(A

O T T A W A F I E L D ~ N A T U R A L I S T S 1 C L U B

N E W S L E T T E R

% EDITORS: M r . & M r s . K . W. Bowles

75 K e n i l w o r t h A v e . Telephone: 8-2289W.

NUMBER 20 M A R C H 1955

A N A P P R E C I A T I O N OF DR. ARTHUR GIBSON

When James F l e t c h e r , the f i r s t Entomologist and Botanist at the E x p e r i -m e n t a l F a r m and J . A . - Guignard ,h is e a r l y Assoc iate , became i n need of an Ass i s tant , they w e r e fortunate i n 1899 i n secur ing A r t h u r Gibson f o r the post. F le t cher had . been watching w i t h deep in teres t the w o r k of t h i s enthusiastic young lep idopter i s t i n T o r o n t o . T r a n s f e r r e d to Ottawa, he quicklyferoadened out, under coaching, to the f u l l compass of h is new dut ies . When I came i n 1908 on Guignard*s leaving, Gibson, a new stenographer, an old p lotman and I were D r . F l e t c h e r ' s ent i re staff , operat ing f r o m the l i t t l e office jus t inside the m a i n entrance to the A d m i n i s t r a t i o n B u i l d i n g of that day. :

~ 2 • -

F o r a t i m e a f t e r his r e t i r e m e n t D r . Gibson applied h i m s e l f to w r i t i n g the s t o r y of o f f i c i a l Entomology i n Canada, whi ch few could know as he d i d . M o r e r e c e n t l y i m p a i r e d health and w i n t e r s spent i n the south have intervened . He i s now m a k i n g an encouraging re covery f r o m a severe s t roke which o c curred two years ago. W i t h h i s devoted wiffe and daughter he makes his home at M a i t l a n d , O n t a r i o . Through the off ice i n Ottawa, whi ch was once h i s , come r e p o r t s of h is convalescence to f r i ends who re j o i c e at such a b i l i t y to r a l l y even ir i h i s e ight ieth year .

H . GROH.

SUMMER A C T I V I T I E S O F T H E F E R N GROUP

"After a w i n t e r spent i r i the study of the ferns of th i s d i s t r i c t , the members of the F e r n Group had an i n t e r e s t i n g s u m m e r in the f i e l d — a few m e m b e r s s tar ted co l lect ions w i l e o thers f i l l e d the gaps i n co l lect ions that have been growing i n s ize since the Group was f o r m e d about four years ago.

Besides the beauty of the country and the good t i m e s n a t u r a l i s t s a l l seem to have when together , t h i s was a spec ia l y e a r f o r those who have d i l i g e n t l y hunted f o r some of ;the s m a l l , r a r e f e rns repor ted to have been found here at var ious t i m e s .

• "Pfrs i Bauche, who hol idays i n the Gatineau, had been to ld that there was a stand of A d d e r ' s Tongue, OPHIOGLOSSUM V U L G A T U M , growing i n the v i c i n i t y of P i n k L a k e , about 10 m i l e s f r o m Ottawa i n the P r o v i n c e of Quebec, She scouted about u n t i l she found i t and on June 19 led a group to the spot. We b l i t h e l y walked over the stand before being cal led back l i k e l y what i s so often done and has given r i s e to the be l i e f that th is and others of the s m a l l e r members of the f e r n f a m i l y a r e r a r e .

" The Adder*s Tongue der ives i t s names f r o m the shape of the s ingle f rond and the" f e r t i l e - s t i p e ^ h i c h r i s e s f r o m the base o f the f r o n d . I t grows to a height of f r o m 5-30 c m ; and i s found i n damp meadows o r along sandy lake shores . I n t h i s case the plants w e r e g rowing i n the centre o f a path that winds about the lake shores. I n t h i s case the plants w e r e g r o w i n g i n the centre of a path that winds around the l ake . Some distance f r o m the f i r s t l ocat ion we found two other stands o f the f e r n . The plants urere young ; 7 so spetftmenS 1 were riot co l lected u n t i l two weeks l a t e r . v c "- c

