236 The Ottawa Naturalist. [January 



to the safety of the young ; he seems to think more of saving his 

 own colours, which he changes here by ihe first week in August. 

 After that date the plumage of male and female, old and young, 

 is very nearly the same, and they congregate in flocks of hundreds 

 which resort to some favorite place to roost at night. During 

 the latter half of August they begin the southward journey, and 

 their " pink," "pink," is often heard high overhead, so high in- 

 deed that the birds are indiscernable to the naked eye. 



SOIREES. 



The first Soiree of the season was held in the Assembly Hall 

 of the Normal School on the evening of Dec 12th. In the absence 

 of Dr. MacCabe, an address of welcome was delivered by Dr. 

 Sinclair. 



Dr. Robert Bell in his Presidential address "On the Extinc- 

 tion of Useful Animals in Modern Times," referred to the general 

 tendency to extinction of all species of animals which had obtained 

 throughout zoological time, and showed that while in a state of 

 nature a balance was generally maintained any interference by 

 man accelerated the tendency towards extinction. Prot. Macoun, 

 Mr. Shutt and Mr. Halkett also spoke briefly. 



As is usual at the opening Soiree of the Club's lecture season, 

 a portion of the evening was devoted to the exhibition of natural 

 history objects and microscopic slides. Several members of the 

 Club had loaned microscopes, and these added not a little to the 

 interest and success of the meeting. 



A mounted collection ot perennial plants suitable for Ottawa, 



grown at the Experimental Farm, was exhibited by Mr. W. T. 



Macoun, and a very beautiful collection of fifty water colour paint- 

 ings of Manitoba plants were shown by Dr. Fletcher with the 

 artist's permission. These were painted by Mr. Norman Criddle 

 of Ameme, Man., and attracted much attention not only on 

 account ot their artistic merit but also for iheir scientific 

 accuracy. 



Mr. Odell's living specimens of reptiles, and Mr. Halkett's 

 living fish were among the most interesting objects shown. 



The next Soiree will be held in the Y. M. C. A. Assembly 

 Hall, when Dr. R. A. Daly will read a paper " On the Relation of 

 Geology to Geography," illustrated by lantern slides. 



