CXII ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



XIY. — Report of ilie Boianical Cliih of Canada for 1905-6. 



By the General Secretary, A. H, MacKay, LL.D. 



Circulars and special letters were sent out to many addresses during 

 the year, asking for co-operation in the various kinds of botanical work 

 which the club desires to' stimulate. There has been very considerable 

 response from maxiy quarters showing that the exploration of the local 

 floras is receiving more than ordinary attention. But no local lists of 

 plants extending the known range of species have been sent to the secre- 

 tary except in the case of the province of Nova Scotia where several 

 workers are more or less co-operating. However, many are publish- 

 ing papers on some department of the local floras in local scientific pub- 

 lications, and these I have endeavoured to refer to as far as they could 

 be kept in view, in my report of the Bibliography of Canadian botany 

 for the year. 



1 have been recommending tlioss making additions to their local 

 lists to send such reports annually to the honorary president of the club, 

 who, as the oflicial biologist of the geological survey of Canada, is in the 

 best position for collating, correcting and publishing such additions of 

 new plants and extensions of the .range of old plants. 



I have been unremitting in sending out blanks for the report of 

 local phenological observations; but have yet been unable to have a re- 

 port from the Yukon or the Island of JN'ewfoundland. As usual my cor- 

 respondents are most willing to make observations Avhen asked; but 

 within a year after they too often find that their absorption in other 

 occupations prevented their systematic observations to be carried on at 

 interesting seasons, and ratlier than report a short list they prefer to 

 hope to make a more complete list the following year. 



Through the kindness of the director of the meteorological service of 

 the Dominion, Mr. E. F. Stupart, I am able to give short reports of the 

 flrst observance of many phenomena at as many as seventeen points oveir 

 the western provinces of Canada, which stations are distinguished in 

 the list following by an asterisk. Mr. F. F. Payne has made a list of 

 fifty phenomena which are to a great extent common to all the provinces. 

 But he finds that even this select list does not appear to be suitable for 

 many localities. I join with him m asking the aid of the club in fram- 

 ing a general list which will as far as possible enable us to compare the 

 climate of the east, centre and west of Canada as definitely as pos-il>le. 

 Sudli a list could b? include 1 in all more comprehensive lists in black 

 letter, to distinguish the phenomena as the specially important to be ob- 

 served, in case the observer cannot conveniently take time for the 