l* ^ h is i s 1 the t h i r S recdrded specimen -of "the A d d e r 1 s Tongue to be found i n the d t t a w a ^ D i s t r i c t i ' ' T h e e a r l i e r : ones were co l lected by F . J . F l e t c h e r near B e e c h - ^ wood C e m e t e r y , 1889, and by D . B . O. Savi le , near C a r p , 1952. • : : v

r y / A c c o r d i n g to textbooks, where you f ind A d d e r ' s Tongue you w i l l f ind the S m a l l Grape F e r n , B O T R Y C H I U M S I M P L E X , — and s t r a w b e r r i e s . A s we were 1 1 on a l l f o u r s " looking f o r A d d e r ' s Tongue and eating s t r a w b e r r i e s , we included this l i t t l e f e r n i n our search . M a n y M a t r i c a r y Grape F e r n s , B p J R Y C H I . U M M A T R I C A R I A F O R I U M were found i n the shor t g rass .

I f i n a l l y took a r e s t , conf ining m y a c t i v i t i e s exc lus ive ly to p i ck ing s t r a w -b e r r i e s . I t was a lmost unbel ievable that , as I looked under a heavy s t r a w b e r r y p lant , I uncovered f o u r of these S m a l l Grape F e r n s . The plants v a r y f r o m 4-15 crft. i n height, have a s t e r i l e blade g r o w i n g below the midd le of the plant and a f r u i t i n g s ta lk that i s branched. I t was f i r s t r epor t ed i n 1924 (Rolland) to be growiQg^at B r i t a n n i a ; i n 1947 stands w e r e found by W. Ca lder at M c G r e g o r L a k e , and i n 1932"~by Paul ine Snure at South M a r c h . ;

- 3

On J u l y 10 the Group went to K i n g s m e r e where m o r e of the S m a l l Grape F e r n w e r e located and., what was m o r e i m p o r t a n t to some of us f o r i t completed our l i s t of the ferns known to be growing i n th i s d i s t r i c t , quite a few specimens of the L a n c e -Leaved Grape F e * n , B O T R Y C H I U M L A N C E Q L A T I U M . Th i s f e r n i s somewhat t a l l e r than the other three f e r n s mentioned but i s s t i l l not spectacular . T ^ i n height f r o m 1^3 c m . , has a s ingle sessi le blade w i t h lanceolate pointed segments and a branched f e r t i l e panci le . The only recorded specimen to date f o r th is d i s t r i c t ^ was found i n another p a r t of the Gatineau by Sheila Hoare i n 1953i -

Besides i n t r o d u c i n g newcomers into the Group to these ! l r a r e f f f e rns , some t i m e was spent i n helping them to ident i fy the m o r e spectacular and be t ter known m e m b e r s of th i s group of p lants . ; :

v - f W I N T E R A C T I V I T I E S O F T H E F E R N GROUP

- D u r i n g t h i s w i n t e r the F e r n Group i s meet ing on the t h i r d F r i d a y of each month .

The January meet ing was held at the home of M i s s Winn i f r ed Anderson . F o r the benefit of new m e m b e r s — and f o r some of the o lder ones, too -~ M i s s Sheila C l a r k defined t e r m s used to describe the f e r n parts and M i s s Anne Banning rev iewed the f e r n f a m i l i e s . T h i s study was continued at the F e b r u a r y meet ing at the home of M r . and M r s . F . W. G. C l a r k when M r s . A . G. E . Argue spoke on OPHIOGLOSSACEAE (the A d d e r ' s Tongue F a m i l y ) , M i s s A ^ B r o w n l e e on OSMUNDACEAE (the F l o w e r i n g F e r n s ) and M i s s M a r y Stuart*- on P O L Y P O D I A C E A E (the T r u e F e r n s ) . I n M a r c h , M i s s Sheila Hoare w i l l conduct a study of spores and s o r i at her home.*

