NOTES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF N. B. 131 



from one of the most westerly, smaller, and probably least visited of 

 these, that Bald Mountain can be seen. Otherwise one can see it only 

 by climbing a tree on the southern edge of the summit of Sagamook, 

 and it was from this position Bald Mountain rose before my astonished 

 eyes, distinctly higher than Sagamook, on a fair day last August. If 

 Mr. Chalmers' height of 2,537 feet, given to Sagamook, proves correct, 

 then Bald Mountain may well be the highest land in New Brunswick. 



20. — Upon Biological Opportunity in New Brunswick. 



[Read January 3rd, 1899.] 



Specialization in biological investigation is rapidly reaching such a 

 point that in some lines, such as anatomy, morphology, physiology, 

 embryology, it is becoming impossible to make discoveries away from 

 the great centres in which extensive libraries, abundant appliances and 

 considerable leisure are available. While therefore the local student 

 is cut off from making contributions to knowledge in those lines, there 

 are nevertheless other directions in which large possibilities for useful- 

 ness are open to him, namely in the study of Occurrences, Distribution, 

 Habits and Adaptations to External Conditions of the organisms in- 

 habiting his district. In such study the local student is liable at 

 present to little interference from the specialists, for the latter are 

 largely engrossed in laboratory problems. 



Local Natural History is studied most of all by teachers, and next 

 to them, by men of other professions and of business, who make of it 

 a recreation or a hobby. If it were more widely realized what great 

 and pure pleasure may be derived from the outdoor study of Nature, 

 and how great an advantage it is to have some healthful engrossing 

 subject to which one can turn for relief from the too pressing cares of 

 life, the ranks of local naturalists would be overflowing. One must 

 however possess the right temperament, — a love of outdoors, a fair 

 measure of the collecting instinct, and a liking for one's own society, 

 and one should begin young, and command some leisure. But for 

 such persons there is no part of New Brunswick that does not offer 

 ample scope for Natural History study with assurance of much per- 

 sonal profit and possibility of making some contribution to Science as 

 well. But he who would enter upon such pursuits should not cover 

 too wide a field, but, selecting that phase which most interests him, 

 should devote himself to that. He should make careful collections for 



