60 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Feb. 



where there is apparently only an indirect connection with the 

 particular branches they combine to prosecute, is necessarily of 

 advantage to the community; and that their labors, of whatever 

 kind, are sensibly appreciated, is amply demonstrated in the latge 

 and interested circle of friends whom the attractions of this an- 

 nual conversazione have brought together this evening. 



" Sir, I hope I shall not be found unmindful of the nature of 

 this social occasion upon which I feel it would be unfitting to claim 

 the attention of the audience for a lona; time. It would be no less 

 inappropriate or unprofitable I believe for me to attempt to engage 

 that attention, even for a short time, by the discussion of any purely 

 technical matters appertaining to the several branches of natural 

 history. My further remarks shall, therefore, be brief, and shall 

 be devoted to one of the most important and interesting of the 

 Society's undertakings, — its collection of specimens, illustrative of 

 facts and ])henomena of natural history. In this department 

 almost every person is able to put his hand to the work, and to 

 further its progress ; and I might add, that in such collections 

 there is almost always a place waiting to be filled up by contribu- 

 tions such as would entail upon the individual friends of science, 

 in most cases, at least, but a small sacrifice. It is perhaps need- 

 less to observe that specimens of objects of natural history sub- 

 serve the purposes of attracting attention, exciting interest, and 

 impressing the memory in a manner that corresponds with the ef- 

 fects produced by suitable experiments devised and executed in 

 illustration of any law of nature or natural phenomena. As it 

 would be unreasonable to expect a student of chemistry to com- 

 prehend, realize, and retain in his memory through mere words of 

 description the phenomena attendant upon the mutual action of 

 alkalies and acids, so would it be too much to presume upoji at- 

 taining a rational knowledge of the peculiarities of an owl or of the 

 substance india-rubber in the absence of visible examples of these 

 objects. Drawings and models, if well executed, may to some ex- 

 tent supply the deficiency. But as we all know the work of the ar- 

 tist cannot attain to the perfection realized in nature ; and it may be 

 safely asserted that the impressions producible by verbal descrip- 

 tion, even when accompanied by good drawings, is neither so vivid 

 nor so permanent as that which is created by the sight and hand- 

 ling of the objects. In fact, one common result of an accurate de- 

 scription or drawing of a natural object is to make us wish to see, 