The Group i s l ook ing f o r w a r d to s p r i n g f o r the co l lec t ing of f r e s h young shoots, that they may observe again the unco i l ing of the fronds of the P O L Y P O D I A C E A E , the unfo ld ing of the^DPHIOGLOSSACEAE/„and the manner i n which the OSMUNDACEAE Bf f fer fronT thesfe Twffr *

- *: Success In past s u m m e r s i n co l l ec t ing species^which were prev ious ly unreported i r i the Ottawa d i s t r i c t , and "other" species wh i ch had been thought of as r a r e , encourages the-Group t o : search f o r addit ional species to add to the check l i s t . B O T R Y C H I U M

^riLUNARrA (Moonwort ) , : and lASPI iENIUM P L A TUNEURON ({Ebony Spleenwort) are two w h i c h presents a challenge since they are found i r i areas not too f a r d is tant .

" : New m e m b e r s are welcomed by the Group, which at present numbers about f i f t een . Anyone interes ted i n the study of ferns i s invi ted to contact Anne Banning at 8-8966R.

A N N E BANNING "

C L U B VISIT TO P A K E N H A M

(Copy of r e p o r t f r o m Almonte Gazette, May 20, 1954, submitted by M i s s Edna Ross, and forwarded to th i s N e w s l e t t e r by M i s s M a r y Stuart ) .

On Saturday, May 15th, the Ottawa F i e l d - N a t u r a l i s t s 1 Club journeyed to Pakenham f o r an a l l day excurs ion . The s p r i n g of 1954 m a r k s the 76th year of the existence of th i s C lub . M o r e than 40 m e m b e r s along w i t h s ix ydung n a t u r a l i s t s f r o m the Macoun F i e l d Club and severa l v i s i t o r s attended. A picnic iuhch was enjoyed by the banks of the M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r .

M o r n i n g exp lo ra t i on centred i n the v i c i n i t y of the Stone B r i d g e , the only f ive a r c h l imestone br idge of i t s k i n d in Canada. D r . A l i c e Wi l son was i n charge of the e n t i r e group which v i s i t e d the q u a r r y i n the h i l l at the approach to the v i l l a g e . D r . W i l s o n , who is f a m i l i a r w i t h t h i s p a r t i c u l a r spot and who has done extensive wpr|c i n the Ottawa V a l l e y and elsewhere, explained the f o r m a t i o n of B l a c k R i v e r l imestone l a i d down probably 300 m i l l i o n years ago, The rock at th i s q u a r r y has a depth of about 105-feet. The group examined c r i n o i d s , c o ra l s , brachiopoda and other foss i l s contained only i n some l a y e r s . I n the afternoon a group went on w i t h D r . W i l s o n to Apple ton to study f o r m a t i o n s and outcrops there .

The seed c leaning plant at the foot of the h i l l and the extensive r e f o res ta t i on of the h i l l s ides east of Pakenham on the f a r m of M r . T , A . Wi l son were-points of i n t e r e s t . A stand of E n g l i s h Watergrass , GLYCERIA M A X I M A , one of s evera l on the M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r between Blakeney and Galetta was examined. T h i s s t u r d y grass w h i c h resembles c o r n has come f r o m Europe and has been established here since the dam went out. T h e r e i s , considerable con iec ture / regard ingats in t roduct i on into t h i s area as i t a lmost c e r t a i n l y spreads by an underground s t e m O mulches down qu i ck ly to e n r i c h the s o i l . Any i n f o r m a t i o n as t o when the grass was f i r s t noticed o r planted w i l l be g ra te fu l l y received by the Botany D i v i s i o n , C e n t r a l E x p e r i m e n t a l F a r m . A group- f r o m the F a r m studied the : infestat ions of t h i s grass d u r i n g the s u m m e r of 1953 mapping the areas of g rowth along both sides o f the r i v e r .

