserial  pinnules  along  the  right  side 
of  each  arm.  It  is  probable  that  Canadocystis  (Bulletin  80, 
N.  Y.  State  Museum,  1905,  pp.  2  73,  2 74), had  an  arm  structure 
similar  to  that  of  Amygdalocystites.  It  must  be  admitted,  how- 
ever, that  these  forms  are  not  normal  cystids.  The  possession 
of  uniserial  pinnules  in  Comarocystites  and  Amygdalocystites  is 
sufficient  to  indicate  this.  Canadocystis  probably  also  had  uni- 
serial  pinnules.     However,    none    of   these   genera   could   have 


72  •    The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

given  rise  to  five  biserial  arms,  in  accordance  with  the  theory 
favored  by  Clark.  At  best  Comarocystites  could  have  given 
rise  to  only  two  biserial  arms. 

3.  Biserial  arms  and  brachiolar  pinnules  in  Caryocrinites. 
Caryocrinites  (Plate  IV)  is  anomalous  in  presenting  brachio- 

liferous  free  arms  in  which  the  ossicles  of  both  the  brachioles 
and  of  the  arms  are  biserial  in  arrangement.  It  is  anomalous 
also  in  other  respects.  Successive  ossicles  on  the  same  side  of 
the  arm  usually  alternate  strongly  in  size,  the  lower  ossicle  of 
each  successive  pair  being  distinctly  shorter,  sometimes,  in 
fact,  being  reduced  to  a  small,  transversely  cuneate  remnant 
along  the  inner  half  of  the  horizontal  suture  separating  the 
larger  ossicles.  When  both  of  these  successive  ossicles  are  more 
nearly  of  the  same  size,  both  are  in  contact  with  the  base  of  the 
same  brachiole,  the  lower,  shorter  ossicle  of  each  pair  being  in 
contact  with  one  of  the  series  of  ossicles  forming  the  brachiole, 
and  the  upper,  longer  ossicle  of  the  same  pair  being  in  contact 
with  the  other  series  of  brachiolar  ossicles.  Hence,  it  is  possible 
to  regard  not  only  the  arm  of  Caryocrinites  as  made  up  by 
lateral  junction  of  two  uniserial  arms,  but,  in  a  precisely  similar 
manner,  the  brachiole  of  Caryocrinites  might  be  regarded  as 
built  up  by  the  lateral  junction  of  two  uniserial  pinnules,  the 
supporting  brachial  ossicles  of  each  of  these  theoretical  uniserial 
pinnules  still  remaining  distinct. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  brachioles  of  Caryocrinites  may  be 
diagrammed  also  as  uniserial  forms,  the  ossicles  alternating  in 
position  from  right  to  left,  across  the  brachiole,  the  lowest 
ossicle  at  the  base  being  regarded  as  the  first  ossicle  of  the 
brachiole. 

4.  Biserial  brachiolar  pinnules  in  Stephanocrinus. 

Biserial  pinnules  are  so  anomalous  among  crinoids  that  in 
the  case  of  Stephanocrinus.  the  only  crinoid  known  to  possess 
them,  Wachsmuth  and  Springer  identified  them  as  pinnules. 
(Revision  of  the  Palaeocrinidea,  III,  sec.  2,  1886,  pp.  283,  284, 
292),  stating:  "that  these  appendages,  although  they  are  equally 
thin  and  short,  are  not  pinnules,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  all 
are  supported  by  a  radial  plate,  instead  of  being  distributed 
separately  along  the  sides  of  an  ambulacrum."  More  recently 
(Zittel,  1913,  p.  207)  Springer  has  described  Stephanocrinus  as 
possessing  "arms  with  one  short  biserial  trunk  to  the  ray,  giving 
off  slender  biserial,  non-pinnulate  side  arms  from  the  outer 
shoulder  of  each  brachial." 

Evidently,  Stephanocrinus  is  as  anomalous  among  crinoids 
as  Caryocrinites  is  among  cystids. 

In  presenting  the  preceding  lines,  there  is  no  desire  to 
favor  the  view  that  the  biserial  arms  of  crinoids  have  originated 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  73 

by  the  lateral  junction  of  pairs  of  uniserial  arms,  but  rather  to 
call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  arms  of  certain  cystids  appar- 
ently present  similar  problems.  Since  these  cystids  are  not  as 
fully  known  as  desirable,  a  more  detailed  description  of  Coma- 
rocysiitcs  is  given  here,  and  a  few  notes  on  Caryocrinites  are 
appended.  Moreover,  these  are  the  only  cystids  known  at  pre- 
sent in  which  the  arms  are  free  and  pinnuliferous,  and,  as  such, 
possess  special  interest.  Both  genera  are  American,  occuring 
both  in  Canada  and  in  the  United  States. 

II.  Detailed  Description  of  Comarocystites  puxcta- 
tus  Billixgs. 

5.  Chief  characteristics  of  the  theca.  Theca  obovate,  some- 
times attaining  a  length  of  75  millimeters,  composed  of  about 
150  plates,  most  of  which  are  hexagonal  in  outline.  Theca 
moderately  compressed  from  front  to  rear.  The  two  primary 
food-grooves  diverge  toward  the  right  and  left  from  the  mouth 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  a  single  trans- 
verse, slightly  curved,  food-groove  (Plate  II,  figs.  1A,  IB).  The 
mouth  does  not  present  the  appearance  of  a  slit,  as  in  Aristo- 
cystis  bohemicus  Barrande,  and  apparently  also  in  Caryocystis 
angelini  Haeckel,  but  takes  the  form  of  a  more  or  less  circular 
or  elliptical  aperture  located  in  the  bottom  of  the  transverse 
apical  food-groove  already  described.  At  each  end  of  this  food- 
groove  the  latter  branches  dichotomously  on  the  proximal  side 
of  a  nodular  protuberance  of  stereom  about  10  or  11  millimeters 
in  diameter.  Each  nodular  protuberance  supports  two  arms. 
There  are,  therefore,  four  arms,  arranged  in  pairs,  one  pair  at 
each  end  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove.  These  corres- 
pond in  position  to  the  lateral  arms  of  the  five-rayed  cystids, 
there  being  no  arm  corresponding  to  the  anterior  arm  of  other 
cystids.  The  anal  pyramid  (Plate  II,  figs.  1A,  IB,  2;  also  Plate 
III)  is  situated  a  short  distance  below  the  protuberance  support- 
ing the  pair  of  arms  on  the  right  side  of  the  specimen.  In  larger 
specimens  the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  between  the  points 
of  dichotomous  branching,  has  a  length  of  about  13  millimeters, 
thus  giving  to  each  of  the  two  lateral  primary  rays  a  length  of 
6  millimeters.  Throughout  its  length  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove  follows  the  suture  line  between  the  anterior  and 
posterior  peristomial  thecal  plates.  Along  the  basal  margin 
of  the  nodular  stereom  protuberance,  the  e  cterior  surface  of 
the  adjoining  thecal  plates  of  some  specimens  presents  the 
appearance  of  being  crowded  back  by  the  growth  of  the  pro- 
tuberance, and  consequenlty  of  being  reduced  in  size.  The 
upper  margin  of  these  thecal  plates  appears  to  rest  against  the 
lower  half  of  the  protuberance,  but  cross-sections  of  other 
spfvnmens  indicate  that  the  upper  inner  margin  of   these  thecal 


74  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [Cctober 

plates  extends  sufficiently  beneath  the  base  of  the  protuberance 
to  suggest  the  origin  of  the  latter  as  an  accessory  stereom  de- 
posit upon  the  surface  of  the  theca,  necessitated  by  the  demands 
for  support  made  by  the  growing  arms. 

The  degree  of  compression  of  the  undistorted  theca  is 
moderate,  the  horizontal  diameter  from  front  to  rear  equalling 
about  .80  to  .84  of  the  lateral  diameter.  Specimens  preserved 
in  soft  clay  frequently  present  a  much  greater  degree  of  com- 
pression, due  to  distortion  after  death.  The  length  of  the  theca 
equals  about  ten-sevenths  of  the  greatest  transverse  diameter. 


Text  figure  No.  1.  Diagram  of  the  thecal  plates  of  the  specimen  represented  by 
figure  1  on  plate  II.  The  plates  on  the  right  of  the  vertical  sinuous  line  on  the 
right  side  of  the  figure  duplicate  those  at  the  left  margin  of  the  diagram.  The 
anterior  peristomial  plates  are  lettered  a,  a;  the  right  and  left  posterior  peristomial 
plates  are  lettered  rp  and  Ip  respectively.  The  relative  position  of  the  different 
arm  facets  is  indicated  by  the  numbers  '2,  1 ,  5  and  4,  explained  in  the  text.  The 
dotted  line  indicates  diagrammatically  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  which 
forks  at  each  end,  each  branch  leading  to  the  base  of  one  of  the  arms,  the  latter 
being  arranged  in  pairs.  The  anal  pyramid  is  indicated  at  A.  The  linear 
hydropore  extends  from  the  middle  of  plate  rp,  diagonally  downward  and  toward 
the  right,  as  far  as  the  middle  of  the  adjoining  plate. 

Viewed  from  a  direction  at  right  angles  to  the  plane  of 
symmetry  passing  vertically  through  the  theca,  and  parallel 
to  the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  the  sides  of  the  theca  differ 
slightly  in  outline.  On  the  anal  side  the  outline  is  more  angu- 
larly convex,  the  maximum  convexity  being  near  micllength. 
On  the  opposite  side  the  maximum  convexity  tends  to  be  dis- 
tinctly less  curved.  This  difference  in  outline  evidently  is  due 
to  the  location  of  the  anus  which  has  been  dragged  sufficiently 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  75 

by  the  gut  to  reduce  the  convexity  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
theca  along  its  outline  on  the  right,  thus  lowering  the  point  of 
maximum  convexity  on  this  side. 

6.  The  numbering  of  the  rays  of  the  food-groove  system. — 
There  is  no  trace  of  an  anterior  ray  of  the  food-groove  system 
in  Comarocystites.  However, it  is  possible  to  number  the  arms 
present  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  comparisons  with  the 
rays  of  cystids  whose  food-groove  system  shows  evidence  of 
pentameral  symmetry  readily  possible.  (Plate  II;  figs.  1A,  IB; 
also  text  diagrams  1   and  2). 

f  oo  4-".P.r°.0ve 


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Text  figure  No.  2.  Diagram  of  the  thecal  plates  of  the  specimen  represented  by 
figure  2  on  plate  II.  All  letters  and  numbers  as  in  text  figure  No.  1.  That  edge 
of  the  thecal  plates  which  is  in  contact  with  the  anal  pyramid  is  heavily  blackened. 
That  edge  of  the  basal  plates  which  is  in  contact  with  the  column  is  blackened 
in  a  similar  manner. 

In  that  case  the  left  posterior  arm  is  numbered  1,  the  left 
anterior  arm,  2  ;  the  right  anterior  arm,  4 ;  and  the  right  posterior 
arm,  5.  The  absence  of  an  anterior  ray  is  indicated  by  the 
omission  of  the  number  3. 

7.  The  thecal  plates  bordering  on  the  transverse  apical  food- 
groove  .-  If  the  thecal  plates  bordering  on  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove  be  termed  peristomial  plates,  then  the  anterior 
side  of  this  food-groove  (Plate  II,  fig.  1A)  may  be  described  as 
bordered  by  two  peristomial  plates  sufficiently  similar  in 
width    to    place    the   intermediate    suture-line    about    half-way 


76  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

between^the  ends  of  the  transverse  food-groove.  It  is  evident 
that  if  an  anterior  ray  ever  was  present  in  any  of  the  ancestral 
forms  leading  to  Comarocystites,  this  ray  may  have  rested  on 
the  suture  between  the  two  anterior  plates  (between  plates  a, 
a,  of  the  text  diagrams)  here  under  discussion.  The  outline 
of  the  right  anterior  peristomial  plate  is  more  or  less  obliquely 
hexagonal,  while  that  of  the  left  anterior  peristomial  plate  is 
pentagonal. 

The  posterior  side  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  also 
is  bordered  by  two  peristomial  plates  (Plate  II,  fig.  IB;  also 
thecal  plates  lp  and  rp  in  text  diagrams),  of  which  the  right  is 
so  much  larger  that  it  forms  about  two-thirds  of  this  posterior 
border.  The  general  outline  of  this  plate  is  hexagonal,  but  the 
apex  of  the  angle  on  the  left  side  is  broadly  truncated  by  a 
concave  curvature,  as  though  three  plates  were  in  contact 
with  the  left  margin  of  this  plate: — a  large,  more  or  less  hexa- 
gonal plate  along  its  lower  left  margin,  and  two  more  or  less 
quadrangular  plates  in  contact  respectively  with  the  middle  and 
upper  parts  of  this  left  margin.  The  line  of  contact  between 
these  two  quadrangular  plates  is  not  defined  distinctly  in  any 
of  the  specimens  examined,  but  the  upper  one  of  these  plates 
borders  on  the  left  third  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove, 
and  may  be  described  as  the  left  peristomial  plate. 

8.  The  location  of  the  hydropore. — The  orientation  of  the 
cystids  is  determined,  not  by  the  location  of  the  mouth  and 
anus  but  by  the  vertical  plane  passing  through  the  mouth  and 
hydropore.  The  hydropore  is  regarded  as  occupying  a  position 
directly  posterior  to  the  mouth.  In  Comarocystites  the  only 
surface  structure  suggestive  of  an  entrance  to  a  hydropore  is 
a  narrow,  sinuous,  almost  linear  ridge,  extending  from  the 
middle  of  the  right  posterior  peristomial  plate  (Plate  II,  fig.  IB; 
also  thecal  plate  rp  in  text  diagrams),  across  the  suture  on  its 
lower  right-hand  margin,  to  the  middle  of  the  adjoining  plate. 
The  upper  margin  of  the  latter  plate  is  in  contact  with  the  pos- 
terior margin  of  that  nodular  stereom  protuberance  which  sup- 
ports the  right  pair  of  arms.  Along  the  top  of  the  narrow, 
linear  ridge  there  is  a  very  narrow,  faint  groove,  suggesting  the 
presence  of  a  narrow  slit-like  opening.  Whatever  the  homo- 
logy of  this  ridge,  it  evidently  locates  the  posterior  side  of  the 
theca.  In  several  specimens  there  is  a  minute  pit  just  beyond 
the  upper  left-hand  termination  of  this  hydropore  ridge;  how- 
ever, since  it  was  not  observed  in  the  majority  of  specimens,  it 
cannot  be  determined  definitely  as  a  gonopore. 

Nothing  suggesting  a  hydropore  is  known  at  present  in 
Amygdalocystites.  In  Canadocystis  emmonsi,  however,  ,G.  H. 
Hudson  (N.Y.  State  Museum  'Bulletin  80,  1905,  pp.  273,  274) 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  7  7 

has  figured  a  possible  madreporite  at  the  posterior  end  of  the 
suture  between  the  two  posterior  peristomial  plates  making 
it  possible  to  orient  this  species  in  the  same  manner  as  Coma- 
rocystites   with  the  anal  pyramid  on  the  right  side  of  the  theca. 

9.  The  covering-plates  of  ike  transverse  apical  food-groove.— 
The  transverse  apical  food-groove  is  covered  by  two  series  of 
quadrangular  covering-plates  (Plate  II,  figs.  1A,  IB,  also  C), 
one  on  each  side  of  the  food-groove.  These  plates  meet  along 
the  middle  line  of  the  food-groove  so  as  to  form  an  acute  ridge. 
They  are  ornamented  by  minute  granules  similar  to  those  of 
the  adjacent  thecal  plates  and  there  also  is  a  tendency  toward 
a  low  elevation  along  the  median  line  of  each  covering  plate. 
About  five  covering-plates  occupy  a  length  of  3  millimeters 
along  the  food-groove.  In  one  specimen  8  or  9  covering-plates 
occupy  the  entire  distance  along  the  unbranched  part  of  the 
food-groove,  and  3  or  4  covering-plates  line  each  side  of  that 
short  branch  of  the  food-groove  which  leads  from  the  left  end 
of  the  food-groove  to  the  base  of  the  left  posterior  arm.  In 
another  specimen  about  15  or  16  covering-plates  occur  on  each 
side  of  the  unbranched  part  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove, 
and  3  or  4  covering-plates  line  each  side  of  the  branches  leading 
from  the  left  end  of  the  food-groove  to  the  bases  of  the  left 
anterior  and  left  posterior  arms. 

10.  The  anal  pyramid. — The  number  of  plates  exposed  in 
the  anal  pyramid  (Plate  II,  fig.  2;  also  A  in  the  text  diagrams) 
varies  in  different  specimens  from  5  to  6.  The  general  form 
of  the  pyramid  is  semi-globose,  but  the  apical  part  is  more  or 
less  flattened.  In  all  of  the  specimens  examined,  the  anal 
pyramid  is  bordered  by  5  thecal  plates.  Of  these,  twTo  plates 
form  the  lower  border,  one  plate  occtirs  on  each  side,  and  the 
fifth  plate  forms  the  upper  part  of  the  border.  The  plate  on 
the  right  side  of  the  pyramid  always  is  larger  than  the  rest. 
The  upper  margin  of  the  plate  forming  the  upper  border  of  the 
anal  pyramid  is  overlapped  on  each  side  by  a  narrow  plate 
separating  the  latter  from  direct  contact  with  the  base  of  the 
nodular  stereom  protuberance  supporting  the  right  pair  of  arms. 
The  sutures  of  these  overlapping  plates  often  are  indistinctly 
defined.  That  part  of  the  thecal  plates  which  borders  directly 
on  the  anal  pyramid  is  smooth,  and  moderately  elevated. 

11.  Fixity  in  arrangement  of  thecal  plates  limited  to  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  and  of  the 
anal  pyra  nid. — Evidently  there  is  a  considerable  degree  of  fixit 
in  the  number  of  thecal  plates  bordering  on  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove  and  in  the  number  of  those  surrounding  the  anal 
pyramid,  and  there  also  is  an  approximation  toward  fixity  in 
the  general  outline  of  these  plates;  but  this  fixity  in  number, 


78  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

position,  and  outline  ustially  is  absent  among  those  thecal 
plates  not  bordering  on  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  or 
on  the  anal  pyramid.  However,  certain  tendencies  may  be 
observed  even  among  these  other  thecal  plates.  For  instance, 
the  plate  directly  below  the  middle  of  the  anal  pyramid  (Plate 
II,  fig.  2  ;  also  text  diagrams),  but  not  in  contact  with  the  latter, 
is  pentagonal  in  form,  and  has  its  upper  angle  inserted  between 
the  two  plates  forming  the  lower  border  of  the  pyramid. 
Directly  beneath  this  pentagonal  plate  is  a  series  of  hexagonal 
plates  which,  instead  of  forming  a  strictly  vertical  row,  are 
arranged  along  a  line  which  curves  moderately  toward  the 
front  on  approaching  the  base  of  the  theca.  Parallel  to  this 
series  of  plates,  on  its  anterior  side,  are  similar  series  of  hexa- 


Anierior    stda 


A*js  of  „ 

Foo*d- 
Groove 


Posterior    side 

Text  figure  No.  3.  The  two  lower  series  of  thecal  plates  of  the  specimen  represen- 
ted by  text  figure  No.  2,  and  by  figure  2  on  plate  II ;  drawn  as  though  viewed  from 
the  lower  side  and  oriented  as  indicated  in  the  diagram.  The  vertical  projection 
of  the  plane  passing  through  the  anal  pyramid  and  parallel  to  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove  is  indicated  by  the  dotted  line.  The  dotted  parts  surrounding  the 
top  of  the  column  indicate  the  extent  to  which  the  basal  part  of  the  lowest  series 
of  plates  rises  above  a  line  drawn  strictly  horizontal  around  the  top  of  the  column. 
The  dotted  area  at  the  center  represents  the  lumen.  Fifteen  plates  occur  in  the 
basal  series  of  thecal  plates  in  the  specimen  diagrammed,  but  the  number  varies 
greatly  in  different  specimens. 

gonal  plates,  causing  the  anterior  side  of  the  theca  to  present 
the  appearance  of  diagonally  intersecting  rows,  with  the  angles 
of  the  thecal  plates  directed  toward  the  top  of  the  specimen. 
On  the  posterior  side  of  the  theca,  a  similar  tendency  toward 
the  arrangement  of  plates  in  rows  causes  one  of  the  sides  of  the 
hexagonal  plates,  rather  than  one  of  its  angles,  to  face  the  top 
of  the  specimen. 

12.  The  arrangement  of  the  basal  thecal  plates. — The  outline 
and  arrangement  of  the  basal  thecal  plates,  where  in  contact 
with  the  stem  or  column,  varies  from  11  to  15  (Text  diagram 
No.  3)  in  different  specimens.  The  line  of  contact  between  the 
basal  thecal  plates  and  the  top  of  the  column  is  not  strictly 
horizontal,  but    rises  and  falls  in  an  irregular  manner,  varying 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  79 

in  different  specimens.  All  efforts  to  diagram  the  basal  thecal 
plates  of  Comarocystites  punctatus  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure 
a  primary  series  of  3,  4  or  5  plates  has  failed,  nor  is  it  possible 
to  demonstrate  the  presence  of  any  radial  plan  of  arrangement 
of  the  lower  thecal  plates,  extending  outward  from  a  supposed 
primary  basal  series. 

If  any  increase  in  the  number  of  plates  forming  the  theca 
takes  place  in  any  except  the  earliest  stages  of  growth,  this  in- 
crease in  number  can  take  place  only  at  the  base  of  the  theca, 
where  in  contact  with  the  column.  Elsewhere  the  plates  of  the 
theca  are  almost  uniform  in  size.  The  series  of  plates  in  con- 
tact with  the  column,  however,  frequently  are  unequal  in  size, 
smaller  plates  not  infrequently  being  wedged  in  between  larger 
ones,  and  the  line  of  contact  between  the  margin  of  the  lowest 
plates  and  the  top  of  the  column  is  more  or  less  irregular. 

EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  II. 

Fig.  1.  Comarocystites  punctatus  Billings.  Specimen  belonging  to  James  E.  Narraway. 
A,  anterior  side,  photographed  so  as  to  show  the  thecal  plates  nearest  the  trans- 
verse apical  food-groove,  and  coverplates  on  the  anterior  side  of  the  food-groove; 
also  the  position  of  the  anus  and  of  the  masses  of  stereom  supporting  the  two 
pairs  of  arms.  Several  of  the  plates  give  distinct  indications  of  the  pairs  of 
lunate  pores  which  occur  directly  beneath  the  epistereom.  B,  posterior  side, 
photographed  so  as  to  show  the  thecal  plates  along  the  upper  half  of  the  specimen, 
the  cover  plates  on  the  posterior  side  of  the  food-groove,  and  the  linear  hydropore 
passing  from  the  right  posterior  plate  diagonally  backward  and  to  the  right 
toward  the  middle  of  the  adjoining  plate.  The  facet  for  the  support  of  the  left 
posterior  arm  and  the  branch  of  the  food-groove  leading  to  the  margin  of  this 
facet  are  well  preserved;  only  a  short  part  of  the  adjoining  branch  of  the  food- 
groove  is  seen.  The  tipper  part  of  the  mass  of  stereom  on  the  right  of  the  food- 
groove  has  broken  off  beneath  the  level  of  the  facets  supporting  the  right  pairs 
of  arms.  In  both  figures  the  anal  pyramid  is  located  on  the  right.  C,  five  of  the 
cover-plates  of  the  food-groove  enlarged.  D,  one  the  thecal  plates  enlarged  so 
as  to  show  the  indications  of  th  e  presence  of  pairs  of  lunar  pores  presented  by 
the  epistereom  in  unweathered  specimens.  A,  B,  enlarged  3  diameters;  C,  en- 
larged 13  diameters;  D,  enlarged  8  diameters.  The  form  and  relative  location  of 
the  thecal  plates  of  this  specimen  are  indicated  in  text  diagram  1. 

Fig.  2.  Comarocystites  punctatus  Billings.  Specimen  belonging  to  Walter  R.  Billings; 
view  of  right  side,  magnified  2.4  diameters.  Photographed  so  as  to  show  the 
anal  pyramid,  the  thecal  plates  immediately  surrounding  the  anal  pyramid,  and 
the  diagonal  arrangement  of  the  thecal  plates  on  this  side  of  the  specimen. 
Indications  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  terminating  at  the  two  masses 
of  stereom  supporting  the  pairs  of  arms  are  seen  along  the  upper  part  of  the  figure. 

Figs.  3,  4.  Comarocystites  punctatus  Billings.  One  of  the  brachials  and  one  of  the 
pinnulars  of  the  type  illustrated  on  plate  III,  magnified.  3,  three  views  of  a 
brachial,  magnified  3  diameters;  A,  cross-section  with  indication  of  facet  for 
attachment  for  the  pinnule  on  the  right;  B,  side  opposite  the  facet;  C,  side 
showing  the  facet.  4,  three  views  of  a  pinnular,  magnified  6  diameters;  A,  cross- 
section;   B,  side  opposite   the   cover-plates;   C,    side   showing   three   cover-plates 


along  one  edge. 


{To  be  continued) 


80  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

SEA  SQUIRTS. 


By  Professor  E.  E.  Prince,  Commissioner  of  Fisheries,  Ottawa. 


No  one  who  has  spent  a  few  hours  on  the  sea  shore,  turning 
over  weed-covered  stones,  can  have  failed  to  notice  clusters  of 
leathery  objects,  styled  by  the  fishermen  sea  peaches,  sea  apples, 
sea  potatoes,  etc.  They  are  of  various  shapes,  as  these  names 
indicate,  and  differ  in  colour,  some  bright  pink,  others  scarlet, 
or  orange,  or  pure  white,  or  stone  colour,  and  other  tints.  Some 
strongly  resemble  leathery  grapes,  or  coarse  plums,  or  even 
small  leather  bottles,  while  many  are  semi-transparent,  and 
not  unlike  green-glass  flasks,  one  or  two  inches  long.  They 
cling  by  the  base  to  stones  and  other  objects,  and  frequently 
hang  from  the  underside  of  shelving  rocks,  others  are  upright 
and  stalked,  resembling  a  brown  potato  on  a  long  stem  (like 
Boltenia),  others  are  jelly-like  colonies  (such  as  Amarousumi) , 
and  some  occur  as  long  strings  of  clear  glassy  creatures,  floating 
as  Salpa  does,  near  the  surface  of  the  sea.  On  touching  them 
they  squirt  out  two  thin  jets  of  water,  from  an  aperture  at  the 
top,  and  another  at  the  side.  They  have  the  appearance  of 
motionless  vegetables,  and  are  scientifically  called  Tunicates, 
or  less  accurately,  Ascidians,  but  by  more  philosophical  natur- 
alists they  have  been  dignified  with  the  name  Urochordates. 
They  merit  some  notice  in  these  pages  for  two  reasons,  viz: — 
their  very  special  scientific  interest,  and  for  a  second  important 
reason,  that  they  have  formed  the  subject  of  some  most  re- 
markable original  investigations  by  Dr.  A.  G.  Huntsman,  of 
the  University  of  Toronto,  a  distinguished  worker  among  our 
younger  Canadian  biologists.  The  high  scientific  interest  pos- 
sessed by  the  Tunicates,  or  Sea  Squirts,  arises  from  the  fact 
that  they  have  been  looked  upon  as  the  ancestral  progenitors 
of  the  human  race  (or  rather  of  all  vertebrates),  and  about 
them  Andrew  Lang  wittily  wrote: 

"The  ancestor  remote  of  Man, 
Says  Darwin  was  the  Ascidian." 

The  additions  to  our  knowledge  of  Canadian  Ascidians, 
due  to  Dr.  Huntsman's  labours,  are  a  source  of  just  pride  to 
our  scientists.  Dr.  Huntsman  was  trained  under  Professor 
Ramsay  Wright,  whose  retirement  from  his  Toronto  chair 
zoologists  on  this  continent  will  never  cease  to  deplore.  Laborious 
and  successful  work  at  the  three  Dominion  Government  bio- 
logical stations,  during  many  years,  led  to  Dr.  Huntsman's 
appointment  by  the  Biological  Board  recently  to  the  responsible 
position  of  curator  in  charge  of  the  marine  and  fishery  investi- 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  Si 

gations  at  the  Biological  Station,  St.  Andrews,  New  Brunswick. 
His  work  now  covers  a  varied  field,  but  it  is  his  Tunicate  re- 
searches that  claim  notice  here. 

In  1908  and  1909  Dr.  Huntsman  investigated  the  Ascidians 
of  British  Columbia,  making  a  fine  collection  himself,  and 
having  placed  in  his  hands  collections  made  by  Professor  John 
Macoun,  and  by  myself  and  the  late  Rev.  G.  W.  Taylor,  and 
others.  As  a  result  of  his  studies  he  was  able  to  publish 
several  papers  on  these  curious  creatures,  but  his  most  notable 
memoir:  "The  Holosomatous  Ascidians  from  the  coast  of 
Western  Canada,"  covering  over  80  pages  of  the  volume;  "Con- 
tributions to  Canadian  Biology,  1908-1911,"  with  12  splendid 
photographic  plates,  and  issued  by  the  King's  Printer,  Ottawa, 
in  1912,  is  an  extensive  and  thorough  record  of  his  discoveries. 
It  has  attracted  wide  attention,  and  specialists  in  various  coun- 
tries, from  the  United  States  in  the  west,  to  Russia  in  the  east, 
have  welcomed  this  memoir  as  an  umisually  important  one. 
Indeed,  Professor  W.  Redikovzew,  a  distinguished  Russian 
zoologist,  has  been  so  impressed  by  Dr.  Huntsman's  results  as 
to  adopt  these  Canadian  discoveries  and  conclusions  set  forth 
in  the  memoir  alluded  to,  and  has  embodied  them  in  a  fine 
paper,  in  Russian,  recently  issued  at  Petrograd. 

Dr.  Huntsman's  beautiful  plates,  with  precisely  100 
figures,  are  heliotypes  of  his  own  exquisite  photographs  of 
Ascidians.  They  are  so  skilfully  done  that  the  most  minute 
structural  features  are  shown  with  marvellous  delicacy  and 
faithfulness.  The  descriptions  in  the  text  are  clear,  accurate, 
and  models  of  scientific  exposition.  Important  classificatory 
features  are  given  in  graphic  tabular  forms,  inserted  under  each 
species,  and  summarizing  measurements,  and  other  details. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  do  more  than  indicate  some  of  Dr. 
Huntsman's  results.  They  embrace  the  following  families: — 
The  Perophoridae ;  the  Family  Agnesiidae,  with  one  species  new 
to  science;  the  Chelysomatidae,  three  new  species;  the  Caesiridae, 
four  new  species;  the  Styelidae,  five  new  species,  including,  in- 
deed, a  new  genus,  Chemidocarpa,  and  one  new  species  Met- 
afldfocarpa  Taylori,  appropriately  named  after  the  late  Rev. 
Mr.  Taylor,  who  did  herculean  work  as  a  pioneer  in  Pacific 
zoology;  and,  finally,  the  Family  Tethyidae.  In  view  of  our 
extended  knowledge,  due  to  Dr.  Huntsman's  researches,  the 
last-named  Family  has  acquired  a  new  significance,  and  one 
of  the  genera,  Boltenia,  has  changed  its  application.  Very  in- 
teresting facts  are  to  be  noted  regarding  the  geographical  dis- 
tribution of  these  sedentary  forms.  The  two  species  B.  ovifera, 
of  the  eastern  shores,  and  B.  villosa,  of  the  Pacific  shores,  meet 


82  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 

in  the  northern  waters  of  Alaska,  and  as  Dr.  Huntsman  observes, 
"perhaps  overlap"  in  Behring  Sea.  Some  species  seem  to  be 
very  local,  while  others  are  world-wide  in  their  range.  The 
familiar  Pelonaia  corrngata  occurs  in  both  oceans,  and  in  the 
Arctic  as  well,  and  presents  in  all  localities  the  same  features; 
"they  do  not  seem  to  differ  in  any  respect,"  as  Dr.  Huntsman 
notes.  Alas,  they  are  the  homeliest  in  looks  of  all  the  Tuni- 
cates!  The  same  ubiquity  applies  to  the  greenish  transparent 
Ciona  intestinalis.  Phallusia  ceratodes  appears,  on  the  contrary, 
to  be  very  local,  and  is  a  species  first  found  and  named  by  Dr. 
Huntsman,  and  "quite  distinct  from  any  yet  described."  In 
contrast  are  forms  like  AsciJiopsis  paratropa,  a  new  species 
described  by  the  author,  and  very  distinct,  yet  closely  related 
to  species  from  Corean  seas,  from  Northern  Europe,  and  from 
Ptiget  Sound,  which  latter  is,  however,  less  than  a  hundred 
miles  south  of  Departure  Bay,  where  it  was  first  discovered. 

But  if  the  colours,  the  forms,  and  the  distribution  of  these 
strange  animals  present  such  striking  features,  their  life-history, 
physiology  and  anatomy  are,  to  the  popular  mind,  even  more 
extraordinary.  Thus,  they  possess  a  heart,  without  valves, 
and  ventral  in  position,  below  the  base  of  the  endostyle.  The 
heart,  in  all  true  invertebrates  possessed  of  that  pulsating 
organ,  is  dorsal  in  position,  but  in  man  and  the  Vertebrata  it  is 
on  the  ventral  or  under  side,  as  in  Tunicates.  It  is  enclosed 
in  a  pericardium,  and  pulsates  with  a  progressive  vermiform 
movement,  and  every  few  minutes  it  reverses  its  action,  and 
drives  the  blood  in  the  opposite  direction.  Thus  the  heart's 
contractions  drive  the  blood  now  this  way,  now  that  way,  a 
curious  characteristic  feature  of  the  Sea  Squirts,  and  not  pro- 
bably found  in  any  other  group  of  animals.  Can  it  be  that 
human  fickle-heartedness  has  come  down  to  us  from  our  Asci- 
dian  ancestors,  with  their  uncertain  cardiac  phenomena!  The 
endostyle  is  interesting,  and  is  a  long  open  canal,  glandular  and 
ciliated,  with  thickened  sides,  and  extending  along  the  ventral 
face  of  the  cage-like  gullet  or  perforated  branchial  pharynx. 
It  is  active  in  the  digestive  functions.  The  sac-like  body  has 
two  important  openings,  one  at  the  top,  inhalent,  and  the  other 
lower  down  at  the  side,  which  is  exhalent.  A  thick  coat  or 
tunic  loosely  encloses  the  whole  animal,  whence  the  name  Tuni- 
cate. This  peculiar  leathery  tunic  shows  nbrillae,  and  even 
cells  (mesoderm  cells  which  have  wandered  from  the  body  of 
the  enclosed  animal),  but  it  contains,  most  wonderful  of  all, 
a  substance,  like  the  cellulose  which  is  peculiar  to  plants.  Ber- 
tholet  regarded  it  as  a  special  substance,  Tunicin,  but  recent 
researches  appear  to  confirm  the  old  and  long  accepted  view 
that  it  is  really  cellulose.     Now,  cellulose  has  been  regarded  as 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  83 

affording  one  of  the  distinctions  between  plants  and  animals, 
but  this  outer  coat  of  the  Ascidians  is  an  animal  product, 
though  not  more  essentially  a  part  of  the  Tunicate's  body  than 
the  shell  of  an  oyster  or  clam.  A  thin  epidermis  covers  the 
tunic,  in  which  pigmented  cells  occur,  and  these  migrate  into 
the  tunic  itself  and  impart  to  the  animal  its  colour,  which  is 
very  brilliant  and  striking  in  some  Ascidians. 

A  few  words  only  can  be  added  about  the  life-history  and 
development  of  Tunicates.  Eggs  and  sperms  are  produced  by 
the  same  individuals,  though  some  are  protandric,  and  do  not 
produce  eggs  until  after  the  sperms  are  ripened;  but  budding 
also  occurs,  and  reproduction  by  stolons,  a  peculiar  phenomenon. 
From  the  egg  issues  a  larva,  very  like  a  tadpole,  the  enlarged 
head  of  which  possesses  several  sticky  papillae  for  the  purpose 
of  adhering  to  external  objects.  A  strong  muscular  tail  per- 
mits it  to  progress  actively  through  the  water.  A  rod  passes 
down  the  centre  of  the  tail  composed  of  a  row  of  cells  at  first, 
but  later  by  the  coalescence  of  these  cells,  it  appears  as  a  clear 
hyaline  resistent  rod,  or  axis,  representing  the  notochord  or 
primitive  backbone  of  all  higher  animals.  This  first  indication 
of  a  vertebral  column  is  a  profoundly  interesting  feature  in  Tuni- 
cates. Hardly  less  interesting  are  the  larval  organs  of  vision 
and  hearing,  though,  like  mythical  Cyclops,  there  is  only  one 
eye,  and  the  ear  or  otocyst  is  unpaired.  Some  Tunicate  larva? 
secrete  a  clear  gummy  blanket  or  floating  house,  and  live  in 
it  for  a  time,  at  the  sea's  surface.     Oikopleura  does  that. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  describe  subsequent  changes  further 
than  to  say  that,  at  a  certain  stage,  the  wriggling  tadpole  be- 
comes rooted  by  its  mouth-end  to  rocks  or  other  objects,  loses 
its  tail,  its  eye,  its  ear,  and  other  organs,  and  becomes  changed 
into  a  leathery  sac-like  creature,  sightless  and  motionless,  the 
typical  rooted  Ascidian,  such  as  those  Dr.  Huntsman  describes. 
There  are  three  main  types  among  the  Tunicates,  viz. :  the 
Ascidiaceae,  the  Thaliaceae,  and  the  Larvaceae,  and  over  one 
hundred  genera.  A  promising  field  waits  investigation,  and  Dr. 
Huntsman's  additions  to  our  knowledge  proves  what  a  great 
opportunity  for  scientific  discovery  young  Canadian  workers 
have  who  resort  to  our  three  Government  biological  stations 
each  summer.  The  Tunicates  offer  a  fruitful  field  for  re- 
search. Science  has  revealed  unexpected  marvels  in  the  study 
of  these  lowly-looking  Tunicates,  but  while  they  are  degenerate, 
as  a  class,  they  appear  undoubtedly  to  have  formed  the  starting 
point  whence  higher  animals  have  evolved,  and  have  progressed 
in  an  ascending  scale  until  Man,  the  highest  Chordate  or  Ver- 
tebrate, developed. 


84  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [October 


BOOK  NOTICES. 

"Edible  and  Poisonous  Mushrooms,"  by  W.  A.  Murrill, 
appeared  June  26th,  1916.  This  work  consists  of  a  large  colored 
chart  and  a  handbook  containing  descriptions  of  the  chief  edible 
and  poisonous  species  in  North  America,  together  with  a  dis- 
cussion of  edible  and  poisonous  fungi  in  general,  and  methods 
of  preparing  and  cooking  mushrooms.  The  treatment  is  brief, 
reqtiiring  only  about  seventy-five  pages,  but  it  covers  the 
ground  in  a  practical  and  safe  way,  and  will  enable  the  intelligent 
mushroom-loving  public  to  enjoy  many  of  our  native  wild 
species  without  fear  of  unpleasant  consequences.  The  writer 
has  erred  rather  on  the  side  of  safety,  failing  to  figure  and  re- 
commend for  food  the  royal  agaric,  the  blushing  amanita,  the 
sheathed  amanitopsis,  and  many  other  species  which  are  ex- 
cellent and  often  eaten. 

The  chart  was  prepared  under  the  author's  direction  by 
a  very  careful  artist,  and  is  suitable  for  hanging  on  the  wall 
in  libraries  and  schools,  as  well  as  in  botanical  museums.  Dif- 
ferent backgrounds  are  used  for  the  edible  and  poisonous  species, 
which  are  separated  and  plainly  labelled,  so  that  no  mistakes 
can  occur.  The  maximum  of  safety  lies  in  accurate  figures, 
and  descriptions  not  only  of  species  that  may  be  safely  eaten, 
but  also  of  all  the  dangerous  species  that  should  be  avoided. 

The  price  of  the  handbook  and  chart  is  $2.00.  Copies 
may  be  obtained  from  the  author,  whose  address  is  Bronxwood 
Park,  New  York  City. 


Entomological  Society  Report. 

The  46th  Annual  Report  of  the  Entomological  Society  of 
Ontario  recently  appeared.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
reports  ever  issue  1  by  the  Society,  comprising  232  pages,  and 
presents  the  proceedings  of  the  52nd  annual  meeting,  held  in 
Ottawa  on  November  4th  and  5th,  1915.  Thirty  papers  are 
given  in  full,  many  of  which  are  illustrated.  All  students  of 
insect  life,  not  only  in  Canada,  but  elsewhere,  will  undoubtedly 
welcome  the  appearance  of  this  splendid  report.  Most  of  the 
articles  discuss  important  crop  pests  of  the  farmer  and  fruit- 
grower. 


The  0 1 1 aw  a  Naturalist. 


Vol.  XXX.     Plate  111. 


1  ©1 


7* 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

Vol.  XXX.  NOVEMBER,  1916.  No.  8. 

COMAROCYSTITES  AND  CARYOCRINITES. 

Cysttds  with  pinnultferous  free  arms. 


By  A.  F.  Foerste,  Dayton,  Ohio. 


(Continued  from  page  79.) 

13.  The  structure  of  the  thecal  plates. — The  exterior  surface  of 
the  thecal  plates  of  Comarocystites  punctatus  is  deeply  concave.  The 
interior  surface,  however,  appears  more  or  less  stellately  convex.  The 
convex  appearance  is  due,  in  part,  to  the  slopes  of  the  suture  planes, 
converging  toward  the  center  of  the  theca,  and,  in  part,  to  the  thinning 
of  the  plates  toward  the  angles  of  their  polygonal  outlines.  The 
stellate  character  is  due  to  grooves  separating  the  different  sets  of 
mesostereom  plates,  described  later  in  this  paragraph.  These  grooves 
narrow  toward  the  angles,  thus  increasing  the  stellate  appearance. 

In  cross-sections  which  are  vertical  to  the  surface  of  the  thecal 
plates  and  perpendicular  to  the  middle  parts  of  the  sutures  between  the 
plates,  the  inner  surface  of  the  plates  presents  an  almost  straight  out- 
line between  the  center  of  one  plate  and  the  center  of  the  next,  or  there 
is  a  moderate  outward  bending  of  this  outline  at  the  suture.  However, 
toward  the  angles  where  three  plates  meet,  the  inner  surface  of  the 
plates  curves  so  strongly  outward  as  to  produce  the  appearance  of 
deep  triangular  pits  at  these  points  of  junction.  Owing  to  the  deep 
concavity  of  the  exterior  surface  of  the  plates,  the  thickness  of  these 
plates  varies  from  five-tenths  to  six-tenths  of  a  millimeter  at  the 
center  to  nearly  two  millimeters  along  the  middle  of  the  suture  lines. 
Toward  the  angles,  however,  where  three  plates  meet,  and  where  the 
inner  surface  of  the  plates  curves  strongly  outward,  so  as  to  approach 
the  outer  surface,  the  thickness  of  the  plates  frequently  is  reduced  to 
about  a  quarter  of  a  millimeter.  Viewed  from  the  interior  of  the  theca, 
with  the  plates  still  connected,  the  deep  triangular  pits  or  depressions 
between  the  ends  of  the  stellate  rays  characterizing  the  individual 
plates,  form  the  most  striking  features. 


86  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

Beneath  the  thin  non-porous  epistereom  lies  the  thick  mesostereom. 
That  part  of  the  mesostereom  which  is  in  contact  with  the  epistereom 
forms  a  practically  continuous  sheet,  penetrated  only  by  pores,  and 
from  this  sheet  the  greater  part  of  the  mesostereom  is  suspended  in  the 
form  of  vertical  lamellae.  (Plate  IV,  figs.  3  and  ID.)  Viewed  along 
the  suture  planes,  where  exposed  by  the  dismembering  of  the  theca, 
these  lamellae  appear  thin  and  narrow  toward  their  junction  with  the 
continuous  exterior  part  of  the  mesostereom,  but  they  thicken  toward 
their  inner  terminations  for  a  distance  of  almost  a  millimeter.  These 
lamellae  do  not  radiate  from  the  center  of  the  thecal  plates,  but  form 
groups,  all  lamellae  belonging  to  the  same  group  being  perpendicular 
to  the  same  suture  line  between  two  adjacent  plates.  If  imaginery  lines 
be  drawn  from  the  center  to  the  angles  of  each  plate,  then  the  lamellae 
will  be  found  grouped  in  triangles  limited  laterally  by  these  imaginary 
lines.  In  each  triangle  the  lamellae  will  be  found  perpendicular  to  the 
suture  line  forming  the  base  of  the  triangle,  the  triangles  of  adjacent 
plates  forming  rhombs,  which,  however,  give  no  indication  of  their 
presence  on  the  un weathered  surface  of  the  plates.  The  adjacent 
triangular  groups  of  lamellae  are  separated  usually  by  grooves,  widen- 
ing toward  the  center  of  the  plates  and  narrowing  toward  the  angles. 
Both  the  lamellae  and  the  inter-lamellar  spaces  are  directly  connected 
across  the  suture  planes. 

The  epistereom  is  thin  and  non-porous.  However,  if  only  slightly 
weathered,  it  is  found  to  be  underlaid  by  pairs  of  short  lunate  pores 
extending  parallel  to  the  epistereom,  just  beneath  the  latter,  appearing 
on  the  weathered  upper  surface  of  the  mesostereom  as  short  lunate 
grooves,  the  concave  sides  of  each  pair  facing  each  other.  The  pre- 
sence of  these  pairs  of  lunate  pores  often  is  indicated  on  the  exterior 
surface  of  the  epistereom  by  short  lunate  ridges  (Plate  II,  figs.  1A,  IB, 
also  ID),  which  correspond  in  size,  form  and  position  with  the  pores 
beneath.  Three  or  four  series  of  these  pairs  of  lunate  pores  may 
occur  between  the  centers  of  the  thecal  plates  and  the  suture  lines,  the 
pairs  of  different  series  more  or  less  alternating  with  each  other  in 
position. 

