18 Mr. H. T. Mennell on the 



the great disturbance of the beds. These "Foot-hills" contain 

 districts of great natural beauty. Scattered woodlands, open 

 glades, meadows with rushing streams, rapidly succeed each 

 other. This is the great " ranching " district of the north-west. 

 {d). The last and most westerly zone is that of the Kocky 

 Mountains, in which the scenery is exceedingly wild and beautiful. 

 The rocks, chiefly of Palaeozoic Age, are deeply carved into 

 precipitous valleys and gorges. They are thickly covered with 

 forest hi their lower parts, but the higher regions are bare, 

 whilst the peaks are snow-covered. 



47. — On the Flora and Vegetation of Western Canada. 

 [Abstract.] 



By H. T. Mennell, F.L.S. 



(Bead November 26th, 1884.) 



Mr. H. T. Mennell followed Mr. Topley ; his address, on 

 the Flora and Vegetation of the Canadian Dominion, being 

 chiefly directed to show their dependence on the geological 

 features of the country as described by Mr. Topley. 



The Eastern and Central Begions of Canada, including the 

 great lakes (consisting chiefly of Laurentian Kocks, overlaid over 

 a large area, especially on the eastern section, by glacial deposits, 

 boulder clay, and di-ift), are still, to a great extent, and have 

 formerly been universally clothed with forest ; where the rocks 

 crop out, as they do in the Central Region, stretchmg from 

 Ottawa westward nearly to Winnipeg, they are rounded, and 

 worn into hollows of varying size, with little or no di-aiuage 

 from them. The larger of these hollows form lakes and pools ; 

 the smaller and more superficial depressions, bogs and marshes, 

 or " swamps," as they are called in America. Here we find the 

 characteristic swamp flora of the American continent, consisting 

 largely of flowering ericaceous shrubs, Kalmias, Andromedas, 

 Yacciniums, including the great American cranberry, V. macro- 

 carpon, Ledum, L'hiofjenes, &c., familiar to us as the " American " 

 plants of the niu'seryman ; with these are a rich flora of reeds, 

 sedges, and rushes, three species of Osmunda abound, and the 

 noble carnivorous pitcher- plant {Sarrarenia piirjnirea) is & striking 

 feature of the wetter portions of the bog. 



The forests consist, besides numerous coniferous trees, of a 

 large variety of species of maples, birches, poplars, with oaks, 

 walnuts, hickories, &c., in the southern portions. The trees are 

 mostly ill-grown, crowded, and comparatively small. The under- 



