1907] With the Field Naturalists' Club. 119 



WITH THE FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB, ROCKLIFFE 

 WOODS, SEPT. 28th, 1907. 



A grey day, with just enough of a suspicion of cold in the 

 air to make the blood tingle, and give intense enjoyment to a 

 walk in the woods, greeted the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club 

 at their meeting at Rockliffe, Saturday, Sept. 28th. The 

 "Father" of the Club, Dr. James Fletcher, w^as there, with ever 

 abundant store of information on nature lore ; Dr. Sinclair, Vice- 

 Principal of the Normal School, with his large family of Normal 

 School students, with their intelligent, bright faces ; Mr. 

 Arthur Gibson, of the Experimental Farm, and Mr. Power, of 

 the Normal School, a new addition and a most helpful one, and 

 about sixty interested followers of Nature Study and lovers 

 of "God's great out of doors." 



The meeting place was the pavilion, and having strolled 

 through the woods, the "round up" was held at the south end 

 of Mac Kay's Lake (Hemlock Lake). Here the stores of flowers, 

 plants, and insects were brought and commented upon, and 

 valuable lessons learned from wood, tree and flower. 



Dr. Sinclair, in a few words introduced Dr. James Fletcher 

 as the "Father" of the Club, and remarked that Cicero's cele- 

 brated quotation might be used here, as there were so many 

 generals to call upon. In speaking of the different trees. Dr. 

 Fletcher called attention to the plentiful flowers on the maple, 

 the only specimen of the beech to be seen, the ash, the locust, and 

 others in the neighborhood. The interdependence of the animal 

 and vegetable world was commented upon. The last spring, the 

 cold had killed the insects which should have fertilized the trees 

 and flowers, the birds had suffered and died for want of insects 

 to feed upon. Dr. Fletcher spoke also of his success in the 

 destruction of the Miller m^oth, by the application of intense cold, 

 which was a pest to flour millers. He showed the wise provision 

 of Nature for the trees and shrubs for the approaching winter, 

 after their leaves drop in the autumn, and that of the ever- 

 greens and those having peculiarly shaped foliage which stood 

 the strain of the winds and snow. Mr. Power on being called 

 upon spoke on the same subject, and told in a humourous strain 

 of the dearth of fruit at one time in Australia, which resulted 

 from the loss of bees because there were too many mice, and too 

 many mice because there were not enough cats, and too few cats 

 because there were not enough old maids to care for them. 

 Mr. Power spoke very highly of the great good the Club was 

 doing in Nature Study and the great assistance it was to Normal 

 School students. Mr. Arthur Gibson showed specimens of the 



