416 , THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Dec. 



resemblance to the sea-shore often recurred to my mind. Accord- 

 ing to Dr. Leconte, several insects foand here are identical with 

 species belonging to the sea-shore, and others corresponding or 

 similar. The beach-pea {Lathyrus maritimus), and Polygonum 

 marLtimnm, both of them sea-shore plants, are abundant in this 

 neighborhood ; the former, indeed, throughout the north shore of 

 the lake." In addition to these two species, six truly sea-shore 

 species have been observed in the immediate vicinity of the same 

 lake. 



The neighborhood of the large lakes is not, in every instance, 

 the place of growth of these maritime plants; for at the salt-springs 

 of Salinain New York State, according to Torrey, Gray, and other 

 authorities, there have been found Ranunculus Cymbalaria, Hibis- 

 cus moscheutos, Salicornia herhacea, Triglocliin maritimum, T. 

 palustre, and Scirj)us maritimus. 



From various sources, I have ascertained that the following 

 species occur along the Great Lakes, or near salt-springs in New 

 York. 



Ranunculus Cymbalaria. Euphorbia polygonifolia. 



Hudsonia ericoides. Polygonum maritimum. 



H. tomentosa. Rumex maritimus. 



Cakile Americana. Triglocbin maritimum. 



Hibiscus moscheutos. T. palustre. 



Lathyrus maritimus. Scirpus maritimus. 



Atriplex hastata. Calamagrostis arenaria. 



Salicornia herbacea. Hordeum jubatum. 



The occurrence of these maritime species in localities now so 

 far distant from their natural homes appears to point to a time 

 when a very considerable portion of the province was covered by 

 the ocean; when the ocean limits were much farther inland than 

 they are now, and sea-shore vegetation, as a consequence, occupied 

 a different location from that which it at present retains. The 

 most recent period during which such a change in the aspect of 

 our province took place, was at the time when the marine clays of 

 the Ottawa valley were deposited. There is evidence derived from 

 vegetable remains in these clays that some of our most common 

 plants had an existence then, and we have thus reason to suppose 

 that present species, including maritime plants, had been created 

 at that time. During this period, the maritime plants, compelled 

 by the gradual depression of the land and the consequent inroads 

 of the ocean over what is now eastern Canada, must have migrated 