, I n the afternoon groups w e r e organized to t o u r t r a i l i n the mountain d i s t r i c t to - the west of Pakenham f o r b i r d watching and botany observations . M o r e than f i f t y species

of b i r d s were noted inc lud ing nine species of w a r b l e r s . Scarlet tanagers , rose^-breasted grosbeaks , h e r m i t and wood thrushes were i n f u l l song. The botany group found a spec imen of b lack map le , here i n i t s n o r t h e r n l i m i t . A m o n g s m a l l e r plants , w i l d g inger and showy o r ch ids were of in teres t .

A s we f^ce:the.;dfie^ry and n b r e a k - u p , l - w h i c h must preface the advent of - S p r i n g , the thoughts of many Ott a wans t u r n longingly to southern c l i m e s where the ^ re-awakening,has , a l r e a d y come.. Some are able,to go; most of us stay;behind. The

c h i l l - w i n d s of M a r c h m a y seem less keen to those who hopefully a r e p lant ing flats* of seed for^the s u m m e r ' s garden and to those who,, l i k e myse l f ; have pleasant m e m o r i e s

: fof the'sOT ibhi^)f^- : - l v i" - : :

^ I t was m y p r i v i l e g e . t o spend.one g lor ious week of s u m m e r weather i n the Gaines -" v i l l e d i s t r i c b o f n o r t h - c e n t r a l F l o r i d a d u r i n g e a r l y September. I can describe to you

some of the fasc inat ing and not -so - fasc inat ing- th ings which came to our attent ion on the way down and d u r i n g the stay there ; I can only i m p e r f e c t l y convey the emotions

-and the exc i tement known only to botanists i n a strange new envoirment (and p e r -chance to c h i l d r e n at the c i r c u s ! ) .

T h i s was m y f i r s t f l i g h t . The thought of a i r t r a v e l gave qualms to r e l a t i v e s who saw me off; the r e a l i t y gave to me only a fee l ing of complete , care f ree detach-ment , of a lmost m y s t i c u n r e a l i t y 0 The new perspect ive , the broad v i s ta , the i l l u s i o n of id l e soar ing were m o s t e x h i l a r a t i n g . The giant powder-puf fs of b i l l o w y white clouds gave i n t e r e s t to the a i r i t s e l f . The land below presented ever -changing p a t t e r n s . We saw p a s t o r a l scenery , lake country , the Thousand Is lands w i t h t h e i r I v y L e a B r i d g e , n a t u r a l forested and re f o res ted areas of New Y o r k , neat ly planted v ineyards and w e l l -o r d e r e d o r c h a r d s . F a r t h e r south the patchwork design of genera l d i v e r s i f i e d a g r i c u l t u r e gave way, on m o r e s lop ing t e r r a i n , to the picturesque long curves c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of land where the plow has fo l lowed the contour r a t h e r than the fence. The rugged country

' 5

w i t h deep-cut rav ines , some of them heavi ly forested, was v e r y i m p r e s s i v e . Be fore we knew i t we were beginning to c i r c l e and we saw below the f a m i l i a r m a r b l e bui ld ings of Washingtoi i g l i t t e r i n g white i n the glancing rays of the late afternoon sun.

The next v i v i d i m p r e s s i o n besides the welcome w a r m t h of the evening i n Jacksonv i l l e was the a r r a y of up - turned d ish-mops planted along the route to the hote l i n that F l o r i d a c i t y . The palms were poor subst i tutes f o r the e l m s w h i c h a r c h over C l e m o w ! The next m o r n i n g I learned that some other shrubs and s m a l l t rees are planted but they were most ly r e s t r i c t e d to the c iv ic grounds and the s m a l l park i n that c e n t r a l shopping d i s t r i c t wh i ch I v i s i t e d . I n t e r e s t i n g l y the c i t y i s about the s ize of our own and shares w i t h Ottawa a background which owes m u c h to the l u m b e r and pulp i n d u s t r i e s . . • • .} r