Each  lunate  pore  is  connected  near  its  distal  end  with  a  small 
circular  or  oblong  pore  penetrating  the  outer  more  or  less  continuous 
sheet  of  the  mesostereom,  and  leading  into  the  spaces  between  the 
vertical  lamellae.  Pores  of  the  same  pair  always  connect  with  different 
inter-lamellar  spaces,  being  separated  by  one  of  the  lamellae.  The 
right  hand  pore  of  one  pair,  however,  usually  is  connected  with  the 
same  inter-lamellar  space  as  the  left  hand  pore  of  the  nearest  adjacent 
pair,  proximally  or  distally,  i.e.,  either  nearer  the  center  of  the  thecal 
plate  or  nearer  the  suture  line.  In  this  manner,  three  or  four  pores 
belonging  to  different  pairs  may  be  connected  to  the  same  inter-lamellar 
space.  There  is  no  connection  between  pores  belonging  to  the  same 
pair. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  87 

The  pores  penetrating  the  outer  continuous  sheet  of  the 
mesostereom  are  directed  perpendicularly  toward  the  suture  lines 
between  the  plates,  but  incline  more  or  less  obliquely  downward.  They 
apparently  widen  in  a  direction  parallel  to  the  inter-lamellar  spaces  in 
passing  through  the  outer  sheet  of  the  mesostereom,  since,  in  strongly 
weathered  specimens  showing  the  inter-lamellar  spaces  (Plate  III), 
the  latter  frequently  appear  interrupted  by  transverse  partitions  a  short 
distance  below  the  outer  continuous  sheet  of  the  mesostereom.  At  the 
center  of  each  thecal  plate  there  is  a  space,  at  least  a  millimeter  wide, 
within  which  no  trace  of  the  vertical  lamellae  appears. 

14.  Sections  across  the  anal  pyramid  and  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove. — A  cross-section  of  the  anal  pyramid  of  Comarocystites 
shows  that  the  lower  margin  of  the  pyramid  plates  fits  into  a  groove 
extending  along  the  lower  part  of  the  proximal  margin  of  the  bordering 
thecal  plates.  The  upper  part  of  this  proximal  margin  rises  sufficiently 
to  admit  of  the  presence  of  some  substance  for  opening  the  anal 
passage  on  the  relaxation  of  the  muscles  holding  the  anal  plates  shut 
from  within  the  thecal  cavity. 

The  mouth,  or  opening  into  the  interior  of  the  thecal  cavity,  is 
scarcely  a  millimeter  in  diameter,  and  is  located  at  the  posterior  end 
of  the  suture  between  the  two  anterior  peristomial  plates  (a,  a,  in  the 
text  diagrams).  In  form  this  opening  varies  from  nearly  circular  to 
more  or  less  elliptical,  with  the  longer  diameter  parallel  to  the  direction 
of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove.  From  this  mouth  the  lateral 
primary  rays  of  the  food-groove  system  diverge  in  opposite  directions 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  a  slightly  curved  transverse  continuous 
groove  across  the  apical  end  of  the  theca,  with  the  convex  side  of  the 
groove  directed  toward  the  front.  This  transverse  food-groove,  be- 
tween the  bases  of  the  arm  pairs,  is  frequently  exposed,  but  the  central 
mouth  opening  is  rarely  seen.  Cross-sections  perpendicular  to  the 
length  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  in  one  specimen  indicate 
that  the  lower  part  of  the  posterior  peristomial  plates,  projects  slightly 
beneath  the  adjoining  part  of  the  anterior  peristomial  plates,  especially 
toward  the  lateral  extremities  of  this  food-groove.  To  what  extent  this 
feature  is  present  in  other  specimens  is  unknown. 

15.  The  arms  of  Comarocystites  punctatus. — Each  pair  of  arms 
is  supported  by  a  single  nodular  stereom  protuberance,  but  each 
protuberance  is  supplied  with  two  more  or  less  divergent  facets  (see 
facet  1,  in  fig.  IB  on  plate  II.)  for  the  attachment  of  the  arms.  Each 
end  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  on  coming  in  contact  with 
the  adjoining  protuberance,  bifurcates,  each  branch  of  the  food- 
groove,  together  with  its  covering-plates,  extending  to  one  of  the  arm 
bases,  and  then  rising  along  the  adoral  side  of  the  first  brachial. 

Arms  are  known  only  in  the  case  of  two  specimens,  one  found 
and  figured  by  E.  Billings,  the  other  found  and  figured  by  Sir  James 


88    *  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

Grant.  The  first  presents  a  clearly  defined  view  of  the  lower  half  of 
the  right  posterior  arm,  with  its  attached  pinnules.  The  second  pre- 
sents a  much  less  clearly  defined  view  also  of  what  appears  to  be  the 
right  anterior  arm,  with  its  attached  pinnules.  Evidently  both  the 
brachials  and  pinnulars  of  these  two  arms  are  arranged  in  uniserial 
order.  It  is  assumed  that  the  left  pair  of  arms  presented  the  same 
characteristics.  Only  the  right  posterior  arm  attached  to  the  Billings 
type-specimen  is  here  described  in  detail. 

Twelve  brachials  (Brachials  1  to  11  are  numbered  in  the  figure 
on  plate  III)  are  exposed,  and  each  bears  a  single  pinnule  on  its  right 
side.  All  of  the  brachials  above  the  first  are  flattened  slightly  from 
front  to  rear  (Plate  II,  figs  3A,  B,  C),  the  ratio  of  the  lateral  diameter 
to  the  adoral-aboral  diameter  being  as  10  to  9  (Fig.  3A).  The  length 
of  each  brachial  usually  equals  about  three-halves  of  its  lateral 
diameter.  The  facets  supporting  the  pinnules  are  concave  (Fig.  3C), 
their  margins  being  distinctly  elevated,  especially  on  their  lower  sides. 
The  location  of  these  facets  is  slightly  above  the  middle  of  each 
brachial.  On  that  side  of  the  brachial  which  is  opposite  the  pinnule 
(Fig.  3B),  the  brachial  tends  to  be  slightly  more  angular  in  a  direction 
parallel  to  the  length  of  the  arm.  The  original  length  of  the  complete 
arm  is  unknown,  but  probably  it  equalled  about  three-halves  of  the 
length  of  the  theca.  The  rate  of  tapering  of  the  successive  brachials, 
as  far  as  preserved,  is  but  moderate.  Analogy  with  Amygdalocystites 
and  Canadocystites  suggests  that  the  pinnules  of  all  four  arms  of 
Comarocystites  were  attached  to  the  right  side  of  the  arms,  the  aboral 
side  of  each  arm  facing  the  observer,  and  the  distal  end  being  directed 
upward. 

16.  The  pinnules. — The  length  of  the  pinnules  probably 
equalled  30  millimeters,  and  may  have  reached  35  millimeters.  There 
is  but  little  variation  in  the  length  and  width  of  the  pinnulars,  about 
four  occupying  a  length  of  five  millimeters.  Except  in  the  case  of  the 
first  two  or  three  pinnulars,  most  of  the  pinnulars  are  strongly  flattened 
transversely  (Plate  III;  also  figs.  4A,  B,  C,  on  plate  II),  the  pinnules 
being  placed,  for  purposes  of  description,  in  an  approximately  vertical 
position,  with  the  aboral  side  facing  the  observer.  The  ratio  of  the 
transverse  diameter  to  the  adoral-aboral  diameter  (Fig.  4A)  is  about 
8  to  5.  The  lateral  edge  of  the  pinnulars  (Fig.  4B)  tends  to  be  more 
or  less  angular  in  a  direction  parallel  to  the  length  of  the  pinnule, 
thus  giving  the  pinnulars  a  lens-shaped  cross-section. 

In  the  Billings  type-specimen,  here  figured,  a  series  of  small,  flat, 
quadrangular  plates  lines  one  side  of  two  joints  of  that  fragment  of  the 
pinnule  which  is  marked  Don  plate  III,  and  traces  of  similar  small 
plates  are  seen  at  the  point  C,  on  one  side  of  the  pinnule  attached  to 
the  eighth  brachial.  (See  also  fig.  4C  on  plate  II.)  These  small 
quadrangular  plates  are  interpreted  as  covering-plates.    Their  number 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  89 

varies  from  three  in  a  length  of  one  pinnular,  to  five  in  a  length  of  two 
of  these  pinnulars. 

17.  The  absence  of  food-grooves  on  the  brachials. — In  case  of 
the  right  posterior  arm  of  Comarocystites,  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
transverse  apical  food-grooves  rises  for  a  short  distance  along  the 
ventral  side  of  the  first  brachial,  but  disappears  before  reaching  the 
top  of  this  brachial.  There  are  reasons  for  believing  that  the  absence 
of  food-grooves  on  the  arms  of  Comarocystites  is  secondary  and  not 
primitive.  The  small  quadrangular  covering-plates  along  one  side  of 
the  pinnules,  as  described  above,  suggest  the  former  presence  of  a  food- 
groove.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  no  trace  of  an  actual  food-groove  has 
been  noticed  so  far  on  any  pinnular,  but  analogy  with  Amygdalocystites 
demands  that  they  should  be  present. 

In  Amygdalocystites  the  food-groove  follows  one  of  the  narrower 
sides  of  the  pinnule,  the  pinnulars  being  compressed  laterally,  and  the 
food-groove  faces  the  mouth.  In  a  similar  manner  the  few  covering 
plates  found  so  far  on  the  pinnulars  of  Comarocystites  are  on  the  side 
facing  the  mouth,  and  the  sides  of  these  pinnulars  are  even  more 
compressed  than  in  Amygdalocystites.  Originally,  a  food-groove  must 
have  followed  that  side  of  the  pinnule  supporting  the  covering-plates, 
and  a  second  series  of  covering-plates  must  have  existed  along  the 
same  side,  but  beyond  the  food-groove.  Formerly  the  food-groove  on 
the  pinnulars  must  have  connected  with  one  of  the  brachials,  thus 
reaching  the  transverse  food-groove  along  the  apical  side  of  the  theca, 
if  the  analogy  between  Comarocystites  and  Amygdalocystites  and 
Canadocystis  is  as  great  as  here  suspected.  It  should  be  noted,  how- 
ever, that  the  facets  supporting  the  pinnules  of  Amygdalocystites  are 
distinctly  indented  on  the  side  where  the  branch  from  the  food-groove 
on  the  arm  passed  on  the  base  of  the  attached  pinnule.  In  Comarocy- 
stites, however,  the  facets  supporting  the  pinnules  are  circular,  and 
show  no  such  indentation.  Evidently  the  absence  of  a  food-groove 
extends  to  the  lower  pinnulars  at  least. 

18.  The  column  or  stem. — The  column  or  stem  is  cylindrical, 
with  no  evidence  of  pentamerism  either  exteriorly  or  interiorly.  The 
segments  or  columnals  are  very  thin,  alternating  in  thickness,  about 
20  occurring  in  a  length  of  six  millimeters  in  the  column  attached  to 
that  Billings  type-specimen  which  retains  the  arm.  This  column  has 
a  diameter  of  four  millimeters.  The  surface  of  the  column  is  orna- 
mented by  minute  granules,  seven  in  a  width  of  one  millimeter, 
arranged  quincuncially,  in  diagonally  intersecting  rows.  The  lumen 
equals  about  one-fourth  of  the  diameter  of  the  column.  The  fiat 
surfaces  of  the  columnals  are  striated  radially.  The  only  known 
complete  column  is  attached  to  the  specimen  discovered  and  described 
by  Sir  James  Grant,  and  figured  by  him  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club,  in  1880.     In  this  specimen  the 


90  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

theca  is  65  millimeters  in  height,  the  length  of  the  column  is  108 
millimeters,  its  width  near  its  attachment  to  the  theca  is  7  millimeters, 
at  mid-length  this  width  is  nearer  5  millimeters,  toward  the  base  of  the 
column  it  increases  to  6  millimeters,  and  then,  within  a  distance  of  3 
millimeters,  the  column  widens  rapidly  into  a  circular  attachment  disk, 
about  17  millimeters  in  diameter.  The  upper  surface  of  this  attach- 
ment disk  is  convex,  and  the  lower  surface  is  sufficiently  concave  to 
suggest  attachment  to  a  more  or  less  convex  object.  The  outlines  of 
this  attachment  disk  probably  were  irregularly  circular,  certain  parts 
extending  farther  than  others  from  the  center.  There  is  no  differen- 
tiation in  size  or  form  between  the  columnals  along  the  middle  third 
of  the  stem  compared  with  the  columnals  toward  either  end.  All  are 
very  thin  and  of  approximately  the  same  lateral  diameter.  During 
the  growth  of  the  stem  the  columnals  probably  were  added  at  the  top. 
The  stem  evidently  was  sufficiently  strong  to  support  the  theca  in  a 
more  or  less  erect  position. 

19.  Geological  horizon  and  geographical  distribution. — Com- 
arocystites  punctatus  Billings  is  known  chieriy  from  the  Trenton,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ottawa,  in  Canada.  Professor  Percy  E.  Raymond,  who 
has  made  a  special  study  of  the  Ottawa  area  (Guide  Book  No.  3, 
International  Geological  Congress,  1913,  p.  151),  cites  Comarocystites 
punctatus  only  from  the  quarry  located  in  the  angle  between  the  two 
railroads,  several  hundred  yards  north  of  Walter's  Axe  Factory  quarry, 
in  Hull,  a  town  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Ottawa,  north- 
westward. Here  it  occurs  in  the  Crinoid  zone,  associated  with 
Edrioaster  bigsbyi,  Cyclocystoides  halli,  Isotelus  latus,  and  Amphili- 
chas  cucullus.  The  strata  in  this  quarry  consist  of  rather  thick- 
bedded,  coarse-grained,  gray  limestone,  separated  by  black  shale 
partings  in  which  most  of  the  fossils  are  found.  The  writer  found  two 
specimens  of  Comarocystites  on  the  surface  of  the  highest  layer  of 
massive  limestone  exposed  in  the  Robillard  quarry,  three  miles  east  of 
Ottawa,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Montreal  road.  This  massive  lime- 
stone is  referred  by  Raymond  to  the  Tetradium  zone,  and  belongs 
above  the  Crinoid  zone.  The  top  of  the  Tetradium  zone  is  exposed 
also  in  the  quarry  immediately  behind  the  axe  factory,  in  Hull.  In 
the  overlying  Prasopora  zone  Mr.  James  E.  Narraway  found  several 
specimens  of  Comarocystites.  Several  small  specimens  were  found  by 
Mr.  Narraway  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Cystid  zone  exposures  at 
Nepean  Point,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  horizon  at  which 
Agelacrinites  inconditus  is  fairly  common.  This  part  of  Cystid  zone 
is  probably  not  far  above  the  top  of  the  Prasopora  zone.  The  well 
preserved  theca  illustrated  by  figure  1  on  plate  II  of  the  present  com- 
munication was  found  by  Mr.  Narraway,  in  the  quarry  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Bell  Street  and  Carling  Avenue,  immediately  east  of  the 
railway  leading   into  the  lumber  yard   east   of  Dow   lake.        Here 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  91 

Agelacrinites  chapmani  occurs  in  one  of  the  lower  layers  of  lime- 
stone, and  the  Comarocystites  was  found  about  five  feet  above  this 
level.  The  exposures  in  the  quarry  belong  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
Cystid  zone.  It  is  evident  that  the  types  of  Comarocystites  punctatus 
were  found  in  the  Cystid  zone,  since  Billings  stated  in  his  original 
description  that  the  specimens  occurred  "generally  along  the  water's 
edge,  from  the  Rideau  Falls  to  the  Chaudiere."  The  remarkable 
specimen  obtained  by  Sir  James  Grant  from  an  excavation  on  St. 
Patrick  street,  near  Chapel  street,  in  Ottawa,  also  may  have  come  from 
the  Cystid  zone,  but  there  are  no  exposures  at  present  in  this  area,  by 
means  of  which  the  horizon  may  be  established  definitely.  Evidently 
Comarocystites  has  a  considerable  vertical  range  in  the  Trenton  of  the 
Ottawa  area,  being  unknown  so  far  only  from  the  Dalmanella  zone, 
at  the  base  of  the  Trenton,  and  from  the  Hormotoma  or  Sponge  zone, 
at  the  top  of  the  Trenton.  In  the  intermediate  zones  it  evidently  occurs 
at  more  or  less  remote  intervals,  and  is  a  comparatively  rare  fossil. 

Possibly  there  are  two  species  of  Comarocystites  in  the  Ottawa 
area;  one  of  larger  size,  with  more  compressed  theca,  and  with  nearly 
smooth  thecal  plates;  the  other  smaller,  less  compressed,  with  minutely 
granular  thecal  plates,  marked  by  pairs  of  distinctly  lunate  short 
ridges.  The  second  form  is  known  to  occur  at  the  top  of  the  Tetradium 
zone,  immediately  beneath  the  Prasopora  zone,  and  in  the  Cystid  zone. 
Possibly  the  smooth  form  occurs  at  a  different  horizon,  but  the  num- 
ber of  well  preserved  specimens  at  hand  is  not  sufficient  to  determine 
whether  the  smooth  and  ornamented  forms  in  reality  are  distinct  or  not. 

Comarocystites  punctatus  is  cited  by  Rominger  also  from  the 
Trenton,  in  section  17  of  township  41,  above  the  big  bend  in  the 
Escanaba  River,  north  of  Little  Bay  de  Noquette,  in  Michigan. 

20.  Literature  on  Comarocystites  punctatus: — 
Comarocystites  punctatus  Billings: 

Billings,  Canadian  Journal,  2,  1854,  p.  270,  figs.  1-3. 

Figure  1  in  this  paper  corresponds  to  figure  2  on 
plate  V  of  Decade  III.  Figure  2  is  an  apical 
view  of  the  same  specimen  and  corresponds  to 
figure  2b  in  the  Decade,  but  is  not  identical  with 
the  latter;  there  is  no  indication  of  a  pair  of  arms 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  figure,  but  only  of  a  single 
protuberance,  and  the  location  of  the  anal  pyra- 
mid beneath  the  pair  of  arms  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  figure  is  shown.  Figure  3  corresponds  to 
figure  1  of  the  Decade. 

Geol.  Surv.  Canada  Rep.  Progr.  for  1853-56,  1857, 
p.  288. 


iC4<\ 


92  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

Geo.  Surv.  Canada,  Dec.  3,  1858,  p.  61,  pi.  5,  figs. 
1-lb,  2-2b. 
Figure  1  (No.  1391g,  in  Victoria  Memorial 
Museum)  represents  the  right  side  of  the  theca; 
o  is  the  anal  pyramid.  In  figure  lb,  the  smooth 
proximal  parts  of  the  polygonal  plates  surround- 
ing the  anal  pyramid  are  represented  incorrectly 
as  though  forming  a  circle  of  separate  plates 
surrounding  the  anal  pyramid.  In  figures  la  and 
2a,  the  non-porous  epistereom  has  been  removed 
by  weathering  from  the  marginal  parts  of  the 
thecal  plates.  Figure  2  (No.  1391,  in  Victoria 
Memorial  Museum)  presents  a  view  of  the 
anterior  side  of  the  theca,  with  the  anal  opening 
on  the  left  upper  margin  of  the  figure;  the  nodular 
stereom  mass  supporting  the  right  pair  of  arms  is 
seen  immediately  below  the  number  2,  and  the 
angle  at  the  upper  right  hand  margin  of  the  figure 
indicates  the  location  of  the  other  stereom  mass. 
Figure  2b  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  representation 
of  the  transverse  food-groove  extending  from  the 
central  mouth  in  opposite  directions  to  the  base 
of  the  stereom  mass,  where  it  forks  dichotomously 
at  each  end. 

Grant,  Trans.  Ottawa  Field-Nat.  Club,  1,  1880,  pi.  1, 
figs.  1-5. 
Figure  1  (No.  333  in  Victoria  Memorial  Museum) 
probably  presents  a  view  of  the  anterior  side  of 
the  theca,  in  addition  to  a  view  of  the  entire 
length  of  the  column,  including  its  base.  Only 
the  lower  parts  of  the  arms  and  pinnules  of  this 
specimen  are  represented  in  this  figure.  The 
remaining  figures  are  re-publications  of  figures  in 
Decade  III,  of  Billings,  figs.  2,  3,  4  and  5  cor- 
responding to  figs.  1,  2,  lb  and  2b  respectively  of 
the  Decade 

Chapman,  Exposition  of  the  Minerals  and  Geology  of 

Canada,  1864,  p.  109. 
Haeckel,  Amphorideen  u.  Cystoideen,  1896,  p.  70,  pi. 
1,  figs.  4-4c. 

Figure  4  is  a  reproduction  of  Billing's  figure  1  on 
plate  5  of  Decade  III,  amplified  by  Haeckel  so  as 
to  suggest  the  appearance  of  a  complete  arm 
system   and   a   complete   column.      The   biserial 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  93 

arrangement  of  the  pinnules  is  incorrect.  In 
figure  4a,  the  series  of  small  plates  surrounding 
the  transverse  food-groove  is  imaginary;  the 
figure  evidently  is  based  on  figure  2b  of  the 
Decade. 
Jaeckel,  Zeits,  d.d.  geol.    Gesell.  52,  1900,  p.  676. 

EXPLANATION  of  PLATE  III. 
Comarocystites  punctatus  Billings.  Upper  part  of  type  figured  by  Billings 
in  his  monograph  on  the  Cystideae  of  the  Lower  Silurian  rocks  of  Canada,  in 
Decade  III,  of  Canadian  Ovganic  Remains,  in  1858,  where  it  forms  figure  1  on 
plate  V.  The  specimen  has.  been  crushed  in  a  direction  perpendicular  to  the 
anal  pyramid.  Only  the  upper  part  of  the  right  side  of  the  theca  is  shown  in 
the  figure  here  presented,  magnified  3  d.am»ters.  A  considerable  part  of  the 
right  posterior  arm  is  exrosed.  The  brachials  are  numbered.  The  exposed 
surfaces  are  interpreted  as  the  dorsal  side,  most  of  the  brachials  showing  the 
facets  for  the  attachmert  of  the  pinnules  on  the  right.  The  pinnules  are 
twisted  so  as  to  show  both  the  narrow  edges  and  the  flat  faces  of  the  pinnulars 
at  different  points  along  the  pinnules.  The  first  brachial  and  several  closely 
appressed  pinnules  belonging  to  the  right  anterior  arm  occupy  the  position 
indicated  by  B.  but  can  not  be  distinguished  in  the  figure  here  presented. 
Cover-plates  may  be  seen  along  the  right  margin  of  the  pinnulars  marked  D, 
and  along  the  corresponding  margin  of  several  pinnulars  marked  C  in  the 
figure.  The  position  of  the  anal  pyramid  and  the  smooth  border  of  the  sur- 
rounding thecal  plates  is  indicated  at  A.  The  surface  of  the  thecal  plates  is 
strongly  weathered,  except  at  the  center,  and  indicates  clearly  the  parallel 
arrangement  of  all  folds  and  pores  of  the  mesostereom:  these  are  perpen- 
dicular to  the  same  edge  of  the  plates;  consequently  those  groups  which  are 
perpendicular  to  different  edges  form  angles  with  each  other  along  the 
imaginary  lines  drawn  from  the  center  of  the  plates  to  the  angles  of  the  latter. 
The  passages  of  the  folds  and  pores  perpendicularly  across  the  sutures  from 
plate  to  plate,  in  an  apparently  continuous  manner,  also  is  indicated.  For  the 
remainder  of  the  specimen,  see  the  figure  presented  by  Billings.  Figure  based 
on  photograph  supplied  by  courtesy  of  the  chief  photographer  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Canada.  The  original  specimen  is  numbered  1391  in  the  collection 
of  the  Survey  deposited  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  Museum,  at  Ottawa. 


NEW  SPILERIID^E. 


Dr.  Victor  Sterki  has  recently  published  in  the  Annals  of  the 
Carnegie  Museum  (Vol.  X,  Nos.  3  and  4,  pp.  429-474),  a  preliminary 
catalogue  of  the  Sphaeriidae  of  North  America.  The  small  bivalves  of 
this  family  are  remarkably  abundant  in  the  vicinity  of  Ottawa,  and 
constitute  no  small  part  of  the  food  of  many  fishes  and  birds.  The 
whole  of  the  material  submitted  to  Dr.  Sterki  has  not  yet  been 
thoroughly  studied,  and  what  was  collected  in  1915  and  1916  has  not 
yet  been  submitted  to  him.  Most  of  the  shells  are  minute  in  size,  and 
alike  in  colour,  and  for  these  and  other  reasons  their  determination  is 
attended  with  great  difficulty,  and,  not  infrequently,  with  doubt.  The 
trained  eye  of  Dr.  Sterki,  and  his  keen  mental  apprehension  of  slight 
differences,  have  in  my  opinion,  rendered  him  capable  of  accomplish- 
ing a  task  before  which  other  have  "backward  shrank  appalled." 
While  the  result  of  his  labors,  as  published,  are  modestly  stated  to  be 
tentative  and  preliminary,  they  undoubtedly  constitute  one  of  the  most 
valuable  contributions  made  in  recent  vears  to  the  studv  of  our  inland 


94  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

mollusca.  Several  of  the  species  and  varieties  now  described  for  the 
first  time  are  from  the  vicinity  of  Ottawa,  and  may  be  of  interest  to 
members  of  the  Field-Naturalists'  Club,  who  wish  to  spend  a  little  of 
their  leisure  riding  a  delightful  if  neglected  hobby.  An  hour  or  two 
devoted  to  any  elementary  work  on  zoology,  dealing — as  nearly  all  do 
— with  the  mollusca,  will  enable  any  intelligent  student  to  understand 
Dr.  Sterki's  descriptions  which  will  then  be  found  to  be  full,  clear 
and  distinctive,  though  necessarily  technical. 

The  shells  themselves  occur  in  every  stream  around  the  city.  A 
kitchen  bowl-strainer,  of  coarse  mesh — procurable  at  a  cost  of  a  few 
cents — makes  an  excellent  dredge  for  the  larger  species.  In  the 
shallows  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rideau  Canal,  above  the  by-wash  at 
Hartwell's  Locks,  hundreds  of  fine  specimens,  mainly  Musculium 
transversum,  may  be  collected  in  a  few  minutes;  and  this  and  other 
species  may  be  found  without  a  dredge  by  turning  over  small  boulders 
in  the  Rideau  River,  in  the  rapids  near  Billings'  Bridge.  Every 
depression  in  which  water  gathers  in  our  deciduous  woods  contains  the 
beautiful  little  Sphacrium  Occident  ale,  a  species  capable  of  living 
through  long  periods  of  drought;  and  in  late  summer  the  northern 
shores  of  Duck  Island,  just  at  the  water's  edge,  are  littered  with 
myriads  of  small  bivalves,  mainly  a  variety  of  Sphaerium  striatinum, 
or,  perhaps,  a  species  as  yet  undescribed.  More  and  more  material  is 
required.  It  is  with  the  hope  of  stimulating  interest,  and  in  order  to 
render  accessible  to  members  of  the  Club  descriptions  not  otherwise 
readily  available  that,  with  Dr.  Sterki's  permission,  the  following 
extracts  are  reprinted  from  his  catalogue: — 

21.     Musculium  rosaceum  fuligiosum  var.  nov. 

Mussel  small,  rather  short,  subequipartite,  moderately  inflated, 
somewhat  "pinched"  along  the  margin;  beaks  nearly  in  the  middle, 
narrow,  somewhat  prominent,  calyculate;  superior  margin  angular  at 
the  beaks,  its  anterior  and  posterior  parts  straight  or  nearly  so,  equally 
sloping;  supero-anterior  and  posterior  slopes,  or  truncations,  well 
marked,  nearly  straight,  the  posterior  longer  and  steeper,  nearly  at 
right  angle  with  the  longitudinal  axis,  anterior  and  posterior  ends 
rounded;  inferior  margin  moderately  curved;  surface  shining  and 
with  a  silky  gloss  derived  from  very  narrow,  membranous,  scaly  pro- 
jections of  the  periostracum  on  the  fine  concentric  striae;  shell  very 
thin,  glassy  transparent,  with  a  marked  grayish  or  smoky  hue. 

The  largest  specimen  measures:  Long.  7;  alt.  6;  diam.  3.8  mm. 

The  mussel  is  striking  in  appearance,  and  at  first  sight  seems  to 
be  distinct,  especially  since  all  specimens  are  remarkably  uniform, 
but  young  and  adolescent  individuals  reveal  features  of  other  forms 
of  M.  rosaceum. 

Habitat. — Scott  Graham  Creek,  Carleton  County,  Ontario,  col- 
lected by  Mr.   Justice  Latchford,   1911   and   1913.     Specimens  are 


1916  J  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  95 

contained  in  his  collection  and  in  the  Carnegie  Museum,  Nos.  6,945 
and  7,431.  Justice  Latchford  writes  in  November,  1913:  "No.  2,925 
is  quite  common.  I  have  visited  the  creek  at  all  seasons  and  never 
found  any  larger  shells  than  those  which  I  send;  I  therefore  regard 
them — the  larger  ones — as  full-grown." 

[The  creek  referred  to  flows  eastward  through  Britannia  High- 
lands, about  four  miles  west  of  the  city  limits.  Near  the  Shouldice 
farm  it  affords  remarkably  large  and  beautiful  specimens  of 
Sphaerium  sulcatum.] 

13.     Sphaerium  torsum  sp.  nov. 

Mussel  inequipartite,  oblique,  well  inflated,  posterior  part  higher, 
and  much  more  voluminous  than  the  anterior;  dorsoventral  axis 
curved  and  oblique;  beaks  strongly  inclined  forward,  large,  prominent, 
rounded,  not,  or  slightly,  mamillar;  superior  margin  curved,  not,  or 
barely,  bounded  by  angles;  scutum  and  scutellum  well  marked; 
anterior  and  posterior  ends  rounded,  inferior  margin  moderately 
curved;  surface  with  fine,  slight,  irregular  or  subregular  concentric 
striae  and  a  few  lines  of  growth,  shining;  yellow,  straw-colored  in 
younger  specimens;  shell  moderately  strong;  hinge  long  for  the  shape 
and  size  of  the  mussel,  almost  regularly  curved,  rather  slight;  cardinal 
teeth  small,  the  left  posterior  tooth  vestigial  in  some  specimens; 
lamina?  rather  slight,  at  almost  a  right  angle  to  each  other;  ligament 
covered,  resilium  moderately  strong.  Soft  parts  not  examined.  Long. 
11  mm.;  alt.  9  mm.;  diam.  7  mm.  (100  :  83  :  64.) 

5.  torsum  appears  to  range  near  emarginatum  of  the  same  region, 
but  is  more  oblique,  of  more  rounded  outlines,  more  evenly  inflated. 
The  beaks  are  less  elevated,  less  mamillar,  and  more  inclined  forward, 
and  the  hinge  is  much  slighter. 

Habitat. — Quebec,  Ontario,  along  the  Ottawa  River,  near  Hull 
and  Ottawa,  collected  by  Justice  Latchford,  1911  and  1912.  Types 
in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Latchford,  and  No.  6956  for  full-grown,  and 
7286  for  young  and  adolescent  specimens.    It  occurs  also  in  Wisconsin 

Fossil. — Goat  Island,  Niagara,  collected  by  Miss  J.  E.  Letson 
1900  (No.  2224a). 

[Moore's  Creek,  on  the  Aylmer  Road,  north  of  the  road,  afford -; 
large  numbers  of  this  species.  | 

32.       PlSIDIUM  LATCHFORDI  sp.  nOV. 

Mussell  small,  inequipartite,  oblique,  nearly  oval  in  lateral 
aspect,  well  inflated;  beaks  somewhat  posterior,  rather  large,  promin- 
ent, rounded;  superior  margin  curved,  supero-anterior  slope  slightly 
marked,  short,  anterior  end  rounded,  well  below  the  longitudinal  axis; 
posterior  part  short,  subtruncate,  or  rounded;  surface  slightly  glossy, 
with  very  fine  and  slight  microscopic  stria?,  colorless  to  whitish,  shell 
translucent  to  opaque;  hinge  rather  long,  curved  angular,  stout,  plate 
rather  broad,  short;  right  cardinal  tooth  well  curved,  not  much  pro- 


96  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

jecting,  its  posterior  end  not  or  but  little  thicker;  between  it  and  the 
somewhat  projecting  lower  edge  of  the  plate  there  is  an  elongate- 
triangular  excavation  for  the  left  anterior,  well  defined  all  around; 
left  anterior  set  rather  well  up  on  the  plate,  small,  posterior  oblique, 
curved;  laminae  rather  massive,  with  their  surfaces  rugose,  the 
anterior  and  posterior  at  right  angles  to  each  other;  cusps  of  the  left 
ones  pointed,  with  the  proximal  and  distal  slopes  steep  and  almost 
equal,  those  of  the  right  inner  less  pointed,  outer  anterior  about  one- 
third  the  length  of  the  inner,  posterior  short  and  small;  ligament  short, 
resilium  stout. 

Measurements. — Long.  2.6;  alt.  2.4;  diam.  1.9  mm.  (100  :  93  : 
73). 

Habitat. — Ontario,  apparently  rare.  Collected  in  1913  by  Hon. 
Justice  Latchford,  in  whose  honour  the  species  is  named.  It  occurs  in 
Scott  Graham  Creek,  Graham  Bay  Creek,  and  Hare's  Spring,  all  in 
Carleton  County,  Ontario.  Specimens  are  in  the  collection  of  Justice 
Latchford  and  in  the  Carnegie  Museum,  Nos.  7,439  and  7,475.  Only 
a  rather  small  number  of  specimens  are  at  hand,  but  markedly  uniform, 
and  different  from  all  other  described  species.  Their  shape,  the 
formation  of  the  hinge,  and  the  stout,  short  ligament  and  resilium 
place  them  in  a  group  with  P.  aequilaterale,  fraudulentum,  etc. 

["Hare's  Spring"  is  on  the  Hare  farm,  Nepean,  near  the  Watson 
line,  about  five  hundred  yards  south  of  the  Richmond  Road.] 

80.       PlSIDIUM  SUBROTUNDUM  CANADENSE  var.  nOV. 

Mussel  larger.  Long.  5.5;  alt.  4.6;  diam.  3.4  mm.  More  oblique; 
beaks  more  posterior;  upper  margin  markedly  straight,  slightly  alate 
in  front  of  the  beaks  and  bounded  by  an  agle.  In  shape  they  some- 
what resemble  P.  ovum  from  Montana,  but  are  less  inflated,  and  the 
hinges  are  different.  Some  specimens  in  the  same  lot  have  the  beaks 
narrower,  and  are  more  markedly  different  from  P.  subrotundum. 

Habitat. — Hare's  Spring,  Carleton  County,  Ontario,  collected 
in  considerable  numbers  by  Justice  Latchford.  Represented  in  his 
collection,  and  in  the  Carnegie  Museum,  No.  7,437.    May  be  distinct. 

84.     Pisidium  vexum  sp.  nov. 

Mussel  small,  slightly  inequipartite  and  oblique,  rather  well 
inflated;  beaks  slightly  posterior,  rather  broad,  more  or  less  flatteneu 
on  top,  moderately  prominent,  descending  abruptly  towards  the 
posterior  part;  superior  margin  nearly  straight,  bounded  by  angles, 
posterior  margin  subtruncate  or  rounded,  passing  into  the  moderately 
curved  inferior  without  an  angle,  anterior  end  rather  broadly  rounded, 
supero-anterior  slope  marked,  nearly  straight;  surface  dullish  to  some- 
what shining,  with  very  fine  and  slight  subregular  stria?.  Shell  thin, 
translucent  to  transparent,  colorless;  hinge  rather  slight,  but  well 
formed,  moderately  long,  plate  rather  narrow;  cardinal  teeth  rather 
long,  the  right  curved  to  nearly  straight  in  its  middle,  its  posterior  end 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  97 

thicker  and  grooved  to  bifid,  left  anterior  more  curved  (in  plane),  not 
much  bent  upward,  posterior  long,  nearly  straight  and  a  little  oblique: 
lamina?;  right  anterior  inner  rather  long,  its  cusp  nearer  the  cardinal; 
outer  short;  posterior  both  short;  left:  both  with  the  cusps  rather 
abrupt,. pointed;  ligament  short,  resilium  rather  stout. 

Measurements. — (Specimen  from  Ontario)  Long.  2.5;  alt.  2.1; 
diam.  1.5  mm.  (100  :  84  :  60).  (Specimen  from  Massachusetts) 
Long.  3;  alt.  2.5;  diam.  2.1  mm.  (100  :  83  :  70). 

P.  vexam  is  somewhat  like  P.  inornatum  in  size  and  shape,  but 
more  inflated;  the  shell  and  hinge  are  slighter,  and  the  depressed 
beaks  distinguish  it. 

Habitat. — Lake  Gorman,  Renfrew  County,  Ontario,  collected  by 
Justice  Latchford,  August  29,  1913.  Types  are  in  Justice  Latchford's 
collection  and  in  the  Carnegie  Museum,  No.  7455.  One  specimen, 
somewhat  larger,  was  collected  in  Hounds  Ditch,  Duxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, by  Mr.  William  F.  Clapp  in  1913. 

F.  R.  L. 


THE  SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK. 
By  W.  J.  Brown,  Westmount,  Que. 

Acquaintanceship  with  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk  (Accipiter 
velox)  occurred  twelve  years  ago,  in  April,  in  second  growth  woods. 
Here  we  discovered  a  specimen,  under  a  cedar  tree,  devouring  a  small 
bird.  A  friend  in  parting  the  branches  was  rather  surprised  and 
startled.  Sudden  impulse,  and  visions  of  a  Woodcock's  nest,  prompted 
further  investigation,  but  the  bird  was  equally  alarmed  and  left  the 
brush  spasmodically.  Previous  to  this,  and  for  some  time  afterwords, 
I  had  entertained  confused  and  mixed  ideas  as  to  the  status  and 
habits  of  this  species.  On  May  24,  1908,  I  noticed  a  male  flying  in  a 
jerky  fashion  through  a  small  area  of  tamarack  woods.  At  that  time 
it  did  not  occur  to  me  to  look  for  the  nest,  but  the  following  year  I 
investigated  this  locality  with  a  friend  and  we  found  the  nest,  with 
five  eggs,  in  a  small  tamarack.  After  watching  the  actions  of  the 
female  about  the  nest  I  decided  at  once  to  learn  more  about  these 
interesting  birds.  During  the  next  two  weeks  I  came  in  contact  with 
two  more  nests,  one  in  a  black  spruce  and  the  other  in  a  balsam,  all 
three  sets,  of  five  eggs  each,  varying  greatly  in  size  and  coloration. 

At  this  period  of  my  investigations  I  looked  upon  the  Sharp- 
shinned  Hawk  as  rare  in  the  Province  of  Quebec.  Subsequent  re- 
search, however,  has  developed  the  fact  that  the  bird  is  one  of  our  most 
abundant  raptores  and  is  much  more  common  that  was  formerly 
supposed.  Any  zealous  ornithologist  could  probably  locate  two  dozen 
nests  in  a  season,  but  it  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to  cultivate  the 


98  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

bird's  acquaintance  at  any  time.  Shyness  is  one  of  the  hawk's 
peculiarities,  to  say  nothing  of  it's  retiring  habits,  especially  in  the 
nesting  season.  The  bird  is  seldom  seen  during  the  period  of  incuba- 
tion, except  when  the  nest  is  in  danger.  If  the  male  bird  is  present  at 
this  time  the  flicker-like  alarm  notes  are  a  sure  indication  that  a  nest 
is  close  by.  Experience  (I  use  this  term  with  calm  deliberation)  has 
driven  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the  male  bird  is  seldom  at  home 
while  the  female  is  incubating,  but  is  off  on  some  foraging  expedition, 
— in  many  instances  miles  from  the  nest  tree.  Having  become  quite 
familiar  with  the  breeding  haunts  of  this  species  and  meeting  casually 
with  the  male  in  the  open  country,  I  have  been  able  to  form  some 
estimate  of  the  erratic  movements  of  the  smaller  parent  in  the  nesting 
season.  Looking  for  sharp-shinned  hawks'  nests  is  tedious  work, 
especially  in  black  spruce  bogs  of  any  size,  but  this  is  the  only  satis- 
factory method  of  meeting  the  birds. 

The  early  stragglers  appear  during  the  first  week  in  April,  but 
migration  depends  largely  on  the  season.  Some  pairs  start  domestic 
duties  early,  as  nests  have  been  built  by  the  end  of  April  and  con- 
tained full  sets  by  May  8.  The  young  have  been  hatched  in  the  first 
days  of  June,  but  these,  of  course,  are  exceptional  records.  The  eggs 
are  usually  laid  by  May  24,  and  the  young  are  out  of  the  shell  about 
three  weeks  later.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  is  three  to  six,  usually 
four  or  five.  They  are  richly  marked,  and  there  is  an  endless  variety 
in  a  large  series  of  sets. 

Unfortunately  the  sharp-shinned  hawk  makes  heavy  raids  on 
our  song  birds,  the  white-throated  sparrow,  chickadee  and  the  warblers 
being  the  principal  sufferers.  I  notice  that  the  bird  selects  a  mossy 
stump  or  squirrel's  nest  as  a  perch  for  plucking  it's  victims.  Again 
and  again  I  have  stumbled  across  masses  of  bird  feathers  adhering  to 
moss  on  the  ground  and  on  stumps  in  evergreen  woods.  Occasionally 
the  hawk  loses  a  feather  or  two  in  it's  wild  flight.  These  are  all  tell- 
tale signs  that  a  pair  of  these  destructive  birds  are  tenants  in  the  wood, 
and  a  thorough  search  always  reveals  the  nest.  Where  a  family  has 
been  raised  the  woods  are  almost  stripped  bare  of  song  birds.  The 
majority  of  nests  have  been  found  in  black  spruce  trees,  a  few  in 
balsam  and  an  occasional  one  in  hemlock,  cedar  and  pine.  The 
height  varies  from  ten  to  sixty  feet  from  the  ground  against  the  base 
on  horizontal  branches.  The  nest  does  not  resemble  the  bulky 
structure  of  the  crow  as  some  authorities  aver,  but  is  easily  distinguish- 
able from  the  latter  by  the  shallow  platform  of  interlaced  spruce  twigs. 
A  large  number  of  nests  have  been  built  over  old  foundations,  but  as  a 
general  rule  the  bird  constructs  a  new  nest  each  season.  The  usual 
nest  of  this  hawk  is  a  frail  affair  of  twigs  and  is  sometimes  lined  with 
flakes  of  bark.  The  tree  chosen  is  on  the  outskirts  of  the  woods,  or  at 
the  edge  of  any  clearing  or  opening  in  the  middle  of  the  woods.     A 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  99 

favorite  location  of  the  nest  is  in  a  thick  clump  of  spruce  near  a 
clearing.  Any  large  area  of  black  spruce  usually  contains  a  pair  of 
sharp-shins.  The  bird  is  generally  a  close  sitter  and  only  a  well  aimed 
stick  or  stub  will  dislodge  her. 

There  is  a  certain  amount  of  individuality  in  this  species.  Some 
birds  are  very  quiet  after  being  flushed  off  the  nest,  the  alarm  notes 
even  being  absent,  while  others  are  very  lively  and  noisy  and  will 
return  immediately  to  attack.  One  pair  would  not  permit  packing  of 
the  eggs  under  the  nest,  but  would  dart  to  the  ground  and  almost  fly 
in  my  face.  Some  pairs  return  to  the  same  woods  year  after  year  even 
after  bing  disturbed.  Others  may  raise  their  young  in  a  woods,  but  it 
does  not  necessarily  follow  that  the  birds  will  occupy  the  same  locality 
the  next  season.  Should  the  first  set  be  taken,  the  birds  have  been 
known  to  lay  a  second  one  in  the  same  nest,  or  depart  a  short  distance 
away  and  start  operations  afresh,  but  this  is  not  the  rule;  the  pair 
generally  leave  the  woods. 

The  sharp-shinned  hawk  has  two  distinct  alarm  notes  when  the 
nest  is  approached,  the  usual  cackling  call  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the 
nesting  season  and  a  series  of  squealing  notes,  not  unlike  those  of  the 
grouse,  after  the  young  are  hatched,  alternating  from  one  call  to  the 
other  when  the  young  are  well  grown. 

En  passant,  it  has  occurred  to  me  to  point  out  the  characteristics 
of  a  pair  of  hawks  which  I  have  kept  under  observation  for  a  few 
years. 

In  the  fall  of  1912,  while  exploring  some  mixed  small  growth  of 
timber  encroaching  on  a  spruce  bog,  I  noticed  seven  or  eight  nests  of 
the  sharp-shinned  hawk  placed  at  low  elevations,  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  height,  in  black  spruce  saplings.  These  were  all  within  a  radius  of 
fifty  yards  and  apparently  the  work  of  one  pair  of  birds. 

On  May  24,  1913,  I  visited  this  wood  again  and  rapped  all 
spruces  containing  these  small  nests  .  There  were  no  signs  of  occupancy 
about  the  nests  and  it  was  quite  apparent  that  no  bird  was  on  any  of 
them.  No  hawk  was  seen  in  the  neighborhood,  nor  was  one  heard,  so 
the  trees  were  not  climbed.  Four  weeks  later,  on  June  22,  I  passed 
through  this  group  of  nests  and  was  amazed  to  see  a  sharp-shinned 
hawk  leaving  one  of  the  identical  nests  I  had  previously  pounded.  In 
a  minute  I  was  gazing  at  five  young  sharp-shins  in  white  down,  prob- 
ably only  a  few  days  old.  The  female  flew  in  wide  circles  around  the 
nest,  but  was  peaceful  and  silent.  On  my  first  visit  the  bird  had, 
no  doubt,  left  the  nest  on  my  approach. 

