1908] Birds Seen ox Sable Island, N.S. 191 



name of species. date seen. no. seen 



Baldpate Nov. 13 Two. 



Grebe " 13 Two. 



Common Gallinule " 22 One. 



Crow " 23 One. 



Cormorant Jany. 1 



Notes. ^The terns were seen in April only about the bars 

 at either end of the island. When the red phalaropes arrived 

 there were dozens of flocks of from 50 to 100 in each. The curlew 

 were more abundant than they have been for manv vears. 

 October 6th, nearly all the migrants left. The Florida galinule 

 taken October 13th was the first one ever taken on the island. 

 The robins, j uncos, nuthatches and hermit thrushes seen Nov. 

 5th were all noticed after a heavy gale. 



SOME OF THE INFLUENCES AFFECTING SEED 



PRODUCTION. 



(meeting of THE BOTANICAL BRANCH). 



A meeting of the Botanical Branch of the Ottawa Field 

 Naturalists' Club was held at the house of Mr. E. R. Cameron on 

 December 21st, 1907. 



The members present were: Messrs. Fletcher, Whyte, 

 Prof. Macoun, W. T. Macoun, E. R. Cameron, Roy Cameron, 

 Attwood and Ami. 



The chair was taken by Prof. J. Macoun who proposed a 

 discussion on the "Influences Affecting Fruit and Seed Produc- 

 tion." This subject had been brought to his attention by a 

 paper prepared and read to him by his son, Mr. W. T. Macoun. 

 After introducing the subject. Prof. MaCoun asked his son to give 

 some of the points brought up in his paper. This was done and 

 the following extract from this paper will give some of the matter 

 presented for discussion. 



Seed Production in Nature. ^The principal means of 

 reproduction in nature is by seeds, although plants frequently 

 increase by their vegetative parts as well. In nature, individual 

 plants do not necessarily produce their maximum crops, for in 

 the struggle of many species for existence individual specimens 

 may often be so crowded that they have little opportunity of 

 producing much seed. Under cultivation many plants will 

 produce much more seed than in nature, while others will .scarcely 