The campus at Ga inesv i l l e is one which has undergone a v e r y r a p i d develop-ment d u r i n g the last decade. Bui ld ings of l a t e s t design are p r o m i n e n t l y featured but t h e campus knowa " t e m p o r a r y " bui ld ings as w e l l . O u r f o r a y r o o m was i n one of the l a t t e r ; our l i v i n g quar ters i n the f o r m e r . Of th is we, were v e r y glad, f o r the showers o f fered an opportunity to " clean up" a f ter a day spent i n company

. of the ch iggers l These c rea tures , l a r v a l stages of c e r ta in m i t e s , are ubiquitous i n the south and i n f l i c t t h e i r " b i t e s " upon anyone unwary enough to t r ead through grass o r woodlot. Most of us had the p r i v i l e g e of co l l e c t ing a few t i cks as w e l l !

The domesticated an imals of the state are in te res t ing . The swine we saw m o r e c lose ly resembled the " w i l d boar" o r peccary than the " l i t t l e p igs" w h i c h go to m a r k e t i n O n t a r i o , The state of F l o r i d a ranks high i n the number of head o f cat t le but much lower i n beef product ion . The hump-backed B r a h m a n breed i s able to t o l e ra te the heat, withstand the t i cks and t h r i v e on the poor forage provided by F l o r i d a so i l s ; and those are probably a l l the t r a i t s one should expect f r o m one

.„ type of an imaL E x p e r i m e n t s are i n progress as f a r n o r t h as Essex. County, O n t a r i o in h y b r i d i z i n g these I n d i a n catt le w i t h ; var i ous European breeds to obtain suitable

We had le f t many f a m i l i a r species of b i r d s behind us on the f l i gh t south but fUckers -and b^uerjays were ; t h e r e to greet us . The. c a r d i n a l s 1 wh i s t l e r eminded me o f boyhpocl da^rs i n south -western Ontar i o ; and the m o c k i n g b i r d which only occas ion-a l l y comes as f a r as (Chatham to nest was v e r y abundant. He was our constant c o m -panion i n the c i t y ; and both a w e l l - g r o o m e d and vocal one at t h a t ! .

The. t rees of F l o r i d a have been, monographed by our host at the f o ray , M r . E r d m a n West . Whi l e , some elements common to our area such as the r ed maple and the b o x r e l d e r are seen, by and l a r g e they are an exotic l o t .

Many oak t rees have leaves w h i c h show none of the lob ing so c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f the species we know; sweetgum i s common, and the coni fers have species epithets s trange to our ears . The s la$h pine has been very w i d e l y planted in , r e f o res ted p lo ts . One t r e e planted on t h ^ caiiapus deserves special m e n t i o n . T h i s i s F I B M I A N A P L A T A N I F O L I A , an i m p o r t e d m e m b e r of the botanica l f a m i l y of f l o w e r i n g plants whi ch we c a l l the S T E B G U L L ^ C ^ A B I , - d o n f t know of the t r e e having a common name, i n our W e s t e r n hemisphere at least . Now, the f l o w e r i n g plants are given the t e chn i ca l class name A N G I p S P E K M A E because t h e i r seeds a r e t y p i c a l l y borne w i t h a s t r u c t u r e which we c a l l a f r u i t . The pea pod, tomato and apple a r e w e l l known examples ; i n a l l of t h e m t h ^ seeds are enclosed, not b o r n e nakedly on a m o r e o r less exposed sur face . F I R M I A N A i s one of the cur ious and uncommon exceptions whi ch tests our c r i t e r i a of de f in i t i on ; each c a r p e l , which i s r e a l l y a f r u i t i n t h i s case, i s a f l a t t i s h , ova l , l e a f - l i k e s t r u c t u r e w h i c h bears about i t s m a r g i n a number of seeds!

6

You m a y not have thought much about seeds f o rmed on t r e e s i n our d i s t r i c t wh i ch are also naked o r f ree of enc losure / but t h i s i s the state which exists i n the GYMNOSPEEMS (the w o r d comes f r o m t h e Greek mean ing "naked seeds") . O u r most common ones we c a l l the coni fers o r evergreens and these commonly have cones, on the scales of wh i ch the seed is produced. When the scales of an o ld cone separate f r o m one another ; the seeds are f ree to f a l l o u t and d r i f t e a r t h w a r d .

