80 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Aug.-Sept. 



magic or the idea that Hke cures like. For instance, bloodroot 

 is used to purify the blood because the juice is red. This idea is 

 at the bottom of a large percentage of Iroquois remedies. A 

 decoction of stoneroot is given to children in the belief that it 

 will make them hardy. Quite a number of effective laxatives 

 and emetics are known where barks are used. These are scraped 

 up or down according to the action required. Among the 

 laxatives are mandrake root, also a decoction of butternut 

 bark. A hunting medicine is made of the early leaves of 

 Prenanthes or lion's foot, from a fancied resemblance of these 

 to the heads of a buck and a doe. A decoction is made and the 

 rifle-barrel washed wdth it inside and out. The small spherical 

 bulb found attached to the dwarf ginseng is crushed and tied 

 to fishing tackle to give luck in fishing. A selling medicine is 

 obtained by chewing a small wood anemone {Anemone quinque- 

 folia) and rubbing the juice on the hands when about to offer 

 anything for sale. The person to whom the articles are offered 

 will not be able to resist buying. A medicine to give speed in 

 running is derived from the toad rush {J uncus bufonhts). A 

 decoction is made and the body and limbs washed with it, the 

 idea being that, as the plant grows beside the runner's pathway, 

 it will assist him in running. Love medicines are very common. 

 Every native medical practitioner has several. These are also 

 usually based on sympathetic magic. For instance, two leaves 

 of Aster cordifolia, which lean one upon the other, are taken, 

 and a decoction made and rubbed upon the face and hands. 

 A remedy for snake-bite is obtained by finding a root of the 

 white ash which sticks up like a snake's head. This must be 

 kicked off with the foot. A decoction is made of this and applied 

 to the bite. Among the most important medicines are a couple 

 of secret preparations belonging to medical societies. These are 

 found to consist largely of a number of fanciful or mythical 

 ingredients. These medicines are considered the most effective 

 of any and their administration is connected with a series of 

 ceremonies." 



The next speaker, Dr. Williams, spoke of the birds, 

 observed, viz. — the herring gull, the spotted sandpiper, the 

 ruffed grouse, the northern flicker, the American crow, and 

 the tree swallow. 



This last -mentioned useful little bird is very common in 

 the vicinity of Ottawa this spring, and it is to be hoped that 

 some mav take possession of the nesting boxes either at 

 Rockcliffe or at the Experimental Farm. 



In addition to the above, brief addresses were also delivered 

 ^ JiV^Uie President and the Rev. Sevmour Bullock. 

 r^gtC^y A.H. 





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