On  May  29,  1914,  Mr.  L.  M.  Terrill  and  I  purposely  set  out  to 
gather  additional  information  as  to  this  secretive  pair  of  hawks.  On 
the  way  we  decided  not  to  leave  anything  to  hazard,  but  to  climb  to  all 
the  nests  and  examine  them  carefully.  The  wood  was  quiet  and  no 
birds  were  in  sight.    My  friend  started  to  ascend  one  nest  and  pointed 


100  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [November 

out  another  a  few  yards  away.  The  nest  looked  old  and  shabby  and 
I  held  out  little  hope,  but  it's  easy  accessibility  prompted  inspection. 
When  on  a  level  with  the  nest  I  was  surprised  to  see  a  set  of  five  eggs. 
My  friend  evidently  noted  my  amazement,  but  all  he  said  was:  "Come 
down  and  let  me  have  a  look  at  them."  About  half  an  hour  later  we 
were  returning  through  the  same  bush  and  were  successful  in  catching 
the  female  slipping  quietly  off  the  empty  nest.  She  was  very  shy  and 
disappeared,  and  had  evidently  left  the  nest  when  we  first  entered  the 
woods.  The  male  was  not  seen.  This  bird  is  an  early  breeder,  as  the 
eggs  were  about  ten  days  incubated. 

On  May  22,  1915,  I  moved  cautiously  through  this  woods,  as  I 
.desired  to  observe  this  hawk  on  the  nest.  I  noted  the  down  of  the 
hawk  clinging  to  the  branches  of  trees  and  knew  that  the  pair  were 
again  in  their  old  haunts.  Twenty  yards  away  I  saw  a  new  nest,  the 
rim  of  which  was  covered  with  down  and  feathers.  Looking  more 
closely  through  the  thick  shrubbery  I  saw  the  hawk  gliding  furtively 
off  the  nest.  She  disappeared  amongst  the  dense  growth  without 
making  a  sound.  This  nest  was  similar  to  the  others,  both  as  to  height 
and  construction,  and  the  five  eggs  were  marked  like  the  first  set.  I 
remained  in  the  locality  for  some  time,  but  neither  the  male  nor  female 
returned. 

'  On  May  23,  1916,  I  learned  that  the  pair  had  changed  their 
quarters,  but  I  decided  to  look  for  them  in  some  familiar  spruce  woods 
a  mile  off.  In  four  hours  I  discovered  a  small  nest  about  thirty-five 
feet  up  in  a  black  spruce  at  the  extreme  edge  of  the  woods  near  a  path. 
After  throwing  several  sticks  into  the  tree  a  sharp-shinned  hawk  bolted 
off  and  disappeared  immediately  into  the  woods  and  did  not  return 
while  I  was  around.  The  male,  as  usual,  was  conspicuous  by  being 
absent.  I  had  located  the  same  pair  once  more,  as  the  eggs  are  very 
much  like  those  taken  in  the  other  woods  and  the  actions  of  the  bird 
were  the  same.  The  only  departure  was  the  size  of  the  tree  and  the 
height  of  the  nest. 

It  is  strange,  and  at  the  same  time  interesting,  that  the  male  has 
not  been  seen,  and  that  the  female  has  shown  persistent  lack  in  vocal 
effort  in  the  nesting  season. 


-0d 


X, 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


Vol.  XXX.    Plate  IV 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


Vol.  XXX.    Plate  V 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 


Vol.  XXX.  DECEMBER,  1916.  No.  9. 


COMAROCYSTITES  AND  CARYOCRINITES. 

Cysttds  with  Pinnulieerous  Free  Arms. 


By  A.  F.  Foerste,  Dayton,  Ohio. 


(Continued  from  page  93.) 

Detailed  Description  of  Comarocystites  shumardi, 
Meek  and  Worthen. 

21.  Comarocystites  shumardi,  (Figures  1A,  B,  C,  on  plate  IV) 
differs  from  Comarocystites  punctatus  chiefly  in  the  more  deeply  and 
more  angularly  concave  thecal  plates.  These  features  are  well  shown 
by  the  type  specimen  illustrated  by  figures  1A,  and  IB  on  plate  I  in 
volume  III  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois.  In  plates  eight  to 
ten  millimeters  in  width  the  depth  of  the  concavity  usually  is  about 
three  millimeters,  in  one  case  equalling  four  millimeters.  From  the 
center  of  the  concavity  the  inversely  pyramidal  flattened  walls  of  the 
concavity  slope  upward  and  outward;  along  lines  leading  from  the 
center  to  the  angles  of  these  concavities,  the  flattened  walls  are  separ- 
ated by  more  or  less  distinct  narrow  grooves,  giving  the  exterior  surface 
of  each  thecal  plate  a  stellately  indented  appearance  (Fig.  1C).  The 
number  of  thecal  plates  in  the  type  specimen  probably  was  somewhere 
between  65  and  70.  The  general  shape  of  the  theca  is  shorter  and 
more  globose-obovate  than  in  Comarocystites  punctatus.  The  line  of 
demarcation  between  the  basal  plates  is  indistinctly  defined,  but  these 
plates  probably  numbered  more  than  three. 

In  his  original  description  of  Comarocystites  punctatus  (Can- 
adian Journal,  2,  1854,  p.  268)  Billings  stated  that  "upon  the  upper 
joint  of  the  column  stand  three  low  but  broad  pentagonal  plates,  with 
serrated  edges  above.  These  form  a  narrow  circular  pelvis,  and  are  so 
closely  united  at  their  sides  that  it  is  difficult  to  detect  the  lines  of 
division  between  them."     It  probably  was  the  attempt  to  make  their 


102 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist 


[December 


type  specimen  agree  with  the  description  of  Comarocystites  punctatus 
given  by  Billings  which  lead  Meek  and  Worthen  to  diagram 
Comarocystites  shumardi  as  having  three  basal  plates.  (Geol.  Surv. 
Illinois,  3,  p.  292).  At  the  time  this  diagram  was  prepared  a  part  of 
the  plates  of  the  type  specimen  of  the  latter  species  still  were  covered 
by  the  matrix.  Recently  the  writer  removed  this  matrix  and  a  new 
diagram  has  been  prepared  (Text  diagram,  No.  4). 


Anal  Side 


Text  figure  No.  4.  Diagram  of  the  thecal  plates  of  the  type  specimen 
of  Comarocystites  shumardi,  replacing  the  diagram  published  by  Meek 
and  Worthen  in  the  report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  volume 
III,  page  292.  In  order  to  compare  this  diagram  with  that  in  the 
Illinois  report,  the  page  should  be  turned  so  that  the  part  marked  anal 
side  forms  the  bottom  of  the  figure.  Additional  plates  have  been  ex- 
posed recently  by  removing  the  matrix.  The  position  of  the  nodular 
stereom  protuberance  supporting  the  left  pair  of  arms  is  indicated  at 
1,  2.  The  approximate  location  of  the.  anal  pyramid  is  indicated  by  A. 
The  apical  part  of  the  theca  surrounding  the  right  pair  of  arms,  as  far 
down  as  the  plates  bordering  on  the  lower  side  of  the  anal  opening,  is 
missing.  The  diagram  is  not  intended  to  suggest  any  radiate  structure 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  thecal  plates.  It  is  intended,  however,  to 
suggest  the  presence  of  more  than  three  plates  in  the  basal  series, 
although  the  evidence  in  the  particular  specimen  here  diagrammed 
is  obscure. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  103 

The  height  of  the  type  specimen  equals  39  millimeters,  the  lateral 
diameter  is  34  millimeters,  and  the  diameter  from  front  to  rear  is  30 
millimeters.  The  top  of  the  column  at  its  junction  with  the  theca 
was  6  millimeters  in  diameter.  The  left  half  of  the  apical  transverse 
food-groove,  with  its  bifurcation  on  the  proximal  side  of  the  stereom 
mass  supporting  the  left  pair  of  arms  is  distinctly  shown,  but  the  right 
half  and  all  adjacent  parts,  including  the  anal  area,  are  missing.  Both 
the  apical  area,  as  far  as  preserved,  and  the  basal  series  of  thecal 
plates  appear  compressed  in  a  vertical  direction,  and  there  is  no  reason, 
judging  from  other  specimens,  for  believing  that  the  horizontal  position 
of  these  basal  plates  is  a  specific  characteristic. 

Most  of  the  specimens  of  Comarocystites  shumardi  so  far  seen 
exceed  25  millimeters  only  slightly  in  length.  In  thecal  plates  6 
millimeters  in  width,  the  depth  of  the  concavity  may  equal  1.7  milli- 
meters. At  the  bottom  of  the  concavity  there  frequently  is  found  a 
circular  flattened  or  slightly  convex  area,  about  three-fourths  of  a 
millimeter  in  diameter. 

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Text  figure  No.  5.  Diagram  of  the  thecal  plates  of  the  specimen 
represented  by  figures  1A,  IB,  on  plate  IV.  The  plates  on  the  right 
side  of  the  vertical  sinuous  dotted  line  on  the  right  side  of  the  diagram 
duplicate  some  of  the  plates  at  the  extreme  left  of  the  diagram.  The 
anterior  peristomial  plates  are  lettered  a,  a;  the  right  and  left  posterior 
peristomial  plates  are  lettered  rp  and  lp  respectively.  From  plate  rp 
the  linear  hydropore  extends  diagonally  downward  and  toward  the 
right  toward  the  middle  of  the  next  plate.  The  relative  position  of  the 
four  arms  is  indicated  by  the  numbers  2,  1,  5,  4.  The  location  of  the 
anus  is  indicated  by  the  letter  A.  The  basal  plates  in  actual  contact 
with  the  top  of  the  column,  seven  in  number,  are  heavily  margined  at 
the  bottom.  Several  of  the  thecal  plates  on  the  left  side  of  the  speci- 
men are  missing. 

In  the  specimen  in  the  Chicago  University  Museum,  illustrated  by 
figures   1A  and  IB  on  plate  IV,  the  area  surrounding  the  anus  is 


104  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

distinctly  flattened,  the  area  facing  diagonally  upward-  thus  producing 
a  strongly  angular  outline  a  short  distance  above  mid-height  on  the 
right  side  of  the  the  theca.  The  arrangement  of  the  thecal  plates  on 
this  specimen  is  indicated  by  diagram  No.  5.  A  part  of  the  thecal 
plates  are  missing-  the  specimen  being  imperfect,  but  all  of  the  basal 
plates  are  preserved,  and,  of  these,  seven  appear  to  be  in  direct  contact 
with  the  top  of  the  column.  These  are  indicated  in  the  diagram  by  the 
heavy  basal  margin- 
In  most  other  respects,  than  those  cited  above,  Comarocystites 
shumardi  closely  resembles  Comarocystites  punctatus-  The  transverse 
apical  food-groove  (Figures  1  A,  B,  C,  and  diagram  No.  6)  branches 
at  each  end  dichotomously,  along  the  adoral  side  of  the  nodular 
stereom  protuberance  which  supports  the  right  or  left  pair  of  arms. 
Only  the  facets  for  the  attachment  of  these  arms  are  preserved,  the 
.arms  themselves  not  being  retained  in  any  specimen  at  hand. 

The  mouth  or  entrance  into  the  theca  consists  of  a  small  opening 
located  at  mid-length  along  the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  at  the 
proximal  end  of  the  suture  between  plates  a,  a,  in  the  diagram.  The 
food-groove  is  covered  by  a  double  series  of  covering-plates.  Two 
peristomial  plates  typically  are  in  contact  with  the  posterior  margin  of 
the  transverse  apical  food  groove,  and  of  these  the  right  peristomial 
plate  is  distinctly  the  larger  (Diagram  No.  5).  From  the  center  of  the 
latter,  the  linear  hydropore  ridge  (Figure  1C  on  plate  IV,  also  dia- 
grams 5  and  6)  extends  diagonally  downward  and  toward  the  right, 
toward  the  center  of  the  plate  adjoining  it  on  that  side.  One  specimen 
shows  a  minute  pore  immediately  beyond  the  upper  left  hand  end  of 
the  hydropore  ridge.  There  is  no  evidence  of  this  being  a  constant 
feature. 

The  anal  pyramid  is  not  preserved  in  any  specimen  at  hand-  but 
the  circular  opening  into  which  this  pyramid  fitted  (Figure  IB  on 
plate  IV)  is  preserved  in  several  specimens,  and  this  shows  a  diameter 
of  3  millimeters  in  a  specimen  25  millimeters  in  height.  This  circular 
opening  is  surrounded  by  five  thecal  plates  occupying  the  same  position 
as  in  Comarocystites  punctatus. 


Text  figure  No.  6.  Diagram  of  a  few  of  the  thecal  plates  at  the  apical 
end  of  the  specimen  represented  by  figure  1C  on  plate  IV:  the  number- 
ing and  lettering  as  in  text  figure  No.  4.  The  transverse  apical  food 
groove,  branching  at  each  end,  -where  the  facets  of  the  two  pairs  of 
arms  are  located,  the  location  of  the  mouth,  the  anus,  and  the  linear 
hydropore  also  are  indicated.  Special  attention  is  called  to  the 
monopolizing  of  the  space  posterior  to  the  transverse  food-groove  by 
the  plate  marked  rp.  In  other  specimens  there  is  room,  for  smaller 
plates  on  the  left. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  105 

In  one  specimen  (Diagram  No.  6)  showing  the  transverse  apical 
food-groove  very  well,  the  posterior  margin  of  this  food-groove  appears 
occupied  exclusively  by  the  plate  marked  rp  in  the  diagram.  The 
stereom  protuberances,  supporting  the  arm  pairs,  appear  to  rest  upon 
the  margins  of  the  adjacent  thecal  plates.  These  stereom  protuber- 
ances appear  to  be  deposits  made  by  the  bases  of  the  arms  at  the  ends 
of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  and  not  to  be  a  part  of  the  thecal 
plate  system.  The  peristomial  plates,  on  the  contrary,  are  ordinary 
thecal  plates.  Judging  from  the  presence  of  small  plates  along  the 
margin  of  the  stereom  protuberances  in  some  specimens,  and  their 
absence  in  otkers,  these  small  plates  may  be  additions  during  the  later 
stages  of  growth  of  the  individual. 

In  Comarocystites  punctatus  the  number  of  thecal  plates  in  a 
vertical  series  often  numbers  9  or  10;  in  Comarocystites  shumardi  this 
number  usually  is  only  6  or  7.  The  theca  grows  in  size  chiefly  by 
growth  at  the  margin  of  the  individual  thecal  plates.  It  is  quite 
evident  from  the  absence  of  small  intercalated  plates  in  some  of  the 
specimens  at  least  that  the  enlargement  in  growth  does  not  depend 
upon  the  introduction  of  intercalated  plates  within  the  general  body 
of  the  theca,  although  it  is  not  impossible  that  additional  plates,  during 
earlier  stages  of  growth,  may  be  added  at  the  base.  The  evidence  in 
favor  of  such  a  suggestion  is  not  very  clear  and  consists  chiefly  in  the 
presence,  at  the  base,  of  plates  of  small  size  inserted  between  those  of 
larger  size. 

22.  The  so-called  variety  obconicus. — Meek  and  Worthen  prob- 
ably were  in  error  in  attempting  to  distinguish  a  variety  obconicus,  as 
distinct  from  Comarocystites  shumardi.  Close  examination  of  the 
type  specimen  (Figure  2a,  on  plate  1,  Geol.  Surv.  Illinois,  vol.  Ill) 
fails  to  show  any  distinguishing  features  excepting  that  presented  by 
the  more  attenuate  base.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  there  is  no 
evidence  that  this  attenuate  base  is  anything  more  than  an  individual 
characteristic.  The  second  specimen  figured  by  Meek  and  Worthen 
under  the  variety  name  obconicus  (Figure  2b,  on  plate  1,  of  the  Illinois 
report  cited  above)  does  not  differ  in  any  respect  from  ordinary  speci- 
mens of  Comarocystites  shumardi,  and  certainly  does  not  possess  an 
obconical  base.  The  first  specimen  presents  clear  evidence  of  the 
division  of  the  mesostereom  into  vertical  plates,  shorter  toward  the 
angles  of  the  plates,  and  separated  by  very  narrow  interspaces.  The 
column  has  a  width  of  2.8  millimeters,  and  17  columnals  of  about 
equal  size  occur  in  a  length  of  5  millimeters.  The  surface  of  the 
column  is  minutely  granulate,  as  in  Comarocystites  punctatus.  The 
second  specimen  does  not  differ  in  any  respect  from  small  specimens 
of  Comarocystites  shumardi.  Only  the  left  half  of  the  theca  is  exposed 
but  this  half  includes  all,  from  the  base  to  the  stereom  protuberance 
supporting  the  left  pair  of  arms.     Even  the  forking  of  the  left  end  of 


106  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

the  transverse  apical  food-groove,  on  the  adoral  side  of  the  protuber- 
ance, and  traces  of  the  facets  for  the  attachment  of  the  arms  are 
preserved.  The  presence  of  vertical  plates  belonging  to  the  meso- 
stereom  is  seen  along  the  strongly  weathered  sutures  between  the  plates. 
Several  of  the  plates  present  very  clear  evidence  of  the  arrangement  of 
the  pores,  through  the  continuous  exterior  surface  of  the  mesostereom, 
in  pairs,  and  directly  beneath  the  epistereom  these  pores  evidently 
are  elongated  in  a  direction  parallel  to  the  narrow  spaces  between  the 
mesostereom  plates  beneath- 

23.  The  structure  of  the  thecal  plates. — A  fuller  knowledge  of 
the  plate  structure  of  Comarocystites  shumardi  is  presented  by  the 
specimens  belonging  to  the  Walker  Mjseum,  at  Chicago  University, 
and  by  the  specimens  belonging  to  the  Illinois  State  Museum  of 
Natural  History  (Plate  IV,  figure  3).  The  structure  evidently  is 
identical  with  that  of  Comarocystites  punctatus.  There  is  the  same 
grouping  of  pores  traversing  the  mesostereom.  The  thin  epistereom  is 
non-porous,  but  when  weathered  away  the  outer  terminations  of  the 
pores  traversing  the  mesostereom  are  seen  to  be  arranged  in  more  or 
less  alternating  pairs.  Directly  beneath  the  epistereom,  each  of  these 
pores  is  connected  with  a  semi-lunate  pore-  parallel  to  the  outer  surface 
of  the  plate,  the  concave  sides  of  each  of  the  semi-lunate  pores,  be- 
longing to  the  same  pair,  facing  each  other.  As  in  Comarocystites 
punctatus,  some  specimens  show  no  indication  of  the  presence  of  these 
pairs  of  semi-lunate  pores  on  their  exterior  surfaces;  in  others,  their 
presence  is  indicated  by  low,  short,  semi-lunate  ridges.  The  meso- 
stereom consists  chiefly  of  more  or  less  vertical  plates,  from  6  to  9  in  a 
width  of  3  millimeters,  intercepted  by  much  narrower  spaces  apparently 
connected  directly  with  the  interior  of  the  theca  without  the  interven- 
tion of  a  hypostereom.  Directly  beneath  the  epistereom,  however,  the 
mesostereom  forms  a  continuous  sheet  penetrated  only  by  the  pores 
connecting  the  narrow  spaces  between  the  vertical  mesostereom  plates 
with  the  semi-lunate  pores  immediately  beneath  the  epistereom.  The 
thecal  plates  appear  to  have  grown  from  the  margin  outward,  so  that 
the  pores  originating  at  the  sutures  later  were  located  in  the  more 
central  parts  of  the  plates. 

24.  Horizon  and  Distribution  of  Comarocystites  shumardi. — 
From  the  preceding  statements  it  is  evident  that  Comarocystites 
shumardi  is  a  typical  representative  of  the  genus  Comarocystites.  The 
so-called  variety  obconicus  is  founded,  it  is  believed,  upon  individual 
characteristics,  and  the  name  should  not  be  retained,  even  as  the  name 
of  a  variety. 

Both  Comarocystites  shumardi  and  its  so-called  variety  obconicus 
were  described  from  the  Kimmswick,  limestone-  at  Cape  Girardeau, 
Missouri.  By  Ulrich,  this  Kimmswick  limestone  is  placed  at  the  top 
of  the  Black  river  group-  beneath  the  Curdsville  horizon  at  the  base  of 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  107 

the  Trenton,  while  Bassler  cites  Comarocystites  punctatus  from  the 
Curdsville  at  Ottawa,  in  Ontario,  Canada.  From  this  it  is  evident 
that  Bassler  correlates  at  least  the  lower  Trenton  horizons  at  Ottawa 
with  the  Curdsville  of  central  Kentucky.  The  two  horizons  at  which 
Comarocystites  occurs,  even  if  referred  to  different  groups,  evidently 
are  not  far  removed  from  each  other- 

25-     Literature  on  Comarocystites  shumardi  and  obconicus. 
Comarocystites  shumardi,  Meek  and  Worthen. 

Meek  and  Worthen,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.   Sci.,  Philadelphia, 
1865,  p.   143.     Geol.  Surv.  Illinois,  3,  1868,  p.   292, 
,     fig.;  pi.  1,  figs,  la,  b. 

The  diagram  on  page  292  is  so  drawn  as  to  sug- 
gest the  presence  of  only  three  basal  plates;  in  the 
preparation  of  this  diagram  the  authors  probably 
were  influenced  by  the  original  description  of 
Comarocystites  punctatus  (Canadian  Journal,  2, 
1854.  p.  268)  in  which  Billings  states  that  "upon 
the  upper  joint  of  the  column  stand  three  low  but 
broad  pentagonal  plates,  with  serrated  edges 
above."  As  a  matter  of  fact-  however,  these  ser- 
rated edges  suggest  the  presence  of  more  than 
three  basal  plates,  although  the  sutures  separating 
these  plates  are  not  clearly  defined  in  the  type 
specimen  diagrammed-  A  line  drawn  vertically 
through  the  center  of  the  diagram  would  be 
parallel  to  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  of  the 
specimen,  the  plates  on  the  left  side  of  the  theca 
being  indicated  at  the  top  of  the  diagram,  and 
those  on  the  anal  side,  at  the  bottom  of  the  dia- 
gram. At  the  time  the  diagram  was  prepared,  the 
upper  part  of  the  left  side  of  the  theca  was  con- 
cealed bv  the  matrix-  Traces  of  the  transverse 
apical  food-groove,  bifurcating  at  the  end,  were 
present  on  the  left  side  of  the  top  of  the  theca,  but 
were  not  recognized  by  the  authors.  The  specimen 
has  been  cleaned  by  the  present  writer  and  re- 
drawn for  this  paper.  (Text  diagram  No.  6). 
Figure  la  on  plate  1  is  oriented  exactly  opposite 
to  the  diagram,  the  anal  side  facing  the  top  of  the 
figure  and  the  left  side  facing  the  bottom.  Figure 
lb  presents  the  right  or  anal  side  of  the  specimen; 
the  parts  immediately  surrounding  the  anal  pyra- 
mid and  all  of  the  upper  left  hand  part  of  the 
theca  is  missing,  the  extreme  top  of  the  figure 
representing  the  broken  edges  of  that  part  of  the 
theca  which  is  bevond  the  break. 


108  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

Keyes,  Missouri  Geol.  Surv.,  4,  1894,  p.  132,  pi.  IS,  fig.  2, 
Figure  2  presents  the  basal  view  of  the  theca, 
copied  from  the  Illinois  report. 
Jaekel,  Zeitsch,  d.  deutsch.  geol.  Gesellsch.-  52,  1900,  p.  676- 
Comarocystites  obconicus,  Meek  and  Worthen. 

Meek  and  Worthen,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Philadelphia, 
1865,  p.  144.  Geol.  Surv.,  Illinois,  3,  1868,  p.  294- 
pi.  1,  figs.  2a,  b. 

The  total  length  of  the  theca  of  the  specimen  re- 
presented by  figure  2a  probably  did  not  exceed  20 
millimeters.     The  appearance  of  the  figure  sug- 
gests that  the  plates  on  the  left  side  of  the  theca 
were  of  enormous  thickness,  compared  with  their 
width.     This  appearance  is  due,  however,  to  the 
growth  of  calcite  in  the  interior  of  the  theca,  the 
actual  thickness  of  the  plates  thus   represented 
varying  from  about  1.5  millimeters,  towards  the 
bottom-  to  almost  2  millimeters  at  the  top  of  the 
theca.     Figure  2b  represents  the  left  side  of  an- 
other   specimen   with   the   stereom   protuberance, 
formerly  supporting  the  left  pair  of  arms,  at  the 
top. 
Keyes,  Missouri  Geol.  Surv,  1,  1894-  p.  132,  pi.  18.  fig.  1. 
Figure  1   is  a  republication  of  figure  2a  of  the 
Illinois  report. 
26.      The    zoological    position     of    Comarocystites. — In     1896, 
Haeckel  separated  from  the  remaining  Cystidea  those  forms  in  which 
no  radial  branching  of  the  food^groove  system,  either  trimerous  or 
pseudo-pentamerous,  can  be  detected  spreading  over  the  upper  surface 
of  the  theca.     These  forms  he  distinguished  as  a  co-ordinate  group 
under  the  name  Amphoridea.     Among  the  Amphoridea  were  placed 
not  only  the  asymmetric  and  bisymmetric  forms  but  also  those  in 
which  the  arms  branch  off  radially  from  the  top  of  the  theca,  without, 
however,  being  attached  dorsally,  for  at  least  a  part  of  their  length,  to 
the  upper  surface  of  the  theca.     To  these  Amphoridea  with  radially 
arranged  arms  he  applied  the  term  Palaeocystida,  and  evidently  re- 
garded  them   as   ancestral   to   the   true   Cystidea'    especially   to   the 
Glyptocystidae.      Among   these   Palaeocystida,   he   placed   the   genus 
Comarocystites. 

Bather  (Echinoderma,  1900)  retained  the  group  Amphoridea, 
but  as  one  of  the  subdivision  of  the  Cystidea,  characterized  by  the 
absence  of  radial  symmetry  in  both  food-grooves  and  thecal  plates- 
Corn  arocystites,  however-  is  referred  by  him  to  the  Rhombifera.  In 
the  Rhombifera,  as  defined  by  Bather,  radial  symmetry  affects  the 
food-grooves,  and  the  stereom  and  stroma  are  arranged  in  folds  and 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  109 

strands  at  right  angles  to  the  sutures  between  the  thecal  plates.  In 
order  to  bring  Comarocystites  in  line  with  pseudo-pentamerous 
Rhombifera,  the  former  presence  of  an  anterior  ray  of  the  food-groove 
system  is  imagined. 

Jaekel,  in  1900,  separated  from  the  Cystidea,  under  the  name 
Carpoidea,  a  considerable  number  of  the  genera  included  by  Haeckel 
in  his  Amphoridea,  adding  also  the  genera  Malocystites,  Canadocy- 
stites,  and  Amygdalocystites,  included  by  Haeckel  under  his  Cystidea, 
in  the  restricted  sense.  The  chief  characteristics  of  the  Carpoidea  were 
supposed  to  be:  a  loose  relation  of  the  ambulacral  organs  to  the  theca- 
leaving  only  slight  traces  on  the  latter;  theca  never  pentamerous,  often 
distorted,  usually  compressed  dorso-ventrally,  more  or  less  symmetrical 
toward  the  right  and  left;  ambulacra  extending  into  two  radii;  the 
brachials  bearing  the  ambulacral  grooves  uniserial  as  far  as  known; 
base  tetramerous  or  trimerous  Those  Carpoidea  possessing  biserial 
columnals  Jaekel  placed  in  the  subdivision  Heterostelea,  and  those 
possessing  a  single  series  of  ring-shaped  columnals  he  placed  in  the 
subdivision  Eustelea.  The  Eustelea  included  Malocystites*  Canado- 
cystitis,  Amygdalocystites,  and  Comarocystites. 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  four  genera  here  listed  form  a 
very  coherent  group  in  which  trimerism  or  pseudo-pentamerism  seems 
never  to  have  prevailed.  Under  Bather's  term,  Malocystidae,  this 
group  has  been  placed  among  the  Amphoridea  in  the  more  recent 
editions  of  Zittel.  The  relationship  between  Canadocystis,  Amygdalo- 
cystis,  and  Comarocystites  appears  especially  close.  All  of  these  forms 
are  bisymmetric  with  the  main  apical  food-groove  extending  laterally 
from  the  mouth,  the  anal  pyramid  being  on  the  right  side  of  the  theca. 
Both  the  brachials  and  pinnulars  are  arranged  in  uniserial  order. 
When  the  arms  are  oriented  so  that  the  ventral  side  faces  away  from 
the  observer  and  the  distal  side  of  the  arm  points  upward,  then,  in 
all  three  genera,  the  pinnules  are  seen  to  form  a  single  row  on  the  right 
side  of  the  arms.  In  Comarocystites  the  arms  are  free.  In  Amygdalo- 
cystites and  Canadocystis  the  arms  are  twisted  in  contrasolar  direction 
and  are  attached  by  their  left  sides  to  the  theca,  leaving  the  right  side 
free  for  the  pinnules. 

In  the  structure  of  their  thecal  plates,  however,  all  three  genera 
differ  greatly.  In  Comarocystites,  the  vertical  plates  of  the  meso- 
stereom,  as  exposed  on  the  inner  side  of  the  theca,  suggest  strongly  the 
plates  characterizing  the  pectin irhombs  of  the  Rhombifera,  although 
the  spaces  between  these  plates  do  not  open  at  the  top  in  slit-like  pores, 
as  in  true  pectinirhombs.  In  Amygdalocystites,  the  inner  surface  of 
the  thecal  plates  is  marked  by  radial  ridges-  which  in  some  specimens 
are  sufficiently  defined  to  be  called  short  plates.  One  radial  ridge 
always  extends  to  each  of  the  angles  of  the  plate,  and  in  some  specimens 
another  ridge  extends  to  the  middle  point  of  each  side.      In  some 


110  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

specimens  pores  exist  along  the  sutures  between  the  plates,  either  a 
single  pore  at  the  middle  of  each  side,  or  two  pores  along  each  side, 
close  to  the  radial  ridges  extending  to  the  angles  of  the  plate.  Half  of 
each  pore  occurs  on  half  of  each  of  the  adjoining  plates.  It  has  not 
been  proved,  however,  that  these  pores  are  open  in  un weathered 
specimens.  They  may  be  covered  by  the  epistereom,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  pores  of  Comarocystites.  In  Canadocystites,  neither  pores  nor 
vertical  mesostereom  lamellae  are  present.  This  difference  in  plate 
structure  in  the  three  genera  is  remarkable  in  view  of  the  close  relation- 
ship suggested  by  the  structure  of  the  food-groove  system.  Owing  to 
the  entire  absence  of  true  pectinirhombs,  notwithstanding  the  suggestive 
structure  of  the  thecal  plates  of  Comarocystites,  the  separation  of  these 
three  genera  from  the  Rhombifera  seems  desirable.  Regarding  Malocys- 
tites,  which  appears  related  to  Canadocystis,  too  little  is  known  at 
present.  The  recumbent  food-grooves  extend  over  the  upper  surface 
of  quadrangular  plates  arranged  in  uniserial  order,  but  it  is  not  known 
whether  the  pinnules  were  attached  in  a  single  row,  and  whether  the 
pinnulars  were  arranged  in  uniserial  order  or  not. 

V — Addenda. 

27.  Notes  on  Caryocrinites  ornatus  Say. — In  Caryocrinites 
ornatus  both  the  brachials  and  pinnulars  are  biserial  in  arrangement 
(Plato  IV'  figs.  4,  5).  This  was  recognized  by  Hall  (Pal.  New  York, 
2,  1852-  p.  219,  pi.  40,  figs.  1  i,  k,  m),  although  he  did  not  get  a  clear 
idea  of  the  structure  of  the  pinnules  from  his  specimens-  Much  better 
material  is  present  in  the  collections  of  Frank  Springer,  in  the  U.S. 
National  Museum,  at  Washington,  and  this  material  has  been  placed 
freely  at  the  disposal  of  the  writer.  Compared  with  the  length  of  the 
arms,  the  pinnules  are  very  short.  In  a  specimen,  with  a  theca  30 
millimeters  in  height,  the  pinnules  attached  to  an  arm  55  millimeters 
in  length  were  4  millimeters  long.  In  another  specimen,  with  a  theca 
12  millimeters  in  height,  and  with  arms  from  36  to  40  millimeters  in 
length,  the  pinnules  were  only  3.5  millimeters  long  (Plate  IV,  fig.  4). 
In  this  specimen,  each  of  the  two  series  of  pinnulars  rests  upon  a 
separate  brachial'  'the  lower  brachial  of  each  pair  being  shorter.  'In 
other  specimens,  however,  the  shorter  brachials  occasionally  are  reduced 
to  mere  transversely  elongated  vestiges  remaining  between  the  hori- 
zontal sutures  separating  the  larger  brachials,  and  in  those  cases  the 
two  series  of  pinnulars  rest  practically  against  the  same  brachial- 

Since  typical  crinoidal  pinnules  should  present  only  a  single  row 
of  pinnulars,  it  might  be  emphasized  that  these  so-called  pinnules  of 
Caryocrinites  are  not  homologous  to  the  pinnules  of  crinoids,  but  to  the 
brachioles  of  cystids.  These-  brachioles,  among  the  Rhombifera  and 
Diploporita,  are  uniformly  biserial,  the  individual  ossicles  alternating 
in  position  across  the  width  of  the  brachiole.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  111 

possible  to  diagram  these  brachioles  so  as  to  suggest  a  uniserial  origin, 
and  this  is  true  also  of  the  so-called  pinnules  of  Caryocrinites,  the 
ossicle  in  contact  with  the  lower  brachial  being  regarded  the  first. 

The  pinnulars  of  Caryocrinites  are  long  and  narrow  in  a  direction 
parallel  to  the  length  of  the  pinnule,  and  are  arranged  in  alternating 
series,  as  already  indicated.  The  covering  plates  are  long  and  narrow 
in  a  direction  transverse  to  the  length  of  the  pinnule,  about  three  or 
four  occurring  in  the  length  of  one  pinnular. 

The  arms  of  Caryocrinites  apparently  varied  in  length.  In  an 
individual  having  a  theca  30  millimeters  in  height,  the  arm  nearest  the 
left  side  of  the  anal  opening  has  a  length  of  55  millimeters,  while  the 
second  arm  anterior  to  the  latter,  but  on  the  same  side-  evidently  was 
considerably  longer  since  the  part  remaining,  lacking  the  tip,  is  75 
millimeters  in  length.  Possibly  the  posterior  arms  were  shorter  than 
the  anterior  arms  also  in  other  specimens. 

The  number  of  arms  attached  to  the  same  theca  varies  in  number 
in  different  individuals.  In  the  youngest  specimens,  of  which  two 
occur  in  the  Springer  collection,  the  facets  for  3  arms  are  distinctly 
developed-  In  one  of  the  largest  specimens,  14  arms  are  present. 
These  are  arranged  in  three  groups,  the  anterior  and  left  posterior 
groups  including  5  arms-  while  the  right  posterior  group  includes  only 
4  arms.    This  varies  in  different  individuals. 

The  question  arises  how  and  where  the  additional  arms  arise.  It 
is  noticed  that  in  addition  to  the  facets  supporting  the  arms,  the  theca 
presents  also  smaller  depressions,  apparently  for  the  attachment  of 
appendages.  Some  of  these  depressions  are  traversed  by  a  single 
median  ridge  placed  in  a  radial  direction,  suggesting  former  articula- 
tion with  some  appendages.  While  no  appendage  actually  ever  has 
been  found  attached  to  these  depressions  it  has  been  noticed  that  the 
order  of  appearance  of  these  depressions  is  also  the  order  of  appearance 
of  the  additional  arms,  when  a  comparative  study  is  made  of  the  larger 
and  smaller  specimens  of  the  same  species.  From  this  it  is  evident 
that  these  depressions  are  the  points  of  ertiission  of  the  additional  arms. 

Since  similar  'depression^  are  present  even  in  the  largest  speci- 
mens, and  the  position  of  these,  of  course,  is  never  occupied  by  arms,  it 
is  possible  that  some  of  the  later  appendages  were  never  strongly 
articulated  with  the  theca,  probably  always  remained  comparatively 
small,  and  were  specialized  for  the  purpose  of  bearing  the  genital 
glands.  Jaekel  (Thecoidea  und  Cystoidea,  1899,  p.  302,  fig.  70) 
figures  the  relative  position  of  the  arm  bases  and  of  the  smaller  open- 
ings. Wachsmuth  and  Springer,  (1881,  Revision  of  the  Palaeocrinoidea, 
Proc.  Philadelphia  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  vol.  II,  p.  51),  long  ago  called 
attention  to  similar  small  depressions  or  pores  at  the  sides  of  the  arm 
facets  of  Batocrinus,  and  suggested  respiratory  purposes. 

The  area  of  attachment  at  the  base  of  the  column  of  Caryocrinites 


112  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

consisted  of  a  more  or  less  flattened  expansion  of  small  area,  with  a 
tendency  toward  radicular  extensions  at  the  margin,  similar  to  the  form 
of  attachment  of  certain  crinoid  columns. 

28.  Acknowledgments.— -The  present  paper  could  not  have  been 
written  without  the  assistance  of  numerous  individuals.  The  writer  is 
under  great  obligation  to  the  Director  of  the  Geological  Survey  of 
Canada  not  only  for  the  privilege  of  examining  all  of  the  specimens  of 
Comarocystites  punctatus  preserved  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  Museum 
at  Ottawa,  including  the  Billings  types  and  the  remarkable  complete 
specimen  presented  to  the  Museum  by  Sir  James  Grant,  but  also  for  the 
excellent  photograph  of  this  complete  specimen  and  for  the  enlarged 
photograph  of  that  one  of  the  Billings  types  preserving  the  pinnulate 
arm,  here  reproduced.  To  Mr.  James  E.  Narraway  and  Mr.  Walter 
Billings  he  owes  not  only  the  loan  of  the  specimens  figured  on  plate  II, 
but  also  the  use  of  other  specimens,  and  valuable  notes  on  the  distribu- 
tion of  this  species  in  the  Ottawa  area. 

The  types  of  Comarocystites  shumardi  and  its  so-called  variety 
obconicus  belong  to  the  Worth  en  collection  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
and  were  loaned  by  Prof.  T.  E.  Savage.  The  type  of  Comarocystites 
shumardi  is  here  figured.  Of  the  specimens  of  Comarocystites  shumardi 
in  the  Walker  Museum,  at  Chicago  University,  loaned  by  Prof.  Stuart 
Weller,  two  are  here  figured.  Of  two  specimens  of  the  same  species, 
belonging  to  the  Illinois  State  Museum  of  Natural  History,  at  Spring- 
field, loaned  by  the  curator-  Dr-  A.  R.  Crook,  one  is  here  figured. 

The  arm  bearing  specimens  of  Caryocrinites  ornatus,  preserving 
the  pinnules,  in  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  at  Washington,  were 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  writer  by  Mr.  Frank  Springer,  to  whose 
collection  they  belong;  and  to  his  assistant,  Mr.  Herrick  E.  Wilson,  the 
writer  owes  the  excellent  photographs  of  the  pinnulate  arms  here  repro- 
duced. To  all  of  these  named  the  writer  wishes  to  acknowledge  the 
favors  freely  granted  and  gratefully  received. 


plate  IV. 
Fig.  1.  Comarocystites  shumardi,  Meek  and  Worthen.  Specimens  No. 
10974,  belonging  to  Walker  Museum,  at  Chicago  University.  A,  anterior  view 
of  theca,  specimen  tilted  so  as  to  show  the  peristomial  plates  along  the 
anterior  side  of  the  apical  transverse  food-groove.  The  quadrangular  plate 
and  the  more  pentagonal  plate  on  its  left  margin  correspond  to  the  plates 
marked  a,  a,  in  the  diagrams  of  Comarocystites  punctatus.  The  mouth  is 
situated  at  the  posterior  end  of  the  suture  between  these  plates.  The  branch- 
ing of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove  is  indicated  on  the  proximal  side  of 
the  left  stereom  protuberance.  The  cavity  occupied  by  the  anal  pyramid  is 
seen  on  the  left  side  of  the  figure.  On  the  right  side  of  the  figure,  the  theca 
is  defective.  B,  right  side  of  same  specimen,  tilted  so  as  to  show  the  anal 
opening  and  the  immediately  adjacent  thecal  plates.  For  diagrammatic  pur- 
poses the  stellate  grooving  of  the  thecal  plates  has  been  accentuated  and  the 
remote  (left)  end  of  the  apical  transverse  food-groove  is  represented  as 
branched,  although  the  specimen  here  is  too  imperfect  to  show  this  branching. 
C,  posterior  view  of  a  second  specimen,  tilted  so  as  to  show  the  thecal  plates 
on  the  posterior  side  of  the  transverse  apical  food-groove.  The  plate  posterior 
to  the  middle  of  this  apical  food-groove  corresponds  to  the  plate  marked  rp 
in  the  diagrams  of  Comarocystites  punctatus.  From  this  plate  the  linear 
hydropore    passes    diagonally    downward    and    toward    the    right,    across    the 


1016] 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist  1 1 


suture,  to  the  plate  bordering  on  the  posterior  margin  of  the  right  stereoni 
protuberance.  The  stellate  grooving  of  the  deeply  concaved  plates  is  clearlj 
denned.  The  specimen  is  still  partly  imbedded  in  the  rock.  Kimmswick 
limestone.  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri.  ID,  diagrammatic  representation  of 
arrangement  of  lamellae  on  interior  surface  of  one  of  the  thecal  plates. 

Fig  2.  Comarocystites  shumardi,  Meek  and  Worthen.  Specimen  No 
10472,  in  the  Worthen  collection  at  the  University  of  Illinois.  Type,  used  for 
figures  la,  and  lb.  on  plate  I  and  diagram  on  page  292,  Geol.  Surv.  Illinois, 
Vol.  3.  1868.  Anterior  side  with  the  anical  part  flattened  bv  pressure  and 
depressed  toward  the  left.  The  thecal  plates  surrounding  the  left  pair  of 
arms,  as  far  down  and  including  the  anal  pyramid,  are  missing.  (Comarocy- 
stites  shumardi  obconicus  forms  No.  10473  in  the  Worthen  collection).  Cape 
Girardeau,  Missouri. 

Fig.  3.  Comarocystites  shumardi,  Meek  and  Worthen.  One  of  two 
specimens  numbered  1574  in  the  Illinois  State  Museum  of  Natural  History. 
Ueft  anterior  side  of  the  theca,  weathered  away  so  as  to  expose  the  vertical 
inisostereom  lamellae  at  the  sutures  separating  the  thecal  plates.  The  stereom 
protuberance  supporting  the  left  pair  of  arms  is  located  in  the  upper  left  hand 
corner  of  the  figure,  and  the  base  of  the  theca  lies  beyond  the  opposite  corner. 
The  plate  supporting  this  protuberance  shows  traces  of  the  lamellae  and  of 
the  inter-lamellar  spaces  connect ed  with  the  respiratory  system,  corresponding 
to  the  more  striking  evidence  of  this  system  in  the  other  plates.  Three  thecal 
plates  are  represented  in  the  figure  toward  the  right  of  the  protuberance,  tooth 
along  the  upper  and  lower  margins  of  the  figure.  Each  plate  exposes  two  sets 
of  lamellae,  directed  perpendicularly  to  two  different  suture-  lines.  In  each 
set.  the  lamellae  extending  from  the  middle  of  the  suture  lines  are  longer, 
and  those  hearer  the  angles  of  the  thecal  plate  are  shorter.  The  grooves 
separating  the  sets  of  lamellae  belonging  to  the  same  plate  from  each  other 
narrow  toward  tin  angles.  The  deep  triangular  pits  at  the  angles  of  junction 
of  the  thecal  plates  produce  a  similar  appearance.  The  sides  of  five  additional 
plates  are  exposed  in  parts  extending  beyond  the  lower  right  hand  corner  of 
the  figure,  but  these  did  not  show  up  well  in  the  photograph  utilized  in  the 
preparation  of  this  figure. 

Fig.  4.  Caryocrinites  ornatus.  -Say.  Arms  with  pinnules  attached. 
Opposite  the  number  4,  and  near  the  base  of  the  figure,  are  two  pinnules 
which  are  entire. 

Fig.  5.  Caryocrinites  ornatus.  Say.  A.  arm  with  pinnules  attached,  only 
the  basal  parts  of  the  latter  well  seen  near  the  middle  of  the  figure.  Several 
of  the  larger  brachials  bear  a  strongly  nodose  protuberance.  B,  an  adjacent 
arm  of  the  same  specimen,  showing  the  granulate  surface,  and  the  pronounced 
alternation  of  longer  and  shorter  brachials.  Figures  4  and  5  are  enlargements 
of  specimens  in  the  collection  of  Frank  Springer  in  the  U.S.  National  Museum, 
at  Washington,  and  were  prepared  by  Mr.  Herrick  E.  Wilson. 

PLATE  V. 

Comarocystites  punctatus,  Hillings.  Specimen  retaining  the  entire 
length  of  the  column,  including  the  basal  attachment  disk  (described  on  page 
89  of  present  volume).  Figure  reduced  to  about  eight-tenths  of  the  natural 
Mze.  i  inly  the  left  arm  in  the  figure  is  attached  to  the  theca.  The  right  arm 
may  have  belonged  to  another  individual.  Presented  to  the  Victoria  Memorial 
Museum  by  oir  James  Grant,  who  published  the  first  description  and  figure 
in  1880.     (Trans.  Ottawa  Field-Nat.  Club,  1,  pi.  1,  fig.  1.) 


KILDEER  PLOVER. 

Ten  years  ago  the  Kildeer  Plover  (Oxyechus  voci ferns)  was  a 
rare  summer  resident  in  the  Province  of  Quebec.  During  the  past  five 
seasons  the  bird  has  become  very  numerous  and  is  now  a  common 
breeder,  nearly  one  hundred  nests  having  been  found  in  the  past  four 
or  five  years.  Several  observers  agree  that  the  Kildeer  is  spreading 
rapidly  throughout  the  Province,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Meadowlark, 
which  was  also  very  rare  a  few  vears  back. 


