50 



hill cranes pass over the township of Escott in 1890, and recognized 

 the birds by their cry. In the present month December 1891, 1 have 

 seen two wax wings, ( Ampelis garrulufi). Space does not permit me to 

 go further into an account of the birds, as I must mention some of the 

 more striking plants. The rarest plant I have met wath is the dwarf 

 sumach, (/?/z//;f (:c?/a7/«a) found by me about a mile inland from th^ 

 river St. Lawrence in October last in the township of Lansdowne. The 

 bright red foliage ot the plant at that time of year formed a noticeable 

 feature. I understand it has only been found once before in Canada 

 on an island in the St. Lawrence river near Brockville. I enclose a 

 ]eaf In the same locality I find the pitch pine, Piiiiis rigiia to be a 

 common tree growing in suitable places, i.e. rocky ground on the islands 

 in St. Lawrence and north, on and around the Blue Mountain. The red 

 cedar is also a common tree here, growing in this section of country in- 

 variably as far as I have observed, on and among Laurentian rocks. 

 Time forbids me to go into any systematic mention of other plants, but 

 I will speak of a few at haphazard, which friends at Ottawa have kindly 

 named for me. The closed gentian, (Gentiana Andrewsii) is fairly 

 common from the St. Lawrence northward in moist meadows. On the 

 borders of creeks and near the river, the ground nut, (Apios tuberosa) 

 is a common plant. Near the Blue Mountain I met last May with pretty 

 blossoms of the fringed polygala, (Polygala paucifolia). On the Islands 

 among rocks as too on the Blue Mountain. I have met with the enclosed 

 fern, a southern variety I think, {Aspletiium ebeneum.) The mandrake, 

 (Podophyllum peltatum) is very plentiful in places on the islands, and 

 the little plant 'Pyrola elliptica' (enclosed) grows among the rocks. The 

 ginseng, recently so much sought after, has been frequently found in 

 the vicin ty of Charleston Lake. We have several other plants to which 

 I minht call attention as met with in this locality, but I must pa-s them 

 by now, hoping on another occasion to give a more systematic list of 

 some varieties not commonly found. I cannot but add in conclusion 

 that some knowledge of the 'fauna! and '■flora' of the country districts of 

 Ontario and where we happen to live, is to my mind both edifying and 

 instructive. The field is wide aad diversified here in Ontario, a com- 

 paratively short distance shows great variety of soil and natural features, 

 to a certain extent even of climate. There are few who amid the pressure 



