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Society ? The principal reason given for this change is tlie following : 

 It is said that Ottawa being the seat of the Geological Survey and 

 Experimental Farm, we could take advantage of the labors of mem- 

 bers of these institutions, which we cannot do to such a large extent if 

 we limit our lectures to a record of local work. 



I do not recommend the change though there is something to be 

 said in its favor. 



It seems to me that some chaiige in the work of the Club is called 

 for. Wo have pretty well accomplished our task of investigating and 

 recording the results ; the small additions that have been made to our 

 lists of late years show that not much now remains to be done, the 

 average yearly addition to our plant list for the last five years is under 

 a dozen. Our list of shells is fairly complete. We have only publish- 

 ed one list of insects, the Coleoptera, but our Entomologists have the 

 material for conii)iling lists of the other orders whenever we are ready 

 o publish them. Our Geological lists are not quite so complete, but 

 this work is of course done with special facilities Vjy the Geological 

 Survey. 



Our greatest want in that line is in the Zoological branch, so far 

 very little work has been done in that department. Next to nothing is 

 known by our members of the common wild animals and reptiles of 

 this locality, making it a fertile field for study and investigation, the ' 

 only work that has so far been done being Mr. Lett's admirable series of 

 papers on Ducks, Deer, the Otter, Black Bear and Pu'na, and Mr. Small's 

 capital paper on "Our Ottawa Fishes." This season we are to have 

 Mr. Hallantyne's observations on "Our Squirrels," but a great deal re- 

 mains to be done. Every year our animals are becoming s'larcer, and 

 papers on the mammals or reptiles of the district would be interesting 

 and valuable^. 



In the other departments thougii I have spoken of our work as 

 being nearly finished it is oidy so as to collectors, there is still an im- 

 mense field open to the Botanist and Entomologist in working out the 

 life I'.istories of the objects of his study, in the latter branch a good 

 deal has been done, and our local Entomologists have done their share, 

 but in botany there is ample scope for all our workers for many years 

 to come. 