114  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

The  Killdeer  usually  arrives  during  the  first  week  in  April  and  a 
little  later  the  birds  have  chosen  their  summer  homes.  Pebbly  or 
rocky  pastures  and  hillsides,  near  ponds,  are  their  favorite  grounds 
for  nesting  purposes.  From  April  24th  to  May  6th  the  set  of  three 
or  four  eggs  may  be  found  in  such  localities.  The  novice  may  have 
some  difficulty  in  discovering  the  nest  amongst  pebbles  and  lichens  so 
cunningly  are  the  eggs  placed  and  so  well  do  they  harmonize  with  their 
general  surroundings;  but  the  experienced  eye  can  detect  the  eggs 
some  yards  off.  The  saucer-shaped  nest  is  generally  encircled  by 
pebbles  or  stones  and  is  lined  with  lichen,  pieces  of  wood  and  weeds, 
manure  and  pebbles.  One  nest  was  located  amongst  stones  near  a 
stone  fence.  One  pair  of  birds  were  succssful  in  raising  a  brood 
alongside  a  wagon  road  running  through  a  pasture. 

During  the  mating  season  the  birds  are  evidently  nervous,  as  they 
make  many  attempts  in  excavating  holes  or  nests  in  the  ground,  or 
perhaps  these  are  only  decoy  nests.  The  real  nest,  however,  is  usually 
not  very  far  away 'from  such  endeavors.  In  two  instances  the  bird  has 
been  flushed  off  the  nest  a  few  feet  away,  but  this  is  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule.  If  one  is  watchful  the  bird  may  be  seen  running 
quietly  away  from  the  nest,  but  I  believe  the  birds  are  off  feeding 
most  of  the  time,  especially  in  bright,  warm  weather.  The  eggs  have 
often  been  found  with  no  birds  in  sight.  Usually,  however,  they  are 
very  alert  and  soon  make  their  presence  known  should  anyone  pass 
near  the  vicinity  of  the  nest.  After  the  nest  is  found  it  is  rather 
amusing  to  watch  the  actions  of  the  female.  The  bird,  of  course,  is 
endeavoring  to  lead  the  intruder  away  and  will  squat  down  in  some 
slight  hollow  in  the  ground  as  if  she  were  about  to  settle  on  the  nest, 
and  will  keep  this  performance  up  for  some  distance  should  she  be 
successful  in  her  efforts,  returning  to  the  nest  by  a  circuitous  route.  I 
have  only  seen  one  bird  feign  a  broken  wing  and  turn  somersaults, 
thus  displaying  the  beautiful  plumage  of  this  species.  The  Killdeer 
raises  at  least  two  broods  in  a  season. 

W.  J.  Brown. 


BIRD  NOTES. 
By  Frank  C.  Hennessey,  B.A. 


Rapacity  or  the  Bronzed  Grackle.     (Q.  q.  aeneus.) 


At  Albion,  Michigan,  on  May  25,  1916,  and  also  on  the  29th 
of  the  same  month,  I  observed  an  action  which,  so  far  as  I  know, 
has  not  been  attributed  to  the  bronzed  grackle. 


1916]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  115 

While  passing  down  a  street  of  the  suburbs  of  Albion,  I  noticed 
an  English  sparrow  feeding  in  the  dusty  road.  As  I  came  within 
forty  feet  of  it,  a  grackle,  seemingly  without  provocation,  swooped 
down  from  a  nearby  tree  and  fell  upon  this  unsuspecting  bird.  With  a 
succession  of  rapid  blows  the  grackle  killed  the  sparrow  outright. 
Before  I  could  prevent  it,  a  friend  who  was  with  me  ran  out  to  drive 
off  the  grackle.  The  grackle  was  a  male.  On  examining  the  bill  and 
feathers  of  the  dead  sparrow,  I  found  that  this  bird  was  not  young,  in 
fact,  I  am  certain  that  it  was  mature.  On  plucking  the  sparrow  I 
found  that  the  neck  and  base  of  the  skull  were  badly  bruised.  The 
injury  seemed  to  indicate  that  it  had  been  killed  by  sheer  impact  of 
blows. 

On  the  other  occasion  my  attention  was  caught  by  a  great 
clamoring  of  English  sparrows.  A  grackle  in  their  midst  was  being 
pursued,  and  finally  floundered  into  some  nearby  trees.  A  mature, 
dead  sparrow  was  left  behind  on  the  road. 

On  both  occasions,  unfortunately,  I  was  prevented  from  witness- 
ing what  the  grackle  would  have  done  with  its  victim  if  left  undis- 
turbed. This,  of  course,  deprives  one  of  determining  the  significance 
of  the  action  in  question.  My  friends  at  Albion  told  me  of  witnessing 
two  other  instances  of  similar  action  by  "blackbirds." 

Restricted  Breeding  Communities  of  the  Henslow's  Sparrow. 

From  May  25  to  June  2,  1915,  at  Barbee  Lake,  Kosciosko  County, 
Indiana,  and  from  June  2  to  June  11,  1916,  at  Albion,  Michigan,  I 
had  an  opportunity  of  studying  the  Henslow's  sparrow. 

On  both  occasions  the  sparrows  occurred  in  low,  wet  meadows. 
The  interesting  point  to  me  is  that  although  there  were  many  spots 
identically  the  same  as  those  frequented  by  the  sparrows,  the  birds 
occurred  at  one  spot  only  in  both  of  the  regions  studied. 

At  Barbee  Lake,  Indiana,  the  birds  were  found  only  over  an  area 
of  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  square,  at  the  south  end  of  the 
Lake.  Here  there  were  about  twenty  birds,  and  the  conditions  of  the 
cloaca  and  the  egg  stages  in  the  oviduct  of  the  female  specimens 
collected  showed  that  the}'  were  on  their  breeding  ground.  The 
females  were  always  in  greater  evidence  than  the  males,  and  most  of 
the  birds  collected  were  of  this  sex. 

At  Albion,  Michigan,  the  birds  were  found  only  over  an  area  of 
about  one-half  a  mile  square.  I  explored  extensively  the  country  about 
Albion  to  within  a  radius  of  seven  miles  of  the  town,  and  although  this 
region  abounded  with  suitable  localities  for  the  breeding  of  Henslow's 
sparrow,  I  found  them  only  at  one  spot  east  of  the  town.  I  estimated 
that  here  there  must  have  been  from  forty  to  sixty  birds. 

The  question  arises,  do  these  observations  tend  to  show  that  the 
species  group  during  the  breeding  period  ? 


116  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [December 

EUROPEAN  BUTTERFLY  FOUND  AT  LONDON,  ONT. 

During  the  past  few  years  Mr.  John  A.  Morden,  of  London,  Ont, 
has  captured  an  unkown  butterfly  of  a  shaded  orange  colour,  belonging 
to  the  skipper  family.  On  sending  it  to  the  authorities  at  Washington 
it  was  determined  as  Adopea  (Pamphila)  lineola. 

This  European  insect  does  not  seem  to  have  been  previously 
reported  from  America.  Mr.  Morden  first  found  it  near  the  Dundas 
Street  Bridge  where  refuse  had  been  dumped.  Possibly  the  eggs  of 
the  insect  came  from  Europe  with  something  that  was  thrown  out  and 
when  hatched  the  larvae  found  food  in  close  proximity. 

Mr.  Morden  says  that  the  butterfly  is  now  moderately  common 
during  July  and  is  apparently  spreading  over  the  city. 

The  first  capture  was  made  July  21,  1910,  when  10  specimens 
were  taken,  mostly  worn.  In  1911,  most  of  the  quack  grass 
(Agropyrum  repens)  around  the  dump  where  the  insects  were  taken 
had  been  killed  and  none  were  seen  at  that  locality,  but  two  were  taken 
at  Paul  street  not  far  away,  in  a  waste  lot  overrun  with  quack  grass. 

Each  year  since  then  he  has  found  them  in  a  strictly  wider  area 
and,  in  1914,  one  was  taken  in  Hyde  Park,  five  miles  away. 

To  Mr.  A.  A.  Wood,  Coldstream,  who  has  been  working  on  the 
matter  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  John  A.  Morden,  I  am  indebted  for 
these  facts. 

W.  E:  Saunders,  London,  Ont. 


BOOK  NOTICE. 

"Water  Powers  of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta,"  issued 
by  the  Commission  of  Conservation,  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
literature  respecting  the  natural  resources  of  Western  Canada.  This 
report,  by  Leo  G.  Denis  and  J.  B.  Challies,  comprises  the  results  of 
special  surveys  by  the  Commission  of  Conservation  and  a  compilation 
of  records  from  other  reliable  sources. 

While  the  Prairie  Provinces,  as  a  whole,  are  not  lavishly  endowed 
with  water-powers,  the  report  demonstrates  that  the  utility  of  their 
rivers  for  power  development  can  be  vastly  enhanced  through  proper 
storage  of  flood  waters.  At  present  in  the  absence  of  conservation 
dams,  and  of  adequate  natural  regulation,  the  great  volume  of  flow  is 
lost  during  high  water  seasons.  Methods  of  development  to  ensure  the 
maximum  utilization  are  now  being  carefully  worked  out  on  the 
Winnipeg,  Bow  and  other  large  rivers.     The  more  northerly  regions 


possess   numerous   sites   of  great  potential   value   for   pulp,   electro- 
chemical and  other  special  industries. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


Vol.  XXX.    Plate  VI. 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


Vol.  XXX.    Plate  VII. 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 


Vol.  XXX.  JANUARY,  1917.  No.  10. 


ON  CHENEOSAURUS  TOLMANENSIS,  A  NEW  GENUS  AND 

SPECIES  OF  TRACHODONT  DINOSAUR  FROM  THE 

EDMONTON  CRETACEOUS  OF  ALBERTA.* 


By  Lawrence  M.  Lambe,  F.R.S.C, 
Vertebrate  Palaeontologist,  Geological  Survey  of  Canada. 


The  present  paper  is  descriptive  of  the  skull  of  a  trachodont 
dinosaur  of  small  size  included  in  the  Geological  Survey  vertebrate 
palaeontological  collection  of  1915  from  the  Edmonton  formation  of 
Red  Deer  river,  Alberta.  The  skull  displays  an  assemblage  of 
characters  which  clearly  point  to  its  belonging  to  a  type  generically 
distinct  from  any  hitherto  described  member  of  the  Trachodontidae. 
With  the  skull,  and  belonging  to  the  same  individual,  were  limb  bones, 
the  pelvic  arch,  not  altogether  complete,  vertebrae,  and  other  parts  of 
the  skeleton  (field  No.  6,  cat.  No.  2246) ;  a  second  skull  belonging  to  a 
much  smaller  individual,  was  also  obtained  (field  No.  2,  cat.  No. 
2247)  in  beds  of  the  same  geological  age.  These  remains  were  dis- 
covered by  George  F.  Sternberg,  in  charge  of  the  field  party,  about 
four  miles  apart  in  the  valley  of  Red  Deer  river.  The  larger  skull 
is  from  the  west  side  of  the  river,  about  five  miles  above  Tolman  ferry, 
in  sec.  11,  twp.  34,  range  XXII,  at  150  feet  above  the  river  level.  This 
locality  is  roughly  twenty-seven  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Three  Hills 
creek,  and  eight  miles  west  and  somewhat  north  of  Rumsey  on  the  line 
of  the  Canadian  Northern  railway.  The  smaller  skull  was  found 
farther  up  stream  about  one  mile  north-west  of  the  mouth  of  Big 
Valley  creek  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

The  rock  in  which  these  remains  occurred  is  "a  hard,  very  fine 
sandstone  which  is  removed  with  difficulty  from  the  bones.  Mr. 
Sternberg  has  most  successfully  freed  both  skulls  from  their  matrix, 
and  has  mounted  the  larger  skull  for  exhibition.     This  larger  skull  is 

♦Communicated  with  the  permission  of  the  Deputy  Minister  of  Mines. 


118  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation  and  is  but  slightly  distorted.  The 
sutures  are  very  distinctly  marked  defining  the  exact  limits  of  the 
various  elements.  The  smaller  skull  is  imperfect  in  the  occipital 
region  but  elsewhere  most  of  the  sutures  are  clearly  displayed ;  it  is  of 
special  value  for  comparison  with  the  larger  specimen. 

The  larger  skull  is  selected  as  the  type  of  the  new  genus  for  which 
the  name  Cheneosaurus  (Gr.  Cheneios)  is  proposed  on  account  of  the 
supposed  resemblance  of  the  specimen,  when  viewed  in  profile,  to  the 
outline  of  the  head  of  a  goose.  The  species  is  named  after  Tolman 
ferry  and  post-office,  both  of  which  are  not  far  from  where  the  type 
was  discovered. 

.  Cheneosaurus  tolmanensis  gen.  et  sp.  now 

Generic  and  specific  characters. — Skull  small,  high,  short,  dome- 
shaped  above,  and  steeply  descending  in  front.  Domed  prominence 
formed  by  frontals,  nasals,  prefrontals  and  supraorbitals.  Lachrymal 
small.  Nasals  broad,  covering  the  narial  passages.  Narial  opening 
small  and  placed  very  far  forward.  Anterior  premaxillary  portion 
broadly  expanded  and  terminating  almost  squarely  in  front.  Mandible 
strongly  decurved  anteriorly.  Teeth  long  and  narrow,  with  marginal 
papillation  at  the  apex  to  a  varying  extent.  Orbit  broadly  ovate. 
Lateral  temporal  fossae  long  and  narrow.     Supratemporal  fossae  small. 

This  genus  of  the  Edmonton  formation  differs  from  all  other 
known  members  of  the  Trachodontidae  in  the  dome-shaped  form  of 
the  upper,  interorbital  surface  of  the  skull,  and  in  the  roofing  over  of 
the  narial  passages  by  the  broad  nasals,  resulting  in  a  diminution  of  the 
anterior  nares  and  their  limitation  to  a  far  advanced  position.  In  no 
other  form  is  the  angle  of  descent  of  the  facial  portion  so  uniformly 
steep.  Attention  is  called  to  the  presence  in  Cheneosaurus  of  a  large 
supraorbital,  a  cranial  element  not  hitherto  recognized  in  the 
Trachodontidae  except  doubtfully  in  the  single  instance  of  Gryposaurus 
(Belly  River  formation). 

The  skull  of  Cheneosaurus  tolmanensis  is  broad  behind  and 
narrow  in  front.  It  is  most  elevated  in  the  region  above  the  orbits  and 
for  a  short  distance  forward,  forming  a  conspicuous  rotundity  in  the 
upper  surface  in  advance  of  which  it  descends  narrowly  and  steeply  to 
the  horizontally  expanded  snout.  Behind  the  apical  prominence  the 
remainder  of  the  superior  surface  is  depressed.  The  mandible  is  long 
in  comparison  with  its  height  and  is  strongly  decurved  in  front  where 
it  ends  in  a  broad  predentary.  The  height  of  the  type  skull  is  less 
than  three-fourths  its'  length,  and  its  maximum  breadth  is  nearly  one- 
half  its  length.  The  orbit  is  moderately  large  and  is  situated  toward 
the  front  of  the  posterior  half  of  the  cranium. 

By  referring  to  the  two  drawings  of  the  type,  reproduced  herewith, 
one  a  right  side  view,  the  other  from  above,  the  proportions  of  the 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  119 

different  elements  of  the  skull  as  they  appear  at  the  surface  can  be 
readily  seen. 

The  dome-shaped  prominence  of  the  upper  surface  is  formed  by 
the  frontals,  prefrontals,  nasals  and  supraorbitals.  The  frontal  con- 
tribution is  the  largest  of  the  four  and  occupies  the  greatest  part 
posteriorly  and  superiorly,  the  prefrontals  reach  upward  laterally  > 
while  the  nasals  assist  anteriorly  continuing  backward  slenderly 
between  the  frontals  to  the  highest  point  of  the  dome.  The  supra- 
orbitals contribute  to  a  minor  extent  laterally  behind. 

The  orbital  opening  is  broadly  oyate  in  outline  with  the  more 
pointed  end  downward.  It  is  bounded  by  the  supraorbital,  the  post- 
frontal,  the  jugal,  and  the  lachrymal,  the  last  named  element  con- 
tributing least,  and  the  postfrontal  and  supraorbital  nearly  equally 
to  the  formation  of  the  rim. 

The  lateral  temporal  fossa  is  more  than  three  times  as  high  as 
wide  and  is  enclosed  in  its  lower  half  length  by  the  jugal,  and  in  the 
upper  half  by  the  quadrate,  the  postfrontal,  and,  to  a  slight  extent,  the 
squamosal. 

The  prefrontal  is  largely  developed  and  is  more  than  three  time? 
as  long  as  broad.  It  lies  in  advance  of  the  supraorbital  and  the 
lachrymal,  is  in  contact  above  with  the  frontal,  in  front  with  the  nasal, 
and  below  with  the  premaxilla  which  it  overlaps. 

The  lachrymal  is  small  and  narrow,  its  extreme  length  being 
three  times  its  maximum  breadth.  Its  narrow  upper  end  underlies  the 
supraorbital  while  its  posterior  margin  in  its  entirety  enters  into  the 
formation  of  the  orbital  rim.  Inferiorly  it  is  in  contact  with  the  jugal 
and  anteriorly  with  the  prefrontal.  Infero-anteriorly  it  is  prolonged 
narrowly  downward  between  the  jugal  and  the  prefrontal,  the  extreme 
end  of  the  extension  lying  between  the  premaxilla  and  the  maxilla. 

The  jugal  does  not  present  any  very  unusual  characteristics.  It 
is  in  contact  with  the  quadrato-jugal  and  the  quadrate  behind,  over- 
lapping the  former.  In  front  it  lies  over  a  large  surface  of  the 
maxilla,  and  supero-anteriorly  is  in  contact  with  the  lachrymal  for  a 
considerable  distance.  The  end  of  its  upwardly  directed  process, 
forming  the  lower  half  of  the  slender  postorbital  bar,  passes  behind 
the  process  from  the  postfrontal. 

The  premaxilla  is  a  large  bone  broadly  expanded  horizontally 
outward  in  front  where  with  its  fellow  it  forms  the  edentulous  anterior 
termination  of  the  cranium.  Postero-exteriorly  it  extends  upward 
between  the  maxilla  and  the  nasal  as  a  long,  narrow  surface  to  meet 
the  lower  end  of  the  prefrontal  which  overlaps  it.  The  front  border  of 
the  premaxilla  curves  outward  and  slightly  backward  from  the  midline 
of  the  skull  and  is  met  at  an  obtuse  angle  by  the  outer  border  descend- 
ing freely  from  its  contact  with  the  maxilla.  The  upper  surface  of  the 
bone  is  shallowly  excavated  in  advance  of  the  narial  opening  forming  a 


120  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

slightly  depressed  area  exterior  to  which  the  lateral  angulation  curves 
slightly  downward.  Anteriorly  the  thickness  of  the  bone  is  suddenly 
increased  on  the  lower  surface  a  short  distance  back  from  the  front 
edge.  This  edge  is  conspicuously  notched  by  about  from  ten  to  twelve 
grooves  which  pass  inferiorly  backward  across  the  thinned  marginal 
area. 

The  nasal  bones  are  contiguous  along  the  midline  of  the  cranium 
throughout  their  length,  except  possibly  at  their  extreme  anterior  end. 
They  are  broad  for  the  most  part  and  curve  downward  outwardly  to 
meet  the  premaxilla  and  the  prefrontal.  They  arch  over  the  nasal 
passages  and  their  openings  which  latter  are  placed  far  forward.  In 
advance  of  the  openings  the  nasals  continue  narrowly  forward  for  a 
short  distance  over  the  premaxillae  on  either  side  of  the  midline,  but 
the  exact  outline  of  their  anterior  ending  is  obscured.  Posteriorly  they 
appear  to  bifurcate,  the  exterior  branch  overlapping  the  frontal  while 
the  interior  one  continues,  much  attenuated,  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
frontal  to  the  summit  of  the  dome-shaped  superior  surface.  This 
surface  bifurcation  of  the  nasal  is  not  a  division  in  reality,  as  the  bone 
underlies  the  narrow  front  termination  of  the  frontal. 

A  notable  feature  in  the  skull  of  Cheneosaurus  is  the  presence  of 
a  large  supraorbital  bone  which  enters  into  the  formation  of  the  orbital 
rim  almost  to  the  same  extent  as  the  postfrontal.  This  bone  is  roughly 
subtriangular  in  shape  and  is  in  contact  posteriorly  with  the  post- 
frontal  and  frontal,  superiorly  with  the  frontal,  and  anteriorly  with 
the  prefrontal.  Its  lower  edge  for  the  most  part  forms  the  antero- 
superior  portion  of  the  curve  of  the  orbital  rim.  Infero-anteriorly  it 
extends  narrowly  downward  and  overlaps  the  upper  end  of  the 
lachrymal. 

The  postfrontal  has  a  somewhat  larger  surface  area  than  the 
supraorbital  and  meets  it  anteriorly  in  a  zigzagged  suture.  '  Posteriorly 
it  overlaps  the  squamosal  extensively.  Superiorly  its  posterior  half- 
length  bounds  the  supratemporal  fossa  externally  at  the  front,  while 
the  remainder  of  its  upper  half-length  joins  the  frontal  in  a  jagged 
suture. 

The  frontal  is  larger  than  the  prefrontal,  and  is  of  an  irregular 
shape.  It  is  in  sutural  contact  with  the  nasal,  the  prefrontal,  the 
supraorbital,  the  postfrontal  and  the  parietal.  For  nearly  the  whole 
of  its  anterior  half-length  it  is  separated  from  its  fellow  along  the  mid- 
line by  the  narrow  backward  extension  of  the  nasals.  It  forms  the 
greater  part  of  the  dome-shaped  elevation  of  the  cranium  rising  from 
behind,  and  descending  on  the  anterior  slope  its  forwardly  directed 
attenuation  overlaps  the  nasal.  For  a  short  distance  forward  from  its 
junction  with  the  parietal,  equal  to  about  one-fifth  of  its  total  length, 
its  surface  is  lower  than  the  part  that  rises  into  the  dome-shaped 
prominence  and  is  defined  from  it  by  an  overhanging  transverse  fold 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  121 

of  bone.  This  posterior  area  of  the  frontal  is  much  depressed  in  its 
outer  breadth  but  rises  convexly  inward  to  the  mid-line.  The  suture 
between  the  pair  is  conspicuously  zigzagged. 

The  supratemporal  fossa  is  small,  narrowly  oval,  and  about  twice 
as  long  as  wide,  and  passes  downward  into  the  lateral  temporal  fossa. 
The  two  openings  are  close  together  posteriorly  but  toward  the  front 
they  diverge  from  each  other.  They  are  bounded  by  the  frontal,  post- 
frontal,  squamosal,  and  parietal,  each  of  the  four  elements  participat- 
ing to  an  almost  equal  extent. 

The  squamosal  runs  forward  beneath  the  postfrontal  to  a  point  in 
line  with  the  anterior  end  of  the  supratemporal  fossa.  Intero-posteri- 
orly  it  meets  the  parietal  in  a  short  jagged  suture.  Postero-inferiorly 
it  is  deeply  cupped  to  receive  the  upper  end  of  the  quadrate,  and  sends 
downward  a  slender  process  which  is  applied  to  the  paroccipital 
(exoccipital)  alar  extension  in  the  usual  way. 

The  occipital  condyle  is  tripartite,  the  two  exoccipitals  and  the 
Dasioccipital  entering  into  its  formation  to  an  equal  extent,  with  the 
bases  of  the  exoccipital  pair  forming  the  upturned  ends  of  the  curved, 
U-shaped  condylar  surface. 

The  exoccipital  in  assisting  in  the  formation  of  the  condyle, 
bounds  the  foramen  magnum  laterally.  A  paroccipital  process  of  large 
size  supports  the  pendent  extension  of  the  squamosal  from  behind  and 
passes  freely  downward  beyond  it. 

The  parietal  bounds  the  supratemporal  fossa  on  its  inner  side, 
and  intero-anteriorly  along  the  greater  part  of  its  sutural  junction  with 
the  frontal.  Postero-laterally  it  unites  with  the  squamosal.  Within 
the  supratemporal  fossate  area  the  pair  rise  to  each  other  at  the  median 
line  together  forming  a  narrow  longitudinal  ridge  separating  the 
openings. 

The  maxilla  appears  externally  in  contact  principally  with  the 
premaxilla  and  the  jugal.  Superiorly  it  passes  for  a  short  distance 
between  the  jugal  and  the  lowermost  portion  of  the  downward  extension 
of  the  lachrymal. 

The  dentary  supports  a  high  and  robust  coronoid  process,  and  is 
in  contact  posteriorly  with  the  surangular  to  the  extent  usual  in  the 
Trachodontidae.    Its  anterior  edentulous  portion  is  strongly  decurved. 

The  teeth  are  of  the  general  trachodont  type,  with  the  well  known 
mode  of  vertical  succession  and  replacement.  They  are  best  preserved 
in  the  right  dentary  where  the  inner  enamelled  surface  is  seen  to  be 
long  and  narrow,  with  a  high  median  keel  and  raised  margins.  In  this 
dentary  the  second  tooth  from  the  front  has  marginal  papulations  near 
the  tip  resembling  the  dental  border  sculpture  of  the  small  Belly  River 
trachodont  described  from  a  maxilla  under  the  name  Trachodon 
altidens  by  the  writer  in  1902*     The  larger  teeth  toward  the  centre 

*Contr.  to  Can.  Palaeont.,  vol.  Ill  (quarto),  p.  76,  pi.  IV,  figs.  2,  3  and  4. 


122  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

of  the  dental  magazine  appear  to  have  their  margins  smooth  or  with 
only  a  slight  indication  of  papillae  near  the  top.  In  the  broadest  part 
of  the  dental  grinding  surfaces  there  are  generally  two  functional 
teeth  in  a  transverse  direction.  The  estimated  number  of  teeth  in  the 
dentary  in  each  vertical  series  near  the  midlength  of  the  dental 
magazine  is  about  three.  There  are  about  thirty-five  vertical  rows  of 
teeth  in  the  maxilla  and  thirty-three  in  the  dentary.  The  above  small 
Belly  River  form  with  long,  narrow  teeth  may  prove  to  be  ancestral 
to  Cheneosaurus. 

The  predentary  was  missing  in  the  type  skull  but  has  been 
restored,  as  figured,  principally  from  the  smaller  skull,  in  which  this 
bone  was  preserved.  As  in  the  premaxillae  the  front  margin  is  coarsely 
notched,  indicating  the  probable  presence  in  life  of  a  firmly  attached, 
strong,  horny  covering  to  the  beak-like  termination  of  the  jaws. 

About  thirteen  sclerotic  plates  are  wholly  or  partially  preserved 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  orbital  opening.  The  ring  in  which  these 
plates  occurred  in  life  is  clearly  indicated  but  its  symmetry  is  destroyed 
and  the  full  number  of  plates  may  not  be  represented. 

With  the  skull  are  figured  the  odontoid  process,  the  axis,  and  the 
third  cervical  vertebra  which  were  found  in  place.  The  remaining 
parts  of  the  atlas  were  missing. 

Measurements  of  the  type  skull  of  Cheneosaurus 

tolmanensis. 

Mm. 

Length  of  cranium  from  anterior  end  of  premaxillae  to  occipital 

condyle —       445 

Length  of  cranium  from  anterior  end  of  premaxillae  to  posterior 

border  of  exoccipital  process 477 

Height  of  skull,  as  mounted,  from  lower  surface  of  dentary  ver- 
tically upward  to  highest  point  of  upper  surface 308 

Distance  from  lowermost  portion  of  jugal  to  highest  point  of 

superior  surface  of  skull 276 

Distance  from  grinding  surface  of  maxillary  teeth  to  highest 

point  of  skull 1 22° 

Anterior  premaxillary  breadth  from  midline  of  skull  to  outer 

angulation  (half  breadth  of  snout) 97 

Length  of  quadrate  (slightly  restored  at  lower  end) 190 

Extreme  length   of  mandible    (predentary   restored,    articular 

restored) 473 

Length  of  dentary 358 

Depth  of  dentary,  at  about  midlength  of  mandible,  from  outer 

alveolar  border  to  lower  edge 64 

Maximum  breadth  of  predentary  (restored) 151 

Maximum  height  of  orbit 99 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  123 

Maximum  width  of  same 79 

Length  of  lateral  temporal  fossa 140 

Width  of  same  at  midlength 42 

Length  of  supratemporal  fossa 64 

Width  (transverse)  of  same _ 30 

Length  of  maxillary  dental  grinding  surface 175 

Enamelled  surface  of  tooth,   about  to  become  functional,  in 
fourteenth  vertical  row  from  the  front,  in  right  dentary : 

Length   ,_ 32 

Breadth 7 

The  figures  of  the  two  accompanying  plates  are  from  drawings  by 
Mr.  Arthur  Miles. 

explanation  of  plates. 

Plate  VI.— Right  lateral  aspect  of  skull   (type)   of  Cheneosaurus  tolmanensis; 

one-fourth  the  natural  size.     To  bring  the  vertebrae  clearly  into  view 

they  are  represented  two  and  a  half  inches  back  of  their  proper  position. 
Plate  \TI. — Superior  aspect  of  the  same  skull:  one-fourth  the  natural  size. 
Abbreviations. — Ar,    articular;    Ax,    axis;     Cer.    3,    third    cervical    vertebra; 

Dn,    dentary;    Kx.    oc,    exoccipital;    Fr,    frontal;    Fr.    p.,    postfrontal;    J, 

jugal;    L,    lachrymal;    Mx,    maxillary;    N,    nasal;    O,    odontoid    process; 

P.    parietal;     Pd,    predentary;     P.fr.,     prefrontal;     Pmx,     premaxillary; 

Q,    quadrate;    Qj,    quadrato-jugal;    Sa,    surangular;    Sor,    supraorbital; 

Sp,     splenial;     Sq,     squamosal;     a.n.,     anterior     nares;     o.c,     occipital 

condyle;  sc.p.,  sclerotic  plates. 


BIRDS  OF  LAKE  ONIGAMIS  REGION,  QUE.,  AND 
ALGONQUIN  PARK,  ONT. 


By  John  M.  Cooper,  Washington,  D.C. 


Introductory  Remarks. 

The  following  two  lists  of  birds  were  received  by  the  undersigned 
from  the  Rev.  John  M.  Cooper.  As  they  apply  to  districts  from  which 
we  have  little  exact  information,  I  requested  and  received  permission 
from  the  author  to  publish  them. 

Mr.  Cooper  informed  me  that  in  neither  locality  were  specimens 
taken,  and  while  the  species  are  undoubtedly  correct  the  sub-specific 
designations  rest  only  upon  the  probabilities  of  known  geographical 
distribution.  It  is  refreshing  to  find  an  observer  who  realizes  the 
difficulties  of  sub-specific  identification  and  the  advisability  of  making 
such  an  explanation. 

The  list  at  the  end  of  the  Onigamis  list  of  birds  that  were  expected 
but  not  seen  is  also  a  feature  worthy  of  being  repeated  in  other  such 

work  XvW"V\ 

P.  A.  Taverner. 


124  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

Birds  Observed  in  Lake  Onigamis  Region  and  Upper  St. 

Maurice  River,  Quebec,  Between  48°  and  49°  N.  Lat. 

and  73°  45'  and  75°  30'  W.  Long.,  June  9-22,  1916. 

Loon,  Gavia  immer  Brunn.;  not  common. 

Herring  Gull,  Larus  argentatus  Pont. ;  common. 

Black  Duck,  Anas  rubripes  Brewst. ;  common. 

Great  Blue  Heron,  Ardea  herodias  herodias  Linn.;  rare. 

Spotted  Sandpiper,  Actitis  macularia  Linn.;  common. 

American  Osprey,  Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis  Gmel. ;  not  common. 

Great  Horned  Owl,  Bubo  virginianus  virginianus  Gmel.;  common. 

Kingfisher,. Ceryle  alcyon  Linn.;  common  on  St.  Maurice  River. 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker,  Sphyrapicus  varius  varius  Linn. ;  common. 

Northern  Flicker,  Colaptes  auratus  luteus  Bangs;  common. 

Night  Hawk,  Chordeiles  virginianus  virginianus  Gmel. ;  common. 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  Nuttallornis  borealis  Swains.;  common. 

Least  Flycatcher,  Empidonax  minimus  W.  M.  &  S.  F.  Baird;  common. 

Canada  Jay,  Perisoreus  canadensis  canadensis  Linn.;  common. 

Northern  Raven,  Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgw. ;  common. 

Crow,  Corvus  brachvrhynchos  brachyrhynchos  Brehm. ;  not  common. 

White-throated  Sparrow  Zonotrichia  albicollis  Gmel. ;  abundant. 

Slate-colored  Junco,  J  unco  hyemalis  hyemalis  Linn. ;  common. 

Song  Sparrow,  Melospiza  melodia  melodia  Wils. ;  common. 

Tree  Sparrow,  Iridoprochne  bicolor  Vieill. ;  abundant. 

Red-eyed  Vireo,  Vireosylva  olivacea  Linn. ;  abundant. 

Nashville  Warbler,  Vermivora  rubricapilla  rubricapilla  Wils.;  not 
seen,  but  heard  distinctly  at  close  range  near  Lake  Asawewa- 
senan;  am  reasonably  certain  of  identification,  being  quite 
familiar  with  its  distinctive  song. 

Yellow  Warbler,  Dendroica  aestive  aestiva  Gmel.;  abundant  especi- 
ally along  St.  Maurice  River. 

Myrtle  Warbler,  Dendroica  coronata  Linn. ;  common. 

Black-throated  Green  Warbler,  Dendroica  virens  Gmel. ;  common. 

Oven  Bird,  Seiurus  aurocapillus  Linn.;  not  common. 

Water  Thrush,  Seiurus  noveboracensis  noveboracensis  Gmel.;  not 
common  in  lake  region,  abundant  along  river. 

Redstart,  Setophaga  ruticilla  Linn. ;  common. 

Winter  Wren,  N annus  hiemalis  hiemalis  Vieill.;  not  common. 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  Sitta  canadensis  Linn. ;  common. 

Olive-backed  Thrush,  Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsoni  Tschudi; 
abundant. 

Hermit  Thrush,  Hylocichla  guttata  pallasi  Cab.;  not  common. 

Robin,  Planesticus  migratorius  migratorius  Linn.;  not  common. 

Merganser,  Mergus  was  common,  but  not  seen  at  close  enough  range 
to  tell  whether  americanus  or  senator.     Several  other  species 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  125 

present  were  observed  or  heard  but  not  distinctly  enough  for 

unmistakable  identification.     I  hope  to  renew  observations  in 

the  same  region  this  coming  June. 
None  of  the  following  birds  were  seen  or  heard : 

Whip-poor-will,  Antrostomus  vociferns  Wils. 

Chimney  Swift,  Chaetura  pelagica  Linn. 

Barred  Owl,  Strix  varia  Barton. 

Goldfinch,  Astragalinus  tristis  Linn. 

Catbird,  Dumetetta  carolinensis  Linn. 

Brown  Creeper,  Certhia  familiaris  americana  Bonap. 

Chickadee,  Penthestes  atricapillus  Linn. 

Yeery,  Hylocichla  fuscescens  Steph. 
Birds  Observed  in  Algonquin  Park,  Ontario,  June  2-19,  1908-14. 
Loon,  Gavin  immer  Brunn. ;  abundant;  nests  often,  once  June  10,  1911, 

at  Tea  Lake;  young  not  out  by  June  19  of  any  of  above  years. 
Herring  Gull,  Larus  argentatus  Pont.;  abundant;  nests  often,  usually 

on  little  rocky  islets;  young  June  13,  1914. 
Common  Tern,  Sterna  hirundo  Linn.;   one  seen  on  Lake  Opeongo; 

seen  at  fairly  close  range,  grayish  underparts  clearly  observed. 
Black  Duck,  Anas  rubripes  Brewst. ;  common;  nests  several  times. 
Bittern,  Botaurus  lentiginosus  Montag. ;  not  common. 
Great  Blue  Heron,  Ardea  herodias  herodias  Linn.;  common;  heronry 

observed  at  Magnetewan  Lake,  12  nests  in  4  tall  pines,  prob- 
ably 30-50  feet  above  ground;  there  are  said  to  be  other  heron- 
ries near  Potter  Lake  and  on  Maggie's  Lake. 
Spotted  Sandpiper,  Artitis  macularia  Linn.;   common;  nests;  young 

observed  June  19,  1914. 
Canada  Spruce  Partridge,  Canachites  canadensis  canace  Linn. ;  fairly 

common;  young  seen  June  11,  1913,  near  Phillips  Lake. 
Canada  Ruffed  Grouse,  Bonasa  umbellus  (presumably  togata)  Linn.; 

common. 
Broad-winged  Hawk,  Buteo  platypterus  Vieill.;  common. 
Bald  Eagle,  Haliacius  leucocephalus  Linn.;  distinctly  seen  at  close 

range  at  Clear  Lake. 
Sparrow  Hawk,  Falco  sparverius  sparverius  Linn. ;  fairly  common. 
Osprey,  Pandion  haliaetus  carolinensis  Gmel.;   common;   nests  seen 

several  times,  always  in  large  dead  trees,  at  top  about  40  feet 

from  ground. 
Barred  Owl,  Strix  varia  varia  Barton;  abundant. 
Saw-whet  Owl,  Crypt oglaux  acadica  acadica  Gmel.;  fairly  common; 

not  seen  but  heard  at  times;  identification  rests  partly  on  guide 

who  without  any  suggestive  questions  on  my  part  told  me  he 

had  the  previous  year  searched  for,  caught  and  learned  the 

name  of  bird;  we  heard  the  oft  repeated  sort  of  whistle  quite 

distinctly  on  several  occasions. 


126  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

Belted  Kingfisher,  Ceryle  alcyon  Linn.;  common;  nests. 

Hairy  Woodpecker,  Dryobates  villosus  (presumably  villosus)  Linn.; 
common;  nests. 

Downy  Woodpecker,  Dryobates  pubescens  (presumably  medianus) 
Swains.;  not  common. 

Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpecker,  Picoides  arcticus  Swains.;  fairly  com- 
mon; am  fairly  but  not  absolutely  certain  of  identification; 
usually  observed  under  somewhat  imperfect  light  conditions; 
was  told  on  good  authority  that  both  arcticus  and  americanus 
are  in  Park. 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker,  Sphyrapicus  varius  varius  Linn.;  common. 

Northern  Pileated  Woodpecker,  Phloeotomus  pileatus  (presumably 
abieticola)  Bangs;  fairly  common. 

Northern  Flicker,  Colaptes  auratus  luteus  Bangs;  common;  nests. 

Whip-poor-will,  Antrostomus  vociferus  vociferus  Wils. ;  locally 
abundant. 

Night-hawk,  Chordeiles  virginianus  virginianus  Gmel. ;  common. 

Chimney  Swift,  Chaetura  pelagica  Linn.;  abundant. 

Ruby-throated  Hummingbird,  Archilochus  colubris  Linn.;  fairly 
common. 

Kingbird,  Tyr annus  tyr  annus  Linn.;  abundant;  nests  seen  were  in 
majority  of  cases  (5  out  of  7)  on  tops  of  dead  stumps,  2^-5 
feet  up  from  water  level, 

Phoebe,  Sayornis  phoebe  Lath. ;  uncommon,  several  seen,  one  at  Cedar 
Lake. 

Olive-sided  Flycatcher,  Nuttallornis  borealis  Swains.;  abundant. 

Wood  Pewee,  Myiochanes  virens  Linn.;  common. 

Least  Flycatcher,  Empidonax  minimus  W.  M.  and  S.  F.  Baird;  com- 
mon; nest. 

Blue  Jay,  Cyanocitta  cristata  cristata  Linn. ;  common. 

Canada  Jay,  Perisoreus  canadensis  Linn.;  common;  young  about  full 
size  in  early  June. 

Northern  Raven,  Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgw. ;  not  common. 

Crow,  Corvus  brachyrhynchos  brachyrhynchos  Brehm;  uncommon. 

Red-winged  Blackbird,  Agelaius  phoeniceus  phoeniceus  Linn.;  abun- 
dant. 

Bronzed  Grackle,  Quiscalus  quiscula  aeneus  Ridgw. ;  abundant. 

Purple  Finch,  Carpodacus  purpureus  purpureus  Gmel. ;  common. 

Goldfinch,  Astragalinus  tristis  tristis  Linn. ;  common. 

Vesper  Sparrow,  Pooecetes  gramineus  gramineus  Gmel. ;  common  in 
clearings. 

White-throated  Sparrow,  Zonotrichia  albicollis  Gmel.;  abundant. 

Chipping  Sparrow,  Spizella  passerina  passerina  Bech. ;  common  in 
clearings. 

Slate-colored  Junco,  Junco  hyemalis  hyemalis  Linn. ;  common. 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  127 

Song  Sparrow,  Melospiza  melodia  melodia  Wils.;  abundant;  nests. 

Swamp  Sparrow,  Melospiza  georgiana  Lath. ;  common. 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  Zamelodia  ludoviciana  Linn.;  rare;  seen  only 

once,  at  Victoria  Lake. 
Indigo  Bunting,  Passerina  cyanea  Linn.;  rare;  seen  and  heard  only 

once,  at  Victoria  Lake. 
Scarlet  Tanager,  Piranga  erythromelas  Vieill. ;  common  in  all  parts  of 

Park,  including  the  extreme  northern  part  around  Tea  Lake. 
Barn  Swallow,  Hirundo  erythrogaster  Bodd. ;  common;  nests. 
Tree  Swallow,  Iridoprocne  bicolor  Vieill. ;  abundant;  nests. 
Bank  Swallow,  Riparia  riparia  Linn.;  uncommon;  seen  at  Manitou 

Lake. 
Cedar  Waxwing,  Bombycilla  cedrorum  Vieill.;  common. 
Red-eved  Vireo,  Vireosvlva  olivacea  Linn.;  abundant. 
Blue-headed    Vireo,    Lanivireo    solitarius    solitarius    Wils.;     fairly 

common. 
Black  and  White  Warbler  Mniotilta  varia  Linn.;  common. 
Nashville  Warbler,  Yermivora  rubricapilla  rubricapilla  Wils.;  abun- 
dant, in  second  growth  chiefly. 
Northern  Parula  Warbler,  Compsothlypis  americana  usneae  Brewst. ; 

common,  even  in  northern  and  northwestern  part  of  Park. 
Yellow  Warbler,  Dendroica  acsiiva  aestiva  Gmel. ;  rare,  seen  and  heard 

only  once,  at  Cache  Lake. 
Black-throated    Blue   Warbler,    Dendroica    caerulescens    caerulescens 

Gmel.;  common. 
Myrtle  Warbler,  Dendroica  coronata  Linn.;  abundant;  nests. 
Magnolia  Warbler,  Dendroica  magnolia  Wils. ;  common. 
Chestnut-sided    Warbler,    Dendroica    pensylvanica    Linn.;    common, 

especially  in  second  growth. 
Blackburnian  Warbler,  Dendroica  fusca  Mull.;  common  in  northern 

part  as  well  as  in  southern  part. 
Blackthroated  Green  Warbler,  Dendroica  virens  Gmel.;  common. 
Pine  Warbler,  Dendroica  vigorsi  Aud. ;  rare,  seen  only  once,  at  Proulx 

Lake;  grayish  yellow  underparts,  grayish  neck  and  head,  tail 

feathers  tipped  with  white  and  two  white  wing  bars  seen  well; 

song  (rather  sharp-cut  trill)  heard  distinctly;  am  reasonably 

certain  of  identification. 
Oven-bird,   Seiurus   aurocapillus   Linn.;    common,   especially   among 

maple. 
Water  Thrush,  Seiurus  noveboracensis  noveboracensis  Gmel.;  common. 

Mourning  Warbler,  Oporornis  Philadelphia  Wils.;  common. 

Maryland  Yellow  Throat,  Geothlypis  trichas  trichas  Linn. ;  common. 

Canada  Warbler,  Wilsonia  canadensis  Linn.;  common. 

Redstart,  Setophaga  ruticilla  Linn. ;  abundant. 


128  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

Catbird,  Dumetella  carolinensis  Linn.;  rare;  observed  only  twice,  once 
at  Opeongo  Lake,  and  once  at  Island  Lake. 

Brown  Thrasher,  Toxostoma  rufum  Linn.;  rare;  one  observed  in  Park 
at  Joe  Lake  and  two  on  outskirts  of  Park  near  South  River 
and  Egan  Estate. 

House  Wren,  Troglodytes  a'edon  aedon  Vieill. ;  common. 

Winter  Wren,  N annus  hiemalis  hiemalis  Vieill.;  abundant. 

Brown  Creeper,  Certhia  familiaris  americana  Bonap.;  not  common; 
nest  seen  once,  at  Canoe  Lake,  in  bark  of  large  dead  hemlock  in 
fioodwater  about  three  feet  up  from  water  level;  at  distance  of 
about  five  yards  heard  its  rather  melodious  song,  a  clear  high- 
pitched  whistle  of  five  distinct  notes,  and  first  and  third  long, 
the  other  three  short. 

Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  Sitta  canadensis  Linn. ;  common. 

Chickadee,  Penthestes  atricapillus  atricap'illus  Linn. ;  common. 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet,  Regidus  satrapa  satrapa  Licht. ;  rare;  seen 
only  once,  at  Merchant's  to  White  Trout  Lake  portage. 

Wood  Thrush,  Hylocichla  mustelina  Gmel. ;  not  common;  never  seen, 
but  heard  pretty  clearly  on  several  occasions;  once  when  heard 
a  half-breed  at  Manitou  Lake  with  whom  I  was  talking  at  the 
time  told  me  the  bird  had  a  'red  head.' 

Veery,  Hylocichla  fuscescens  fuscescens  Steph. ;  fairly  common. 

Olive-backed  Thrush,  Hylocichla  ustulata  swainsoni  Tschudi;  abun- 
dant; nests. 

Hermit  Thrush,  Hylocichla  guttata  pallasi  Cab.;  faily  common. 

Robin,  Planesticus  migratorius  migratorius  Linn.;  not  common;  nest. 

Bluebird,  Sialia  sialis  sialis  Linn.;  uncommon. 

1.  Mr.  Bartlett,  the  Park  Superintendent,  has  in  his  office  a 
specimen  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  Aquila  chrysaetos;  the  bird  took  wolf 
poison  near  Tea  Lake  (Big  Tea  in  n.  part  of  Park)  the  winter  of 
1908-9. 

2.  Mr.  Waters,  one  of  the  older  rangers,  and  a  man  who  knows 
the  Algonquin  birds  perhaps  better  than  any  one  else,  told  me  that  the 
Great  Horned  Owl,  Bubo  virginianus  virginianus  Gmel.  is  found  in 
the  Park. 

