

LIBRARY 



THE OTTAWA NATURALIST 



Vol. XXXII. 



APRIL, 1918. 



No. I. 



FOREWORD. 



With the appearance of this number of The 

 Ottawa Naturalist a new era in the history of 

 The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club is launched. 



The Ottawa Naturalist was established in 

 1887 as the organ of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists* 

 Club. It is now in its thirty-second year and is 

 one of the oldest natural history periodicals in North 

 America. While modest in form and not too pre- 

 possessing in appearance, it has published many 

 important papers and the great number of original 

 descriptions that have appeared in its pages makes 

 its files a necessity in libraries of original research 

 in biology. 



The time has come, however, when a local 

 periodical of this nature is inadequate and the 

 Dominion requires a more creditable and representa- 

 tive publication for the record and dissemination of 

 the results of scientific research. The Ottawa 

 Naturalist, with its already established position, 

 long and honorable history and scientific standing, 

 seems a logical nucleus from which such a publica- 

 tion should be developed. 



Beginning, therefore, with this number, The 

 Ottawa Naturalist will appear in an improved 

 form. The size is enlarged and the number of 

 pages increased. The better paper used throughout 

 will permit of more and finer illustrations; these 

 will improve the appearance and add interest and 

 value to the magazine. To widen its geographical 

 sphere of influence a change of name to one of less 

 local significance is being considered but cannot, by 

 the constitution of the Club, be effected until next 

 year. 



In order to reach the highest possible degree of 

 usefulness, the interests of the general, the educa- 

 tional and the technical public will be considered. 

 Teachers in the various schools of Canada, will, it is 

 hoped, find in the pages of The NaturALIST in- 

 formation which will be of value to them in con- 

 nection with their teaching of elementary natural 



science and nature study. It will, therefore, be the 

 tdtorial policy to publish papers that will appeal 

 to each of these classes of readers. 



The further improvement of the publication will 

 rest entirely with the public and the amount of 

 supjiort received will decide whether it succeeds or 

 fails. This fundamental change will naturally in- 

 volve additional expense, but we have enough faith 

 in the necessity and promising nature of the enter- 

 prise to count upon the support of the nature lovers 

 and workers of the Dominion. 



We have long felt that there was a field in 

 Canada for such a magazine for the permanent re- 

 cording of noteworthy biological data and as an 

 assistance and source of pleasure to nature lovers in 

 general. 



The proposed increase in size, improvement in 

 appearance and widened geographical appeal in- 

 volves a heavy financial burden that can be covered 

 only by an enlarged and nation-wide subscription 

 list. 



Members of the Club and present subscribers are 

 urgently invited to assist in building up the sub- 

 scription list. Names of new subscribers with re- 

 mittances should be sent to the Treasurer of the 

 Club, Mr. J. R. Dymond, Seed Branch, Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Ottawa. 



The subscription price is the same as heretofore, 

 namely $1.00 per year. If personal cheques are 

 remitted, ten cents should be added to cover bank 

 exchange. Nine numbers will constitute a volume, 

 no issues appearing for the months of June, July and 

 August. 



Natural history societies throughout Canada are 

 also invited to join with us in making this publica- 

 tion not only indispensable to every working nat- 

 uralist but one which will be found acceptable to 

 a very large class of people who are always eager 

 to read of the things of nature. 



