184 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Dec. 



the Museum of the Survey by the Rev. J. H. Keen in December, 

 1907, as stated in the Ottawa Naturalist of that date. 



In October, 1908, Mr. Keen kindly presented the same 

 museum with a fine specimen of a bird of this species, which 

 is labelled as having been taken at Lucv Island on the 24th of 

 April, 1907. 



The specimen is a skin of an adult male, in spring plumage, 

 which shows well the large upright and deciduous "horn" at the 

 base of the upper mandible, and the two longitudinal series of 

 long, narrow and acutely pointed white plumes, on each side of 

 the head, as figured by Coues on page 1067 (fig. 722) of the 

 second volume of his "Key to North American Birds." 



This large and remarkable species of Auklet has long been 

 known to have a very wade distribution in the north Pacific, 

 but it was previously represented only by an egg, in the Survey 

 collection. 



DIOSCOREA VILLOSA AT SARNIA. 



By W. A. Dent, Sarnia, Ont. 



The surface of the land about the shores of Lake Huron in 

 the vicinity of Sarnia is a succession of sand ridges parallel with 

 the lake. Many of the depressions between these ridges were 

 formerly swampy, or actually covered to a slight depth of water. 

 Vegetable remains accumulated in these depressions in many 

 places to a considerable depth, forming a soil almost as black as 

 charcoal. This humus, mingled with the sand and receiving the 

 drainage from the surrounding ridges, forms an almost ideal 

 soil for the growth of many comparatively rare and interesting 

 plants. The orchid family, renowned for the beauty of its flowers, 

 was here formerly abundantly represented by many of its 

 most beautiful members. Arethusa, for instance, Calopogon and 

 Pogonia, that dainty trio, here grew in profusion, while the 

 Cypripediums in millions made the swamps gorgeous. Cypriped- 

 ium spectabile was formerly so abundant that men went with 

 wagons, and gathered loads of the blossoms to ship to larger 

 centres. C. candidum is still to be found in comparatively large 

 numbers, while boquets of C. arietintmi grace the teachers' desks 

 regularly in several country school-houses. 



That beautiful violet, Viola pedata, with flowers an inch 

 across, and of the richest shade, grows beneath the pines on the 

 sheltered banks of the sandy ridges. 



In the thickets, which are abundant in these shallow ravines, 

 many twining plants grow in tangled masses, sheltering partridge. 