3.  Dr.  Claghorne,  a  former  forest  ranger,  told  me  that  he  had 
seen  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  Icterus  galbula  Linn.,  near  Cache  Lake  in 
the  spring  of  1911  and  had  found  the  Cliff  Swallow,  Petrochelidon 
lunifrons  lunifrons  Say,  on  the  Madawaska  River. 

4.  The  Alder  Flycatcher,  Empidonax  trailli  alnorum,  and  the 
Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher,  E.  flaviventris,  probably  both  breed  in  the 
Park,  but  I  have  never  been  sufficiently  sure  of  their  songs  and  would 
not  feel  safe  in  identifying  them  in  the  bush. 

5.  Mergus,  common,  but  whether  americanus  or  serrator  am 
uncertain.  Oddly  enough  have  never  observed  a  male  in  the  Park, 
though  the  female  was  seen  nearly  every  day. 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  129 

6.  A  grebe  with  young  seen  once;  presumably  Pied-billed  Grebe 
Podilymbus  podiceps,  but  male  was  not  observed,  so  could  not  be  sure 
of  identification. 

7.  I  have  noted  in  above  list  cases  where  nests  have  been  found; 
judging  from  the  dates  when  birds  themselves"  were  observed,  it  is 
most  likely  that  all  the  birds  in  the  list  nest  in  the  Park. 


NOTES  ON  THE  FEEDING  HABITS  OF  TWO 
SALAMANDERS  IN  CAPTIVITY. 


By  Charles  M.  Sternberg,  Geological  Survey,  Ottawa. 


While  attending  an  excursion  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists' 
Club  to  Cache  Bay,  on  the  Ottawa  River,  about  two  miles  above  Hull, 
P.Q.,  on  May  13  last,  the  writer  was  fortunate  enough  to  capture  two 
salamanders,  Amblystoma  punctatum  (the  spotted  salamander),  and 
Ambly stoma  Jeffersonianum,  as  well  as  a  newt,Diemictylus  viridescens. 
The  habits  of  the  salamanders  have  since  been  observed.  They  were 
all  placed  together  in  a  box,  with  a  screen  netting  on  the  top,  and  with 
damp  earth,  moss,  and  rotten  wood  in  one  corner.  Under  this  they 
crept  and  have  since  remained,  (with  the  exception  of  the  newt)  ap- 
parently much  at  home. 

The  newt  refused  to  eat  from  the  first  and  died  in  July,  but  the 
salamanders  readily  ate  earth  and  other  worms,  crickets,  house  flies, 
and  other  soft  insects.  They  refused  however  to  eat  small  grass- 
hoppers, spiders,  and  insects  with  hard  wing  covers,  such  as  the  Lady 
Birds  and  other  small  beetles.  Dead  worms  left  in  the  box  were  not 
eaten,  but  on  one  occasion  a  small  strip  of  fresh  pork,  moved  to 
imitate  the  action  of  a  live  worm,  proved  sufficiently  attractive  to  one 
of  them.  Like  many  of  the  lower  forms  of  vertebrates,  salamanders 
can  live  without  food  for  several  weeks  with  apparently  no  discomfort; 
then  they  make  up  for  lost  time  by  gorging  themselves.  This  was 
proven  on  one  occasion  when,  after  being  without  food  for  about  five 
weeks,  each  ate  three  angle  worms  before  they  were  satisfied.  They 
began  by  catching  a  worm  near  one  end  and  then  by  a  succession  of 
quick  snaps  taking  a  fresh  hold,  each  time  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
ahead,  they  gradually  swallowed  it.  These  movements  were  very  rapid 
but  the  interval  between  bites  varied  and  sometimes  they  waited  as  long 
as  half  a  minute  before  continuing.  On  one  occasion  the  two  salaman- 
ders took  hold  of  opposite  ends  of  a  very  large  angle  worm  and  began 
to  devour  it,  each  being  apparently  ignorant  of  the  other's  action  until 


130  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

they  approached  each  other  near  the  middle  of  the  worm;  then  each 
pulled  and  jerked  but  could  not  loosen  each  other's  hold.  Neither  had 
they  strength  enough  in  their  jaws  to  sever  the  worm  with  their  teeth. 
When  about  half  an  inch  apart,  after  much  backward  jerking  and 
pulling,  the  smaller  one, (A.  Jeffersonianum)  suddenly  rolled  over  three 
times  in  an  effort,  no  doubt,  to  twist  the  worm  in  two.  Not  succeeding 
in  this  it  made  a  second  attempt,  rolling  over  only  twice  this  time,  but 
still  without  success.  These  turns  were  always  made  to  the  right  and 
very  rapidly.  (The  alligator  resorts  to  the  same  practice,  but  its  move- 
ments are  relatively  slow).  The  second  attempt  having  failed  the 
smaller  salamander  loosened  its  hold  and  the  larger  one  took  possession 
of  the  worm,  even  the  portion  which  the  smaller  one  had  already 
swallowed.  At  another  time  the  smaller  one  was  offered  one  end  of  a 
worm,  which  it  took  while  the  writer  held  the  other  end  firmly.  When 
it  had  swallowed  nearly  the  entire  worm  it  pulled  and  jerked,  trying 
very  hard  to  break  or  tear  it  in  two.  Failing  to  do  this  it  rolled  over 
and  over  as  it  had  done  on  the  previous  occasion,  though  a  greater 
number  of  times,  and  with  such  rapidity  that  the  turns  could  not  be 
counted.    In  this  attempt  it  was  successful. 

Both  captives  have  continued  to  grow,  the  larger  one  (A.  puncta- 
tum)  having  increased  from  four  inches  in  length,  when  collected,  to 
five  and  one-eighth  inches  at  the  present  time  (Jan.  1917),  and  the 
other  from  about  three  inches  to  four  inches. 


CONCERNING  SOME  ONTARIO  CRAYFISHES. 


By  A.  G.  Huntsman,  B.A.,  M.B. 

Biol.  Dept.,  University  of  Toronto. 

Curator  of  the  Atlantic  Biological  Station,  St.  Andrews,  N.B. 


The  crayfish  or  'crab'  as  it  is  often  wrongly  called,  is  abundant  in 
nearly  all  our  waters,  but  there  is  comparatively  little  known  concern- 
ing the  species  occurring  in  Canada  and  their  distribution.  As  they 
are  used  regularly  for  teaching  purposes  in  our  higher  schools  and  are 
easily  captured  and  preserved,  specimens  and  data  as  to  distribution 
could  readily  be  collected  by  anyone  interested. 

There  are  considerable  difficulties  in  the  matter  of  identification, 
owing  to  the  specific  differences  being  slight  and  often  inconspicuous. 
Those  desirous  of  studying  this  group  of  animals  I  would  refer  to  the 
works  of  Faxon  (A  Revision  of  the  Astacidae.  Mem.  Mus.  Comp. 
Zool.  Harv.,  vol.  X,  No.  4,  1885)  and  Ortmann  (Proceed.  Amer.  Phil. 
Soc,  vol.  XLIV,  p.  91,  1905)*  for  keys  for  the  determination  of  the 
species. 

*Also  "The  Fresh-water  Malacostraca  of  Ontario"  in  Contr.  Canad. 
Biol.,  Suppl.  47th  Ann.  Rep.  Dep.  Marine  and  Fisher.,  Fisheries  Branch.     1915. 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  131 

I  shall  be  very  glad  to  receive  any  information  concerning  our 
crayfishes  or  to  assist  anyone  in  the  identification  of  specimens.  When- 
•ever  possible,  specimens  should  be  kept,  together  with  records  of  the 
locality  and  habits. 

All  our  crayfishes  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  belong  to  the 
genus  Cambarus,  and  we  have  at  least  eight  species.  The  most  inter- 
esting ones  are  those  that  dig  out  burrows  for  themselves  in  the  mud. 
The  material  excavated  is  usually  left  at  the  opening  of  the  hole  as  a 
'chimney'  of  mud,  which  may  be  several  inches  in  height.  These 
'chimneys'  are  frequently  seen  in  low  ground  or  on  the  banks  of 
streams. 

Recently  I  took  occasion  to  investigate  some  of  these  burrows  that 
are  quite  abundant  in  the  clay  banks  of  the  Twenty-Mile  Creek,  near 
Tintern,  in  the  Niagara  Peninsula.  The  species  that  inhabits  these 
burrows  proved  to  be  C.  immunis,  which  has  not  previously  been 
recorded  from  Canada.  It  is  abundant  in  Ohio,  southern  Michigan, 
and  farther  south  and  west.  The  present  record  places  it  in  the 
drainage  area  of  Lake  Ontario. 

All  the  specimens  very  evidently  belonged  to  C.  immunis,  but 
without  exception  they  showed  the  presence  of  small  lateral  rostral 
spines,  which  are  only  occasionally  found  in  this  species.  In  this 
respect  they  agree  with  Faxon's  variety  spiuirostris.  The  excavation 
at  the  base  of  the  movable  finger  of  the  large  claw  was  not  invariably 
present,  being  absent  on  one  or  other  side  in  three  specimens  (two 
males  and  one  female).  This  species  is  most  easily  recognized  by  the 
condition  of  the  first  pair  of  abdominal  legs  of  the  male.  The  two 
branches  of  each  leg  are  long  and  slender  and  curved  so  as  to  form  at 
least  one  quarter  of  a  circle. 

The  banks  of  the  stream,  where  the  burrows  were  situated,  were 
of  a  stiff  blue  clay.  I  believe  that  the  stream  never  becomes  wholly 
dry.  There  is  not  then  the  same  necessity  for  the  crayfish  to  burrow,  as 
in  the  case  of  those  inhabiting  swamps  and  pools  that  become  dry  in 
the  summer  months.  Ponds  and  ditches  of  this  sort  are  given  as  the 
usual  habitat  of  this  species.* 

None  of  the  burrows  showed  well-formed  chimneys  when  I 
examined  the  spot  (September).  They  had  apparently  been  destroyed 
by  passing  animals  or  by  the  weather.  The  burrows  were  not  built 
in  any  regular  fashion,  but  varied  greatly.  Each  had  either  one  or 
several  openings.  The  openings  were  sometimes  all  on  the  bank  above 
water,  at  other  times  some  above  and  some  below,  and  apparently, 
sometimes  all  below.  The  level  of  the  water  varies  during  the  season 
and  at  times  all  the  openings  would  probably  be  exposed. 

The  length  of  the  burrows  varied  from  half  a  foot  to  several  feet. 
Sometimes  they   were  nearly   straight,   but  usually  they  were  quite 

*See  Harris,  Amer.  Natural.,  vol.   35,  p.   187. 


132  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  [January 

tortuous.  Their  direction  varied  from  horizontal  or  slightly  upward 
to  vertically  downward. 

I  was  not  able  in  any  case  to  demonstrate  a  special  shelf  on 
which  the  animal  rested,  although  the  end  of  the  burrow  or  of  one  of 
the  side  branches  might  be  enlarged  into  a  chamber. 

Sometimes  the  crayfish  was  easilv  caught  without  digging  out  the 
entire  burrow.  If  the  entrance  were  opened  out,  and  the  open  hand 
placed  in  it  in  the  muddy  water,  the  crayfish  usually  came  up  into  my 
hand  in  a  few  minutes. 

The  irregularis  in  the  burrows  is  doubtless  due  to  the  burrows 
having  been  constructed  in  different  seasons  and  at  times  of  different 
water  levels.  Separate  burrows  would  frequently  become  connected  into 
one,  thus  giving  more  than  one  opening.  The  variation  shown  in  the 
direction  of  the  burrow  would  be  caused  by  local  differences  in  the 
nature  of  the  bank,  the  presence  of  stones  and  other  hard  materials. 

Burrows  in  the  bed  of  a  small  stream  running  into  the  Credit 
River  near  Port  Credit,  were  found  to  contain  the  large  species,  C. 
bartonii  robustus.  In  this  case  also,  there  was  no  regularity  in  the 
mode  of  construction.  The  majority  of  the  openings  were  in  the 
middle  of  the  bed  of  the  stream  and  under  water.  This  species  does 
not  ordinarily  burrow,  but  is  to  be  found  underneath  large  stones.  The 
scarcity  of  stones  and  the  small  size  of  the  stream  (drying  up  at 
times?)  doubtless  forced  the  crayfish  to  burrow. 


BIRD  NOTES. 

Occurrence  or  the  Ring-necked  Pheasant  in  the 
vicinity  of  Montreal. 

At  Dumouchel's  taxidermy  shop,  on  October  10,  I  saw  a  male 
Ring-necked  Pheasant  in  the  flesh,  which  had  been  shot  at  Ormstown, 
on  October  8,  by  Mr.  Dionne.  Another  bird  seen  at  the  same  time, 
concerning  which  I  could  obtain  no  data,  was  probably  shot  in  the 
vicinity  of  Montreal.  The  necks  of  both  birds  were  distinctly  ringed 
with  white.  These  are  the  first  records  I  know  of  for  this  locality. 
Birds  Affected  by  Artificial  Light. 

St.  Lambert  has  recently  acquired  a  new  system  of  street  lighting 
which  makes  the  streets  much  brighter  than  formerly.  About  9  p.m. 
on  November  2,  I  heard  a  commotion  in  a  maple  tree  and  discovered 
two  European  Sparrows  amongst  the  foliage.  I  watched  them  for 
several  minutes,  moving  about  and  chirping  quite  naturally  in  the 
brilliant  glare  of  a  neighboring  lamp,  with  no  apparent  intention  to 
retire.  It  is  well  illustrated,  in  the  'gay  white  ways'  of  cities,  how 
man  has  been  induced  to  turn  night  into  dav,  but  this  is  the  first 
instance  I  have  noticed  amongst  day-feeding  birds.  Perhaps  it  is 
natural  that  the  adaptive  'sparrow'  should  be  the  first  to  adopt  this  bad 
habit.  L.  Mel.  Terrill,  St.  Lambert,  Que. 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 


Vol.  XXX.  FEBRUARY,  1917.  No.  11. 


NOTES  ON  SOME  OTTAWA  DISTRICT  PLANTS. 


By  W.  Hague  Harrington,  F.R.S.C. 


My  former  contributions  to  The  Ottawa  Naturalist  having 
been  chiefly  of  an  entomological  nature,  it  may  appear  presumptuous 
for  me  to  offer  a  botanical  one,  but  the  following  explanation  may 
serve  as  my  excuse  and  apology.  About  ten  years  ago  .it  became 
evident  that  the  insect  studies,  to  which  much  of  my  spare  time  was 
then  largely  devoted, would  be  materially  aided  by  a  fuller  acquaintance 
with  the  flora  of  the  district.  The  identification  of  plants  on  which 
insects  were  captured  would  then  be  speedier  and  more  satisfactory, 
and  errors  would  be  avoided  to  a  greater  degree.  A  partial  knowledge 
of  our  flowering  plants  had  already  been  obtained  at  outings  and 
botanical  meetings  of  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club,  and  more 
especially  from  rambles  with  Prof.  Macoun  and  the  late  Dr.  Fletcher. 
The  latter  had  been  my  instructor  and  co-worker  since  1877  in  these 
studies  and  his  wide  knowledge  of  botany  was  ever  at  my  disposal  in 
any  difficulties.  It  seemed,  however,  time  to  have  a  more  systematic 
knowledge  of  our  plants,  and  a  collection  of  them  for  reference.  During 
all  available  time  for  several  seasons  close  examinations  were  made  of 
the  surrounding  district,  especially  the  section  northward  from  the 
Ottawa  river  to  Aylmer,  Kingsmere,  Chelsea  and  beyond.  The  result- 
ing collections  eventually  included  nearly  all  the  plants  of  the  Flora 
Ottawaensis,  and  the  majority  of  them  were  examined  and  had  the 
determinations  verified  by  Fletcher.  Some  species  afterwards  collected, 
especially  grasses,  were  kindly  named  by  Prof.  Macoun  and  J.  M. 
Macoun.  On  the  issue  of  Gray's  New  Manual  of  Botany,  the  collec- 
tion was  arranged  and  labelled  in  conformity  therewith,  and  a  list 
was  kept  of  some  species  which  seemed  of  special  interest.  The  list, 
with  some  notes,  was  then  intended  for  publication  in  The  Ottawa 
Naturalist,  but  was  withheld  in  view  of  the  proposed  issue  of  a  re- 
vised Flora  Ottawaensis.  That  has  not  yet  appeared  and  it  is  hoped  that 
these  notes  may  still  have  some  interest  and  possible  value.  The  sub- 
joined list   of   fifty   species   includes   some   unrecorded   ones,   which 


134  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

our  botanists  may  have  also  collected,  as  well  as  some  of  the  rarer 
forms,  and  some  plants  which  may  have  become  extinct,  or  which  are 
disappearing  through  the  destruction  of  their  habitats.  The  most 
interesting  and  attractive  collecting  grounds  were  those  among  the 
rocks  and  ravines  of  the  Kingsmere  hills.  It  was  to  King's  Mt.  that  the 
first  delightful  excursion  of  the  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club  was 
made,  on  May  22,  1879,  and  although  nearly  two-score  summers  have 
since  enriched  the  varied  scenes,  there  still  survive  some  of  those  who 
enjoyed  that  enthusiastic  outing.  Yearly  since  then  some  have  climbed 
the  winding  path  to  the  mountain  top  and  garnered  fresh  treasures, 
but  still  there  remain  discoveries  to  reward  the  careful  seeker.  It  is 
above  all  a  place  for  outlook  and  meditation,  where  from  the  bald 
rocks  of  the  summit,  or  the  shade  of  some  fair  tree,  one  may  gaze  forth 
over  the  farspread  plain  below,  with  its  farms  and  hamlets,  and  the 
towers  of  the  busy  city  beyond  the  river,  and  try  to  picture  and  realize 
the  wonders  of  the  primeval  ocean  that  beat  about  its  base  in  the 
days  of  yore. 

Selaginella  rupestris  (L.)  Spring.     Creeping  Selaginella. 

On  dry  rocks  on  the  summit  of  King's  Mountain,  Kings- 
mere,  P.Q. ;  collected  on  Sept.  11,  1910,  being  then  much  dried 
up.  This  moss-like  humble  plant  occurs  in  similar  situations 
along  the  high  western  escarpment  of  the  mountains.  In  1914, 
it  was  observed  to  be  abundant  on  the  rocky  slopes  of  the 
Okanagan  hills  opposite  Peachland,  B.C. 

Isoetes  echinospora  Dur.  (?)     Quillwort. 

Somewhat  abundant  on  marshy  river  front  (much  trampled 
by  cattle)  near  Deschenes,  P.Q.,  Aug.  1,  1908. 

Isoetes  sp. 

A  smaller  plant,  but  possibly  the  same  species,  growing  in 
.  Meech  Lake,  P.Q.,  in  water  over  one  foot  in  depth;  Aug.  19, 
1906. 

Eriocaulon  articulatum  (Huds.)  Morong.    Pipewort. 

At  Lake  La  Peche,  P. Q.,  (locally  known  as  Wilson's  Lake)  an 
emersed  form  of  this  species  was  collected  on  July  17,  1910,  on  a 
sandy  shore,  the  fruited  stems  being  from  two  to  four  inches  high. 
Nearby  was  a  turtle's  nest  containing  a  large  number  of  empty 
eggs.  The  usual  form  of  this  pipewort  was  abundant  in  Meech 
Lake,  Aug.  14,  1910,  in  water  varying  in  depth  from  one  foot 
to  three  or  four  feet.  The  stems  generally  projected  above  the 
water  several  inches  and  at  the  water  line  were  thickly  encrusted 
with  a  black  band  an  inch  or  more  wide  composed  of  the  eggs  of 
some  aquatic  insect.  In  the  adjoining  Harrington  Lake,  usually 
miscalled  Mousseau's  Lake,  the  plant  grows  in  still  deeper  water 
with  flowers  floating  on  the  surface. 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  135 

Mediola  virginiana  L.     Indian  Cucumber-root. 

This  plant  attracts  attention  by  its  tall  floculent  stem  with  a 
central  whorl  of  large  pointed  leaves,  usually  about  six  in 
number,  and  a  terminal  whorl  of  smaller  leaves  from  which 
depend  the  small  lily-form  flowers  on  slender  pedicels.  The 
most  prolific  localities  for  it  are  the  rich  woods  of  the  Laurentian 
Hills.  Kirk's  Ferry,  P.Q.,  flowers  and  fruit,  July  6,  1905; 
Cascades,  P.Q.,  flowers,  June  19,  1906. 

Habenaria  flava  (L.)  Gray.     Small  Pale  Green  Orchis. 

The  habitat  of  this  plant  is  a  marshy  river-front  where  its 
pale  green  spike  of  blossoms  is  inconspicuous  amid  the  sedges 
and  other  plants  among  which  it  is  dispersed.  On  July  5,  1906, 
it  was  found  in  some  abundance  on  the  shore  near  the  Country 
Club,  P.Q.,  and  on  July  21,  1907,  in  the  same  locality  it  was 
less  numerous,  having  been  badly  trampled  by  cattle  which  seek 
the  river  either  to  drink  or  stand  in  the  water,  and  destroy  much 
of  the  littoral  vegetation. 

Habenaria  psycodes  (L.)  Sw.    Smaller  Purple-fringed  Orchis. 

The  tall  purplish  spikes  of  bloom  appear  some  seasons  in 
great  abundance  and  beautify  the  low  meadows  and  roadsides 
which  are  their  usual  habitat.  The  Beaver  Meadow,  Hull,  P.Q., 
was  often  richly  adorned  in  July  with  these  charming  plants  but, 
alas!  the  devastation  and  ravages  of  the  extensions  of  Hull  are 
fast  destroying  the  beautiful  scenes  to  which  the  Field-Natural- 
ists' Club  frequently  resorted  to  study  the  rich  fauna  and  flora. 
The  winding  creek  overshadowed  by  stately  elms,  with  all  the 
wealth  of  bloom  which  made  gay  the  luscious  meadow,  and  the 
many  rare  plants,  which  combined  to  make  this  area  so  enticing 
to  the  botanist  and  constituted  it  a  profitable  collecting  ground 
for  the  entomologist  and  a  rich  reserve  for  the  bird  lovers,  are 
vanishing.  Collected  at  Chelsea,  P.Q.,  Tulv  9,  1905,  and  Hull. 
July  15,  1905. 

Habenaria  fimbriata  (Ait.)R.  Br.    Large  Purple-fringed  Orchis. 

This  species  is  distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  its  larger 
and  paler  blossoms  and  is  much  more  local  and  rare.  The  best 
locality  known  to  me  was  a  small  area  of  springy  ground  near  a 
cedar  swamp  in  the  deep  woods  north  of  Chelsea,  but  this  habitat 
will  probably  have  been  destroyed  by  the  fires  which  followed  the 
cutting  down  of  the  beautiful  forest.  Instead  of  grateful  shade 
and  lovely  woodland  vistas,  there  are  left  the  crumbling  rocks 
denuded  of  soil  and  desolate  with  the  blackened  trunks  and 
stumps  of  the  forest  monarchs.  Plants  collected  in  the  locality 
described  on  July  1,  1906,  and  July  7,  1907.  An  unusually 
large  and  massive  spike  was  found  on  July  1,  1906,  on  the  edge 
of  the  railway  ditch  near  Kirk's  Ferry.     Unfortunately  these 


136  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

beautiful  flowers  do  not  preserve  their  colours  well  when  dried, 
and  do  not  make  such  attractive  sheets  as  those  of  Pogonia, 
Calapogon  and  Arethusa. 

Spiranthes  lucida  (H.  H.  Eaton)  Ames.  Wide-leafed  Ladies'  Tresses. 
This  is  one  of  our  rarest  orchids  and  only  two  plants  were 
found.  The  first  was  in  flower  on  July  2,  1905,  on  the  wet 
river-front  below  the  Victoria  Hotel,  Aylmer,  P.Q.,  but  the 
habitat  has  since  been  destroyed.  The  second  plant  grew  by  the 
brookside  near  Old  Chelsea  and  was  collected  Sept.  20,  1908., 
withered  but  still  retaining  some  of  the  seed-filled  ovaries. 

Spiranthes  cernua  (L.)  Richard.    Nodding  Ladies'  Tresses. 

This  is  the  most  fragrant  of  our  Ladies'  Tresses,  growing  in 
cold  wet  soils  and  blooming  late  in  the  autumn.  It  was  formerly 
common  in  the  old  gravel-pit  at  Britannia,  Ont.,  and  of  recent 
years  was  abundant  in  a  swampy  meadow  lying  between  the 
Kingsmere  hills  and  Simmon's  Corners,  P.Q.  Collected 
Britannia  Sept.  20,  1905;  Kingsmere,  Sept.  6,  1909. 

Ranunculus  aquatilis  L.  var.  caespitosus  D.C.     White  Water  Crow- 
foot. 

This  dwarfed  and  small-flowered  emersed  form  of  the  water 
crowfoot  was  common  Sept.  19,  1908,  spreading  over  the  mud 
flats,  exposed  by  the  low  water  of  that  year,  along  the  shore 
below  the  Country  (Tub.  The  common  immersed  form  var. 
capillaceus  D.C.  was  also  abundant  in  the  stream. 

Dent  aria  laciniata  Muhl.     Cut-leafed  Tooth  wort  or  Pepper-root. 

This  plant,  as  listed  in  the  Flora  Ottawaensis,  was  collected 
in  a  limited  area  at  Beechwood,  Rockcliffe,  near  the  Cemetery, 
and  I  obtained  specimens  there  on  May  13,  1906.  A  second 
locality  for  this  species  was  discovered  in  the  woods  near  the 
angle  of  the  road  which  branches  toward  Old  Chelsea  as  one 
comes  cityward  from  Kirk's  Ferry,  May  26,  1906. 

Cardamine  parviflora  L.     Small-flowered  Bitter-cress. 

The  only  example  observed  of  this  little  species  was  col- 
lected, July  4,  1909,  on  the  rocky  western  summit  of  King's 
Mountain,  Kingsmere. 

Podostemum  ceratophyllum  Michx.     River  Weed. 

The  afternoon  and  evening  of  September  14,  1908,  were 
spent  by  me  at  the  Experimental  Farm  with  Fletcher  in  entomo- 
logical and  botanical  work  and  conversation,  etc.,  during  which 
he  gave  me  directions  for  finding  the  habitat  which  he  had  dis- 
covered for  the  River  Weed.  Little  did  I  then  think  that  these 
would  be  the  last  of  the  innumerable  pleasant  and  profitable 
hours  in  which  I  had  the  privilege  of  enjoying  the  genial  com- 
panionship, the  over-flowing  hospitality  and  the  unlimited  assist- 
ance and  encouragement  of  my  gifted  and  lovable  friend  and 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  137 

teacher.  Two  days  later,  September  16,  1908,  specimens  of  the 
plant  were  obtained  in  the  Brewery  Creek,  Hull,  almost  opposite 
the  pork  factory.  They  were  about  two  to  four  inches  high  but 
so  covered  with  slime  and  dirt  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
make  decent  herbarium  specimens  from  them.  This  was  a  year 
of  exceptional  low  water  in  the  Ottawa  river,  which  afforded 
good  opportunities  for  obtaining  the  littoral  and  aquat,ic  plants. 
On  September  19,  while  collecting  along  the  shore  near  the 
Country  Club,  it  was  found  that  the  rapids  were  so  low  that  one 
could  pass  dry-footed,  by  stepping  stones,  to  the  islands.  The 
whole  channel  bottom  of  boulders  was  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  river  weed  vastly  different  from  that  in  Brewery  Creek. 
Here  the  plants  were  clean  and  vigorous,  averaging  perhaps  a 
foot  in  height  and  with  terminal  clusters  of  larger  seed  capsules. 
At  this  time  a  new  concrete  dam  was  being  constructed  above  the 
Chaudiere  Falls  and  the  water  was  entirely  diverted,  leaving  the 
river  bottom  exposed  right  to  the  brink  of  the  ledge  over  which 
the  torrent  plunges.  An  opportunity  was  taken,  November  22,  to 
inspect  the  curiously  split  and  water-worn  ledges  of  limestone 
which  the  rushing  floods  of  spring  and  the  heavy  ice  formations 
of  winter  are  always  changing  and  wearing  away.  The  whole 
river  bottom,  right  to  the  brink  of  the  chasm,  was  carpeted  with 
river  weed,  but  the  plants  were  so  dwarfed  by  the  swift  current 
as  to  be  only  from  one  to  three  inches  in  height 

Potentilla  arguta  Pursh.     Tall  Cinquefoil. 

The  only  locality  known  to  me  for  this,  the  largest  and 
coarsest  of  our  cinquefoils,  is  on  the  top  of  King's  Mountain, 
where  it  was  collected  in  fruit  Aut^ust  1,  1909,  and  in  flower 
June  19,  1910. 

Potentilla  recta  L.     Rough-fruited  Cinquefoil. 

One  specimen  taken  at  Meech  Lake,  September  26,  1908. 
apparently  an  accidental  seedling  from  some  garden.  A  second 
example  was  found  on  the  sloping  canal  bank  of  the  Driveway, 
near  the  resident  of  the  Papal  Ablegate,  May  29,  1909,  which 
also  was  an  evident  straggler. 

Potentilla  tridenta  Ait.    Three-toothed  Cinquefoil. 

While  examining  the  rocky  western  summits  of  King's  Mt, 
on  August  1,  1909,  it  was  with  much  surprise  and  genuine 
delight  that  this  lowly  plant,  as  yet  unrecorded  from  the  district, 
was  found  established  in  crevices  of  the  rocks.  Though  not 
abundant  the  plants  immediately  recalled  my  native  shores  of 
Cape  Breton,  where  many  dry  barren  slopes  are  profusely 
clothed  by  the  stiff,  dark-green  foliage  and  starred  by  the 
innumerable  small  white  flowers.     When  discovered  the  plants 


138  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

were  in  fruit,  but  flowering  examples  were  obtained   Tune  19, 
1910. 

Genm  vir  ginianum  L.    Rough,  or  Virginian  Avens. 

This  is  a  coarse  bristly  plant  with  whitish  flowers,  a  clump 
of  which  was  found  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Beaver  Meadow 
July  9,  1908.  It  was  also  collected  in  a  field  below  the  Golf 
Club  on  July  11,  1908. 

Trifolium  arvense  L.    Rabbit-foot,  or  Stone  Clover. 

This  dull-foliaged  plant,  with  silky  flower  heads  looking 
more  like  pussy-willow  catkins  than  the  honey-laden  clover 
blossoms  that  brighten  and  perfume  our  fields,  is  listed  in  the 
Flora  Ottawaensis  as  found  in  a  field  at  Billings'  Bridge,  and  it 
is  stated  to  be  rare.  The  only  locality  which  I  have  found  for 
it  is  a  field  of  sandy  gravelly  soil  adjoining  the  C.P.R.  track 
between  Aylmer  and  the  Park,  where  it  was  abundant  August 
2,  1909. 

Geranium  Bicknellii  Britton.     Bicknell's  Crane's-bill. 

Near  Skead's  Mills,  September  2,  1905;  Britannia,  June 
1,  1906,  flowers;  top  of  King's  Mountain,  August  1,  1909,  fruit. 

Rhus  canadensis  Marsh.     Fragrant  Sumach. 

This  shrub  was  originally  collected  near  Tetreaultville, 
P.Q.,  where  all  the  individuals  forming  a  considerable  patch 
were  thought  by  Dr.  Ami  to  be  parts  of  the  same  plant,  having 
only  staminate  flowers  and  no  seedlings.  It  also  grows  on  the 
top  of  King's  Mt.,  the  shrubs  being  younger  than  those  at 
Teatreaultville.  Collected  July  25  and  August  1,  1909,  and  in 
flower  May  8,  1910. 

Elatine  americana  (Pursh.)  Arn.     Waterwort.     Mud-purslane. 

This  is  a  diminutive  plant,  almost  microscopical  in  its 
dimensions,  which  grows  on  the  muddy  margins  of  pools,  etc.  I 
have  specimens  collected  by  Fletcher  at  Brigham's  Creek,  Hull, 
in  September,  1893.  A  good  series  was  obtained,  July  23,  1908, 
at  Cache  Bay,  near  Hull,  on  the  soft  mud  flats  laid  bare  by  the 
unusually  low  water.  The  plants  are  firmly  rooted  and  have  to 
be  taken  up  with  a  knife  and  then  have  the  adhering  mud  washed 
off  before  they  can  be  pressed.  • 

Panax  quinquefolinm  L.    Ginseng. 

In  the  three  localities  mentioned  in  the  Flora  Ottawaensis 
for  this  plant,  to  which  the  Chinese  attach  such  an  excessive 
medicinal  value,  it  is  now  extinct.  The  best  locality  was  in 
Powell's  Grove,  south  of  the  railway  track,  about  where  Powell 
Avenue  is  now,  well  toward  the  centre  of  the  city.  The  plant 
appears  to  be  very  rare  and  to  occur  only  in  the  shade  of  rich 
woods.  A  fine  specimen  with  its  striking  bunch  of  bright  red 
fruit,  was  found  in  the  wood  north  of  Chelsea,  September  18, 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  139 

1909.  During  the  past  summer,  1916,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  at  Hudson  Heights,  P.Q.,  a  quantity  of  ginseng,  which 
was  being  grown  by  Mr.  Gird  wood,  of  Montreal,  under  the 
shelter  of  cheesecloth,  and  which  was  producing  a  good  crop  of 
roots  and  seeds. 

Sanicula  trifoliata  Bicknell.    Large-fruited  Snakeroot. 

Distinct  by  its  elongate  fruit  and  thinner  foliage,  making 
it  the  most  pleasing  of  our  sanicles.  It  was  not  uncommon  in  the 
rich  woods  bevond  Chelsea,  where  collections  were  made  July  1 
and  22,  1906 /and  July  5,  1908. 

Cornium  maculatum  L.    Poison  Hemlock. 

This  plant  of  ill  repute  grows  several  feet  high  and  its  deli- 
cate fern-like  foliage  and  broad  panicles  of  minute  white  flowers 
make  it  the  handsomest  of  our  umbelliferae,  or  parsley  family. 
A  patch  of  vigorous  specimens  existed  for  some  years  on  the  road- 
side at  Kingsmere,  but  has  now  been  eradicated.  There  is  an- 
other large  patch  of  it  about  half  way  across  the  hills  by  what  is 
known  as  the  Hermit's  Road.  Chelsea,  September  15,  1907; 
Kingsmere,  August  5,  1908. 

Comus  paniculata  L'Her.    Panicled  Cornel. 

This  dogwood  is  of  upright  growth,  with  oblong,  pointed 
leaves,  paler  beneath,  and  numerous  cymose  panicles,  making  a 
handsome  ornamental  shrub.  On  limestone  ledges,  margining 
the  upper  Beaver  Meadow,  Hull,  in  full  flower  June  29,  1906. 

Pyrola  a  sari folia  Mich.    Liver-leaf  Wintergreen. 

In  ravines  of  coniferous  woods,  Kirk's  Ferry,  July  9,  1905. 

var.  incamata  (Fisch.)  Fernald.     Swamp  Wintergreen. 

Leaves  round,  instead  of  kidney  shape  at  base;  flowers 
brighten  pink;  on  mossy  hummocks  in  swampy  ground,  among 
larches,  west  of  Kingsmere  hills;  June  26,  1910;  June  29,  1912. 

Calystegia  spithamens  L.     Low  Bindweed. 

This  somewhat  rare  convolvulus  is  very  different  in  appear- 
ance from  the  abundant  large-flowered  species  which  trails  and 
climbs  extensively  over  roadside  fences  and  shrubberies.  The 
leaves  are  oblong  and,  with  the  stems,  are  covered  with  pubes- 
cence, which  gives  them  a  greyish  colour;  the  growth  of  the  plant 
is  upright,  instead  of  trailing  and  it  also  seems  to  prefer  dry 
sandy,  or  rocky,  soils.  On  winter  road  through  woods  at  Lake 
LaPeche,  P.Q.,  Tulv  17,  1910,  and  on  island  in  Blue  Sea  Lake, 
P.Q.,  July  24,  1910. 

Myosotis  arvensis  (L.)  Hill.     Mouse-ear.     Field  Scorpion-grass. 

This  small  forget-me-not  has  been  growing  in  my  yard  sines 
July  1908.  It  apparently  was  introduced  by  debris  emptied 
from  my  vasculum,  although  the  plant  had  not  been  collected 
or  observed  by  me  elsewhere  in  the  district. 


140  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

Echium  vulgare  L.    Viper's  Buglos.    Blueweed.    Blue  Devil. 

When  the  Flora  Ottawaensis  was  issued  this  plant  was  noted 
as  "gradually  becoming  a  troublesome  weed."  It  has  since 
spread  with  great  rapidity  in  all  directions,  especially  in  dry  or 
stony  soil  and  well  deserves  its  name  of  blue  devil.  Occasionally 
the  flowers  are  pinkish  and  such  plants  .have  a  more  pleasing 
aspect. 

Dracocephalum  parviflorum  Nutt.     Dragon  Head. 

On  gravelly  shore  near  Aylmer  Park,  August  5,  1905,  and 
in  open  rockv  woods,  top  of  King's  Mt,  larger  plants  August 
1,  1909. 

Hedeoma  pulegiodes  (L.)  Pers.    American  Pennyroyal. 

Fletcher  recorded  this  plant  as  found  in  "rich  wood 
Billings'  Bridge,  very  rare."  It  was  one  for  which  I  was  speci- 
ally on  the  lookout  for  several  years  without  success.  On  June 
14,  1916,  while  I  was  walking  leisurely  from  Chelsea  to  Kings- 
mere,  and  about  half  way  from  Old  Chelsea  to  the  lake,  a  patch 
of  bright  colour,  not  far  from  the  roadside,  attracted  my  attention. 
On  examination  it  was  found  to  be  Hedeoma  growing  thickly 
over  an  area  of  some  twenty  feet  or  so  square.  Nearly  every 
summer  this  pleasant  hillside  road  had  been  frequently  traversed 
and  a  sharp  lookout  kept  for  insects,  birds  and  plants.  It  seemed 
scarcely  possible  that  the  little  mint  should  have  been  overlooked, 
although  when  not  in  bloom  it  would  be  inconspicuous.  From 
the  area  occupied  it  would  seem  to  have  been  colonized  for  some 
time. 

Pycnanthemum   virginianum    (L.)      Durand  &   Jackson.      Virginian 
Mountain  Mint. 

Several  specimens  were  found  October  20,  1906,,  in  a  dry 
field,  between  the  Ottawa  Golf  Club,  P.Q.,  and  the  river.  The 
plants  were  about  two  and  one-half  feet  high,  with  small  lanceo- 
late leaves  and  large-fruited  corymbs. 

Verbascum  Blattaria  L.    Moth  Mullein. 

Dry  pasture,  Billings'  Bridge,  August  19,  1905.  Slopes  at 
north  end  of  Fairy  Lake,  P.Q.,  July  25,  1908.  Common  along 
roadside  near  Buckingham,  P.Q.,  July  1912. 

Penstemon  hirsutus  (L.)  Willd.    Hairy  Beard-tongue. 

On  talus  under  limestone  cliff,  Cache  Bay,  Hull,  in  flower, 
June  9,  1906.  On  limestone  ledges,  Tetreaultville,  P.Q.,  in 
flower  July  11,  1906.  Among  the  rocks  on  top  of  King's  Mt, 
fruited  July  25,  1909,  and  common  in  same  locality  in  full 
flower  June  19,  1910. 

Mimulns  moschatus  Dougl. 

In  1908  this  plant,  so  easily  recognized  by  its  soft,  pubescent 
leaves,  and  sweet  musk-scented  yellow  tubular  flowers,  was  found 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  141 

well  established  in  cold  spring)'  ground  bordering  a  streamlet 
that  crosses  the  road  at  Kingsmere  and  flows  down  toward  the 
Gatineau  through  a  wooded  ravine.  Occasional  specimens 
occurred  along  the  stream  for  about  a  mile.  As  to  this  plant 
being  indigenous,  or  introduced,  in  the  East  is  uncertain  and  at 
Kingsmere  it  may  have  become  established  by  garden  escapes  or 
seeds  carried  down  by  the  brooklet,  which  flows  by  a  couple  of 
farms.  The  species  is  native  to  British  Columbia,  and  Macoun 
in  his  Catalogue  of  Canadian  Plants,  vol.  1,  p.  358,  says  of  it: 
"Certainly  a  garden  escape  in  N.B."  Britton  &  Brown,  in 
recording  eastern  occurrences  give  them  as  "Adventive  from  the 
Pacific  Coast."  Gray's  Manual  gives  it  as  found  in  "Damp 
soil,  especially  by  cold  streams,  Newfoundland  to  Michigan; 
abundant  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  whence  perhaps  introduced." 
The  Kingsmere  plants  were  still  growing  and  blooming  last 
summer,  although  they  had  been  much  destroyed  by  the  trampling 
of  cattle  around  the  water.  Specimens  collected  September  20, 
1908,  and  July  4,  1909  . 

Gratiola  aurea  Muhl.     Golden  Hedge  Hyssop. 

Rather  abundant  on  muddy  shore,  among  rocks,  on  point  in 
Ottawa  river,  near  Deschenes,  P.Q.,  August  26,  1905.  On  river 
shore,  Hull,  near  C.P.R.  bridge,  August,  1908. 

Veronica  arvensis  L.     Corn  Speed  well. 

Specimens  from  Fletcher  are  labelled  "Roadside,  Gilmour's 
Grove,  Chelsea,  P.Q.,  June  8,  1901."  Mine  were  collected  on 
drv  rockv  ground  about  half-way  between  Fairv  Lake  and  Hull, 
June  6,  1909. 

Lonicera  caeridea  L.     \ar.  villosa  (Michx.)  T.  &  G.     Mountain  Fly 
Honeysuckle. 

In  spruce  woods  bordering  the  peat  swamp,  Mere  Bleue, 
Carlsbad  Springs,  Ont  ,  on  July  18,  1905,  with  ripe  fruit.  A 
shrubby  plant  with  lightly  pubescent  twigs;  leaves  oblong  and 
thickish;  twin  fruits  coalescent  into  one  large  blue  berry,  stated 
in  Gray's  Manual  to  be  edible. 

Lonicera  oblongifolia  (Goldie. )  Hook.     Swamp  Fly  Honeysuckle. 

Recorded  in  Flora  Ottawaensis  from  "Peat  Bog,  Mere 
Blue.  Rare."  It  grew,  however,  nearer  home,  as  I  found  it  in 
fruit  in  Dow's  Swamp  on  June  24,  1905.  The  leaves  are  broadly 
oval  or  oblong  with  a  bluish  tint;  fruit  small,  purplish,  coalescent 
or  semi-coalescent. 

Triosteum  perfoliatum  L.    Feverwort.    Horse  Gentian.  Tinker's  Weed. 

My  search  for  this  plant  was  void  until  it  was  found  in 

fruit  on  October  3,  1909,  at  Kingsmere.     Flowering  examples 

were  taken  June  19,  1910,  in  the  same  locality.    The  plant  is  of 

coarse  growth,  with  much  of  the  appearance  of  a  milkweed.   The 


142  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February- 

flowers  and  fruits  are  situate  at  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  and  this, 
combined  with  the  stout  stems,  makes  it  difficult  to  produce  good 
herbarium  specimens. 

Viburnum  pubescens  (Ait.)  Pursh.    Downy  Arrow-wood. 

Rocky  open  woods,  top  of  King's  Mt,  in  fruit  July  25,  1909. 

Lobelia  spicata  Lam.    Pale  Spiked  Lobelia. 

Several  examples  found  growing  in  hay-field  in  Beaver 
Meadow,  Hull,  July  14,  1905,  and  a  few  in  a  hayfield  near  the 
railway  station  at  Chelsea,  July  5,  1908.  Extinct  in  both 
habitats  through  subsequent  cultivation. 

Lobellia  Dortmanna  L.    Water  Lobelia. 

Taken  by  Fletcher  in  Mud  Bay,  Meech  Lake,  but  searched 
for  there  unsuccessfully  for  several  years,  failure  to  find  the 
plant  being  probably  due  to  its  not  being  in  flower  and  still 
below  the  surface  of  the  water.  On  August  7,  1912,  I  found 
this  plant  growing  profusely,  in  full  flower,  in  water  two  to  three 
feet  deep  with  gravelly  bottom,  in  the  Forks  Lake,  a  few  miles 
from  Sydney,  N.S. 

Eupatorium  perfoliatum  L.    Thoroughwort. "  Boneset. 

Examples  of  this  common  boneset  were  found  August  7, 
1905,  growing  along  a  ditch  at  Kirk's  Ferry,  with  whorls  of  three 
connate  perfoliate  leaves  in  place  of  the  usual  two  opposite  ones. 
The  extra  leaf  adds  much  to  the  symmetry  and  beauty  of  the 
specimens.  Other  examples  of  the  same  triperfoliate  form  have 
since  been  observed  on  several  occasions  in  swampy  ground 
nearer  Chelsea. 

Solidago  latifolia  L.    Zigzag,  or  Broad-leafed  Goldenrod. 

This  species  appears  to  be  rare  and  has  been  found  only  in 
a  wet  cedar  wood  near  Hull,  between  the  Aylmer  road  and  the 
river,  September  16  and  28,  1905.  The  broad  sharply  saw- 
toothed  leaves  and  the  racemose  spikelets  of  flowers  arising  from 
the  leaf  axils  of  several  terminal  inches  of  the  stem  make  this  a 
handsome  goldenrod. 

Antennaria  fallax  Greene.    Everlasting.     Pussy's  Toes. 

This  species  is  not  given  in  the  Flora  Ottawaensis  or  in 
Macoun's  Catalogue  of  Canadian  Plants,  but  I  have  a  specimen 
collected  by  Fletcher  at  Rockcliffe,  June  11,  1904.  It  seems  to 
be  well  established  on  the  top  of  King's  Mt.,  near  the  signal 
station.  Possibly  this  is  the  species  recorded  as  plantaginifolia 
in  the  Flora  Ottawaensis. 

Heliantkus  divaricatus  L.     Rough,  or  Woodland  Sunflower. 

