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FIRST WINTER SOIREE. 



The first winter meeting of the Ottawa Ficld-Naturalists's 

 Club was held in the Y.M.C.A. Lecture Hall, December 14th. 

 In the absence of the President, the Vice-President, Prof 

 John Macoun, delivered the Inaugural address. This addiess 

 was almost wholly of a reminiscent nature. It was shown 

 that from a very small beginning the Club had grown from 

 year to year until it had become one of the most important 

 institutions of its kind in Canada. Though the progress from 

 year to year had not been great and it sometimes seemed that 

 no progress was being made, one had only to compare what 

 had been done in the early years of the Club's existence with 

 what was being done now to realize that through its stimulating 

 influence interest in natural science in all its branches had each 

 year increased. The membership of the Club showed this. 

 While the original members had continued their work with 

 unabated energy, new members had been almost equally active. 



The publication of local lists and notes was in the opinion 

 of Prof Macoun the most important work that had been done 

 by the Club. By this means all that was worth preserving of 

 each member's work had been put in an easily accessible form 

 and was available for study and reference. In concluding his 

 address. Prof Macoun emphasized the fact that the young men 

 and women of to-day spent too much of their time in an unpro- 

 fitable way, and made an earnest appeal to the members of the 

 Club to do all in their, power to increase the interest that was 

 already felt in its work. 



A paper was read on "Some Local Violets," by Mr. J. M. 

 Macoun, and the report of the Botanical Branch by Mr. D. A. 

 Campbell. These are published in this number of The 

 Natukallst. Dr. Jas. Fletcher gave an interesting account of 

 a monstrous specimen of Trilliuvi grandifloTiun with green 

 blotched flowers and long petioles collected by Mrs. Chamber- 

 lain at Lakefield and figured in The OTTAWA NATURALIST 

 for June, 1896. The root upon which ihe figured flower was 



