175 



SOIREES. 



Fourth. On Wednesday, the 2nd Febiuai y, Mr. Henry M. Ami 

 contributed a note on .the " Sequence of Geological Formations about 

 Ottawa," after which Mr. J.mies Fletcher read a very interesting and 

 valuable paper on " Vegetable Parasites." As tliese papers will appear 

 in future numbers of TiiK Ottawa Naturalist, it is not necessary to 

 give any abstract of tiiem here. They were followed by a lengthy dis- 

 cussion, principally upon ihe degree of para.sitism which might be cor- 

 rectly attiibuted to nionotroi>a and comandra. Prof. Macoun considered 

 that thpse present had listened to a paper of unusual interest and clear- 

 ness of statement, and .supported Mr. Fletcher in his views on the para- 

 sitism of the above named plants. Dr. Baptie on the other hand was 

 of the opinion that comandra was capable of existing quite indepen- 

 dently of any other [jlant, as it was well supplied with roots, while the 

 attachments to the roots of other plants were few in number. Prof. 

 Macoun said that this plant belonged to the order ne.xt to that in which 

 the mistletoe was placed, and in his opinion was at least Bemi-parasitic, 

 He found it impossible to dry this plan:; green, and this fact would, as 

 mentioned by the lecturer, point to the absence of true chloro))hyll. 

 With reference to monotropa, Dr. Baptie held that it was not i)arasitic,. 

 or that at least there was no evidence of parasitism, and he thought that 

 the intermediary stage suggested by Mr. Fletcher, had as yet no grounds, 

 for acceptance. No connection of monotropa with tlie roots of any 

 plant had yet been recorded, and no person had ever seen the under- 

 ground root-growth which had been suggested. JNFr. Fletcher in reply 

 said it would be almost impossiV>]e for any one to observe this stage, on 

 account of the growth being entirely underground, but he trusted at- 

 tempts would be made to grow the plant from seed, and so definitely 

 settle the question. Mr. R. B. Whyte supjjorted the idea that the 

 plants mentioned were in a greater or less degree [)arasitic, according aa 



they showed the presence or absence of chlorophyll. A short discussion 

 thftn followed on the paper which had been read by iNIr. Ami, chiefly 

 with reference to the prospects of natural gas being found near Ottawa 

 in quantities available for economic purposes. Mr. ,T. Stewart, Rev. 

 Prof. Marsan, Prof. Macoun and Mr. Harrington joined in this discus- 

 sion, as well as Mr. Ami. A fine series of the parasitic plants men- 

 tioned in Mr. Fletcher's i)aper was exhibited bv Prof. Macoun. 



