lis 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 



[Vol. XXXV. 



many liave been kept under observation 

 during the last three years. 



In case t^ere should result any skin ir- 

 ritation from the application of Iodine, an 

 application of a starch poultice might be 

 resorted to. Should any person fear the 

 application of Iodine, it is suggested that 

 it be not resorted to until the treatment is 

 authorized by one's medical adviser. 



In conclusion a word may be said about 

 the eradication of this undesirable plant. 

 Poison ivy will not be killed by a single 

 cutting, a.s new shoots or suckers are per- 

 sistently sent up from the root stocks. The 

 root stocks must be exhausted by destroy- 

 ing the foliage as fast as it appears, either 

 by' repeated mowing or by spraying with 

 a strong salt brine made at t]ie rate of 3 



pounds of common salt per gallon of water. 

 If the weed is cut or sprayed in June and 

 the treatment repeated about three times 

 at intervals of 10 days or two weeks, the 

 root stocks will become exhausted and die. 

 Arsenate of soda (a violent poison), 1/4 

 pound per gallon of water, or crude oil 

 may be substituted for the salt spray. 

 Spraying does not affect the roots directly, 

 but is simply equivalent to cutting. How- 

 ever there is the advantage that one need 

 not come into actual contact with the plant. 

 Spraying with one pound of caustic soda 

 dissolved in two gallons of water has been 

 found very effective. 



H. T. Gussow, 

 Experimental Farm, Ottawa. 



NOTES ON THE NORTHWEST COAST HERON IN STANLEY PARK, 



VANCOUVER, B.C. 



Having on numerous occasions seen 

 herons flying over the City of Vancouver 

 I had unsuccessfully endeavored to dis- 

 cover their nesting site, and was much 

 pleased to hear, on June 9th last, that a 

 number of herons were nesting in Stanley 

 Park. Without delay and in company 

 with two friends I visited the Park, and 

 not far from Brockton Point found the 

 heronry. It was situated in a very heav- 

 ily timbered corner and the main nesting 

 site was in a large spruce tree, tlhis tree 

 being about 250 ft. in height. We count- 

 ed thirty-seven nests in this single tree, 

 and about fifteen young birds were in 

 view, either sitting up in the nests or 

 perched on the branches of the tree. The 

 young, Avhich appeared to be half or three- 

 quarters grown, kept up an incessant 

 squawking, which increased fourfold 

 whenever a parent bird appeared with 

 food. The branches of this spruce tree, 

 except for their tips, were devoid of 

 foliage, and tree trunk, branches and nests 

 were of a greyish-white colour from the 

 birds' droppings. Much of the vegeta- 

 tion close to the ground under the tree 

 was dead and everywhere the ground was 

 littered with pieces of egg shells, filth, 

 etc. I secured a number of egg shells, 

 some of which were in excellent condition. 

 Tavo nests and five voung dead birds were 



found on the ground beneath tilie tree ; 

 two of these were about half grown, two 

 about three weeks old, and the fifth about 

 one week or ten days old. All five birds 

 were more or less decomposed. These 

 nests with the young had, no doubt, been 

 blown down by a recent heavy wind and 

 rain storm. One nest was complete and 

 unbroken, and proved to be a bulky affair 

 and of solid construction, the outer part 

 being constructed of coarse branches about 

 half an inch in diameter, while the inside 

 was well made with fine twigs securely 

 plastered togetflier with refuse and excreta 

 from the young birds. From the size, 

 the nest must have been in use several 

 years, each year having had a little added 

 to it. It was between three and four feet 

 in diameter outside, while the bowl meas- 

 ured eleven inches wide by five inches 

 deep ; the whole nest was of a greyish- 

 white colour as if it had been whitewashed. 

 Under the tree three lampreys were found, 

 having, no doubt, been dropped by the 

 birds when feeding; two of these fisji 

 r^asured 7I/2 inches and one 9^/2 inches, 

 two were minus heads and the other lack- 

 ed its tail. Several photographs were 

 taken by one of my companions, Mr. Ab- 

 bott, and in these the young birds can 

 easily be distinguished. 



About two hours were spent watching 



