1904] • General Excursions. 89 



GENERAL EXCURSIONS. 



The Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club held the first general ex- 

 cursion to Casselman on May 21st. The president, Mr. W. T. 

 Macoun, was in charge, and leaders in various branches of the 

 Club's work were present, but the heavy rains of the preceding 

 days limited the attendance to a few members of the Club. 



The collecting field at Casselman is a most varied one, and 

 the different sections soon separated for the day's work. Dr. Ami 

 took a party along the bank of the Nation River, and they were 

 successful in unearthing numerous relics of the South Nation 

 Indians, an Algonquin tribe whose name is borne by this tributary 

 of the Ottawa river. 



Dr. Fletcher, Messrs. Gibson and Young led the entomological 

 section and secured many specimens of insects, among them 10 

 different species of butterflies. TJiecla niphon was, perhaps, the 

 rarest of these. This is a small brown butterfly the caterpillar of 

 which feeds on the young shoots of pine trees. A specimen of the 

 rare beetle Hylecoehis lugiihns was seen on the railway track and 

 was caught but made its escape. Several specimens of Sphcertdiiim 

 scat abceoides were secured. 



The ornithologists found that both locality and season com- 

 bined to furnish ideal conditions. No less than forty-nine species of 

 birds were observed by Rev. C. W. Eifrig. The Greater Yellow-legs 

 and the Black-bellied Plover were both seen along the river. A 

 Migrant Shrike's nest with five young and one o.^^ was found. 

 The nest was placed on one oi the lower branches of a plum tree. 

 A Bluebird's nest with 5 eggs and a nest ot the Savanna Sparrow 

 were also seen. 



The botanical section found several species that are not of 

 common occurence near Ottawa. Four species of Trilhitm were 

 collected, the rarest being Trillium centiiuni. Trillium gnuuli- 

 florum with exceptionally large flowers was common. In some of 

 these the white petals from the base to the open measured 2)^ by 

 i^ inches wide. Specimens in one clump were semi-donble and 

 had in some instances the sepals petaloio and more or less white. 

 Some violets were in splendid condition. Viola hratida was re- 

 markably fine and in such enormous abundance as to scent the 



