1898 Winter Lectures. 35 



the main features. As characteristic of these highest animals, 

 Professor Prince stated that two condyles, or projections behind 

 the skull, the possession of hair at some period of life, the exist- 

 ence of the left aortic arch (not the right as in birds) and a 

 perfectly separate lung and body circulation of the bloody 

 were named. The diaphragm, practically absent in birds, forms 

 the floor of the chest and aids in respiration. The brain shows 

 an enormous enlargement of the cerebral lobes proportionate to 

 the increased intelligence exhibited by mammals. All, or nearly 

 all, suckle the young, and the organs of sense (sight, smell, 

 hearing, &c.) are highly developed. Some, like bats, have the 

 hand expanded like a wing, covered with an expansion of thin 

 skin, others, like the sloth, have huge hook-claws, as the animal 

 spends its life hanging, back downwards, from the branches of 

 forest trees, while hoofs, padded feet (like the camel's) and other 

 modifications, point to the varied life of the group amongst 

 which man stands as the highest and most specialised. 



The thanks of the Club are due to the President, Professor 

 Prince, for this valuable series of lectures, and we feel confident 

 that should a similar course be given next year, the room will 

 be filled to overflowing on every occasion. No teacher, student, 

 school-boy or school-girl should miss such an opportunity of 

 acquiring much valuable knowledge in so pleasant a manner. 



IN THE BERMUDAS. 



Written for The Otiawa Naturalist. 



Although the Bermudas or Sommers Islands are so far 

 from Canada that the Field-Naturalists' Club is debarred from 

 an excursion thereto, they possess as far as the birds are con- 

 cerned a certain amount of interest to the more northern parts 

 of the adjacent continent, as a stopping or resting place in the 

 spring and autumn migratory flights. During the summer 

 months the regular amount of bird life is limited, but in 

 the autumn and spring almost every variety of bird met with 

 in Canada has been noticed here. Dr. Hart Merriam made this 