We have one t r e e species planted along the D r i v e w a y , at the " F a r m " and i n some other public places i r i Ottawa, whi ch shows i t s naked seeds less coyly than the con i f e rs . T h i s i s the sacred Chinese t r ee known as GINKGO or the Maidenhair t r e e . One specimen t o the east of the A d m i n i s t r a t i o n B u i l d i n g of the C e n t r a l E x p e r i m e n t a l F a r m has set e v i l s m e l l i n g seeds a number of t i m e s d u r i n g the last decade. The outer par t s of these seeds contain some of the same organic acid:*/ which gives spoiled b u t t e r i t s offensive odour.

I found two m o r e p r i m i t i v e iGYMNOSPERMS w i t h large p r o m i n e n t l y displayed seeds on the Gainesv i l l e campus. One i s native to F l o r i d a i fZamia f l or idana) , the o ther i s introduced f r o m South-east A s i a (Cycas revo luta ) . * B o t h of these plants have l a r g e leaves w i t h many leaf lets arranged on e i t h e r side of the m a d r i b ; the, leaves u n f u r l l i k e the f ronds of f e r n s . They belongto a group commonly known as Cycads.

P r o b a b l y the most s t r i k i n g th ing about the trees of F l o r i d a has nothing to do w i t h the t r ees themse lves ! They, and sometimes telephone w i r e s too, are festooned w i t h long hanks of g r a y - g r e e n Spanish moss . T h i s epiphyte, w h i c h i s re lated to the Pineapple , c e r t a i n l y does convey an T eer ie atmosphere to the landscape and p a r t i c u l a r l y by moonl ight . I t draws a l l i t s m o i s t u r e and nour i shment (except i n the seed l ing stage) f r o m the a i r through i t s h igh ly special ized leaves . These are p r o -v ided w i t h spec ia l scales to t r a p and hold droplets of r a i n o r dew.

v The natives, gather t h i s plant and p i le i t i n large heaps to r e t . The inner vascular t i s sues which, s u r v i v e t h i s t r ea tment are tough and b lack i n co l our ; th i s res idue i s m u c h sought by the upho ls tery trade as a r e s i l i e n t wadding and i s cal led " b l a c k ^ m o s s " , \: • : : , , -.- ' \.'//"- "'/w. / V

• M a n y other, epiphytes a r e also common,, the orchids and f e r n s being most n u m -erous , among vascu lar p l a n t s ^ The l ichens sometimes develop intens ive hues which ' to us a r e quite out of the o r d i n a r y . **• -

?

F A L L A C T I V I T I E S O F T H E MACOUN F I E L D C L U B

The Macoun F i e l d Club commenced i t s f a l l p r o g r a m m e w i t h three w e l l -attended f i e l d t r i ^ s , made exceptional ly enjoyable by a co -operat ive w e a t h e r -m a n . The f i r s t h ike , to the F i e l d - N a t u r a l i s t s 1 Lodge on October . 16, r was f i l m e d by the CBC f o r use i n a te lev ised showing of club a c t i v i t i e s scheduled f o r November 23. Observat ions of two snow.geese at Ottawa Be^ch capped a successful m o r n i n g f o r the b i r d group, led by M r . , B o u r g u i g n o n , 3 Y i Humphreys .r and E r i c M i l l s . The botanica l group, under D r . Scoggan, M r . Ba ldwin and M r . G r o h , studied l a t e - f l o w e r i n g plants and also c a r r i e d home specimens of common weeds such as m u l l e i n , mi lkweed and burbock the l a t t e r not by design I

The second excurs ion took place on October 23 at W i l l s 1 q u a r r y , on C a r l i n g Avenue, two m i l e s south of the Lodge, where M r . Maddox pointed ? out features of the Nepean sandstone and neighbouring P r e e a m b r i a n r o c k s . The ba lmy weather brought out s p r i n g peepers, t r e e f rogs , g a r t e r snakes, Je f f erson f s sa lamanders , b u t t e r f l i e s , dragonf l ies , a p r a y i n g mant i s , and other w i l d l i f e and s e v e r a l specimens were col lected. The h igh open woodlot contains n e a r l y e v e r y k i n d of nat ive t r e e and i s r i c h i n l i chens , mosses and f l o w e r i n g p lants , l i t t l e d i s turbed by ca t t l e .

