78 The Ottawa Naturalist. [July 



EXCURSIONS. 



The excursions arranged for May 1st and 8th were cancelled, 

 the former because on the day before a great mass of sleet and 

 snow had fallen, which made woods and roads impassible, the 

 latter because of much rainfall up to the day before. However, 

 that Saturday turned out to be fine, thus again upsetting all 

 preconceived plans and well meant intentions. 



Britannia. 



On May ISth the excursion to Britannia was held. It was 

 a lovely day, perhaps the first all-round satisfactory one up till 

 then of the season. 



About 40 or 50 members of the Club assembled at the park, 

 where Vice-president Halkett gave out the shibboleth for the 

 day. The botanists under the leadership of Dr. Blackadar,^ 

 turned to the left to Graham's woods, a good spot for the first 

 wild spring flowers. The zoologists with Mr. Halkett as leader, 

 the geologists under Mr. Wilson and the ornithologists with the 

 undersigned, went to the right into the tamaracs and gravel pit, 

 the ornithologists going farthest afield, beyond the Richmond 

 Road. 



After two hours the party assembled again at the starting 

 point. Dr. Blackadar showed specimens of many of the plants 

 that had been found, and spoke at length on the flowers of the 

 trees, especially the poplars, maples, elms, birches and alders. 

 Mr. Wilson, for the geologists exhibited a piece of conglomerate, 

 the process of whose forming could be seen bodily in the exposed 

 lower strata of the adjoining gravel-pit. The undersigned spoke 

 on the birds observed during the short perambulation, which 

 numbered 40 species, as follows: 4 Kingbirds, 1 Least Flycatcher, 



1 Crested Flycatcher, 1 Phoebe, 3-4 Meadowlarks, 2 Redwinged 

 Blackbirds, 4-5 Bronzed Grackles, Crows (one nest), 2 Baltimore 

 Orioles, many Robins, 4-5 Veeries, 4 Bluebirds, many Song, 

 White-Crowned, Clipping and Vesper Sparrows, all in song, 



2 Juncos, 2 Rose^breasted Grosbeaks and Goldfinches; Chimney 

 Swifts, and even Kingfishers were common, about 8-10 of the 

 latter being seen or heard, (in the gravel-pit several nesting 

 tunnels); Tree, Barn and Bank Swallows (already making nest- 

 ing holes), 5-6 Flickers, 1 Sapsucker, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 

 2 Yellow Warblers, 3-4 Black and White Creeping Warblers, 2 

 Black-breasted Green, 2 Myrtle, 1 Parula, 1 Palm Warbler, 1 

 Yellowthroat and 1 Water-thrush; 4-5 House Wrens and 2 

 Brown-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Spotted Sand Pipers, and 2 

 Greater Yellow Legs. 



Mr. Halkett exhibited quite a collection of batrachians, 



