34 



The Ottawa Naturalist. [April 



trial on muddy shores, all the stems rooting at the nodes ; herbage 

 wholly glabrous : earliest leaves round-ovate, obscurely crenate, 

 the later ones 3-lobed to the middle, the lateral lobes often 2-lobed 

 all the lobes obtuse or retuse,the sinuses open; flowers 3 or 4 lines 

 broad; sepals and petals each 5; stamens 8 or 10: heads of 

 achenes round-ovate, the gynophore oval, perfectly glabrous ; 

 achenes many, small, little compressed, often turgid, tipped with 

 a short stout blunt style. 



Common almost throughout the Rocky Mountains, as an 

 aquatic of subalpine ponds and swamps, and hitherto referred to 

 R. natans of Europe ; thoroughly distinct from it (i) by leaf-out- 

 line ; the Old World plant having leaves 5-lobed and with closed 

 sinuses ; (2) by its round-ovate rather than spherical heads : (3) 

 by an oval and glabrous, rather than spherical and villous receptacle. 

 The species resembles closely the species ot Batrachium in habit ; 



yet forms no real connecting link. 







A special lecture was given under the auspices of the Club in 

 the Assembly Hall of the Normal School, Feb. 22nd, when Prot. 

 Conway MacMillan lectured on the work of the " Marine Biologi- 

 cal Station on the Straits of Juan ue Fuca." The lecture was 

 illustrated by a fine series of lantern slides. Prof. MacMillan in 

 his opening remarks described the trip across the C. P. Ry. and 

 exhibited some very beautiful views illustrative of alpine scenery. 

 At the south end of Vancouver Island, where the station is located, 

 a permanent camp has been made with accommodation for a large 

 number of students. Last season's party was composed of men 

 and women from all parts of America. All branches of natural 

 history are studied, and a properly equipped laboratory and photo- 

 graphic dark room simplify the work of the student. Prof. Mac- 

 Millan himself devoted his attention chiefly to the study of certain 

 groups of sea-weeds, and slides showing many ot the most inter- 

 esting species growing on the rocks and under water were exhi- 

 bited. The lecturer in closing expressed the hope that what had 

 been said might result in students and teachers from eastern 

 Canada joining his party next year, the special rates secured from 

 transportation companies and the small cost of living at the 

 biological station for the six weeks season making it possible for 

 almost anyone to make the trip across the continent and spend a 

 a pleasant and profitable summer on the Pacific coast. 