Under  the  record  of  H.  annuus,  as  an  escape  from  cultiva- 
tion, Fletcher  says,  "It  is  rather  remarkable  that  we  have  so  far 
found  none  of  the  native  Helianthi  wild  in  this  locality."  This 
absence  was  often  discussed  by  us  because  we  had  received,  in 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  143 

1885,  from  Mr.  Wm.  Bowles,  of  Montreal,  numerous  examples 
of  a  tortoise-bettle,  Physonota  unipunctata  Say,  which  he  had 
taken  feeding  on  such  plants.  We  were  anxious  to  ascertain 
whether  the  beetles  occurred  here,  but  never  during  Fletcher's 
lifetime  could  find  any  sunflowers.  The  next  summer,  while 
exploring  the  summits  of  King's  Mt,  August  1,  1909,  not  far 
from  the  signal  station,  I  was  greatly  surprised,  as  well  as 
delighted,  to  find  in  full  bloom  many  of  these  conspicuous 
flowers  which  were  scattered  over  the  western  rock}-  front  of  the 
mountain.  They  have  been  abundant  each  season,  but  so  far  the 
beetles  have  not  appeared  It  is  strange  that  we  should  so  often 
have  visited  the  mountain  and  that,  at  such  a  short  distance 
away,  these  long-sought  flowers  must  have  been  blooming  un- 
seen. The  species  had  evidently  been  established  many  years 
earlier  and  I  find  that  Macoun  in  his  Catalogue  of  Canadian 
Plants  records  it  as  found  by  Billings  at  Chelsea,  and  that  the 
McGill  Coll.  Herb,  contains  examples  from  the  vicinity  of 
Ottawa. 

Bidens  Beckii  Torr.    Water  Marigold. 

This  is  an  aquatic  form  of  beggar-ticks,  which  the  Flora 
Ottawaensis  gives  as  "Not  uncommon  in  the  Ottawa  and  Rideau 
rivers,  but  seldom  flowering."     In  the  canal,  not  far  from  Hart- 
well's  Locks,  flowers  were  abundant  September  7,  1908. 
Chrysanthemum  Parthenium  (L.)  Bernh.    Feverfew. 

This  is  evidently  a  garden  escape  which  became  established 
along  the  roadside  at  Kingsmere,  but  it  is  of  interest  in  connection 
with  the  occurrence  of  the  musk  flower  previously  mentioned,  as 
it  was  found  July  4,  1909,  at  some  distance  down  the  ravine 
through  which  the  brooklet  flows.  Growing  in  the  shade  of  the 
trees  and  in  wetter  soil  the  plants,  were  taller,  more  spindly,  and 
with  thinner  foliage. 

Petasites  palmatus  (Ait.)  Gray.     Sweet  Coltsfoot. 

I  can  remember  when  this  plant  grew  in  the  swampy 
enclosure  of  the  old  race-track  at  Powell's  Grove,  on  the  Glebe 
property,  and  May  1,  1906,  Fletcher  gave  to  me  flowers  grown  at 
the  Experimental  Farm  from  plants  gathered  years  before  in  the 
locality  mentioned.  My  friend  Mr.  Frank  Latchford  (now  a 
Judge)  subsequently  informed  me  that  he  had  found  the  plant 
growing  in  a  swamp  near  Simmon's  Corners,  P.Q.,  but  I  could 
not  find  the  location  until  June  29,  1912.  Leaves  only  were 
obtained  then  and  I  have  not  since  visited  the  swamp  early 
enough  to  collect  flowers.  j/wk  klGifl/>V 


'.-<' 


144  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

HORNED  LARKS  AT  AWEME,  MANITOBA. 


By  Stuart  and  Norman  Criddle. 


There  are  few  small  birds  better  known  than  the  Horned  Larks 
when  considered  collectively,  that  is  to  say,  when  we  merely  recognize 
them  as  a  species  without  attempting  to  divide  and  distinguish  them 
as  they  have  been  separated  by  systematists.  We  are,  for  instance,  all 
familiar  with  the  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  or  think  we  are,  until  its  close 
allies  are  placed  alongside,  when  few  indeed  will  be  able  to  tell  one 
from  another.  The  fact  that  these  birds  have  been  divided  into  so 
many  geographical  races  which  are  so  alike  in  general  appearance, 
makes  them  of  particular  interest  to  students  of  geopraphical  distri- 
bution. The  systematists  have  divided  them  and  given  them  names. 
It  remains  for  the  workers  in  ecology  to  confirm  or  reject  this  classifi- 
cation by  showing  that  there  is,  or  is  not,  a  difference  in  life  habits. 
We  doubt  very  much,  whether  two  distinct  races  will  ever  possess 
identical  habits  and  we  hold  that  if  these  habits  differ  ever  so  little, 
then  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  animals  possessing  them 
are  distinct.  A  difference  of  a  few  days  in  the  average  date  of  arrival, 
the  selection  of  a  different  situation  or  kind  of  locality  for  breeding 
purposes  should  be  alone  sufficient  to  demonstrate  that  there  are  two 
races  involved.  We  have  a  case  in  point  in  the  local  Lapland  Long- 
spur  migrations.  With  these  birds  there  are  two  very  marked  differ- 
ences, both  as  to  time  of  arrival  and  departure.  WTe  have  never  actu- 
ally demonstrated  by  collecting  specimens,  that  there  are  two  races 
involved,  yet  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  such  is  the  case.  Turning 
to  our  Manitoba  Horned  Larks,  we  have  long  realized  that  there  were 
three  or  four  races  present,  though  it  is  only  within  recent  times  that 
the  senior  writer  has  actually  shown  this  to  be  so  by  the  collecting  of 
examples.  These  specimens  have  been  determined  through  the  courtesy 
of  Dr.  Henshaw,  by  Mr.  Oberholser  of  the  U.  S.  Biological  Survey,  to 
both  of  whom  the  writers  are  under  many  obligations. 

We  have,  so  far,  been  able  to  recognize  four  horned  larks  in  the 
vicinity  of  Aweme,  Manitoba,  namely:  the  Prairie  Horned  Lark, 
Otocoris  alpestris  practicola;  Oberholser's  Horned  Lark,  O.  a.  enthy- 
mia,  the  Pallid  Horned  Lark,  O.  a.  arctica,  and  the  Hoyt  Horned 
Lark,  O.  a.  hoyti.  Of  these  the  first  two  are  summer  residents  in  the 
neighbourhood,  while  the  latter  have  only  been  noted  as  migrants. 

Prairie  Horned  Lark. 

This  is  the  dominant  race  around  the  farm  yard  and  seems  to  take 
more  kindly  to  the  haunts  of  man  than  do  its  allies.  In  nature  it  is 
found  breeding  in  the  vicinity  of  semi-wooded  areas;  uplands  where 
the  grass  is  sparse  and  the  soil  sandy  seem  to  suit  it  best.  It  is  far  less 
of  a  true  prairie  bird  than  enthymia  and  while  it  invariably  selects 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  145 

open  ground  for  nesting  purposes,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  such 
nests  situated  within  a  few  feet  of  low  trees  or  bushes  upon  which  the 
males  sometimes  perch  while  singing. 

The  Prairie  Horned  Lark  is  the  first  of  all  migrants  to  return 
from  the  south  and  in  consequence  its  arrival  is  heralded  as  the  first 
harbinger  of  spring,  a  forerunner  of  the  glories  to  come  when  animated 
nature  awakens  once  more  from  its  long  winter's  sleep.  Even 
Manitobans  admit  that  the  winters,  while  invigorating,  are,  at  times, 
a  trifle  long,  hence  the  reappearance  of  the  horned  larks  is  a  welcome 
one.  They  frequently  return  to  us  while  the  country  is  still  under  a 
mantle  of  snow  but  we  feel,  nevertheless,  that  their  northward  move- 
ments are  impelled  by  Old  Sol's  persuasion  and  that  it  will  not  be 
long  before  this  is  demonstrated. 

From  an  examination  of  records  covering  20  years,  we  find  that 
the  first  spring  arrival  reaches  us,  on  an  average,  about  February  22. 
At  times  they  have  been  seen  much  earlier,  at  others,  later.  In  autumn, 
the  last  to  leave  averages  November  16.  There  are  winters  when  odd 
individuals  may  be  seen  throughout  the  season,  but  these  are 
exceptions. 

The  male  horned  larks,  like  so  many  other  birds,  arrive  well 
ahead  of  the  females,  and  until  the  latter  appear  remain  comparatively 
quiet,  contenting  themselves  with  the  daily  search  for  food  and  with 
uttering,  from  time  to  time,  that  cheery  little  song  with  which  we  are 
all  familiar.  In -a  little  more  than  two  weeks  the  females  appear,  alter- 
ing in  a  moment  the  peaceful  existence  of  their  mates  to  be.  Individual 
combats  are  now  of  frequent  occurrence  and  continue  until  both  mates 
and  nesting  sites  have  been  won.  The  males  now  exercise  all  their 
powers  of  song,  rising  high  in  the  air  during  the  day  and  at  twilight 
making  the  whole  countryside  resound  with  their  characteristic  songs. 
In  these  efforts  they  continue  as  long  as  there  is  light  and  commence 
again  in  the  morning  at  the  first  indication  of  dawn.  To  us  there  are 
few  more  cheerful  songsters  and  as  they  frequently  choose  a  singing 
perch  within  a  few  feet  of  the  house  we  have  every  opportunity  to  judge 
of  their  merits. 

Nests  are  invariably  sunk  into  the  ground  so  that  their  upper  edge 
is  little  above  its  surface.  At  times  some  beautiful  clump  of  anemonies 
may  hide  the  young  from  view,  at  others  there  is  practically  no  shelter, 
the  birds  apparently  depending  wholly  upon  their  dull  colours  to  hide 
them  from  their  enemies.  We  have  found  nests  with  eggs  in  them 
about  the  middle  of  March  and  young  birds  able  to  fly  on  April  14. 
How  they  manage  to  survive  the  snow  storms  and  cold,  not  uncommon 
at  this  time  of  year,  is  a  mystery.  That  they  do  so  there  is  no  doubt. 
As  a  rule,  however,  the  percentage  of  young  reared  in  the  early  season 
is  low  and  in  the  first  brood  one  seldom  meets  with  more  than  a  single 
fully  developed  nestling,  though  in  later  broods  three  or  four  are  often 


146  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

reared.  We  find  that  the  average  number  of  broods  is  three,  though  at 
times  there  may  be  a  fourth.  In  their  domestic  duties  both  birds  take 
an  active  part,  the  male  not  only  relieving  the  female  upon  the  nest  but 
also  taking  his  share  in  feeding  the  young.  In  fact  they  are  an  excel- 
lent example  of  true  domestic  harmony,  in  as  much  as  each  contribute 
an  equal  share  to  the  family  welfare. 

In  1916,  a  nest  of  this  species  was  located  in  a  garden  among 
some  old  dead  flowers.  It  suffered  somewhat  by  being  raked  over 
before  it  was  noticed,  but  was  replaced  with  sufficient  care  to  satisfy 
the  old  birds.  They  were  an  unusually  tame  couple  and  were  thus  able 
to  be  watched  without  disturbing  their  daily  habits.  It  was  seen  that 
both  were  equally  energetic  in  tending  the  young  though  the  male  was 
less  frequently  found  upon  the  nest,  while  during  the  early  morning 
and  again  in  the  evening,  his  musical  tendencies  overcame  his  usual 
domestic  thoughts,  or  perhaps,  as  seems  more  likely,  the  young 
required  less  attention  at  such  times,  so  he  devoted  his  energy  to  a 
serenade  for  the  benefit  of  his  domestic  little  mate.  Food  for  the 
young  was  secured  close  at  hand  and  consisted  of  a  mixed  up  mass  of  , 
insect  matter,  as  a  rule  unidentifiable.  From  this  mass,  however, 
numerous  cutworms  were  seen  hanging,  from  time  to  time,  the  identity 
of  which  was  unmistakable.  The  female  was  particularly  fearless  and 
would  continue  her  domestic  duties  while  we  watched  from  a  few  feet 
away.  Thus  we  often  saw  her  feed  the  young  and  likewise  fit  her 
body  snugly  over  them  afterwards.  On  June  27  one  young  bird  had 
left  the  nest  and  was  followed  next  day  by  the  remaining  one.  Neither 
could  fly  at  this  time  and  both  were  frequently  seen  close  at  hand 
afterwards. 

These  birds  remain  for  a  considerable  time  around  their  homes 
after  nesting  and  seldom,  if  ever,  gather  into  flocks  or  congregate  upon 
the  ploughed  fields  as  do  other  kinds  of  horned  larks. 

Oberholser's  Horned  Lark. 

We  are  less  familiar  with  this  bird  than  with  the  last  and  owing 
to  the  difficulty  of  determination,  it  was  longer  before  we  were  able  to 
distinguish  it  in  the  field.  As  was  to  be  expected,  birds  so  closely 
related  as  the  horned  larks  have  much  in  common  concerning  habits 
of  living,  though  it  is  astonishing  how  many  differences  there  are 
when  they  are  studied  closely.  We  shall  not  attempt  to  present  the 
habits  of  this  race  in  detail,  as  in  a  general  way  they  resemble  those  of 
praticola,  but  will  content  ourselves  by  comparing  the  chief  points  of 
difference. 

To  begin  with,  enthymia  is  practically  a  month  later  in  arriving 
from  the  south.  Then,  instead  of  arriving  as  odd  individuals,  as  does 
the  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  it  comes  in  flocks  varying  from  seven  to 
twenty  or  more,  and  at  the  height  of  the  migration  in  bunches  of 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  147 

several  hundred.  Thus  they  are  soon  found  in  large  gatherings  upon 
ploughed  fields,  where  they  remain  for  about  a  month  before  dispersing 
for  their  nesting  grounds.  It  is,  therefore,  May  before  they  commence 
domestic  duties,  our  earliest  record  for  a  nest  with  fresh  eggs  being 
May  3.  In  selecting  their  breeding  grounds  these  birds  show  a  pre- 
ference for  the  larger  plains  which  are  well  away  from  trees  of  any 
kind.  The}-  also  nest  in  colonies  like  the  Chestnut-colored  Longspur, 
in  fact  the  summer  homes  of  these  two  birds  are  very  similar.  The 
nests  of  enthymia  do  not  differ  in  any  marked  degree  from  those  of 
praticola,  but  they  are  usually  in  rather  denser  vegetation. 

Colonies  of  Oberholser's  Horned  Larks  have  been  known  to  us 
for  a  number  of  years  situated  on  a  small  plain  north-west  of  our 
home.  Another  lot  of  almost  a  hundred  have  recently  taken  up  their 
quarters  on  some  deserted  fields  which  they  have  occupied  for  the  last 
two  years. 

The  fact  that  this  race  is  gregarious  seems  to  account  for  the 
individuals  being  less  pugnacious  than  the  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  and 
perhaps,  also,  for  their  being  less  musical.  Our  observations  indicate 
that  they  rise  less  high  in  the  air  while  singing  and  that  their  song  is 
softer  and  the  notes  less  distinct.  On  account  of  their  lateness  in 
commencing  to  nest  it  does  not  seem  probable  that  there  are  more  than 
two  broods  in  a  season.  Nor  do  the  birds  remain  as  long  upon  their 
breeding  grounds,  but  as  soon  as  the  nesting  season  is  over  they  return 
to  the  ploughed  fields,  where  they  are  joined  later  on  by  other  kinds 
and  so  become  hopelessly  mixed  from  a  naturalist's  point  of  view. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  while  these  two  breeding  races  are 
extremely  difficult  to  tell  apart,  their  habits  are  such  as  to  leave  no 
doubt  as  to  their  distinctness. 

The  Pallid  Horned  Lark  and  the  Hoyt  Horned  Lark. 

Of  the  Pallid  Horned  Lark — articola — and  Hoyt  Horned  Lark — 
hoyti — we  have  little  to  write.  They  are,  so  far  as  we  know,  both 
migrants  only,  and  pass  to  other  parts  for  nesting  purposes.  They 
usually  arrive  within  a  few  days  of  each  other  and  with  the  Lapland 
Longspurs  in  large  flocks  about  April  6.  Soon  the  ploughed  fields 
are  swarming  with  them  and  their  value  as  destroyers  of  noxious  weed 
seeds  must  be  considerable.  At  this  time  they  are  somewhat  secretive. 
They  nearly  always  run  in  a  crouching  attitude  and  squat  down  fiat 
at  the  least  alarm,  when  their  colour  resemblance  to  the  surrounding 
landscape  makes  them  almost  invisible  from  a  short  distance  away. 
The  squatting  action  also  prepares  them  for  a  spring  upwards  and  as 
one  rises,  in  alarm,  the  others  quickly  follow,  so  that  in  a  moment 
thousands  of  birds  are  in  the  air  rapidly  darting  up  and  down.  Then 
suddenly  they  drop  onto  the  field  again  and  all  is  quiet  as  before. 

It  is  an  interesting  sight  to  see  these  birds,  in  company  with 


148  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [February 

thousands  of  Longspurs,  circling  for  miles  around  some  large  hawk, 
though  their  object  in  doing  so  is  a  mystery  and  seems  to  be  almost 
ignored  by  the  hawk.  Their  music,  as  they  fly  around  in  millions, 
fills  the  air,  producing '  an  effect  which  is  long  remembered.  Both 
Horned  Larks  and  Lapland  Longspurs  may  also  be  seen  to  rise  some 
30  feet,  uttering  as  they  drop  a  short  song.  It  is  evident,  however,  that 
this  is  only  a  prelude  to  what  is  to  come  when  the  birds  reach  their 
true  homes. 


NOTES. 


Over  seven  hundred  fragments  of  pipes  made  of  pottery  have  been 
counted  among  the  finds  made  in  the  prehistoric  Iroquoian  Indian  site 
at  Roebuck,  Ontario,  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  who  explored  there 
for  the  Geological  Survey  in  1912.  Wagon  loads  of  pottery  and  some 
charred  corn  and  beans,  but  only  four  arrowheads  chipped  out  of 
stone,  being  found  here  among  other  finds,  suggest  that  the  prehistoric 
inhabitants  were  apparently  agriculturists  who  did  not  hunt  and  fight 
as  much  as  we  are  generally  led  to  believe  that  the  Indians  did.  Over 
eighty  graves  were  found,  but  only  one  contained  anything  besides  the 
skeleton,  the  custom  apparently  being  different  from  that  among  many 
other  kinds  of  Indians. 


An  aged  Maya  Indian  woman  from  near  Progresso,  Yucatan,  is 
residing  in  Ottawa,  undoubtedly  the  only  person  in  the  Dominion  who 
can  speak  Maya.  The  Mayas  are  the  remnants  of  the  tribe  that  is 
believed  to  have  built  the  most  beautiful  of  the  ruined  cities  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America — the  finest  architecture  of  the  New  World. 


Oyster  and  quahog  shells  were  found  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Wintemberg 
in  exploring  a  shellheap  on  Mahone  Bay,  N.S.,  for  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Canada.  The  oyster  and  quahog  have  not  been  known  to 
live  on  the  southeastern  or  outside  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  since  the 
region  was  first  visited  by  white  people.  The  finding  of  these  shells 
consequently  suggests  that  the  heaps  are  of  considerable  antiquity  and 
is  of  interest  to  the  students  concerned  with  these  shell  fish  as  indicat- 
ing that  at  least  these  two  species  formerly  lived  in  the  waters  near 
Mahone  Bay.  While  the  Indians  may  have  carried  dried  oysters  and 
clams  for  some  distance,  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they  transported  them 
in  the  shells  or  that  they  carried  the  shells  from  a  distant  place,  especi- 
ally since  we  do  not  find  these  particular  shells  were  used  by  the 
Indians  in  this  vicinity.  In  fact  the  Indians  who  left  the  shellheaps  of 
the  eastern  coast  of  Canada  did  not  use  shell  to  any  verv  great  extent. 


THE  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

Vol.  XXX.  MARCH,   1917.  No.  12 

NOTES  ON  THE  BOTTOM  ENVIRONMENT  OF  THE 

MARINE  INVERTEBRATES  OF  WESTERN 

NOVA  SCOTIA.1 


By  E  M.  Kindle. 


During  the  summer  of  1914,  a  study  of  the  relationship  of  the 
bottom  materials  to  the  composition  of  the  faunas  living  upon  them  in 
the  shallow  coastal  waters  of  western  Nova  Scotia  was  undertaken  by 
the  writer  assisted  by  Mr.  E.  J.  Whittaker.  At  the  time  the  report  a 
on  this  work  was  written  only  the  pelecypods  and  gasteropods  collected 
during  the  progress  of  this  work  had  been  determined.  The  remainder 
of  the  fauna  which  was  referred  to  Dr.  Paul  Bartsch  of  the  U.S.  Nat. 
Mus.  for  identification  has  since  been  studied  by  Dr.  Bartsch  and  other 
specialists.  The  resulting  list  of  species  includes  at  least  one  species, — 
Libinia  emarginata  Leach, — not  previously  known  in  Nova  Scotian 
waters.  The  following  list  which  I  am  able  to  prepare  through  the 
courtesy  of  Dr.  Bartsch  is  offered  as  a  minor  contribution  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  bathymetric  range  and  the  bottom  environment  of 
the  several  species  which  were  collected.  For  the  sake  of  completeness 
the  present  list  is  made  to  include  the  pelecypoda  and  gasteropoda 
which  were  listed  in  the  writer's  earlier  paper. b 

The  character  of  the  bottom  at  each  collection  station  is  indicated 
in  the  following  list  of  stations. 

Collecting  Stations. 

Sta.  No.  1.     Digby,  N.S.,  Intertidal  zone,  boulder  strewn  beach. 

2.  Digby,  N.S.,  300  to  400  yards  east  of  Government  pier 

in  2  fathoms.    Soft  black  mud  bottom. 

3.  Digby,  N.S.,  3  to  4  miles  N.E.  of  Digby,  Outer  margin 

and  inside  of  bar  running  S.W.  from  Bear  Island;  in 
3  to  6  fathoms.    Collection  nearly  all  from  muddy  sand. 

1.     Published    with    the    permission    of    the    Director    of    the    Geological 
Survey  of  Canada. 

a.  E.    M.    Kindle,    Bottom    control   of   Marine   faunas   as   illustrated   by 
dredging  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.     Am.  Jour.  Sci.  vol.  XLI,  1916,  pp.  449-461. 

b.  Ibid. 


150 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


[March 


4.  Bear  Island,  N.E.   of  Digby,  N.S.   4  miles.     Intertidal 

zone,  boulder  strewn  beach. 

5.  Head  of  St.  Mary's  Bay,  N.S.,  Intertidal  zone.     Beach  of 

sand,  gravel  and  mud. 

6.  Kingsport,  N.S.  1%  miles  N.E.  of  pier.     Gravel  bottom, 

shallow  water. 

7.  Kingsport,   N.S.      Channel   opposite   Kingsport   pier;    1 

fathom  at  low  tide;  sandy  mud  bottom. 

8.  Kingsport,  N.S.     Intertidal  zone:     Beach  of  rocks,  gravel 

and  muddy  sand  (Living  shells  in  pools). 

9.  Kingsport,  N.S.     Beach  of  sand  and  mud  between  tides 

(Dead  shells). 
10.     Mouth  of  Avon  River  opposite  Chiverie  Pt.  N.S.  2  to  6 
fathoms,  rocky  and  sandy  bottom. 

The  term  intertidal  zone  is  used  here  instead  of  littoral  zone 
which  was  formerly  in  universal  use  for  the  zone  between  low  and  high 
tide,  because  the  latter  term  has  in  recent  years  been  used  by  Dall, 
Grabau  and  some  others  to  include  the  marine  habitat  down  to  depths 
of  100  fathoms. 


Faunal  List. 

Boulders  and  sand. 
Intertidal  zone. 

-0 

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f-<    r-1 

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u 

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5  ° 

3-S 

>> 

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■s  . 
rig 

PORLFERA. 

Desmacidion  palmata  Johnston 

Coelenterata. 
Hydractinia  echinata  (Fleming) 
Monocaulus  slacialis  (Sars) 

1 

2 

1 

X 

X 

X 

4 

5 

— 

6  • 

X 

7 

X 

8     9 

10 

X 

Vermes. 
Harmothoe  imbricata  (Linn) 
Mob     3  specimens 

X 

Lepidonotus  squamatus  (Linn) 
Kinber^         specimen 

Nephthys  caeca  (Fabr.)  Oersted 
Phascolion  strombi  Montagu, 
2  specimens             - 

l 

X 

X 

Sternaspis   fossor   Stimpson, 
1  specimen 

X 

1917] 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


151 


Faunal  List 

a 

d  . 
■/.  . 

,_  a 

c  ° 
Z  N 

CO  ,_, 

09  CS 

S-  — 

CU-r- 

2£ 

•6 

3 

s 

a 

o 

- 

s 

•6 

£ 

>> 
■d 

I    - 

cj 

1    02 

5 
>  . 

•/.  r. 

Cp.r- 

Sand,   gravel  &mucl 
[ntertidal  zone. 

Gravel. 

£ 

— 
a 

CtJ 

02 

:  - 
«  o 

1—1  -1—1 
>  ^ 

55 

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C  o 

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11 

- 

1 
Molluscoedea. 
Alcvonidium  mvtili  Dalvell 

2 

X 

4 

5 

6 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

7 

S 

9 

10 

J                                       J                            J 

Cribrilina  punctata  (Haasall) 
Membranipora  monostachys 
(Busk.) 

X 
X 

Membranipora  flemingii  (Busk) 
Mucronella  peachii    (Johnston) 
Schizoporella  biaperta(  Michlin) 

Pelecypoda. 
Anomia  simplex  Orb. 

X 
X 

X 

Astarte  crenata  Grav 

X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

— 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

Astarte  undata  Gld. 

X 

X 

X 

X 

— 

X 

X 

X 

Callocardia  morrhuana  Linsley. 
(  ardium  pinnulatum  Conr. 

X 

Clidiophora  gouldiana  Dall 

Cyprina  islandica  L. 
Cytherea  convexa  Say — (Callo- 
cardia morrhuana  Linslev) 
Ensis  americana  Gould 

Epitonium  groenlandicum  Perry 
Lyonsia  hvalina  Conr. 

X 

X 

Macoma  balthica  L. 

X 

X 

Macoma  balthica  fusca  Say 

X 

Macoma  calcareu  Gm. 

Macoma  sp. 

X 
X 

Mactra  solidissima  Dillwvn 

(Spisula  solidissima) 
Modiolaria  discors  L. 

x 

Modiolaria  nigra  Gray 

X 
X 

X 
X 

Modiolus  fragm. 

X 

X 

-  - 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

Modiolus  modiolus  L. 

X 

X 
X 

x 

x 

Modiolus  plicatula  Lam.  (M. 
demissus  Dilhv.) 

Mya  arenaria  L.                                x 
Mytilus  edulis  L. '                            x 

X 

X 
X 

152 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


[March 


Faunal  List 

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ni   ■ 

to  co 

go 
■a 

to  oj 

t2 
St 

r-j     0) 

3 

E 

o 

3 

•6 

3 

£ 
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F*  c* 

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02 

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b  0 

2~ 

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2  « 
5  ° 

to 
-O  OS 

r-     ^ 

1  3  +-i 

•a 

a 

a 

CO 

c  3 

Nucula  proxima  Say 

1 

2 

X 

3 

X 

4 

5 

6 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

x 

X 
X 
X 

T 

X 
X 

X 

7 

X 

X 
X 

8 

X 

X 
X 

9 

X 
X 

X 
X 

10 

Pecten  magellanicus  Gm 

Periploma  fragilus  Totten 

X 

X 
X 

Petricola  pholadiformis  Lam._._ 
Saxicava  arctica  L.  (S.  rugosa)_ 
Thyasira  obesa  Ver. 

X 

X 

Venericardia  borealis  Conr.   . 

Yoldia  limatula  Say 

Gastropoda. 
Acmaea  testudinalis  L. 
Aporrhais  occidentalis  Beck. 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 
X 

Bela  nobilis  Moll 

Buccinum  undatum  L 

Chrysodomus  decemcostatus  Say 
Crepidula  fornicata  L. 

X 



X 

X 

Crepidula  plana  Say 

X 

Crucibulum  striatum  Say 

Cylichna  alba  Brown  . 

X 

X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

x_ 

X 

Ilyanassa  obsoleta  Say 

X       X 

X 

Lacuna  vincta  Turton 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

X 

X 

X 
X 

X 

X 
X 

X 
X 

Littorina  litorea  L. 

X 
X 

X 

Littorina  palliata  Say 
Lunatia  heros  Sav 

X 

Lunatia  triseriata  Say 

Melampus  lineatus  Say 

X 

Thais  lapillus  L. 

X 



X 

X 
X 

— 

X 

Tritonofusus  stimpsoni  lirulatus 
Verr. 

Tritia  trivittata  Say 

X 

X 

X 

Urosalpinx  cinereus  Say     _ 

ECHINODERMATA. 

Asterias  vulgaris  Stimpson 
1 5  specimens 

X 

Echinarachnius  parma 
(Lamarck)  6  specimens  . 

X 

1917] 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


153 


Faunal  List 

r3 

a 
a  . 

2§ 

1! 
II 

Black  mud. 

"i 

£ 

>> 
-a 
a 

(S 
71 

Boulders  &  gravel. 
Intertidal  zone. 

Sand,   gravel&mud 
Intertidal  zone. 

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> 
d 
- 

•J 

-d 

£ 
>. 

-a 
c 
d 

X 

«  . 

0  c 

!-  O 

>  u 

Mud  and  sand. 
Intertidal  zone. 

■a 
c 

d§ 

Henricia  sanguinolenta  (O.  F. 
Muller)  12  speciments 

1 

2 

1 

4 

5 

6 

X 
X 

X 

7 

■ 

8 

9 

10 

Strongylocentrotus  drobachien  si 
(0.  F.  Mulier)  1  specimen 

X 

X 

X 

X 



— 

Crustacea. 
Cancer  irroratus  Sav               _    . 
Hyas  coarctatus  Leach 
Leptocheirus  pinguis 
(Stimpson) 

X 

X 
X 

Libinia  emarginata  Leach  (new 

to  N.  S.)  1  specimen 
Pagurus  acadianus  Benedict 

4 1  specimens 

X 

X 

Pagurus     longicarpus     Say,     6 
specimens     shells     encrusted 
with     Hydractinia     echinata 
( Fleming) 

X 

Pagurus  pubescens  Kroyer 
2  specimens 

X 

Chordata. 
Boltenia  ovifera  (L)  1  specimen 
Bay  of  Fundy;   collected  by 
fishermen   in  deep   water   off 
Digby 

Bottom  Environment. 

Analysis  of  the  data  given  in  the  preceding  table  will  show  that 
different  types  of  sea  bottom  are  occupied  by  assemblages  of  animals 
which  are  almost  as  sharply  contrasted  in  composition  as  are  the  land 
faunas  of  deserts  and  swamps.  On  land  some  plants  can  live  only  on 
wet  marshy  ground;  other  groups  require  dry  uplands,  and  some 
flourish  only  on  rocky  slopes;  while  over  great  areas  which  support  a 
rich  flora  trees  cannot  exist.  The  groupings  of  land  animals  is  controlled 
in  the  same  way  directly  by  the  character  of  the  soil  and  indirectly  by 
the  plant  life  which   itself   is   almost   wholly   influenced  by  surface 


154  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [March 

physical  features.  Thus  the  frog,  salamander  arid  turtle  which  dom- 
inate the  animal  life  of  the  marshes  give  way  entirely  to  other  types 
on  the  uplands. 

The  influence  of  this  familiar  and  powerful  factor, — the  character 
of  the  soil  or  rock, — in  determining  the  major  features  of  land  biotas,  is 
paralleled  by  the  control  which  the  physical  character  of  the  bottom 
exercises  over  marine  biotas.  When  marine  dredging  is  conducted  with 
the  object  of  ascertaining  the  relationship  of  the  various  kinds  of 
bottom  to  the  kinds  of  life  living  on  them,  as  most  of  the  writer's  have 
been,  the  association  of  certain  faunal  with  certain  bottom  facies  be- 
comes clearly  apparent.  The  control  exercised  by  the  physical  character 
of  the  bottom  in  bringing  together  certain  groups  of  animals  and  plants 
into  marine  communities  and  in  excluding  others  is  just  as  effective 
as  is  the  operation  of  the  physical  character  of  the  land  surface  in 
producing  varied  faunal  and  floral  groups. 

The  distribution  of  the  sponges  is  one  of  the  interesting  features 
brought  out  in  collecting  the  fauna  listed  above.  These  were  found  in 
such  abundance  on  the  coarse  rocky  bottom  at  the  mouth  of  the  Avon 
river  and  on  the  hard  muddy  sand  bottom  off  Kingsport  as  to  complete- 
ly fill  the  dredge  in  some  hauls.  On  soft  mud  bottom  however,  not  a 
single  sponge  was  taken.  The  molluscoidea  also  show  a  strong  affinity 
for  hard  bottom,  five  species  being  taken  on  gravel  and  rocky  bottom, 
one  on  firm  muddy  sand  bottom,  and  not  a  single  species  on  soft  bottom. 
The  four  species  of  echinoderms  taken  were  all  found  either  on  gravel 
or -the  comparatively  firm  sandy  mud  bottom.  The  preference  of  the 
Crustacea  for  hard  or  firm  bottom  is  also  evident.  The  seven  species 
listed  were  all  taken  either  on  gravel,  rocky,  or  sandy  mud  bottom,  and 
but  two  of  them  on  soft  bottom  Only  two  specimens  of  P.  acadianus 
were  taken  on  soft  mud  bottom  and  39  specimens  were  taken  on  the 
sandy  mud  bottom. 

The  fauna  of  the  soft  mud  bottom  shown  by  the  list  includes 
thirteen  species  which  are  confined  to  the  four  groups,  vermes,  pelecy- 
pods,  and  gasteropods  and  Crustacea.  Two  of  the  species  were  not 
found  outside  the  limits  of  the  soft  mud.  The  specialized  character 
of  the  black  mud  fauna  is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  it  contains  no 
representatives  of  the  Porifera,  Molluscoidea  nor  Echinodermata  The 
mud  bottom  in  developing  its  soft  bottom  facies  draws  from  but  four 
of  the  eight  phyla  which  are  abundantly  represented  in  the  region. 


When  you  are  in  or  near  the  forest  this  summer,  never  leave  your 
camp  fire  until  it  is  absolutely  OUT.  Never  throw  away  lighted 
matches  or  tobacco  or  pipe  ashes.  These  rules  are  followed  by  all 
veteran  sportsmen  and  good  citizens. 


19171  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  '155 


MY  BIRD  HOUSES. 


A 


v% 


By  Clyde  L.  Patch. 


As-  it  will  soon  be  time  to  construct  bird  houses,  which  should  be 
in  place  a  couple  of  weeks  before  the  feathered  tenants  arrive,  thus 
giving  the  newness  time  to  wear  off,  an  account  of  my  last  summer's 
experience  may  assist  and  encourage  other  members  of  the  O.  F.  N. 
Club. 

Until  last  spring  I  had  supposed  that  a  martin  house  was  usually 
in  place  two  or  three  years  before  the  birds  discovered  it,  or  at  any 
rate  would  nest  in  it;  also,  that  the  person  owning  the  house  was  par- 
ticularly lucky,  and  thirdly  that  the  house  must  be  situated  in  a  large 
open  yard. 

Having  been  requested  to  furnish  bird  house  plans  for  manual 
training  work,  I  built  an  experimental  martin  house,  with  twelve 
compartments  measuring  o  in.  x  6  in.  x  6  in.,  each  having  an  entrance 

2  in.  in  diameter  the  bottom  edge  of  which  is  2  in.  above  the  floor. 
Across  the  outside  of  the  house  and  2  in.  below  the  entrance  holes  is  a 

3  in.  platform,  which  forms  a  landing  stage  for  the  parent  birds  and  a 
play  ground  for  the  young  when  they  first  venture  out. 

So,  having  constructed  the  house  I,  one  evening,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  a  neighbor,  erected  it  on  a  twenty  foot  pole  in  my  sixteen  by 
twenty  back  yard  in  the  Glebe,  (Ottawa)  expressing  the  hope  that  if 
the  wind  didn't  blow  it  down  I  might  met  tenants  by  1920.  Three  davs 
later  Mrs.  Patch  informed  me  that  house  seekers  had  been  about  during 
the  morning,  and  upon  looking  out  I  saw  a  pair  of  those  beautiful 
opals  of  the  air,  commonly  called  tree  swallows,  exploring  my  apart- 
ment house.  A  few  days  later  they  began  carrying  sticks  and  straws 
from  all  over  the  neighborhood  and  alighting  promiscuously  on  the 
landing  platform  running  under  the  three  top  holes,  followed  their 
noses  straight  into  the  nearest  hole,  thus  building  three  nests.  Seeing 
that  this  would  never  lead  to  a  happy  family,  I  constructed  a  box  6  in. 
x  6  in.  x  15  in.  deep  with  a  landing  platform  under  the  \)A  in. 
entrance  hole  and  the  overhanging  eave  of  the  sloping  roof  above  it.  A 
day  or  so  after  placing  this  house  on  a  near-by  fifteen  foot  pole,  the 
swallows  examined  it  and  after  driving  off  another  pair  of  persistent 
house-seekers,  they  abandoned  the  three  nests  in  the  martin  house  and 
began  house  furnishing  in  the  new  home.  Following  a  few  days  of 
busy  stick  carrying  the  feather  lining  was  added,  and  thereafter  for 
the  next  two  weeks  Lady  Swallow  was  seen  only  a  short  time  each  day 
when  she  trusted  the  four  transparent  and  later  delicate  rose-coloured 
eggs  to  the  care  of  Mr. Swallow  and  fed  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 
Then  one  day  to  my  great  delight  a  martin  lit  on  the  martin  house, 
remaining  a  short  time  and  returning  next  day  with  a  mate.    This  pair 


156  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [March 

shortly  began  nest  building  in  one  of  the  apartments  under  the  eave  of 
the  roof.  Before  the  nest  was  completed  another  pair  had  taken  an 
apartment  under  the  eave  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  which 
convinces  me  that  eaves  are  desirable,  therefore  I  intend  to  put  hoods 
or  some  sort  of  protection  above  all  the  entrance  holes. 

Before  the  martin  nests  were  complete  a  pair  of  wrens  put  in  an 
appearance,  clinging  to  the  martin  house  hole  and  at  every  opportunity 
alighting  on  the  house  and  peering  in.  The  martins  were  very  much 
annoyed  and  made  ferocious  swoops  at  the  wrens,  who  darted,  almost 
faster  than  the  human  eye  could  follow,  behind  the  board  fence. 

I  immediately  built  a  box  5  in.  x  5  in.  x  12  in.  deep  with  an 
entrance  slightly  larger  than  a  silver  quarter,  under  the  entrance  a 
landing  platform  and  above  it  the  overhanging  eave  of  the  sloping 
roof.  This  box  was  placed  on  a  pole  about  five  feet  below  the  martin 
house.  In  half  an  hour  the  wrens  were  happily  singing  as  they  built 
their  nest. 

I  wonder  if  all  wrens  are  as  intelligent  as  mine!  A  twig  four  or 
five  inches  long  was  frequently  brought  to  the  platform  and  one  end 
shoved  through  the  entrance  hole,  then  the  wren  passed  in  drawing  the 
twig  with  him.  The  martins,  with  the  same  length  twig  grasped  in  the 
centre,  would  attempt  to  pass  straight  through  their  two-inch  entrance 
hole.  If  after  several  strenuous  efforts  the  twig  or  straw  did  not  break 
or  bend  it  was  dropped  to  the  ground.  Consequently  the  martins'  nests 
were  made  chiefly  of  short  or  bendable  material,  while  the  wrens'  nest 
were  of  surprisingly  heavy  twigs. 

The  swallows  kept  to  their  own  premises,  but  not  infrequently  the 
curiosity  of  one  of  the  martins — probably  a  female — necessitated  a 
visit  to  the  swallow  home,  where  alighting  on  the  front  porch  and 
putting  her  head  through  the  entrance  she  was  apparently  given  a 
peck  in  the  face,  as  her  head  would  be  quickly  withdrawn  in  time  to 
see  father  swallow  swooping  down  from  a  nearby  telephone  wire.  Then 
both  birds  would  rise  in  the  air  and  for  half  a  minute  or  so  face  each 
other  apparently  sitting  on  their  tails  and,  with  fluttering  wings,  say 
unprintable  things;  then  the  martin  would  fly  home  and  the  swallow 
back  to  his  wire. 

When  the  babies  arrived  the  parent  swallows  were  constantly  busy 
capturing  flying  insects,  while  the  parent  wrens  hunted  the  flower  beds 
and  bushes  for  hairless  caterpillars. 

The  tree  swallows  were  quiet  birds  and  at  no  time  did  I  see  the 
young,  although  I  frequently  heard  them  in  their  nest  box.  Evidently 
they  do  not  return  to  their  nesting  site  after  once  leaving  it.  The 
martins  were  quite  different,  adhering  to  the  old  saying  "the  more  the 
merrier,"  as  the  frequent  appearance  of  visitors*  from  Wellington 
Street  eaves  or  bird  houses  in  Ottawa  South  was  the  signal  for  a  great 
chattering,  melodious  martin  calls  and  circling  in  the  air,  and  the 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  157 

entrance  to  their  home  was  nearly  always  filled  with  expectant  baby 
mouths  and  later  the  youngsters  ventured  out  onto  the  platform  and 
when  able  to  fly  they,  for  two  or  three  weeks,  returned  every  night; 
then  their  visits  became  less  frequent  until  one  day,  accompanied  by 
some  friends,  there  being  twenty-three  birds  in  all,  they  bade  the  old 
homestead  a  noisy  farewell. 

The  young  wrens  remained  in  the  neighborhood  a  week  or  so  and 
the  adults  were  often  heard  singing  until  late  fall. 

My  two  male  martins  had  the  white  and  gray  plumage  similar  to 
that  of  the  female.  This  spring  I  hope  to  see  them  in  their  black- 
purple-sheened  plumage  which  is  probably  acquired  in  their  second 
Year. 


BIRDS  OBSERVED  AT  GRANDE  PRAIRIE  CITY, 
PEACE  RIVER  DISTRICT. 


By  Frank  L.  Farley,  Camrose,  Alia. 


I  spent  four  days  from  June  30  to  July  3,  1916,  in  and  around 
Grande  Prairie  City,  and  noted  the  birds  mentioned  below.  This  town 
is  the  centre  of  the  far  famed  district  of  the  same  name,  and  is  about 
sixty  miles  due  south  of  the  old  post,  Dunveagan,  on  the  Peace  River 
and  is,  roughly,  250  miles  northwest  of  Edmonton.  The  town  is  only 
a  year  or  so  old,  and  is  now  as  large  as  some  of  the  towns  in  the  older 
settled  portions  of  the  Province.  It  is  situate  on  Bear  Creek,  a  small 
stream  which  flows  into  the  YVapita,  a  few  miles  to  the  south.  The 
country  is  mostly  prairie,  with  scattered  bluffs  of  poplar  and  willow. 
and  rolls  slightly.  The  grasses  and  shrubs  are  very  similar  to  those 
around  Edmonton.  To  the  east  of  this  prairie  country  the  railway 
passes  through  one  hundred  miles  of  large  poplar,  some  of  which  is 
twenty  inches  in  diameter.  This  is  surely  the  great  summer  home  of 
the  White-throated  Sparrow  and  the  Junco.  There  were  more  White- 
throats  noticed  than  all  other  birds  combined.  I  counted  a  dozen 
singing  in  the  valley  of  the  Smoky  River,  all  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  train.  They  were  particularly  very  plentiful  throughout 
this  territory.  On  the  prairie,  the  Vesper  Sparrow  was  by  far  the 
most  abundant  bird.  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  English  Sparrow 
quite  at  home  in  the  town,  there  being  at  least  a  hundred  feeding 
around  the  elevators  and  warehouses.  They  of  course,  used  their 
regular  way  of  travel — the  freight  car.  The  list  is  given  in  the  order 
that  the  birds  were  observed. 

Junco;  very  common. 

White-throated  Sparrow;  very  common. 

Clay-colored  Sparrow;  fairly  common. 

X 


158  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [March 

Crow;  50  seen. 
Red-eyed  Vireo;  common. 
Yellow  Warbler;  common. 
Wood  Pewee;  10  hearo. 
•   English  Sparrow;  100  seen. 
Lincolns  Sparrow;  fairly  common. 
Robin;  25  seen. 

Yellow-shafted  Flicker;  common. 
Least  Flycatcher;  common. 
Savanna  Sparrow;  common. 
Red-winged  Blackbird;  a  few  seen. 
Leconte  Sparrow;  not  common. 
Tree  Swallow;  fairly  common. 
Spotted  Sandpiper;  few  seen  on  creek. 
Mallard;  one  pair  seen. 
Vesper  Sparrow;  very  common  on  prairie. 
House  Wren;  fairly  common. 
Fox  Sparrow;  about  25  heard. 
Brewers  Blackbird;  a  few  seen. 
Trail's  Flycatcher;  not  common. 
Warbling  A 'ireo;  common. 
Wilson's  Thrush;  a  few  heard  in  bluffs. 
Night  Hawk;  one  heard. 
Cliff 'Swallow;  common,  nesting  on  the  cliffs. 
Bank  Swallow;  common. 
Cow  Bird;  not  common. 
Pewee;  a  few  seen. 
Tennessee  Warbler;  heard  several. 
Golden-eyed  Duck;  one  seen. 
Red  Start;  one  heard. 
Sparrow  Hawk;  not  common. 
Song  Sparrow;  rare. 


ARE  OUR  FORESTS  VANISHING?* 


Belgium,  the  most  intensively  cultivated  country  of  Europe,  with 
652  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile,  had,-  before  the  war,  over  eighteen 
per  cent,  of  its  area  in  permanent  forest.  Ontario,  with  some  ten 
inhabitants  to  the  square  mile,  has  about  five  per  cent,  of  its  area  in 
permanent  forest.  Similarly  France,  with  190  people  to  the  square 
mile,  has  nearly  one-fifth  of  its  area  in  forest;  Switzerland,  with  235 
persons  to  the  square  mile,  has  23  per  cent,  in  forest;  Sweden  is  nearly 

♦Extracts   from  Address   by   Mr.    R.   H.   Campbell,   Director  of  Forestry, 
before  O.F.N.I  ..  January  9,  1917. 


