ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 

 To the Members of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club : 



Your Council has to report that the club has been carried on during 

 the year now closing with increased interest and gratifying success. 



The number of new members elected during the year is 28 ; 

 the membership now standing at about 230. 



There were three genei'al excursions held during the summer : the 

 first was to King's Mountain, Chelsea, by vans; the second was to 

 Montebello by steamboat, and the third to Ox Bow or Big Gully, near 

 Casselman, by rail. A fourth excursion was arranged to Kirk's Ferry, 

 but the weather being unfavourable it was postponed from time to time, 

 and was finally abandoned altogether. 



The Saturday afternoon sub-excursions were not so successfully 

 carried on as in former years. In the beginning of the season separate 

 parties were formed in some of the sections, and went in different 

 directions, which interfered considerably with the attendance and also 

 the enthusiasm of the leaders, and the result was that comparatively 

 few sub-excursions took place. It is to be hoped that an effort will be 

 made this spring to establish the interest which previously existed in 

 connection"with the sub-excursions, and have them carried on as before. 



The winter course of meetings comprised seven soirees and nine 

 afternoon elementary lectures. At the soirees the following papers 

 were read : — Dec. 13th, inaugural address by the president, Dr. R. W. 

 Ells, on the "Geological Progress in Canada." Jan. 10th, "The 

 Mistassini Region," by Mr. A. P. Low ; " The Serpentines of Canada," 

 by Mr. N. J. Giroux. Jan. 24th, " Glaciation in America," by Dr. A. 

 C. Lawson. Feb. 7, " Some Geological Facts Observed on a Trip to the 

 Straits of Belleisle," by Dr. Selwyn ; " A Bird in the Bush," by Mr. 

 W. A. D. Lees. Feb 21st, " Some Notes on the English Sparrow," by 

 Mr. J. Ballantyne ; "The Wolf," by Mr. W. P. Lett. March 7th, 

 " On Some of the Larger Unexplored Portions of Canada," by Dr. G. M. 

 Dawson ; " A Naturalist in the Gold Range, B.C," by Mr. J. M. 

 Macoun. March 14th, annual reports of the leaders of the various 

 branches. These soirees took place every alternate Friday evening ■ the 

 attendance was large and much interest was manifested. 



