176 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. viii . 



Mr. J. W. Spencer then read a paper " on the Nipigon or 

 Copper-bearing Rocks of Lake Superior, with notes on Copper 

 Mining in that region," which is printed on pages 55-81 of the 

 present volume. 



A discussion took place after the reading of the paper, in which 

 Messrs. A. R. C. Selwyn, Principal Dawson, Prof. R. Bell, and 

 C. Robb took part. The points upon which most of the speak- 

 ers seemed to agree were : 1st, that lithological and stratigraphi- 

 cal differences exist between the beds on the north and south 

 shores of the Lake, and that a satisfactory correlation of the 

 deposits at these two localities has not yet been established ; and, 

 secondly, that the exact geological horizon of the copper- bearing 

 series is still uncertain. 



Principal Dawson called the attention of the members present 

 to an interesting collection of ferns and other fossil plants which 

 had been recently obtained by Mr. Albert J. Hill from Cossett's 

 Pit, near Sydney, Cape Breton, some of which were exhibited. 

 He said they were of interest as showing the occurrence of forms 

 hitherto known only in the middle and upper coal formations in 

 beds assigned, on stratigraphical evidence, to the upper part of 

 the Millstone-Grit. They were also of interest from the presence 

 of at least four species of ferns showing fructification, which 

 would shortly be described. They were further of interest as 

 occuring in the same beds with the remains of a fossil larva of 

 a dragon-fly, which will be described by Mr. Scudder in the 

 next number of the Canadian Naturalist, and which is the first 

 insect of that family found in the Carboniferous Rocks. 



5th Monthly Meeting, held March 27th, 1876. 



A paper by Mr. G. M. Dawson, entitled " The Grasshopper 

 visitation of 1874 in Manitoba and the North West Territories," 

 was read by Principal Dawson. 



After some remarks on this subject by A. R. C. Selwyn, Prof. 

 R. Bell, E. L. Marler, C. Robb, and Principal Dawson, the pro- 

 ceedings terminated by a vote of thanks to the author of the 

 paper of the evening. 



6th Monthly Meeting, held April 30th, 1876. 



Mr E. J. Major was elected a member of the Society. 



A paper by Lieut. Col. Bulger, entitled "A visit to Port 

 Blair and Mount Harriet, Auelaman Islands," was read by the 

 Rec. Secretary and an interesting collection of shells from that 