1917]  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  159 

one-half  forest  and  Germany  and  Austria,  respectively,  one-quarter  and 
one-third  of  their  area  in  forest.  The  above  seems  sufficient  reply  to 
those  who  argue  that  the  making  of  forest  reserves  will  hinder  the 
development  of  Canada. 

The  wood  manufactures  of  this  Dominion  have  a  total  yearly  value 
of  ?1 77,000,000.  In  respect  to  capital  invested,  wages  paid  and  cost 
of  material  they  take  first  place,  and  the  value  of  the  product  is  one  of 
the  highest  among  the  industries.  Wood  industries  employ  110,000 
employees,  as  compared  with  66,000  for  iron  and  steel,  their  nearest 
competitor. 

In  the  present  war  wood  is  playing  a  great  part.  In  the  trenches 
it  is  used  for  walls,  floors  and  braces.  Behind  the  lines  it  is  used  for 
temporary  buildings  for  the  use  of  combatants  and  homeless  non- 
combatants.  For  bridges,  wharves  and  similar  structures  much  is  used 
and  for  replacing  permanent  structures  destroyed  by  enemies  it  is 
indispensable.  Wood  cellulose  is  used  for  making  a  substitute  for 
cotton  for  bandages,  etc.,  crepe  paper  for  slings  and  fibre  board  for 
splints.  Paper  clothing  is  worn  to  quite  an  extent  in  the  Russian, 
Austrian  and  German  armies,  and  in  Austria  paper  is  displacing  many 
other  textile  products — from  flour  bags  to  twine.  The  chief  products 
of  the  forest,  in  Canada,  are  lumber,  wood  for  pulp,  poles  and  railway 
ties. 

In  order  to  give  the  forest  a  chance  to  develop  properly,  it  is 
necessary  to  ward  off  many  injurious  factors.  Chief  of  these  is  fire. 
The  average  annual  loss  through  forest  fires  in  Canada  is  five  million 
dollars,  and  it  is  estimated  that  two-thirds  of  Canada's  forests  have 
been  burned  over.  Only  seventeen  per  cent,  of  the  forest  area  explored 
in  the  prairie  provinces  had  been  found  to  contain  merchantable 
timber.  The  most  important  by  far  of  the  means  of  fire  protection  was 
the  education  of  the  inhabitants  and  frequenters  of  forest  regions  to 
guard  against  fire.  After  that,  fire  patrol,  lookout  stations,  trails  and 
various  fire-fighting  appliances  had  their  places. 

The  forest  must  also  be  protected  against  insects  and  fungi.  In 
British  Columbia  serious  damage  had  been  done  to  the  western  yellow 
pine  by  a  bark-boring  beetle.  Poplar  on  Dominion  lands  had  been 
much  injured  by  a  species  of  fungus,  the  chestnut  in  the  United  States 
had  been  almost  exterminated  by  the  chestnut  tree  blight,  and  a  like 
fate  was  threatening  the  white  pine  of  the  east.  The  White  Pine 
Blister  Rust  had  obtained  such  a  footing  that  much  of  the  adult 
timber  was  threatened,  and  the  planting  of  white  pine  put  out  of  the 
question. 

Improvements  in  forestry  practice  in  the  work  of  the  Forestry 
Branch  had  been  the  marking  of  trees  for  removal,  the  disposal  of 
brush  after  cutting  and  the  studv  of  natural  regeneration  and  the 
natural  mixture  of  species  in  the  forest.    The  Forest  Products  Labora- 


160  The  Ottawa  Naturalist.  [March 

tories  had  also  been  established  for  the  study  of  questions  regarding 
the  composition  and  characteristics  of  timber  and  the  adapting  of  them 
to  various  uses. 

F.  W.  H.  J. 


NOTES. 

The  Ottawa  Humane  Society  held  an  exhibition  during  March  at 
the  Carnegie  Library  of  over  a  thousand  bird  houses  made  by  school 
children.  Prizes  were  given  to  the  exhibitor  having  the  largest  number 
of  houses  and  the  one  exhibiting  the  best  bird  house.  Several  hundred 
bird  houses  were  entered.  There  were  many  kinds,  from  little  wren 
cottages  of  one  room  to  large  martin  apartment  houses  big  enough  for 
twenty  families.  The  houses  were  offered  for  sale  and  the  proceeds, 
over  $75.00,  were  given  to  the  Red  Cross.  The  boys  of  forty  years  ago 
robbed  birds'  nests,  sometimes  to  make  egg  collections.  Such  exhibi- 
tions and  competitions  as  this  will  do  much  not  only  to  cure  boys  of 
robbing  nests  and  to  replace  the  collecting  of  eggs  by  the  more  valuable 
observation  and  study  of  birds,  but  also  to  attract  and  increase  a  bird 
population  of  great  value  to  our  food  supply.  The  efforts  of  the 
Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club,  which  resulted  in  placing  bird  houses 
at  the  Experimental  Farm  and  in  Rockcliffe  Park,  doubtless  had  an 
influence  towards  this  present  interest  in  bird  conservation. 


The  reclamation  of  swamps  is  one  of  the  most  important  problems 
of  the  present  time.  Many  of  the  best  lands  are  still  in  swamp  form, 
and  the  sanitation  produced  if  this  land  were  reclaimed  would  more 
than  pay  for  the  work  necessary,  by  the  increased  healthfulness  of  the 
country.  The  draining  of  the  swamps  is  one  of  the  best  means  of 
destroying  the  breeding  places  of  the  mosquito,  and  the  extermination 
of  the  mosquito  is  one  of  the  great  issues  of  the  day.  It  was  this 
extermination  that  made  the  Panama  Canal  possible,  and  has  rendered 
Havana  a  justly  favored  health  resort. 


Miss  M.  Young  of  the  Mines  Branch  recently  gave  a  demonstra- 
tion of  pottery  making  in  relation  to  Mr.  J.  Keele's  work  on  Canadian 
clays  at  the  Red  Cross  meeting  of  the  Women's  Branch  of  the  Civil 
Service,  Ottawa.  Miss  Young  has  been  using  designs  from  prehistoric 
Canadian  Indian  pottery  in  the  Museum  of  the  Geological  Survey,  to 
develop  art  pottery  distinct  from  that  of  the  old  world  or  the  orient 
and  appropriately  Canadian.  Some  of  the  best  English  ware  had  its 
birth  in  the  private  studio.  There  is  an  open  field  here  in  Canada  for 
the  commerciallv  interested  and  for  the  lover  of  beautv. 


INDEX 


TO 

THE    OTTAWA    NATURALIST.   VOL.    XXX.,    1916-1917 


Page 

Accipiter  velox 97 

Ablystoma  Jeffersonianum-  129 

punctatum 129 

A  do  pea  (Pamphila)  lineola  116 

.  1  lectoria  jubata 19 

Aluco  pratincola 39 

Algonquin  Park,  Birds 

observed  in 125 

Amelanchier  florida 17 

Cusickii 17 

.  1  ntennaria  fallax 142 

Apocynum  cannabinum 19 

Arctostaphylos  uva  ursi 20 

Arm  structure  of  Crinoids 

and  Cystids 69 

Astur  atricapillus  atricapillus  16 

Barn  Owl  nesting  in  south- 

ern  Ontario 59 

Bidens  Beckii 143 

Birds  affected  by  artificial 

light I 152 

Bird  Houses,  My 155 

Birds  of  Lake  Onigamis 
Region,  Que.,  and  Algon- 

Park,  Ont. 125 

Bird  Notes 26,  114,  132 

Birds  Observed  at  Grande 

Prairie,  Peace  River 157 

Bird  Records  at  Montreal-     15 
Blast  oidocinus  carchar- 

iaedens 24,  25 

Bottom  Environment  of 
Marine  Vertebrates  of 
Western     Nova     Scotia, 

Notes  on 149 

Bombycilla  garnula 16 

Book  Notices 68,  84,  116 

Branta  canadensis  canadensis  1 5 


Page 
Brown,  W.  ].,  articles 

by " 26,  97,  115 

Bronzed  Grackle,  Racapity 

of in 

Burling,  L.  D.,  article  by__  55 

Buteo  borealis  boreqlis 16 

Calystegia   spithamaeus 159 

Campbell,  R.   H.,   Extracts 

from  address  by 158 

Camassia  esciilenta 18 

Cardamine  parviflora 136 

Caryocrinites  ornatus 110 

Cheneosaurus    tolmanensis, 

a  new  genus  and  species 

of  Trachodont  Dinosaur 

from       the       Edmonton 

Cretaceous  of  Alberta 117 

Chordata  from  Nova  Scotia  155 

Chrysanthemum  Parthenium  145 

Claytonia  lanceolata 19 

Coelenterata  from  Nova 

Scotia 150 

Conium  maculatum 139 

Cornus  paniculata 139 

stolonifera 20 

Conservation  of  Fish,  Birds 

and  Game 68 

Comarocystites  and  caryo- 
crinites.69,  85,  101 
obconicus.  105,  107 
shumardi-  101,  107 
punctatus-  73,91 
Cooper,  J.  M.,  article  by__  125 

Correspondence - 15 

Council,  Report  of  1915-16  7 
Council  and  Leaders  at 

Excursions 2 

Crayfishes,   Concerning 

some  Ontario 130 

55494 


162 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


[March 


Page 
Criddle,  Stuart  and  Norman, 

article  by 144 

Crustacea  from  Nova  Scotia  153 
Cryptoglaux  funerea 

richardsoni 16 

Cystids  with  pinnuliferous 
'free  arms 69,  85.  101 

Dendroica  discolor 67 

Dentaria    laciniata 136 

Diemictylus  viridescens 129 

Dowling,  D.  B.,  article  by_  11 
Dracocephalum  parvijlorum  140 

Echinodermata   from  Nova 

Scotia 152 

Echium  vulgar e 140 

Eriosateroidea 21,  40 

Elatine  am  eric  ana 138 

Entomological  Soc.  Ont., 

46th  An.  Rep 84 

Eriocaulon  articulatum 134 

Erythronium  grandijlorum  19 
Eupatorium  perfoliatum  __  142 
European  Butterfly  found 

at  London,  Ont. 116 

Excursions 14 

Farley,  F.  L.,  article  by 157 

Felt,  E.  P.,  article  by 37 

Field,  R.M.,  article  by  29,47,58 
Foerste,  A.  F.,  article 

by 69,  85,  101 

Forests  Vanishing,  are  our_158 
Formation     of     the     Great 
Plains    of    North    West- 
ern Canad  i 11 

Fossil  Collecting ,Notes  on  21,40 

Gauliheria  shallon 18 

Geranium  Bicknellii 138 

Geum  virginianum 138 

Gratiola  aurea  , 141 

Grosbeak,  Evening 26 

Pine 26 

Habenaria  flava 135 

psy  codes 135 


Page 

Habenaria  pmbriata 135 

HalkeH,  Andrew,  Report  as 

Secretary    O.F.N. C 7 

Harrington,  W.  H.,  article 

by -   133 

Hawk,    Sharp-shinned 97 

Hedeoma  pulegiodes 140 

Helianthus  divaricatus 142 

Hennessey,  F.  C,  article  by  114 
Henslow's  Sparrow,  restrict- 
ed breeding  communities  of  115 
Hcpatica  acutiloba,  aberra- 
tion in 27 

Hesperiphona  vcspertina 

vespertina 16 

Horned  Larks  at  Aweme, 

Man 144 

Hoyt  Horned  Lark 147 

Hudson,  Geo.  H.,  article 

by 21,40 

Huntsman,  A.  G.,  article  by  130 

Insect  Galls,  American 37 

Intraformational  conglom- 
erates and  breccias,  a 
preliminary  paper  on  the 
origin   and  classification 

of 29,  47,  58 

Isoetes  echinospora 134 

J  unco  hyemalis  hyemalis--     16 

Kildeer  Plover 113 

Kindle,  E.  M.,  article  by—   149 

Lambe,  L.  M.,  article  by—   117 

Larus  marinus 15 

Philadelphia 15 

Lewisia  rediviva 19 

Le  Lacheur,  G.,  Report  as 

Treasurer  O.F.N.C 10 

Liliiim  parvijlorum 19 

Lobelia  spicata 142 

Dortmanna 142 

Lonicera  caerulea  v&r.villosa  141 
oblongifolia 141 


1917] 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


163 


Pack 

Magpie,  in  Western  Ontario  15 
Maya,  Indian  woman  at 

Ottawa 148 

Mediola  virginiana 135 

Members  of  O.F.N.C 3 

Mimulus  moschatus 140 

Molluscoidea  from  Nova 

Scotia 151 

Musculum  rosaceum 

fuligiosum 94 

Mushrooms,  edible  and 

poisonous 84 

Myosotis  arvensis 139 

Nature  Guide  Books 52 

Nicotiana  attenuata 20 

Oberholsers  Horned  Lark_   146 
Onigamis,  Birds  observed 

at  Lake 124 

Ottawa  District  Plants, 

Notes  on  Some 133 

Otocoris  a.  praticola 144 

"       "  enthymia 146 

"       "   arct'ica    147 

"      "  hoyti 147 

Oxyechus  vociferus 113 

Oyster  shells  at  Mahone 

Bay,    N.S 148 

Paedeumias  and  the  Meson- 
acidae,   with   description 

of  a  new  species 53 

Paedeumais  robsonensis 53 

Pallid  Horned  Lark 147 

Panax  quinquefolium 138 

Patch,  C.  L.,  article  by 155 

Pelecypoda  from  Nova 

Scotia 151 

Penstemon  hirsutus 140 

Petasites  palmatus 143 

Pentremites   conoideus 41 

Pisidium   latch fordi 95 

subrotundum 

canadense 96 

vexum 96 


Page 
Plants,  ^'ild,  use  of,  as 

food  by  Indians 17 

Podostemum  ceratophyllum  136 

Porifera  from  Nova  Scotia.  150 

Potentilla  arguta 137 

recta ,1  137 

trident  at  a 137 

Pottery,  Indian,  from  Roe- 
buck, Ont. 148 

Prairie  Horned  Lark 144 

Prairie  Warbler,  nesting 

site    for 67 

Prince,  E.  E.,  article  by 80 

Protopalae  aster  narrawayi-  24 

Primus  demissa 18 

Pycnanthemum  virginianum  140 

Pyrola  asarifolia 139 

"    var.  incarnata  139 

Quahog  shells  at  Mahone 
Bay,  N.S 148 

Quisealus  q.  aeneus 114 

Ranunculus  aquatilis  var. 

caespilosus 136 

Rhamnus  Purshiana 20 

Rhus  canadensis 138 

Ring-necked  Pheasant 132 

Rubus  leucodermis 18 

spectabilis 18 

Salamanders  in  captivity, 
notes  on  the  feeding  habits 

of 129 

Sanson,  N.  B.,  note  by 15 

Saunders,  W.  E.,  articles 

by 15,39,67,  116 

Sanicula  trifoliata 139 

Selaginella  rupestris 134 

Sea  Squirts 80 

Sheperdia  canadensis 17 

Solidaga  lati folia 142 

Sphaeriidse,  new 93 

Sphaerium  tor  sum 95 

Spiranthes  lucida 136 


164 


The  Ottawa  Naturalist. 


[March 


Page 

Spiranthes  cemua 136 

Sternberg,  C.  M.,  article  by  129 

Taverner,  P.  A.,  note  by__  123 
Terrill,  L.  Mel.,  articles 

by 15,  132 

Thuja  plicata 20 

Treasurer's  Statement, 

1915-16 10 

Tri folium  arvense 138 


Page 

Triosteum  perfoliatum 141 

Ycrbasum  Blattaria 140 

Veronica  arvensis 141 

Vermes  from  Nova  Scotia_  150 

Viburnum  pubescens 142 

Victorin,  Bro.  M.,  article  by  27 
Water  Powers  of  Manitoba, 

Saskatchewan  &  Alberta  116 

Wilson,  Tom,  article  by 17 


APRIL,    1916 

VOL.  XXX,  No.  1 

THE 

OTT  AW  A 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


"*-  A  a 


BDttOt: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 
Entomological  Branch,  Department  of  Agriculturb, 

OTTAWA.  v   ^f-^sStA 

Rssoctate  BDttotS: 

Harlan  I.  Smith,  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.  D.  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.    L.  M.  Lambe,  P.G.S., 

Botany.  Geology.  Pakeontology. 

Prof.  John  Macoun,  M.A.     Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc. 

Conchology.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 

Council  and  Leaders,  1916-1917 2 

List  of  Members  ---------3 

Annual  Report,  1915-1916 7 

Treasurer's  Statement,  1915-1916        - 10 

The  Formation  of  the  Great  Plains  of  Northwestern  Canada.    By 

D.  B.  Dowling ---11 

Spring  Excursions,  1916      ---*----         14 

The  Magpie  in  Western  Ontario.     By  W.  E.  Saunders  -       N-         15 

Correspondence  -        -        -        -        -        -        -        --         15 

Unusual  Bird  Records  at  Montreal  During  the  Fall  and  Winter. 

By  L.  Mel.  Terrill 15 


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WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DIi>P&*«.S*B»C     CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION  WORK 
HEAD-QUARTERS  FOR  TOILET  ARTICLES 

90  SPARKS  ST.    -    OTTAWA 

Phones:  Q.  863, _Q^ 8153 

PRITGHARD  -  ANDREWS 

COMPANY 

ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in. 
Brass  and  Bronze 


CHURCH  BRASS  WORK 


264  Sparks  Street,    Ottawa 


Ulliuiii  UADnu/iDr  im 


t  OAO     T>  A  WT/     CT  *\m*m   a  «rr   . 


Zbe  ©ttawa  jFletf^HaturaltetB'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OP  CONNAUGHT, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

Council  1916-17 

president : 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Dtce-presioentS: 

Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 


£Ditor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 

Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


{treasurer : 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A- 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture) 

Xibrarian : 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept. 
of  Agriculture) 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


past  president: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  ot  Council: 

Publications:   Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:      F.   W.  Waugh,    E.  D.  Eddy,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R. 

Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M. 

Sternberg,  Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archeology: 

Botany:  t 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Headers  at  Excursions : 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.  Gibson,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Auditors 


E.  C.  Wight.' 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N. C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist, 

$1  -OO  pet*  Annum. 


M 


MAY,    1916 

VOL.  XXX,  No  2 

THE 

OTT  AW  A 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Eel  tor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,  Department  op  Agriculturb, 

OTTAWA. 

associate  JBDttore: 

Iarlan  I.  Smith,  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

I.  O.  Malte,  Ph.  D.  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.   L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S., 

Botany.  Geology.  Pakeontology. 

>rof.  John  Macoun,  M.A.     Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc. 

Conchology.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 

'he  Use  of  Wild  Plants  as  Food  by  Indians.     By  Tom  Wilson    -        1 7 

iome  Notes  on  Fossil  Collecting  and  on  The  Edriosateroidea.     By 

G.  H.  Hudson 21 

Jird  Notes.     By  W.  J.  Brown    - 26 

Aberration  in  Hepatica  acutiloba.     By  Bro.  M.  Victorin       -        -        27 

L   Preliminary  Paper  on  the  Origin  and  Classification  of  Intra- 

formational  Conglomerates  and  Breccias.    By  R.  M.  Field    -        29 


The  Rolla  L.  Crain  Co.,  Limiteb 

ISSUED    JUNE    13,   1916 


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A.  H.  JARVIS,  BOOKSTORE 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspection 

of  his  stock.     No  pressure  to  buy  to 

Book  Lovers. 

157  Bank  St.— near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promptly  and  carefully. 

ALLEN   &    COCHRANE 

THE  RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
SIX  STORES 

All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
post  office 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO.,  LTD. 

LEADING  HATTERS 


SLEEPING 
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LIMITED 

OTTAWA  *<«• 


B 


9 


SILK  TBNTS 


Factory     .     HULL. 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 
Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 
Outfitting  Survey  Parties, 
Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  kind 
A.    Specialty 
BLANKETS  CLOTHING 

Far  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722 


P 


NOS 


9  MAKES 
ALL  PRICES 


C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

1S9  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


THE  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 


Capital  paid  up  and  Rest  - 
Total  Assets  over     -     -     - 


58,750,000 
50,000,000 


One  who  creates  capital  by  saving  a 
portion  of  his  income  regularly  will  ex- 
perience the  earning  power  of  money  and 
begin  to  reap  the  full  benefits  of  industry 
and  thrift. 


DR.   MARK   G.   McELHINNEY 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 
PHONE  QUEEH  2«8 

Dentist  to  certain  of  the  cognoscenti. 


ALWAYS  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

THE  OTTAWA  GAS  CO. 
THE  OTTAWA  ELECTRIC  CO. 


Tprapllpr  &■.  nntirifln 


J.  £    WILMQT 


EYES  TESTED  FRE! 


THE  TOPLEY  COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


The  Rolla   L.   Crain   Co.,    Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and  Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  Spruce  St.,  Ottawa 

THE  MORTIMER  CO.  LIMITED 

OTTAWA  -  MONTREAL  -  TORONTO 

Designers,    Illustrators,    Photo    Engravers,    Printers,    Lithographers 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,  Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems 

LYMANS,  Limited 

(ESTABLISHED  1800) 

MANUFACTURING     CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in    Chemical    and    Assay    Apparatus 

ST.   PAUL    STREET,    MONTREAL 

REBUILT  TYPEWRITERS 


$30 


M.   G.  BRISTOW 

36  METCALFE  STREET 

OTTAWA 


ggi^  GROW  GOOD  CROPS    fg^u^ 
SEEDS- PLANTS— BULBS 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  eliminates  loss  and  disappointment  from  your  garden 

KENNETH    McDONALD    &   SONS,  Limited,    Seed    and  Bulb   Merchants 

Market  Square,    OTTAWA 


W.    A.    RANKIN  Fine    Builders' 

410-412  Bank  Street  Hardware 

OTTAWA  Refrigerators   and 

phones q  1023 -1024  Hammocks 


THE  OTTAWA   PAPER   BOX  CO. 


132   QUEEN   STREET 
OTTAWA 


Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen  Mounts, 
Natural  History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped  Boxes, 
Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  etc. 


C.  A.  OLMSTED  &  SON 

Jewellers     :     Opticians     :      Watchmakers  and  Engravers 


Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and  Rich  Cut  Glass. 


"THE  STORE  OF  MODERATE  PRICES" 
208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA  Phone  Qusen  1430 


THIS  SPACE  FOR  SALE 

Apply  to 
THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,  Dept.  Agr.,  Ottawa) 


L.  C.  SMITH  &  BROS.  TYPEWRITER 

BUILT  LIKE  A  WATCH 
MOST  POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.  Limited 


THE  NATURAL  SCIENCE  STORE 

Entomological,  Botanical    and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION  MOUNTS  INSECT  BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  PINS  MAGNIFYING  GLASSES  RIKER  MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING  BOARDS  GEOLOGISTS'  HAMMERS 

COLLECTING  BOXES  COLLECTING  NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING  VIALS  KILLING  BOTTLES  DISSECTING  SETS 

INSTRUMENT   REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 

4R    Tianlr    Qtroot      OTTAW4  .  Western  Branch: 


James  Hope  &  Sons 


Booksellers,  Stationers 
Bookbinders,  Printers 


63  Sparks  St.  Ottawa 


w 


THE    ONTARIO    HUGHES   OWEN   CO.,  LTD. 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 
WE  HAVE  A  MODERN  REPAIR  DEPARTMENT 

529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA    ■   j*  phone  q.  sews 


THE    C.  C.    RAY   CO.  Ltd. 

BBtT  f~*  (^l    A    T  LOWB8T 

QUALITY       V-^vJ'jnLJL^         PRICB 

58  SPARKS  ST.  ^    Phone  Queea  461 

TA<  TORONTO  GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION. 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  8600  to  $6,000,000 
•aeh,  it  the  best  guarantee  tbat  yon  may 
confidently  name  as  your  EXECUTOR 
•nd  TRUSTEE  this  Corporation; 


JAMES   DAVEY,  Managsr 
Ottawa  Branch: 
Cor.    SPARKS  and  ELGIN     S' 


J.G.BUTTERWORTH&Co. 

ALL-RAIL    SCRANTON    COAL 

HAS    NO    EQUAL 

86  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 


WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

Successors  to  the 
American  Entomological  Company 
of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects  of 
any  dealer  in  this  country.  We  make  a 
specialty  of  collections  and  'life  histories  of 
insects  of  economic  importance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine  Schmitt 
Insect  Boxes,  cases  and  cabinets,  also  of  the 
American  Entomological  Company's  Ineect 
Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  SO.  Life  history 
circular  No.  126  and  many  others  free  upon 
request. 


STORES  AT 


R.  McGlFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rldeau  St. 
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HURD   (EL  Co., 

HIGH-GRADE   SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.      -       OTTAWA 

THE    SMITH    PREMIER    AND 
REMINGTON  TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's   Two    Best  Typewriters 

THE  FEDERAL  TYPEWRITER  CO. 

Dealers 

200  Queen  St.    Phone  Queen  6367 

Ottawa 

Demonstrations  gladly  given 

WELDON~J.  GRAHAM"" 
DISPENSING    CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION  WORK 
HEAD-QUARTERS  FOR  TOILET  ARTICLES 

90  SPARKS  ST.    -    OTTAWA 

Phones:  Q.  863,  Q.  8163 

PRITCHARD  •  ANDREWS 

COMPANY 
ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


CHURCH  SRASS  WORK 


264  Sparks  Street,    Ottawa 


MULHALL  HARDWARE  LTD.  stores  AT{i^!0™Ri-TST.  ottawa 


r 

3 


£be  Ottawa  fffeRvlRaturalists'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OF  CONNAUGHT, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

Council  1916-17 

preeibent : 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Wee- preei&ente: 

Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 

(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Bbitor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


{Treasurer : 
Mr.  G.  LeLachgur,  B.S.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture) 

librarian : 
Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept. 
of  Agriculture) 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  CM.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


past  pre 51  Dent: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 

Publications:   Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:     F.  W.  Waugh,    E.  D.  Eddy,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R. 

Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M 

Sternberg,  Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archeology: 

Botany: 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


fteabers  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.  Gibson,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Hubitots : 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N. C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist, 

$1  .GO  per  Annum. 


1» 


THE 

OTT  AW  A 


JUNE-JULY,    1916 

VOL.  XXX,  Nos.  3  and  4 


ATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


S&itor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,  Drpartment  of  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  EDitorS: 

Harlan  I.  Smith,  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.  D.  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.    L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S., 

Botany.  Geology.  P  alee  ontology. 

Prcf.  John  Macoun.  M.A.     Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc. 

Conchology.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 

American  Insect  Galls.     By  E.  P.  Felt        -        -        -        -..   -        37 

The   Barn  Owl   Nesting   in   Southwestern   Ontario.     By   W.    E. 

Saunders    ----------39 

Some  Notes  on  Fossil  Collecting  and  on  the  Ediioasteroidea.     By 

G.  H.  Hudson 40 

A   Preliminary  Paper  on  the  Origin  and  Classification  of  Intra- 

iormational  Conglomerates  and  Breccias.     By  R.  M.  Field    -        47 


The  Rolla  L.  Crain  Co.,  Limitib 

issued  August  3,  1916  gg  | 

Entered  at  Ottawa  Post  Office  as  second  doss  maHtr. 


6E0.  E.  PRESTON  &  SONS, 


3! 

© 
O 

oc  i 

©  CQ 

CO  K 

a* 

CQ  O 


UJ 


-I 


^ 


CM 
UJ 


MERCHANT  TAILORS 
217-219  RIDBAU  ST.,  OTTAWA 

WB  MAKE  EVERYTHING  WE  SELL  AND  GUARANTEE  EVERYTHING  WE  MAKE. 


A.  H.  JAR  VIS,   BOOK   STORE 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspection 

of  his  stock.     No  pressure  to  buy  to 

Book  Lovers. 

157  Bank  St.-- near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promnflv  and  carefully. 

ALLEN  &    COCHRANE 

THE  RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
.     SIX  STORES 

All  as  n.:  ir  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
post  office 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO.,  LTD. 

LEADING  HATTERS 


ex 


Cn 


^ 


n 


SLEEPING 

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LIMITED 

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SILK  TSNTS 


Factory      -     MU1.L 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 

Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 

Outfitting  Survey  Parties, 

Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  kind 

A.    Specialty 
BLMNKETS  CLOTHING 

For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722 

9  MAKES 
W^1     ALL  PRICES 

C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


THE  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 


Capital  paid  up  and  Rest 
Total  Assets  over     -     - 


-  $8,750,000 

-  50,000,000 


One  who  creates  capital  by  saving  a 
portion  of  his  income  regularly  will  ex- 
perience the  earning  power  of  money  and 
begin  to  reap  the  full  benefits  of  industry 
and  thrift. 


DR.   MARK   G.   McELHINNEY 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE  QUEEN  2438 

Dentist  to  certain  of  the  cognoscenti. 

, . 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

THE  OTTAWA  GAS  CO. 
THE  OTTAWA  ELECTRIC  CO. 


THE  TOPLEY  COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


The  Rolla    L.   Crain    Co.,    Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and  Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 


145  Spruce  St.,  Ottawa 


THE  MORTIMER  CO.  LIMITED 

OTTAWA  -  MONTREAL  -  TORONTO 

Designers,    Illustrators,    Photo    Engravers,    Printers,    Lithographers 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,  Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  T.oose  Leaf  Sy;t»ms 

LYMANS,  Limited 

(ESTABLISHED  1800) 

MANUFACTURING     CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in    Chemical    and    Assay    Ap,>arat   s 

ST.   PAUL    STREEX.    MONTREAL 


REBUILT  TYPEWRITERS 


$30 


M.   G.  BRISTOW 

36  METCALFE  ST  REET 

OTTAWA 


ggU^   GROW  GOOD  CROPS    /gjgfi^fe 
SEEDS— PLANTS— BULBS 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  eliminates  loss  and  disappointment  from  your  garden 

KENNETH    McDONALD    &   SONS,  Limited,    Seed    and  Bulb   Merchants 

Market  Square,    OTTAWA 


W.   A.   RANKIN 

410-412  Bank   Street 
OTTAWA 


Fine   Builders' 
Hardware 

Refrigerators   and 


THE  OTTAWA   PAPER   BOX  CO. 


132   QUEEN    STREET 
OTTAWA 


Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen  Mounts, 
Natural  History  Sp3Cim->n  Tray:;,  Gla^s  Topped  Boxes, 
Millboard  Mailing  Ecxes,  Tubes,  etc. 


C.  A.  OLMSTED  &  SON 

Jewellers     :     Opticians     :     Watchmakers  and  Engravers 


Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated   Ware  and  Rich  Cut  Glass. 


"THE  STORE  OF  MODERATE  PRICES" 
208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA  Pxione  Queen  1430 


THIS  SPACE  FCR  SALE 

Apply  to 
THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,  Dept.  Agr.,  Ottawa) 


L.  C.  SMITH  &  BROS.  TYPEWRITER 

BUILT  LIKE   A   WATCH 
MOST  POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO   Limited 


THE  NATURAL  SCIENCE  STORE 

Entomological,  Botanical    and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION  MOUNTS  INSECT  EOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  PINS  MAGNIFYING  GLASSES  RIKER  MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING  EOARDS  GEOLOGISTS'  HAMMERS 

COLLECTING  EOXES  COLLECTING  NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING  VIALS  KILLING  BOTTLES  DISSECTING  SETS 

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CORPORATION. 


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cash,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you  taay 
confidently  name  as  your  EXECUTOR 
and  TRUSTEE  this  Corporation. 


JAMES    DAVEY,   Manager 

Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.    SPARKS  and  ELGIN     STS. 

J. G.  BUTT  ERWORTH&Co. 

ALL-RAIT.    SCRANTON    COAL 
HAS    NO    EQUAL 

86  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 


WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

Successors  to  the 
American  Entomological  Company 
of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects  of 
any  dealer  in  this  country.  We  make  a 
specialty  of  collections  and  life  histories  of 
insects  of  economic  importance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine  Schmitt 
Insect  Boxes,  cases  and  cabinets,  also  of  the 
American  Entomological  Company's  Insect 
Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30.  Life  history 
circular  No.  128  and  many  others  free  upon 
request. 


STORES  AT 


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OTTAWA 


ftfoc  ©ttawa  jfieUvftlaturaltsts'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OF  CONNAUGHT, 

governor-cp.:;eral  of  Canada. 

Council  1916-17 

IPrestoent: 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

\!Mce-lP>resloent0: 


Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt. 

Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

JEo,  tor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological   Branch, 

Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 

{Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A- 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 

Agriculture) 

^Librarian : 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept. 
of  Agriculture) 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


g^ast  president: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  ot  Council: 

Publications:   Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dvmond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:     F.   W.  Waugh.    E.  D.  Eddy,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams;    I.  R. 

Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Siluon,  C  M. 

Sternberg,  Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.Williams,  L.  H. 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archceology: 
Botany: 


ILeaoers  at  Bicucsions : 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.   Wintemberg,  T.W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.   Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,   H.  B.  Sifton. 
Entomology:    A.  Gibson,  W.  H.   Harrington,    Dr.  C.  G.    Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling.  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


Geology: 

Ornithology 

Zoology: 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Huoitora : 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  FeetoO.F.N.C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist," 

$1  .OO  pep  Annum. 


AUG.-SEPT.    1916 

VOL.  XXX,  Nos.  6  and  6 


THE 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


BWtOt: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,  Department  of  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Boitors: 

[arlan  I.  Smith,  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

[.  O.  Malte,  Ph.  D.  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.    L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S., 

Botany.  Geology.  Palaeontology. 

rof.  John  Macoun,  M.A.     Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc. 

Conchology.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 

aedeumias  and  the  Mesonacidae,  with  Description  of  a  New 
Species,  having  at  least  44  Segments,  from  the  Lower 
Cambrian   of   British   Columbia.     By  Lancaster  D.  Burling  53 

Preliminary  Paper  on  the  Origin  and  Classification  of  Intra- 
formational  Conglomerates  and  Breccias.     By  R.  M.  Field    -        58 

nother  Nesting  Site  for  the  Prairie  Warbler  in  Ontario.     By 

W.  E.  Saunders   ---------         67 

ook  Notice :  Conservation  of  Fish,  Game  and  Birds  68 


The  Rolla  L.  Crain  Co.,  Limit** 

issued  October  5th  1916 


bKr 


Bttttrtd  at  Ottawa  Post  Offict  as  second  doss  ntatUr 


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Total  Assets  over    -    -    - 


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DR.   MARK   G.   McELHINNEY 
BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE  QUEEN  3438 

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OTTAWA  -  MONTREAL  -  TORONTO 

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and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems 

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(ESTABLISHED   1800) 

MANUFACTURING     CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dejlers  in    Chemical    and    Assay    Apparatus 

ST.   PAUL    STREET,    MONTREAL 

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Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen  Mounts, 
Natural  History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped  Boxes, 
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C.  A.  OLMSTED  &  SON 

Jewellers     :     Opticians     :     Watchmakers  and  Engravers 


Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
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THIS  SPACE  FOR  SALE 

Apply  to 
THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,  Dept.  Agr.,  Ottawa) 


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THE  NATURAL  SCIENCE  STORE 

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James  Hope  &  Sons  KSS,  SST  63  Sparks  St.  Ottawa 


THE    ONTARIO    HUQHES   OWEN   CO.,  LTD. 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 
WE  HAVE  A  MODERN  REPAIR  DEPARTMENT 

529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA       j*  phone  q.  so28 


THE    C.  C.    RAY  CO.  Ltd. 

■  BST  f^C^i    A    T  lOWHiT 

quality     vvAL/       rmic» 
58  SPARKS  ST.  j*    PfconeQueea  461 

!*  TORONTO  GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION. 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


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1,750,000 


SuccesWul  administration  of  E8TATBS 
ranging  in  value  from  $500  to  55,000,600 
•aah,  U  the  best  guarantee  that  you  may 
eonfldsntly  nam*  as  jour  EXECUTOR 
and  TRUSTEE  this  Corporation? 


JAMES   DAVEY,  Manager 

Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.   SPARKS  and  ELGIN     STS. 

J.G.BUTTERWORTH&Co. 

ALL-RAIL    SCRANTON    COAL 
HAS    NO    EQUAL 

86  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 

WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

Successors  to  the 
American  Entomological  Company 
of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects  of 
any  dealer  in  this  country.  We  make  a 
specialty  of  collections  and  life  histories  of 
insects  of  economic  importance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine  Schmitt 
Insect  Boxes,  cases  and  cabinets,  also  of  the 
American  Entomological  Company's  Insect 
Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30.  Life  history 
circular  No.  125  and  many  others  free  upon 
request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rideau  St. 
106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


HURD   <SL  Co., 

HIGH-GRADE  SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.      -       OTTAWA 

THE    SMITH    PREMIER    AND 
REMINGTON  TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two   Best  Typewriters 

THE  FEDERAL  TYPEWRITER  CO. 

Dealers 

800  Queen  St.    Phono  Queen  5367 

Ottawa 

Demonstrations  gladly  given 

WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DISPENSING    CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION  WORK 
HEAD-QUARTERS  FOR  TOILET  ARTICLES 

90  SPARKS  ST.    -    OTTAWA 

Phones:  Q.  863,  Q.  8163 

PRITGHARD  -  ANDREWS 

COMPANY 
ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


CHURCH  BRASS  WORK 


264  Sparks  Street,    Ottawa 


MULHALL  HARDWARE  LTD.  stomsatJE^s^ottawa 


Zbe  ©ttawa  ]ffelt>*inaturaltet0'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OF  CONNAUGHT, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

Council  1016-17 


Mr. 

president: 

Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Vice-presidents 

,'  "*  Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.                 Mr. 

I; 

E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 

Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 

(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

{Treasurer : 
Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture) 

Editor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 

Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

librarian : 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A 
(Seed  Branch,  Dept. 
of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  0.  Malte. 

Mr 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 
.  H.  McGillivray 

past  president: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Stanotng  Committees  of  Council: 

Publications:   Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:     F.  W.  Waugh,    E.  D.  Eddy,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R. 

Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M. 

Sternberg,  Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archaeology: 

Botany: 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Headers  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.  Gibson,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Auditors 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N.C.,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist, " 

$1 .00  per  Annum. 


OCTOBER,    1916 

VOL.  XXX,  No.  7 

THE 

OTT  AW  A 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


JE&ltor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,  Department  op  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 


associate  Bettors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith,  W.  H.  Harrington,  P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.                         Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.  D.  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.  L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S., 

Botany.                               Geology.  Palaeontology. 

Prof.  John  Macoun,  M.A.  Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc. 

Conchology.                          Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


69 
80 


Comarocystites  and  Caryocrinites.     By  A.  F.  Foerste  - 

Sea  Squirts.     By  E.  E.  Prince     ------- 

Book  Notices:  Edible  and  Poisonous  Mushrooms;   Entomological 

Society  of  Ontario       -         -         -        -        -        -        -    •     -        84 


The  Rolla  L.  Crain  Co.,  Limited 

ISSUED    NOVEMBER    10TH    1916 

\*7> 


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& 


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MERCHANT  TAILORS 
217-219   RIDEAU  ST.,  OTTAWA 
WE  MAKE  EVERYTHING  WE  SELL  AND  GUARANTEE  EVERYTHING  WE  MAKE. 


m 
© 


Q 


(0 
O 


UJ 


A.  H.  JARVIS,   BOOK   STORE 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspection 

of  his  stock.    No  pressure  to  buy  to 

Book  Lovers. 

157  Bank  St.~near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Booki  ordered  promptly  and  carefully. 

ALLEN  &    COCHRANE 

THE  RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
SIX  STORES 

All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
post  office 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO.,  LTD. 

LEADING  HATTERS 


SLEEPING 
BAGS 


LIMITED 

OTTAWA  and  WINNIPEG, 


AND 
Factory     .     HULL. 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 
Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 
Outfitting  Survey  Parties, 
Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  kind 

A.    Specialty 
BLANKETS  CLOTHING 

For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722 


PIANO 


9  MAKES 
ALL  PRICES 


C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


THE  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 


Capital  paid  up  and  Rest 
Total  Assets  over     -     - 


-  $8,750,000 

-  50,000,000 


One  who  creates  capital  by  saving  a 
portion  of  his  income  regularly  will  ex- 
perience the  earning  power  0/  money  and 
begin  to  reap  the  full  benefits  of  industry 
and  thrift. 




DR.   MARK   G.   McELHIKNEY 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE  QUEEN  2438 

Dentist  to  certain  of  the  cognoscenti. 

■1 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

THE  OTTAWA  GAS  CO. 
THE  OTTAWA  ELECTRIC  CO. 


THE  TOPLEY  COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC   MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA 


The  Rolla   L.   Crain   Co.,    Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and  Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  Spruce  St.,  Ottawa 


THE  MORTIMER  CO.  LIMITED 

OTTAWA  -  MONTREAL  -  TORONTO 

Designers,    Illustrators,    Photo    Engravers,    Printers,    Lithographers 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,  Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems 

LYMANS,  Limited 

(ESTABLISHED  1800) 

MANUFACTURING     CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in    Chemical    and    Assay    Apparatus 

ST.   PAUL    STREET,    MONTREAL 

REBUILT  TYPEWRITERS 


$30 


M.   G.  BRISTOW 

36  METCALFE  STREET 

OTTAWA 


gg^  GROW  GOOD  CROPS   @%$^ 
SEEDS— PLANTS— BULBS 


nsTTDSiua, 


^113ltB  WfM- 


Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  eliminates  loss  and  disappointment  from  your  garden 

KENNETH    McDONALD    &   SONS,  Limited,    Seed   and  Bulb    Merchants 

Market  Square,    OTTAWA 


W.   A.   RANKIN 

410-412  Bank   Streef 
OTTAWA 


Fine    Builders' 
Hardware 


Refrigerators   and 


DUAMCO 


r\   IMI         IfV^A 


He, 


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THE  OTTAWA   PAPER   BOX  CO. 


132   QUEEN    STREET 
OTTAWA 


Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen  Mounts, 
Natural  History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped  Boxes, 
Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  etc. 


C.  A.  OLMSTED  &  SON 

Jewellers     :     Opticians     :      Watchmakers  and  Engravers 


Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and  Rich  Cut  Glass. 


"THE  STORE  OF  MODERATE  PRICES" 
208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA  Phone  Queen  1430 


THIS  SPACE  FOR  SALE 

Apply  to 
THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,  Dept.  Agr.,  Ottawa) 


L.  C.  SMITH  &  BROS.  TYPEWRITER 

BUILT  LIKE  A   WATCH 
MOST  POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO   Limited 

THE  NATURAL  SCIENCE  STORE 

Entomological,  Botanical    and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION  MOUNTS  INSECT  BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  PINS  MAGNIFYING  GLASSES  RIKER  MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING  BOARDS  GEOLOGISTS'  HAMMERS 

COLLECTING  BOXES  COLLECTING  NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING  VIALS  KILLING  BOTTLES  DISSECTING  SETS 

INSTRUMENT   REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 


James  Hope  &  Sons 


Booksellers,  Stationers 
Bookbinders,  Printers 


63  Sparks  St.  Ottawa 


THE    ONTARIO    HUGHES   OWEN   CO.,  LTD. 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 
WE  HAVE  A  MODERN  REPAIR  DEPARTMENT 

529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA       j»  phone  q.  8028 


THE    C.  C.    RAY   CO.  Ltd. 


BBIT 
QVALITT 


COAL 


LOWEST 
PKICB 


58  SPARKS  ST.   #    Phone  Queen  461 

TAe TORONTO  OENERALTRUSTS 

CORPORATION. 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  $500  to  $6,000,000 
each,  It  the  best  guarantee  that  you  may 
confidently  name  as  your  EXECUTOR 
and  TRU8TEE  this  Corporation. 


JAMES    DAVEY,   Manager 

Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.    SPARKS  and  ELGIN     STS. 

J.G.BUTTERWORTH&Co. 

ALL-RAIL    SCRA^TON    COAL 
HAS    NO    EQUAL 

36  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 

WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

Successors  to  the 
American  Entomological  Company 
of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects  of 
any  dealer  in  this  country.  We  make  a 
specialty  of  collections  and  life  histories  of 
insects  of  economic  importance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine  Schmitt 
Insect  Boxes,  cases  and  cabinets,  also  of  the 
American  Entomological  Company's  Insect 
Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  SO.  Life  history 
circular  No.  125  and  many  others  free  upon 
request. 


R.  McGSFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 

(76Rideau  St. 
STORES  AT   ]106Spark8St. 

HURD   <&  Co., 

HIGH-GRADE   SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.      -       OTTAWA 

THE    SMITH    PREMIER    AND 
REMINGTON  TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two   Best  Typewriters 

THE  FEDERAL  TYPEWRITER  CO. 

Dealers 

100  Queen  St.    Phone  Queen  636T 

Ottawa 

Demonstrations  gladly  given 


WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DISPENSING    CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION  WORK 
HEAD-QUARTERS  FOR  TOILET  ARTICLES 

90  SPARKS  ST.    -    OTTAWA 

Phones:  Q.  863,  Q.  8163 

PRITCHARD  -  ANDREWS 

COMPANY 
ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


CHURCH  BRASS  WORK 


264  Sparks  Street,    Ottawa 


iim  mi  I  momi/ior  im 


i  OAO      TJ  A  TWV      OT 


ATT     ft    WT    ft 


She  ©ttawa  jflelMRaturalfste'  Club. 


patron : 

HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OP  CONNAUGHT, 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

Council  1916-17 
president: 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

IDice-presioentS: 

Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A. 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

iSoitor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological   Branch, 

Dept.  of  Agriculture) 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


treasurer : 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 

Agriculture) 

librarian : 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A 
(Seed  Branch,  Dept, 
of  Agriculture) 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  CM.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Mr.  H.  McGillivray 

past  preslOent: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 

Publications:   Dr.  C.  G.Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy, 
Excursions:      F.   W.  Waugh,    E.  D.  Eddv,    Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R. 

Dymond,  G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M. 