The f i n a l hike was held on October 23 at Campbe l l 1 s q u a r r y , one m i l e south on the same snadstone r i d g e . Although b i r d s and insects w e r e scarce/^a leopard f r o g and some back s w i m m e r s cruised about in a q u a r r y pond, and sa lamanders , "peepers ' 1 , sow bugs, sp iders , centipedes, mi l l i pedes and l e tharg i c ants were s t i l l to.be found under logs and stones. B l a c k spruce and t a m a r a c k were noted i n a s m a l l sphagnum bog. [ [ ^, , i o l

The club m e m b e r s are much indebted to M r . Bourguignon, DrC. Scoggan, parents and f r i ends who provided bus and automobile t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , .and to D r . H o w a r d C r u m f o r h i s leadership i n the mosses, M r . Jack M a r t i n i n the insec ts , and m i s s Deborah Haight i n the plants .

E. L . B O U S F I E L D ,

1954 BIRD CENSUS ' \

A v e r y successful b i r d census was held i n the Ottawa D i s t r i c t on Sunday, December 26th. The weather conditions were good, c lear and cool w i t h t e m e r a -t u r e s of 10-30 degrees F . The Ottawa D i s t r i c t includes the area w i t h i n a rad ius of seven and one-hal f m i l e s f r o m the centre of the c i ty . Four teen groups took par t c o m p r i s i n g a t o t a l of thirty-sevei? observers . T h i r t y - f o u r species of b i r d s were recorded , among them being one each sharp-sh inned hawk, goshawk, great horned o w l , snowy o w l , A m e r i c a l p i p i t , r o b i n , redwinged b l a c k b i r d ; two each b lack duck, hooded merganser , s creech o w l , pileated woodpecker, and pine s i s k i n ; and three N o r t h e r n s h r i k e s ; A grand t o t a l of 6, 640 ind iv iduals w e r e counted.

A . R U D D E L L

http://to.be

GUIDES TO T H E N A T U R A L HISTORY OF THE O T T A W A DISTRICT

M a n y people interested i n our Ottawa D i s t r i c t have f e l t f o r a number of years a need f o r i n f o r m a t i o n deal ing spec i f i ca l ly w i t h the n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of the area. A s a step toward th is goal , our Club i s sponsoring publ i cat ion of a booklet on the geology of Ottawa and the surrounding countryside . We have been fortunate enough to p r e v a i l upon D r . A l i c e E. W i l s o n to w r i t e t h i s fasc inat ing s t o r y . She b r i n g s to the task a l i f e - t i m e of study of the subject at hand and adds a l i v e l y n a r r a t i v e sty le that w i l l make the manual enter ta in ing as w e l l as i n s t r u c -t i v e . U l t i m a t e l y those responsible f o r the inception of t h i s p r o j e c t would hope to see, under the auspices of the Club o r other agencies, a s e r i e s of papers whi ch would\provide co l l e c t i ve ly a complete manual to the n a t u r a l h i s t o r y of our d i s t r i c t s a - r ' ; ' ; — r ••^•ir^^^f - v - ^ w - i ^

A s m a l l group of m e m b e r s of the Club interested i n the mosses and l i v e r -w o r t s are to hold an organizat iona l meet ing Wednesday, M a r c h 9th at 8 p . m . i n r o o m 407, Car le ton Col lege . Any addi t ional people w i s h i n g to make a study of t h i s group of plants i s asked to contact W. I . I l l m a n at 5 -5181 .