No. 2.] NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 109 



times repay its cost. Its j^resent limited issue will in no great 

 number of years, render it a scarce work, and I have no doubt 

 that the time is not far distant when it will be difficult, if not 

 impossible, to procure complete sets. 



The work of our last session may be summed up in the course 

 of Sommerville lectures, and in the papers read at our monthly 

 meetings. The former course — as usual largely attended — em- 

 braced subjects of great interest, and we are much indebted to 

 the lecturers for their aratuitous services in this matter to the 

 Society. The list is as follows : — 



SOMMERVILLE LECTURES. 



1. The Natural History of Ore Deposits, by Dr. T. Sterry Hunt. 



2. The Life of an Oyster from a Man's standpoint, by Dr. P. P. 



Carpenter. 



3. The Aborigines of New Brunswick, by C. Robb. 



4. Man's Life in Montreal from an Oyster's standpoint, by Dr. 



P. P. Carpenter. 



5. The Furs and Fur-bearing Animals of Canada, by Prof. Bell. 



6. On the Chemical characters of the water available for the sup- 



ply of Montreal, by Dr. J. Baker Edwards. 



For next year I would suggest that possibly in addition to the 

 Sommerville Course, we might provide a course or courses of 

 evening lectures, not gratuitous, and by means of which the 

 finances of the Society might be recruited. 



The papers read at our monthly meetings number twelve in 

 all. Four of these, that on the Ferns of Ceylon, by the President, 

 Mr. Barnston ; that on the Island of Cuba, by Mr. Matthew; 

 the account of the Life and Labours of the late lamented Dr. 

 Stimpson, by Dr. Philip Carpenter, and that on the Baces of 

 Northern Europe, by Bev. Canon Baldwin, relate to subjects 

 beyond our immediate field. The others were more or less Can- 

 adian in their scope. Dr. McEachran gave us the result of his 

 observations on the remarkable and mysterious disease which, 

 with such marvellous rapidity, attacked the horses over nearly 

 all Eastern North America, and the facts relating to the trans- 

 mission and symptoms of which throw no little light on epidemics 

 which afilict our own species. Mr. Paisley contributed some 

 notes on the Post pliocene of New Brunswick, and Mr. Gibson on 

 the Geology of Huron County, Ontario. Mr. Selw3"n kindly laid 

 before us a valuable summary of the Explorations of Mr. Bichard- 



