PBOCBBDINGS FOR 1894. LXIII 



A few words may now bo added respecting the various scientific societies and associations 

 throuichoiit the Dominion. Most, if not all of these have, since the organization of the Royal Society 

 of Canada, entered into affiliation with it, and send each year to our meetings some representative 

 anthoiized to s])eak in the name of his society. This fact, with the circumstance that the very inter- 

 esting annual summaries of progress made on the part of these societies apjiear in full in our ' Ti-ans- 

 actions,' render it necessary .scarcely to do more than to mention the names of the several societies, 

 for in these statements each has very well told its own story. In so doing I refei-, of cour.-e, to those 

 only which interest themselves in natural science, as distinguished from literature and history. 



The three oldest Canadian societies of a scientific kind are the Literary and Historical Society 

 of Quebec, the Natural History Society of Montreal and the Canadian Institute of Toronto. It is 

 ]ierha]is not strange that these societies wcie founded in the order above given, which corresponds 

 with the order in dale of origin of the cities in which they are situated. 



The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec dates from the j'ear 1823, when it was founded 

 at the instance of Lord Dalhousio, then governor. The name of this society does not indicate the 

 fact that in its transactions are to be found many important scientific papers, a fact which enables me 

 to include it for consideration in the presentaddress. The Natural History Society of Montreal closely 

 follows the last in the date of its organization, having been incorporated in 1833. The Canadian 

 Institute of Toronto comes next, having been incorporated under a royal charter in 1851. 



These three veteran societiis of Canada have almost from the first published their proceedings 

 or transactions, and the volumes thus accumulated now form a small libi'ary by themselves, and are — 

 particularly in the case of the two societies last mentioned — replete with information on the natural 

 history and natural resources of the country, and absolutely indispensable as works of reference to 

 the Canadian investigators of the present day. Each of these societies has accumulated and continues 

 to maintain a valuable museum. 



The Entomological Society of Ontario, though much later in origin, dating from 1863 only, may 

 next be alluded to. In 1868, it began the publication of the " Canadian Entomologist," which remained 

 for some j'oars thereafter the only publication in America devoted entirely to the science of ento- 

 mology. This journal is notable for the amount of original investigation which has appeared in it, 

 both of a purely scientific and of a strictly economic character. Its excellence has been freely acknow- 

 ledged both in Canada and abroad, and the membership of the society is large and exceptionally 

 active. The Litei-ary and Scientific Society of Ottawa was incorporated in 1869, arising then from 

 the fusion of an older Natural History Society with a Mechanics Institute. Since that time it has 

 had a career of uninterrupted usefulness, although it publishes no account of its proceedings. The 

 Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club was founded in 1880. It at first interested itself in purely local nat- 

 ui-al history, but has latterly achieved a wider scope, welcoming all scientific papers relating to 

 Canada and publishing a monthly journal. The Hamilton Association for the Promotion of Litera- 

 ture and Science (dating from 1857) and the Murchison Society of Belleville are two other active 

 scientific organizations in the province of Ontario, the first-named issuing a very creditable journal, 

 in connection with which it may be noted that McElwraith's book on the Birds of Ontario found a 

 means of publication. In the province of Quebec, we have in addition to the two societies already 

 named, the Geographical Society of Quebec (incorporated in 1874) and the Montreal Microscopical 

 Society. 



In Nova Scotia, we find the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science, oi-ganized in 1862, as a 

 result of the effort made to rejjresent the province fitly at the London International Exhibition of 

 that year. It has since published a number of volumes of its transactions, well and widely known. la 

 New Brunswick the Natural History Societ}- of New Brunswick, established in 1862, has since 1882 

 published bulletins, which excel in respect to the proportion of original work represented by them. 



The Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba oi-ganized in 1879, has since pioduced good 

 work, and has published much of interest in the form of bulletins; while in British Columbia, we 



