57 

 SUB-EXCURSIONS. 



Third. On the 27th May about thirty members and their friends 

 met at the Post Office at the usual hour 2 p.m. Those connected 

 with the geological branch proceeded, under the leadership of Messrs. 

 Ami and Stewart, to examine certain exposures near the Queen's 

 "VVharf and Rideau Hall, having with them Professors Bailey and 

 ]Mathews, of New Brunswick, who had been iu attendance at the 

 meetings of the ^xoyal Society. The rest of the party nineteen in 

 number preferring the botanical and entomological branches, made a 

 visit to Cave Ci'eek. This is but a small stream and is interesti' g only 

 from the fact that ic dis:ip]>eHrs under ledges of limestone at a short 

 distance in the rear of Judge Ross's house and re-a}ipears at about an 

 equal distance on the opposite side of the Richmond Road, having an 

 underground course of several hundred feet. The fields and woods in 

 the neighbourhood were explored, and jdants and insects collected. 

 About four o'clock the party gathered under a spreading maple to listen 

 to the "talks" of the Leaders. Mr. Fletcher urged the value of 

 botanical studies from an economical as well as scientific standpoint, 

 and explained the object of making collections and the methods which 

 should be pursued in their subsequent study and investigation. He 

 then discussed several of the plants collected during the "outing," 

 pointing out the distinctive features and showing that in many instances 

 tae scientific names were descriptive of these characteristics, and that a 

 knowledge of the dei-ivation and meaning of the names was conse- 

 quently often of considerable assistance in determining species. Mr. 

 Harrington followed with a few remarks on the insects observed. Of 

 these the most conspicuous and handsome were two fine examples of 

 the Luna moth, Altaciis luna, which had been found by a young lady. 

 Selarulria rosce, the rose-sawfly or slug, had been seen on bushes in the 

 garden of Judge Ross. Twigs of larch were shown which had been last 

 year attacked by another sawfly, Neniatus eric/i^onii, but the insects 

 were apparently not yet ovipositing this season. Culosoma calidum 

 was mentioned as the lai'gest Ottawa representative of the Carabidai, a 

 family of beetles whose habits were briefly explained as predatory and 

 beneficial. Examples of one or two other families were al.so exhibited, 



