224 The Ottawa Naturalist. [March 



All the teachers present, including Professor Macoun, who 

 taught school for many years, felt the force of the difficulties men- 

 tioned ; the latter declared it to be his conviction that Nature 

 Study would soon be consigned to the limbo of exploded educa- 

 tional fads. Dr. Fletcher was much more optimistic, and believed 

 that the movement would have a permanent eflfect on the character 

 of the work done in the schools of the future. Mr. J. M. Macoun 

 thought that a competent supervisor of Nature Siudy should be 

 appointed. Mr. Whyte expressed himself as thinking that the 

 matter of order in a school-room was unnecessarily emphasized. 

 Mr. W. T. Macoun said that if a clear relation was made to the 

 life of the pupil of the various aspects of Nature Study, there 

 would be no lack of interest in the subject. 



The very animated discussion was stopped in time to give the 



gentlenien an opportunity of examining the wonderfully accurate 



and exceedingly artistic pictures ot plants painted by Mr. Norman 



Criddle in water colors. 



A. E. A. 



The Botanical Branch met at the rcMdence of Prof. Macoun, 

 Feb. 9th, when all the members but two were present. A pro- 

 position to extend the limits of the " Ottawa District " for botan- 

 ical purposes was discussed and the general opinion was that such 

 an extension would add to the opportunities for work, as some of 

 the Club's members spend ihe summer near Ottawa but still out- 

 side the present 1 mits. Prof. Macoun drew the attention of the 

 members to the very small cost of maKing a herbarium collection 

 of plants — only $7 per 1,000 sheets. The mounting paper can be 

 had for $5 per 1,000 sheets, printed labels may be had for $1.50 

 per I, ceo, and another $1 pays for the genus covers. 



