1911] The Ottawa Naturalist. 175 



shoot fertile throughout is found in the occasional appearance of 

 sterile sporangia at the base of the fertile branch in L. inun- 

 daitim, i.e., in the vegetative tract below the cone; the identity 

 of the scaly cone with the leafy branch is seen in the occasional 

 prolongation of the cone of L. obscurum into a vegetative tract 

 above; and sometimes in L. clavatutn the peduncle with its 

 aborted foliage fails to produce a cone at its apex, showing the 

 bare branch to be a modified leafy shoot. 



It is noteworthy that in every member of the family the 

 shoot or branch or branchlet destined to bear sporangia rises 

 sturdy and erect from the ground. Presumably this is to help 

 distribute the spores, the wind having thus a chance to get under 

 them and bear them away on its back. Fern-lovers will readily 

 find analogies in the upright fertile fronds of Crypto gramma, 

 Asplenium. angusHfolium,, Aspidium cristatum, On odea, Osmunda, 

 Botryckmm or Ophioglossum,. 



NOTES FROM PEMBROKE, ONT. 

 By Ernest Thompson Seton. 



On November 7th, I called on Dr. G. H. Belaire, V.S., of 

 Pembroke. In his collection I found some interesting local birds 

 and mammals and made the following notes on certain of them. 



Black Squirrell {Sciurus carolinensis). This specimen, a 

 pure black, was killed one mile west of Pembroke, in November, 

 1909. It is exceedingly rare here, but others have been seen 

 and two were taken about 1904. 



Cormorant (Phalacrocorax diplophus). This, an immature 

 specimen of the double-crested species, was killed at Mud Lake, 

 7 miles south-east of Pembroke, about 1907, by an Indian named 

 Pappin. This is the only one ever seen. 



Woodcock (Philohela minor). This, a very small specimen, 

 was found dead in the town of Pembroke in the summer of 1903. 

 It had killed itself by striking a wire. This is the only one ever 

 seen. 



PERSONAL. 



Mr. Andrew Halkett, President of the Ottawa Field- 

 Naturahsts' Club, and Naturalist to the Department of Marine 

 and Fisheries, left Ottawa on December 8th for Europe. Un- 

 fortunately he will be absent from our winter meetings, but we 

 hope to see him back again before the date of the annual meet- 

 ing. Mr. Halkett 's trip is mainly for the purpose of visiting 

 Natural History Museums. Zoological Gardens, Aquaria, etc. 

 He has arranged to spend most of his time in Germany. 



