176 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



station in life is, or however meagre his knowledge of the science 

 may be. The many ways he uses the animal creation to advance 

 His knowledge, in the particular branch of study, may be illus- 

 trated as follows : — 



The Conchologist wearies for the pleasant days of summer, to 

 take a trip to the sea-side, with his dredges and lines, his bottles 

 and store boxes, where he adds to his collection many interesting 

 and perhaps new forms of molluscan life. 



A trip to the sea-side is not always easily obtained ; but the 

 naturalist may be seen in the markets buying the several species 

 of flat fish, such as flounders and other species which live and 

 feed at the bottom of the sea. Knowing them to be good collec- 

 tors, he takes advantage of this fact to procure many and 

 sometimes rare species, and thus adds to his cabinet, without 

 the trouble of dredging for them. 



The Entomologist, likewise, has recourse to different methods to 

 obtain the objects of his interesting study. The following is one 

 of many : 



Starting at six o'clock one morning, in the summer of 1864, for 

 a walk to our beautiful mountain, to collect insects, provided 

 with the requisite apparatus, a wide-mouthed bottle, with spirits, 

 for beetles, and a small flat box, lined with cork, for butterflies, 

 &c., my success was particularly good. The first captures were 

 eleven specimens of carrion beetles, comprising three species, viz., 

 Silpha peltata, SUpha marginalis, and S'dphi incequalis. These 

 were obtained from the body of a dead hawk owl (^Surnia ulula). 

 Having secured them in the bottle, and walking leisurely along, I 

 noticed a toad {Bu/o Americanus) sitting contentedly at the root 

 of a basswood tree (^TiUa Americana). Having never made use 

 of my dingy friend as an insect collector, although aware of his 

 propensity that way, my mind was made up to press him into the 

 service — but how ? He must be dead first. As he sat looking 

 at me with his beautiful eyes (for although his appearance is not 

 very prepossessing, still those beautiful, bright, yet languid eyes 

 »o a ereat way to improve his appearance), I had certain qualms 

 of conscience about taking his life; still it was in the cause of 

 entomology, and for the furtherance of science his life was sacri- 

 ficed. Now he was dead ; how was I to proceed ? I had cut up 

 and dissected many insects as well as birds; but to cut up a 

 toad, and before breakfast — '-there's the rub" — that grey, warty 

 toad no beautiful eyes now. One slash of the knife through the 



