164 The Ottawa Naturalist. [March 



The White Spruce (Picea canadensis) , formerly P. alba, 

 makes a fine ornamental tree, but, unfortunately, it has, in 

 recent years, been badly affected with the Spruce Gall louse, 

 which disfigures it very much. While young, or up to perhaps 

 thirty years, the Norway Spruce {Picea excelsa), is one of the 

 inost attractive evergreens, and is a very rapid grower, but it 

 gets ragged looking as it grows older. 



THE FIRE AND THE MUSEUM AT OTTAWA. 



By Harlan I. Smith, Geological Survey, Ottawa. 



The Museum of the Geological Survey, Ottawa, is to- 

 Canada practically what the National Museum is to the United 

 States and the British Museum to the United Kingdom. This 

 museum has been greatly affected by the fire which, beghming 

 about 9 p.m., February 3, 1916, destroyed the Dominion Par- 

 liament building, and caused the loss of several lives. Before 

 2 a.m., February 4, while the flames were still spreading, a mem- 

 ber of the Cabinet was considering the use of the large audi- 

 torium in the Victoria Memorial Museum building as possibly 

 a suitable place for the meetings of the House of Commons, 

 and members of the Geological Survey were holding themselves 

 in readiness to clear any of the other space necessary. 



The Geological Survey occupied practically all the building 

 except the three and a half floors in the east wing and an 

 office which was used by the National Gallery. Each hall and 

 wing is practically one hundred and twenty feet long by sixty 

 feet wide. 



About ten a.m., February 4th, the morning of the fire, 

 the Survey staff was informed of the intended use of the biiild- 

 ing as a temporary home for the Dominion Parliament. The 

 large auditorium with its gallery, which was only partially 

 furnished and had been but little used for lectures, was immedia- 

 tely released from museum uses, and prepared by the Depart- 

 ment of Public Works, so that the House of Commons was 

 enabled to begin its session at 3 p.m, or in less than twenty 

 hours after its deliberations had been disturbed by the fire. 

 The throne used by the Governor-General in the privy council 

 room, which was rescued from the fire, served for the Speaker 

 of the House of Commons. A press gallery was built back of 

 the Speaker. 