Sternberg,  Miss  F.  Fyles, 
Lectures:  Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 

Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 


Archaeology: 

Botany: 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Xeaoers  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.   Wintemberg,  T.W.  E 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.  O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.  Gibson,  W.  H.  Harrington,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  J.  M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling.  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston. A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young 


J.  Ballancyne. 


fluoftors : 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N.C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist, " 

$1.00  per  Annum. 


NOVEMBER,  1916 

Vol.  XXX,  No.  8. 

THE 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Editor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Editors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith.  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.D.,  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.,   L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S.. 

Botany.  Geology.  Palaeontology. 

ProfJohnMacoun.M.A.,    Otto  Kxotz,  LLD..        C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc, 

Conckologv.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


Comarocystites  and  Caryocrinites.    By  A.  F.  Foerste 85 

New  Sphaeriidae 93 

The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk.    By  VV.  J.  Brown 97 


The  Dadson-Merrill  Press,  Limited. 

ISSUED  FEBRUARY  5TH,   I917. 
Entered  at  Ottawa  Poit  Office  as  second  class  matter. 


&A»Z 


>/& 


Merchant  Tailors 
217-219  Rideau  St.,  Ottaw 

WE  MAKE  EVERYTHING  WE  SELL  AND  GUARANTEE  EVERYTHING  WE  MAI 


Geo.  E.  Peston  &  Sons 


<3 
oo 

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r.  I—; 

a 


P 
H 


H 


A.  H.  JAR  VIS,  BOOK.  STORE 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspec- 
tion of  his  stock.  No  pressure  to 
buy  to  Book  Lovers. 

157  BANK  ST. — Near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promptly  and 
carefully. 

ALLEN  &  COCHRANE 

THE   RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
SIX  STORES 

All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
Post  Office. 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN 

LIMITED 
LEADING  HATTERS 


CO., 


SMART-WOODS 


SLEEPING 
BAGS 


SILK  TENTS 


LIMITED 

OTTAWA  &  WINNIPEG 

FACTORY       -       HULL. 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 

Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 

Outfitting*  Survey  Parties, 

Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  Kind 

A  Specialty. 
BLANKETS  CLOTHING 

For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722. 


PIANOS 


MAKES 

ALL    PRICES 


C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


The  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 

Established  1874. 


Capital  Paid  Up  and  Rest $  8,750,000 

Total  Assets  Over $55,000,00 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 

Hon.  George  Bryson,  President. 

John  B.  Fraser,  Vice-President. 
Sir  Henry  N.  Bate,  Russell  Blackburn, 
George  Burn,  Sir  Henry  K.  Kgan, 
Alexander  Maclaren,  Denis  Murphy, 
Hon.  Sir  George  H.  Perley,  Edwin  C. 
Whitney. 


D.  M.  Finnie,  General  Manager. 
W.  Duthie,  Chief  Inspector. 


Dr.  Mark  G.  McElhinney 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE   QUEEN   2438. 
Dentist  to  certain   of  the  cognoscenti. 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR 
SERVICE 

The  Ottawa  Gas  Co. 
The  Ottawa  Electric  Co. 


T?        *X7T¥   Ti/f  i^HT 


RVRC    TBCTBn    PI 


THE     TOPLEY     COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  Sparks  St.,  Ottawa. 


The   Rolla    L.  Crain   Co.,  Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and 
Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  SPRUCE  STREET,  OTTAWA. 

The  Mortimer  Co.,  Limited 

OTTAWA-  MONTREAL -TORONTO 

Designers,   Illustrators,   Photo    Engravers,   Printers,   Lithographers, 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,   Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems. 

LYMANS,  LIMITED 

(ESTABLISHED    1800) 

MANUFACTURING  CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in  Chemical   and  Assay  Apparatus. 

ST.  PAUL  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


REBUILT    TYPEWRITERS 

M.  G.  BRISTOW 


$30 


36  Metcalfe  St. 
OTTAWA 


GROW  GOOD  CROPS 
Seeds — Plants — Bulbs 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  elimin- 
ates loss  and   disappointment 
from    your   garden. 

KENNETH  McDONALD 
&  SONS,  Limited 

SEED  AND    buLb   MERCHANTS  Market  Square,  OTTAWA. 


W.A.RANKIN  Fine  Builders' 

410-412  Bank  Street  Hardware 

OTTAWA  Refrigerators  and 


The   Ottawa  Paper    Box   Co. 

132  Queen  Street 
OTTAWA 

Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen   Mounts, 

Natural   History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped   Boxes, 

Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  Etc. 


C.   A.   Olmsted   &  Son 

Jewellers,  Opticians,  Watchmakers  &  Engravers 

Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 

Electro  Plated  Ware  and   Rich  Cut  Glass. 

-    "THE  STORE   OF   MODERATE   PRICES" 


208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA.       Phone  Queen  1430 

THIS  SPACE   FOR   SALE 

Apply  to 

THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

( KntomoloRical  Branch,   Dept.  Agr.,   Ottawa). 

— — _______________ __________ «——-—»■————-__«», 

L.    C.   Smith   &   Bros.  Typewriter 

BUILT   LIKE  A  WATCH. 
MOST   POPULAR  TYPEWRITER   TO-DAY. 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.,  Limited 

The    Natural    Science    Store 

Entomological,  Botanical  and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies. 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION    MOUNTS  INSECT    BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL   PINS  MAGNIFYING   GLASSES  RIKER    MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING    BOARDS  GEOLOGISTS'    HAMMERS 

COLLECTING    BOXES  COLLECTING    NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING   VIALS  KILLING    BOTTLES  DISSECTING  SETS 

INSTRUMENT    REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY. 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 


\A/acta  r»M       E3  r 


James  Hope  &  Sons,  *°  "l  12™%™.™™^. 

63  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa 


THE  ONTARIO  HUGHES  OWENS  CO.,  LIMITED 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 

WE  HAVE  A  MODERN   REPAIR   DEPARTMENT. 


529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA. 


Phone  Q.  8028. 


THE  C.  C.  RAY  Co.  Ltd. 


BEST 

QUALITY 

58  SPARKS  ST 


COAL 


LOWEST 
PRICES 

Phone  Q.  461 


THE  TORONTO 

GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
$1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  ?500  to  $5,000,000 
each,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you 
may  confidently  name  as  your 
EXECUTOR  and  TRUSTEE  this  Cor- 
poration. 

JAMES  DAVEY,  Manager. 
Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.  SPARKS  and  ELGIN  STS. 


J.  G.  BUTTERWORTH 
&  Co. 

ALL-RAIL  SCRANTON  COAL 
HAS  NO  EQUAL. 

86   SPARKS   ST.,   OTTAWA 

WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y. 

Successors  to  the 

American  Entomological  Company 

of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects 
of  any  dealer  in  this  country.  We 
make  a  specialty  of  collections  and  life 
histories  of  insects  of  economic  im- 
portance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine 
Schmitt  Insect  Eoxes,  case  and  cab- 
inets, also  of  the  American  Entomo- 
logical Company's  Insect  Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30,  Life  his- 
tory circular  No.  125,  and  many  others 
free  upon  request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
j  76  Rideau  St. 
^  106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


HURD  &  CO. 

HIGH-GRADE  SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


THE  SMITH  PREMIER 

AND  REMINGTON 

TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two  Best  Typewriters. 

Federal  Typewriter  Co. 

Dealers 

200  QUEEN  STREET,  OTTAWA. 
Phone  Queen  6267. 

Demonstrations  gladly  given. 

WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DISPENSING  CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION 

WORK.    HEADQUARTERS  FOR 

TOILET  ARTICLES. 

90  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 

Phones:  Q.  863,  Q.  8163. 


Pritchard  -Andrews 

Company 
ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


Church  Brass  Work 


264  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


Mulhall  Hardware  Ltd.  StT{lil  KSIXv  «T 


OTTAWA 


The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists*  Club 

Patron: 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 

GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

COUNCIL  1916-17. 

President: 
Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Vice-Presidents: 
Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A., 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Editor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Dept.  of  Agriculture), 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 

Mr.  H.  McGillivray 


Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Librarian: 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Publications; 
Excursions: 

Lectures: 

Archaeology: 

Botany : 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Past  President: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 

Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy. 

F.  W.  Waugh,  E.  D.  Eddy,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R.  Dymond, 

G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M.  Sternberg, 
Miss  F.  Fyles. 

Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 
Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 

Leaders  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 

A.   Gibson,   W.   H.   Harrington,   Dr.   C.   G.   Hewitt,   J.   M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Slaflen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 

C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett.  . 

A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Auditors: 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N.C.,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist/' 

SI.OO  per  annum. 


DECEMBER,  1916 

Vol.  XXX.  No.  9. 

THE 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Ed^or: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 
Entomological  Branch,   Department  of  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Editors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith.                 W.  H.  Harrington,  P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.                               Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  MalTE,  Ph.D.,             M.  Y.  Wiixiams,  Ph.D.,  L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S.. 

Botany.                                    Geology.  Palaeontology . 

Prof.JohnMacoun.M.A.,    Otto  Klotz,  LL.D..  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc, 

Conchology.                              Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


Comarocystites  and  Caryocrinites.    By  A.  F.  Foerste 101 

Kildeer  Plover.    By  W.  J.  Brown 113 

Bird  Notes.    By  F.  C.  Hennessey : 114 

European  Butterfly  Found  at  London,  Ont.    By  W.  E.  Saunders 116 

Book  Notice:  Water  Powers  of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta  116 


The  Dadson-Merrill  Press,  Limited. 
issued  march  9TH,  19 1 7. 
Entered  at  Ottawa  Post  Office  as  second  class  matter. 


f  AA   17   j}       ,         oo  Merchant  Tailors 

treO.  &.  rrCStOn  &  50nS  217-219  Rideau  St.,  Ottawa 

WE  MAKE  EVERYTHING  WE  SELL  AND  GUARANTEE  EVERYTHING  WE  MAKE 


A.  H.  JARVISlbooTkH!tore 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspec- 
tion of  his  stock.  No  pressure  to 
buy  to  Book  Lovers. 

157  BANK  ST.— Near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promptly  and 

carefully. 

ALLEN  &  COCHRANE 

THE   RED  CROSS   DRUGGISTS 
SIX  STORES 

All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
Post  Office. 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO., 

LIMITED 
LEADING  HATTERS 


SLEEPING 
BAGS 


SILK  TENTS 


LIMITED 

OTTAWA  &  WINNIPEG 

FACTORY       -       HULL. 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 

Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 

Outfitting  Survey  Parties, 

Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  Kind 

A  Specialty. 


BLANKETS 


CLOTHING 


For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  /22. 


9    MAKES 

ALL    PRICES 


C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


The  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 


Established  1874. 


Capital  Paid   Up  and   Rest___$  8,750.000 
Total  Assets  Over $55,000,00 


BOARD  OF   DIRECTORS 

Hon.  George  Bryson,  President. 

John  B.  Fraser,  Vice-President. 
Sir  Henry  N.  Bate,  Russell  Blackburn, 
George  Burn,  Sir  Henry  K.  Egan, 
Alexander  Maclaren,  Denis  Murphy, 
Hon.  Sir  George  H.  Perley,  Edwin  C. 
Whitney. 


D.  M.  Finnie,  General  Manager. 
W.  Duthie,  Chief  Inspector. 


Dr.  Mark  G.  McElhinney 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE    QUEEN   2438. 
Dentist  to   certain   of  the   cognoscenti. 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR 
SERVICE 

The  Ottawa  Gas  Co. 
The  Ottawa  Electric  Co. 


JEWELLER  &  OPTICIAN        J.      E. 


EYES  TESTED  PRE* 


THE     TOPLEY     COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  Sparks  St.,  Ottawa. 


The   Rolla    L.  Crain  Co.,  Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and 
Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  SPRUCE  STREET,  OTTAWA. 

The  Mortimer  Co.,  Limited 

OTTAWA-  MONTREAL -TORONTO 

Designers,   Illustrators,   Photo    Engravers,   Printers,   Lithographers, 

Bookbinders,   Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,   Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems. 


LYMANS,  LIMITED 

(ESTABLISHED    1800) 

MANUFACTURING  CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers   in  Chemical   and  Assay  Apparatus. 

ST.  PAUL  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


REBUILT 

$30 


TYPEWRITERS 
M.  G.  BRISTOW 

36  Metcalfe  St. 
OTTAWA 


SEED    AND    BULB    MERCHANTS 


GROW  GOOD  CROPS 
Seeds — Plants — Bulbs 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  elimin- 
ates loss  and  disappointment 
from    your    garden. 

KENNETH  McDONALD 
&  SONS,  Limited 

Market  Square,  OTTAWA. 


W.A.RANKIN 

4J0-412  Bank  Street 


OTTAWA 


PHONES 


Queen  1023-1024 


Fine  Builders' 
Hardware 

Refrigerators  and 
Hammocks 


The  Ottawa  Paper    Box  Co, 

132  Queen  Street 
OTTAWA 

Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen   Mounts, 

Natural   History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped   Boxes, 

Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  Etc. 

C.   A.   Olmsted   &  Son 

* 

Jewellers,  Opticians,  Watchmakers  &  Engravers 

Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and   Rich  Cut  Glass. 

"THE   STORE  OF   MODERATE   PRICES" 


208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA.       Phone  Queen  1430 

THIS  SPACE   FOR   SALE 

Apply  to 

THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological   Branch,   Dept.  Agr.,   Ottawa). 

L.    C.    Smith   &   Bros.  Typewriter 

BUILT   LIKE  A  WATCH. 
MOST   POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY. 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.,  Limited 

The    Natural    Science    Store 

Entomological,  Botanical  and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies. 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION    MOUNTS       INSECT    BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL   PINS  MAGNIFYING   GLASSES    RIKER    MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING    BOARDS      GEOLOGISTS'    HAMMERS 

COLLECTING    BOXES  COLLECTING    NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING   VIALS  KILLING    BOTTLES  DISSECTING   SETS 

INSTRUMENT    REPAIRS   A   SPECIALTY. 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 


James  iiope  &  s>ons,         Boo^we»,  /we» 

63  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa 


THE  ONTARIO  HUGHES  OWENS  CO.,  LIMITED 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 

WE  HAVE  A  MODERN  REPAIR  DEPARTMENT. 


529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA. 


Phone  Q.  8028. 


THE  C.  C.  RAY  Co.  Ltd. 


BEST 
QUALITY 

58  SPARKS  ST 


LOWEST 
PRICES 

Phone  Q.  461 


THE  TORONTO 

GENERAL  TRUSTS 
CORPORATION 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
$1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  $500  to  $5,000,000 
each,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you 
mav  confidently  name  as  your 
EXECUTOR  and  TRUSTEE  this  Cor- 
poration. 

•      JAMES   DAVEY,    Manager. 
Ottawa   Branch: 

Cor.  SPARKS  and  ELGIN  STS. 


J.  G.  BUTTERWORTH 
&  Co. 

ALL-RAIL  SCRANTON   COAL 
HAS   NO   EQUAL. 

86    SPARKS    ST.,   OTTAWA 


WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y. 

Successors  to  the 

American  Entomological  Company 

of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects 
of  any  dealer  in  this  country.  We 
make  a  specialty  of  collections  and  life 
histories  of  insects  of  economic  im- 
portance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine 
Schmitt  Insect  Boxes,  case  and  cab- 
inets, also  of  the  American  Entomo- 
logical Company's  Insect  Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30,  Life  his- 
tory circular  No.  125,  and  many  others 
free  upon  request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 


MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rideau  St. 
106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


HURD  &  CO. 

HIGH-GRADE   SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


THE  SMITH  PREMIER 

AND  REMINGTON 

TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two  Best  Typewriters. 

Federal  Typewriter  Co. 

Dealers 

200  QUEEN  STREET.  OTTAWA. 
Phone  Queen  6267. 

Demonstrations  gladly  given. 


WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DISPENSING   CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION 

WORK.     HEADQUARTERS  FOR 

TOILET  ARTICLES. 

90  SPARKS   STREET,  OTTAWA 

Phones:   Q.  863.  Q.  8163. 

Pritchard  -Andrews 

Company 

ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


Church  Brass  Work 


264  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


Mulhall  Hardware  Ltd.  St:n822  ESSSt  st.ottawa 


The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Patron : 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL.  OF  CANADA. 

COUNCIL  1916-17. 

President: 
Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 


Vice-Presidents: 


Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt. 

Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Editor: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Dept.  of  Agriculture). 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A., 

Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Librarian: 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture) . 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Publications: 
Excursions: 

Lectures  '• 

Archaeology: 

Botany: 

Entomology : 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Mr.  H.  McGillivray. 

Past  President: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 
Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy. 

F.  W.  Waugh,  E.  D.  Eddy,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R.  Dymond, 

G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M.  Sternberg, 
Miss  F.  Fyles. 

Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 
Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 

Leaders  at  Excursions: 
H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.   Gibson,   W.   H.   Harrington,   Dr.   C.   G.   Hewitt,   J.   M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 

C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


Auditors: 


J.  Ballantyne. 


E.  C.  Wight 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N. c,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist,' 

SI. 00  per  annum. 


JANUARY,  1917 

"'        4»Jy  V»l.  XXX,  No.  10. 

THE       S^f. 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Editor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological   Branch,   Department   of  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Editors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith.  W.  H.  Harrington,         P.  A.  Taverner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology.  Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.D.,  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.,   L.  M.   Lambe,  F.G.S.. 

Botany.  Geology.  Palaeontology. 

Prof.JohnMacoun.M.A.,    Otto  Klotz,  LLD..         C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc, 

Conchology.  Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


On  Cheneosaurus  tolmanensis,  a  new  genus  and  species  of 
trachodont  dinosaur  from  the  Edmonton  cretaceous  of 
Alberta.     By  Lawrence  M.  Lambs,  F.R.S.C 117 

Birds  of  Lake  Onigamis  Region,  Que.,  and  Algonquin  Park, 

Ont.     By  John  M.  Cooper 123 

Notes  on  the  feeding  habits  of  two  Salamanders  in  captivity. 

By  Charles  M.  Sternberg 129 

Concerning  some  Ontario  Cravfishes.     By  A.  G.  Huntsman, 

B.A.,  M.B. 1 130 

Bird  Notes.    By  L.  Mel.  Terrill 132 

The  Dadson-Merrill  Press,  Limited. 

ISSUED  MARCH  9TH,   19 1 7. 
Entered  at  Ottawa  Pott  Office  as  second  class  mutter. 


Geo.  t.  Freston  &  Sons  217-219  Rideau  St.,  ottaw; 

WE  MAKE  EVERYTHING  WE  SELL  AND  GUARANTEE  EVERYTHING  WE  MAI 


5 


M 
O 

CO 
GO 

« 

a 


o 
M 

w 


Q 

H 


-; 

CO 


ffl 


A.  H.  JARVIS,  BOOK  STORE 

Respectfully  solicits  your  inspec- 
tion of  his  stock.  No  pressure  to 
buy  to  Book  Lovers. 

157  BANK  8T.— Near  Laurier  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promptly  and 

carefully. 


ALLEN  &  COCHRANE 

THE  RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
SIX  STORES 

All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
Post  Office. 


THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO., 

LIMITED 
LEADING  HATTERS 


ART-WOO 


SLEEPING 
BAGS 


SILK  TENTS 


LIMITED 

OTTAWA  &  WINNIPEG 

FACTORY       -       HULL. 

Wholesale  Manufacturers 

Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 

Outfitting  Survey  Parties, 

Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  Kind 

A  Specialty. 


BLANKETS 


CLOTHING 


For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722. 


PIANOS 


9    MAKES 

ALL    PRICES 


C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


The  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 

Established  1874. 


Capital  Paid  Up  and  Rest $  8,750,000 

Total  Assets  Over $55,000,00 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 

Hon.  George  Bryson,  President. 

John  B.  Fraser,  Vice-President. 
Sir  Henry  N.  Bate,  Russell  Blackburn, 
George  Burn,  Sir  Henry  K.  Egan, 
Alexander  Maclaren,  Denis  Murphy, 
Hon.  Sir  George  H.  Perley,  Edwin  C. 
Whitney. 


D.  M.  Finnie,  General  Manager. 
W.  Duthie,  Chief  Inspector. 


Dr.  Mark  G.  McElhinney 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

-PHONE   QUEEN   2438. 

Dentist  to  certain   of  the  cognoscenti. 


ALWAYS  AT  YOUR 

SERVICE 

The  Ottawa  Gas  Co. 
The  Ottawa  Electric  Co. 


JEWELLER  &  OPTICIAN       J.     E.     WILMOT  EYES  TESTED  FH 


THE     TOPLEY     COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  Sparks  St.,  Ottawa. 


The  Rolla    L.  Crain  Co.,  Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and 
Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  SPRUCE  STREET,  OTTAWA. 


The  Mortimer  Co.,  Limited 

OTTAWA  -  MONTREAL  -TORONTO 

Designers,   Illustrators,   Photo    Engravers,   Printers,   Lithographers, 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,   Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems. 

LYMANS,   LIMITED 

(ESTABLISHED    1800) 

MANUFACTURING  CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in  Chemical   and  Assay  Apparatus. 

ST.  PAUL  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


REBUILT 


TYPEWRITERS 
M.  G.  BRISTOW 

36  Metcalfe  St. 
OTTAWA 


SEED    AND    BULB    MERCHANTS 


GROW  GOOD  CROPS 
Seeds — Plants — Bulbs 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  elimin- 
ates loss  and   disappointment 
from    your   garden. 

KENNETH  McDONALD 
&  SONS,  Limited 

Market  Square,  OTTAWA. 


W.A.RANKIN 

410-412  Bank  Street 

OTTAWA 


PHONES 


Queen  1023-1024 


Fine  Builders' 
Hardware 

Refrigerators  and 
Hammocks 


The  Ottawa  Paper    Box  Co. 

132  Queen  Street 
OTTAWA 

Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen   Mounts, 

Natural   History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped   Boxes, 

Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  Etc. 


C.   A.   Olmsted   &  Son 

Jewellers,  Opticians,  Watchmakers  &  Engravers 

Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and  Rich  Cut  Glass. 
"THE  STORE   OF   MODERATE   PRICES" 


208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA.       Phone  Queen  1430 

THIS  SPACE   FOR  SALE 
Apply  to 

THE   EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological   Branch,   Dept.  Agr.,    Ottawa). 

L.    C.    Smith    &    Bros.   Typewriter 

BUILT   LIKE  A  WATCH. 
MOST   POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY. 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.,  Limited 

The    Natural    Science    Store 

Entomological,  Botanical  and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies. 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION    MOUNTS       INSECT    BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL   PINS  MAGNIFYING   GLASSES    RIKER    MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING    BOARDS      GEOLOGISTS'    HAMMERS 

COLLECTING    BOXES  COLLECTING    NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING   VIALS  KILLING    BOTTLES  DISSECTING   SETS 

INSTRUMENT    REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY. 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED. 

45   BANK   STREET,  OTTAWA.  fi5  A,J£T^?fcn,ci?i,p1r~ 


*f  ClJLAl^a     JLJU/pW     «*,     kJl^AiJ,  Bookbinders,  Printers 

63  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa 


THE  ONTARIO  HUGHES  OWENS  CO.,  LIMITED 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 
WE  HAVE  A  MODERN   REPAIR  DEPARTMENT. 


529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA. 


Phone  Q.  8028. 


THE  C.  C.  RAY  Co.  Ltd. 


COAL 


QUALITY 
58  SPARKS  ST. 


LOWEST 
PRICES 


Phone  Q.  461 


THE  TORONTO 

GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
$1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  $500  to  $5,003,000 
each,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you 
may  confidently  name  as  your 
EXECUTOR  and  TRUSTEE  this  Cor- 
poration. 

JAMES  DAVEY,   Manager. 
Ottawa   Branch: 

Cor.  SPARKS  and  ELGIN  STS. 


J.  G.  BUTTERWORTH 
&  Co. 

ALL-RAIL  SCRANTON   COAL 
HAS  NO  EQUAL. 

86   SPARKS    ST.,   OTTAWA 


WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y. 

Successors  to  the 

American  Entomological  Company 

of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects 
of  any  dealer  in  this  country.  We 
make  a  specialty  of  collections  and  life 
histories  of  insects  of  economic  im- 
portance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine 
Schmitt  Insect  Boxes,  case  and  cab- 
inets, also  of  the  American  Entomo- 
logical Company's  Insect  Pins. 

Supplv  Catalogue  No.  30,  Life  his- 
tory circular  No.  125,  and  many  others 
free  upon  request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 


MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rideau  St. 
106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


HURD  &  CO. 

HIGH-GRADE   SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


THE  SMITH  PREMIER 

AND  REMINGTON 
TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two  Best  Typewriters. 

Federal  Typewriter  Co. 

Dealers 

200  QUEEN  STREET,  OTTAWA. 

Phone  Queen  6267. 

Demonstrations  gladly  given. 


WELDON  J.  GRAHAM 

DISPENSING   CHEMIST 

WE  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION 

WORK.    HEADQUARTERS  FOR 

TOILET  ARTICLES. 

90  SPARKS  STREET,  OTTAWA 
Phones:  Q.  863,  Q.  8163. 


Pritchard  -Andrews 

Company 
ENGRAVERS 


Memorial  Tablets  in 
Brass  and  Bronze 


Church  Brass  Work 


264  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


Mulfaail  Hardware  ltd.  STS{ 


ores.  243  BANK  ST. 


806  SOMERSET  ST 


OTTAWA 


The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Patron: 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 

GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OF  CANADA. 

COUNCIL  1916-17. 

President: 

Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 


Vice-Presidents: 


Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt. 

Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 

(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Editor: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Dept.  of  Agriculture). 

Dr.  MN  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P/A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A., 

Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture) . 

Librarian: 
Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Publications: 
Excursions: 

Lectures' 

Archaeology : 

Botanv : 

Entomology: 

Geology: 

Ornithology: 

Zoology: 


Mr.  H.  McGillivray. 

Past  President: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 
Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy. 

F.  W.  Waugh,  E.  D.  Eddy,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R.  Dymond, 

G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M.  Sternberg, 
Miss  F.  Fyles. 

Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 
Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 

Leaders  at  Excursions: 
H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.   Gibson,  W.   H.   Harrington,   Dr.   C.   G.   Hewitt,  J.   M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


Auditors: 


J.  Ballantyne. 


B.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Pee  to  O.F.N.O.,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist,' 

•1.00  per  annum.] 


FEBRUARY,  1917 

Vol.  XXX,  No.  11. 

THE 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists*  Club 


Editor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,   Department  of  Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Editors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith.  W.  H.  Harrington,        P.  A.  Tavkrner, 

Anthropology.  Entomology .                                     Ornithology. 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.D.,  M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.,   L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S.. 

Botany.  Geology.                                  Palaeontology. 

Prof.  John Macoun,  M.A.,  Otto  Klotz,  LL.D.,         C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc, 

Conchology.  Meteorology.                                             Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


Notes  on  some  Ottawa  District  Plants.  By  W.  Hague  Harrington  133 
Horned  Larks  at  Aweme,  Man.  By  Stuart  and  Norman  Criddle_  144 
Notes 148 


The  Dadson-Merrlll  Press,  Limited. 

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PIA 


OS 

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ALL    PRICES 


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The  BANK  OF  OTTAWA 

Established  1874. 


Capital  Paid  Up  and  Rest — $  8,750,000 
Total  Assets  Over $55,000,00 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 
Hon.  George  Bryson,  President. 
John  B.  Fraser,  Vice-President. 
Sir  Henry  N.  Bate,  Russell  Blackburn, 
George    Burn,     Sir    Henry    K.    Bgan, 
Alexander    Maclaren,    Denis    Murphy, 
Hon.   Sir  George  H.  Perley,  Edwin  C. 
Whitney. 


D.  M.  Finnie,  General  Manager. 
W.  Duthie,  Chief  Inspector. 


Dr.  Mark  G.  McElhinney 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE   QUEEN  2438. 
Dentist  to  certain  of  the  cognoscenti. 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR 
SERVICE 

The  Ottawa  Gas  Co. 
The  Ottawa  Electric  Co. 


IFWFI   I   PR   A  OPTICIAN 


J.     R.     WIf.MOT  EYES  TESTED  FREl 


THE     TOPLEY     COMPANY 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  Sparks  St,  Ottawa. 


The   Rolla    L.  Crain   Co.,  Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and 
Loose  Leaf  Manufacturers 

145  SPRUCE  STREET,  OTTAWA. 


The  Mortimer  Co.,  Limited 

OTTAWA-  MONTREAL -TORONTO 

Designers,   Illustrators,   Photo    Engravers,   Printers,    Lithographers, 

Bookbinders,  Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,  Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems. 


LYMANS,   LIMITED 

(ESTABLISHED    1800) 

MANUFACTURING  CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers   in  Chemical   and  Assay  Apparatus. 

ST.  PAUL  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


REBUILT 


TYPEWRITERS 
M.  G.  BRISTOW 

36  Metcalfe  St. 
OTTAWA 


SEED    AND    BULB    MERCHANTS 


GROW  GOOD  CROPS 
Seeds — Plants — Bulbs 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  elimin- 
ates loss  and  disappointment 
from    your   garden. 

KENNETH  McDONALD 
&  SONS,  Limited 

Market  Square,  OTTAWA. 


W.A.RANKIN 

410-412  Bank  Street 
OTTAWA 


PHONES 


Queen  1023-1024 


Fine  Builders' 
Hardware 

Refrigerators  and 
Hammocks 


The  Ottawa  Paper    Box  Co. 

132  Queen  Street 
OTTAWA 

Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen  Mounts, 

Natural  History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped  Boxes, 

Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  Etc. 


C.    A.   Olmsted   &  Son 

Jewellers,  Opticians,  Watchmakers  &  Engravers 


Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and  Rich  Cut  Glass. 
"THE   STORE   OF   MODERATE   PRICES" 


208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA.       Phone  Queen  1430 


THIS  SPACE   FOR  SALE 

Apply  to 

THE   EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,   Dept.  Agr.,   Ottawa). 


L.   C.   Smith   &    Bros.  Typewriter 

BUILT   LIKE  A  WATCH. 
MOST   POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY. 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.,  Limited 

The    Natural    Science    Store 

Entomological,  Botanical  and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies. 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION    MOUNTS       INSECT    BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL   PINS  MAGNIFYING   GLASSES    RIKER    MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING    BOARDS      GEOLOGISTS'    HAMMERS 

COLLECTING    BOXES  COLLECTING    NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING   VIALS  KILLING    BOTTLES  DISSECTING   SETS 

INSTRUMENT    REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY. 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 

45   BANK  STREET,  OTTAWA.  CK   A      ™es*?™*™"<£- 


ACL       AIKo.-+      O+nim-t-         \A/IIMMIDETO: 


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JamCS     MOpe     Ot     &OnS,  Bookbinders.  Printer* 

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<u 


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WE  HAVE  A  MODERN   REPAIR  DEPARTMENT. 

529  Sussex  St.,  OTTAWA.  Phone  Q.  8028. 


THE  C.  C.  RAY  Co.  Ltd. 

BEST       f**f\  A  I      LOWEST 
QUALITY  Kjt\JJfo.M~t     PRICES 

58  SPARKS  ST.  Phone  Q.  461 


THE  TORONTO 

GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
$1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  $600  to  $5,000,080 
each,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you 
may  confidently  name  as  your 
EXECUTOR  and  TRUSTEE  this  Cor- 
poration. 

JAMES  DAVEY,  Manager. 
Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.  SPARKS  and  ELGIN  8TS. 


J.  G.  BUTTERWORTH 
&  Co. 

ALL-RAIL  SCRANTON  COAL 
HAS  NO  EQUAL. 

86   SPARKS   ST.,  OTTAWA 

WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y. 

Successors  to  the 

American  Entomological  Company 

of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects 
of  any  dealer  in  this  country.  We 
make  a  specialty  of  collections  and  life 
histories  of  insects  of  economic  im- 
portance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine 
Schmitt  Insect  Boxes,  case  and  cab- 
inets, also  of  the  American  Entomo- 
logical Company's  Insect  Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30,  Life  his- 
tory circular  No.  125,  and  many  others 
free  upon  request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rideau  St. 
106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


KURD  &  CO. 

HIGH-GRADE  SPORTING  GOODS, 
RIFLES,  CARTRIDGES,  Etc. 

191  Sparks  St.    -    Ottawa 


THE  SMITH  PREMIER 

AND  REMINGTON 

TYPEWRITERS 

The  World's  Two  Best  Typewriters. 

Federal  Typewriter  Co. 

Dealers 

200  QUEEN  STREET,  OTTAWA. 
Phone  Queen  62S7. 

Demonstrations  gladly  given. 

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DISPENSING  CHEMIST 

WB  SPECIALIZE  IN  PRESCRIPTION 

WORK.    HEADQUARTERS  FOR 

TOILET  ARTICLES. 

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The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Patron: 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL.  OF  CANADA. 

COUNCIL  1916-17. 

President: 
Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 


Vice-Presidents: 


Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt. 

Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Editor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Ijept.  of  Agriculture). 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 
Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A., 

Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.S.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Librarian: 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Publications : 
Excursions: 

Lectures  '• 

Archaeology : 
Rot  am : 
Entomology : 
Geology: 
Ornithology: 
Zoology: 


Mr.  M.  McGillivray. 

Past  President: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 
Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy. 

F.  W.  Waugh,  E.  D.  Eddy,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R.  Dymond, 

G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M.  Sternberg, 
Miss  F.  Fyles. 

Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 
Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 

Leaders  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 

A.   Gibson,   W.   H.   Harrington,   Dr.   C.    G.   Hewitt,   J.   M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 

C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 
A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


Auditors: 


J.  Ballantyne. 


B.  C.  Wight 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N. C,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist," 

$1.00  per  annum. 


MARCH,  1917 

Vol.  XXX,  No.  12. 

THE 

OTTAWA 
NATURALIST 


Published  by  The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Editor: 

ARTHUR  GIBSON, 

Entomological  Branch,   Department  of    Agriculture, 

OTTAWA. 

Associate  Editors: 

Harlan  I.  Smith.                W.  H.  Harrington,  P.  A.  Tavkrner, 

Anthropology.                               Entomology.  Ornithology, 

M.  O.  Malte,  Ph.D.,             M.  Y.  Williams,  Ph.D.,  L.  M.  Lambe,  F.G.S., 

Botany.                                      Geology.  Palaeontology. 

Prof.  JohnMacoun,  M.A.,    Otto  Klotz,  LL.D..  C.  Gordon  Hewitt,  D.Sc, 

Conchology.                              Meteorology.  Zoology. 


CONTENTS: 


Notes  on'  the  Bottom  Environment  of  the  Marine  Invertebrates 

of  Western  Nova  Scotia  .  By  E.  M.  Kindle 149 

My  Bird  Houses.    By  C.  L.  Patch 155 

Birds  Observed  at  Grande  Prairie  City,  Peace  River  District. 

By  F.  L.  Farley 157 

Are  Our  Forests  Vanishing? 158 

Notes 160 

Index  to  Volume  XXX 161 


MC 


The  Dadson-Merrill  Press,  Limited. 
issued    april  17TH,  1917. 
Entered  at  Ottawa  Post  Office  as  second  class  matter. 

*RY 


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liCO.  L.  FrestOn  &  bons    217-219  Rideau  St.,  Ottawa 

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A.  H.  JAKVlb,  BOOK  STORE 

Respectfully    solicits    your    inspec- 
tion of  his  stock.     No  pressure  to 
buy  to  Book  Lovers. 

157  BANK  ST.— Near  Laurler  Ave. 

P.S. — Books  ordered  promptly  and 

carefully. 

THE  R.  J.  DEVLIN  CO., 

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ALLEN  &  COCHRANE 

THE   RED  CROSS  DRUGGISTS 
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All  as  near  as  your  nearest  phone  or 
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Lumbermen's  and  Contractors'  Supplies, 

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Exploration  and  Outing  Parties  of  any  Kind 

A  Specialty. 
BLANKETS  CLOTHING 

For  Quotations  Phone  Queen  722. 


ANOS 


9    MAKES 

ALL    PRI CES 

C.  W.  LINDSAY,  Limited 

189  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA. 


The  BANE  OF  OTTAWA 

Established  1874. 


Capital  Paid   Up  and   ReEt___i5  8,750,000 
Total   Assets  Over 555,000,00 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 

Hon.  George  Bryson,  President. 

John  B.  Fraser,  Vice-President. 
Sir  Henry  N.  Bate,  Russell  Blackburn, 
George  Burn,  Sir  Henry  K.  Egan, 
Alexander  Maclaren,  Denis  Murphy, 
Hon.  Sir  George  H.  Perley,  Edwin  C. 
Whitney. 


D.  M.  Finnie,  General  Manager. 
W.  Duthie,  Chief  Inspector. 


Dr.  Mark  G.  McElhinney 

BOOTH  BLDG.,  OTTAWA 

PHONE    QUEEN   2438. 
Dentist  to  certain   of  the  cognoscenti. 

ALWAYS  AT  YOUR 
SERVICE 

The  Ottawa  Gas  Co. 

The  Ottawa  Electric  Co. 


TT> 


TTtnrTT   n  n  £~\  nr< 


n?Dn     <rr*  t"rni\     T*r»  r?  r> 


irL£i        LKJITLjIltX        OUlVlfAJLN  X 


PHOTOGRAPHIC  MATERIAL 
SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS 


132  Sparks  St.,  Ottawa. 


The   Rolla    L.  Crain  Co.,  Limited 

Printers,  Bookbinders  and 
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145  SPRUCE  STREET,  OTTAWA. 

■M^m— —^1— ^ I— M— i  ■■■  !■  !■!  ■  ^MM  ■——■Mil   .MT  f      MIIM^II  ■  III!  WH— IMTT11I1I1IM  IIIIWWIHIIWI  — 

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Designers,   Illustrators,   Photo    Engravers,   Printers,    Lithographers, 

Bookbinders,   Makers  of  Fine  Catalogues,   Manufacturers 

and  Devisers  of  Loose  Leaf  Systems. 


LYMANS,   LIMITED 

(ESTABLISHED    1800) 

MANUFACTURING  CHEMISTS 

Importers  and   Dealers  in  Chemical   and   Assay  Apparatus. 

ST.  PAUL  STREET,  MONTREAL. 


REBUILT 


30 


TYPEWRITERS 
M.  G.  BRISTOW 

36  Metcalfe  St. 
OTTAWA 


SEED    AND    BULB    MERCHANTS 


GROW  GOOD  CROPS 
Seeds — Plants — Bulbs 

Our  rigorous  system  of  testing  elimin- 
ates loss  and  disappointment 
from   your   garden. 

KENNETH  McDONALD 
&  SONS,  Limited 

Market  Square,  OTTAWA. 


W.A.RANKIN 

410-412  Bank  Street 


OTTAWA 


PHONES 


Queen  1023-1024 


Fine  Builders' 
Hardware 

Refrigerators  and 
Hammocks 


The  Ottawa  Paper    Box  Co. 

132  Queen  Street 
OTTAWA 

Manufacturers  of  Riker  Specimen   Mounts, 

Natural  History  Specimen  Trays,  Glass  Topped  Boxes, 

Millboard  Mailing  Boxes,  Tubes,  Etc. 


C.   A.    Olmsted   &  Son 

Jewellers,  Opticians,  Watchmakers  &  Engravers 

Dealers  in  Fine  Diamonds,  Sterling  Silver, 
Electro  Plated  Ware  and   Rich  Cut  Glass. 

"THE  STORE  OF   MODERATE   PRICES" 


208  SPARKS  ST.,  OTTAWA.       Phone  Queen  1430 


THIS  SPACE   FOR  SALE 

Apply  to 

THE  EDITOR,  OTTAWA  NATURALIST 

(Entomological  Branch,   Dept.  Agr.,   Ottawa). 


L.    C.    Smith    &    Bros.  Typewriter 

BUILT   LIKE  A  WATCH. 
MOST   POPULAR  TYPEWRITER  TO-DAY. 

OTTAWA  TYPEWRITER  CO.,  Limited 


The    Natural    Science    Store 

Entomological,  Botanical  and  Geological 
Apparatus  and  Supplies. 

VASCULUMS  EXHIBITION    MOUNTS       INSECT    BOXES 

ENTOMOLOGICAL   PINS  MAGNIFYING   GLASSES    RIKER    MOUNTS 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  STRETCHING    BOARDS      GEOLOGISTS*    HAMMERS 

COLLECTING    BOXES  COLLECTING    NETS  MICROSCOPES 

KILLING   VIALS  KILLING    BOTTLES  DISSECTING   SETS 

INSTRUMENT    REPAIRS  A   SPECIALTY. 

E.  R.  WATTS  &  SON,  CANADA,  LIMITED 


45  BANK  STREET,  OTTAWA. 


Western   Branch: 
65  Albert  Street,   WINNIPEG. 


WE  DEAL  WITH  OUR  ADVERTISERS. 


James  Hope  &  Sons,  BookaellBL^dZenprinter. 

63  Sparks  Street,  Ottawa 


THE  ONTARIO  HUGHES  OWENS  CO.,  LIMITED 

SCIENTIFIC  APPARATUS  AND  DRAWING  MATERIALS 

WE  HAVE  A  MODERN   REPAIR  DEPARTMENT. 


529  Sussex  St,  OTTAWA. 


Phone  Q.  8028. 


THE  C.  C.  RAY  Co.  Ltd. 

BEST       f*f\  A  T      LOWEST 
QUALITY  V^^^-L*      PRICES 


58  SPARKS  ST. 


Phone  Q.  461 


THE  TORONTO 

GENERAL  TRUSTS 

CORPORATION 


CAPITAL 
RESERVE 


$1,500,000 
$1,750,000 


Successful  administration  of  ESTATES 
ranging  in  value  from  $500  to  $5,000,060 
each,  is  the  best  guarantee  that  you 
may  confidently  name  as  your 
EXECUTOR  and  TRUSTEE  this  Cor- 
poration. 

JAMES  DAVEY,  Manager. 
Ottawa  Branch: 

Cor.  SPARKS  and  ELGIN  STS. 


J.  G.  BUTTERWORTH 
&  Co. 

ALL-RAIL  SCRANTON  COAL 
HAS   NO  EQUAL. 

86    SPARKS   ST.,   OTTAWA 


WARD'S  NAT.  SCIENCE 
ESTABLISHMENT 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y. 

Successors  to  the 

American  Entomological  Company 

of  Brooklyn 

We  have  the  largest  stock  of  insects 
of  any  dealer  in  this  country.  We 
make  a  specialty  of  collections  and  life 
histories  of  insects  of  economic  im- 
portance. 

Sole  manufacturers  of  the  genuine 
Schmitt  Insect  Boxes,  case  and  cab- 
inet?, also  of  the  American  Entomo- 
logical Company's  Insect  Pins. 

Supply  Catalogue  No.  30,  Life  his- 
tory circular  No.  125,  and  many  others 
free  upon  request. 


R.  McGIFFIN,  Ltd. 

MEN'S  FINE  FURNISHINGS 
76  Rideau  St. 
106  Sparks  St. 


STORES  AT 


HURD  &  CO. 

HIGH-GRADE  SPORTING  GOODS, 
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The  Ottawa  Field-Naturalists'  Club 


Patron: 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE. 

GOVERNOR-GENERAL  OP  CANADA. 

COUNCIL  1918-17. 

President: 
Mr.  Harlan  I.  Smith. 

Vice-Presidents: 
Dr.  C.  Gordon  Hewitt.  Mr.  E.  D.  Eddy,  B.S.A., 


Secretary: 

Mr.  L.  D.  Burling. 
(Victoria  Memorial  Museum). 

Editor: 

Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

(Entomological  Branch, 
Dept.  of  Agriculture). 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams. 
Mr.  P.  A.  Taverner. 
Mr.  L.  H.  Newman. 

Dr.  M.  O.  Malte. 


Treasurer: 

Mr.  G.  LeLacheur,  B.8.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Librarian: 

Mr.  J.  R.  Dymond,  B.A. 

(Seed  Branch,  Dept.  of 
Agriculture). 

Mr.  F.  W.  Waugh. 
Mr.  H.  B.  Sifton,  M.A. 
Mr.  C.  M.  Sternberg. 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  B.A. 


Publications: 
Excursions: 

Lectures'- 

Archaeology : 
Botam : 
Entomology : 
Geology: 
Ornithology: 
Zoology: 


Mr.  H.  McGillivray. 

Past  President: 
Mr.  Arthur  Gibson. 

Standing  Committees  of  Council: 

Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  A.  Gibson,  J.  R.  Dymond,  L.  D.  Burling, 

E.  D.  Eddy. 

F.  W.  Waugh,  E.  D.  Eddy,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  J.  R.  Dymond, 

G.  LeLacheur,  H.  McGillivray,  H.  B.  Sifton,  C.  M.  Sternberg, 
Miss  F.  Fyles. 

Arthur  Gibson,  Dr.  C.  G.  Hewitt,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  L.  H. 
Newman,  P.  A.  Taverner,  L.  D.  Burling. 

Leaders  at  Excursions: 

H.  I.  Smith,  F.  W.  Waugh,  W.  J.  Wintemberg,  T.  W.  E. 
Sowter,  J.  Ballantyne. 

W.  T.  Macoun,  J.  M.  Macoun,  L.  H.  Newman,  Dr.  M.O.  Malte, 
Miss  F.  Fyles,  J.  R.  Dymond,  E.  C.  Wight,  H.  B.  Sifton. 
A.   Gibson,   W.   H.   Harrington,   Dr.   C.   G.   Hewitt,   J.   M. 
Swaine,  F.  W.  L.  Sladen. 

Dr.  E.  M.  Kindle,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  H.  McGillivray,  L.  D. 
Burling,  E.  Poitevin,  Dr.  M.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Sternberg. 

C.  Patch,  P.  A.  Taverner,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Williams,  A.  G.  King- 
ston, A.  E.  Kellett. 

A.  Halkett,  E.  E.  Lemieux,  E.  A.  LeSueur,  C.  H.  Young. 


J.  Ballantyne. 


Auditors: 


E.  C.  Wight. 


Membership  Fee  to  O.F.N.C.,  with  "Ottawa  Naturalist,' 

$1.00  per  annum. 


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MBL  WHOI   LIBRARY 


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