So The Ottawa Naturalist. [June 



practically took his audience to a series of excursions about 

 Ottawa and pointed out by means of maps, charts, diagrams, 

 photographs and specimens the most salient and important 

 geological features to be observed and studied. 



2. April. 17th— "The Study of Birds," by Mr. A. G. 

 Kingston. — The lecturer directed attention to the recognized 

 value of all nature studies in inducing a healthy natural 

 growth in three directions — the memory, the reason, 

 the sentimental faculties. In respect of influence upon 

 the latter especially, he claimed that Field Ornithology was 

 easily first of all branches of Natural History. 



The appliances and qualities requisite for the intending 

 student of this subject were then enumerated. The lecturer 

 deprecated the making by the ordinary student of a large col- 

 lection of bird-skins, but advised that more attention should be 

 paid to the manners and habits of the living bird as seen in the 

 field. For a first season's work he thought it would be wise for 

 a beginner to confine himself entirely to the land birds, of which 

 there were on the Ottawa list, (excluding casual or accidental 

 visitants) about 125 species. 



The student having furnished himself with a good descrip- 

 tive hand-book, should mark therein all species known to occur 

 in this district Practical instructions were then given for noting 

 the important characters of a bird as they appear to an observer 

 in the field ; and a field key to the families was placed upon 

 the black-board, by the use of which in conjunction with the 

 descriptive hand-book the lecturer believed it possible to identify 

 almost any of the land birds of the district. It was then pointed 

 out that identification of species was not to be re- 

 garded as an end in itself but only as an opening 

 of acquaintanceship with each bird, to be followed by gain- 

 ing a knowledge of its habits, song, migration, and many an 

 interesting problem so to be opened up. 



Space does not permit the inclusion of the Field Key to 

 the families in this report but it is intended to publish it in the 

 next number of the Naturalist. 



! 



^1 



