26 
THIRD SOIREE. 
Fripay, 16TH January, “CystipgAn Lire” J, A. Grayt, M.D., F.R.C.S., Epin. 
F,G.S., Lonpon, Etc. 
Mr, President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
In compliance with the request of the President and Council of the 
Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, 1 have very great pleasure indeed in being 
here to-night, as an old citizen of the capital of the Dominion of Canada, 
to throw my mite into the scale and assist in the development of the 
work of natural history. To the young, I know of no subject of greater 
importance than that of the cultivation of the observation which is neces- 
sary in the study of Nature and Nature’s laws. I should like very much, 
in our educational institutions, to have impressed upon the minds of the 
rising generation the necessity for ocular demonstration and careful observation 
as regards the various objects that are constantly being presented to our youth 
on every side throughout the paths of life. There is no part of the whole 
Dominion of Canada, with reference to the subject of natural history, that takes 
a more important place as an evidence of creative power than the city of Ottawa. 
In our rocks, on every point, we find entombed the records of animal and vege- 
table life; there is not a stone wall, a stone hedge or a macadamized road 
throughout the length and breadth ot the city that is not made up of organic 
remains. And let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that we have reason, from 
more than one point of view, to feel proud of this section of the country, from 
the amount of scientific information tuat has been contributed, not only to the 
people of Ottawa, but to the whole civilized world, as regards the work of 
paleontological investigation. Some of the old workers, who have now gone to 
their long homes, have done much towards building up the subject of palwon- 
tology, and certainly J can speak of no name with a greater degree of pride and 
gratification than that of the late Mr, Billings, who was one of the very first 
workers in the subject of natural history investigation in Canada. His writings 
are well known everywhere. His name is a bousehold word; you cannot pick 
up any volume without finding the name of the late Mr. Billings largely quoted. 
It ought to be to us, as Ottawa people, a source of pride and gratification to think 
that this very institution has been in itself a germ and nucleus for the develop- 
ment of that department of natural science which the youth of this section of 
the country have reason to look forward to with no ordinary degree of gratifi- 
cation. The time was—25 years ago, when I first became interested in the subject 
of geology—that reaily it was somewhat dangerous for an individual to take hold 
of a stone, no matter who he might be, for fear of being called a lunatic—in fact, 
not to be trusted in society, because he undertook the pleasure of observing what 
was in Nature’s book. This velume here in the valley of the Ottawa is an important 
one ; you cannot examine even the cover without finding, as it were, photo- 
graphed views of flora and fauna, such as are not only to be observed by the 
naked eye, but to be closely tested by the microscope. I will, to-night, bring 
before you only one of the species of cystidew, and offer to you a few observations 
upon it, but, before doing so, permit me to say that I am pleased to know that 
the Government of Canada have decided to remove the Geological Department 
of Canada from Montreal to Ottawa. And why? Because then the public men 
of the Dominion will have an opportunity of closely observing what is being 
done towards the development of the economic resources of our country. In 
every section of the Dominion there are mineral resources, and the Senators and 
the Members in their leisure hours will have an opportunity of comparing the 
products within their own immediate neighborhood with the products accumu- 
lated in geographical survey, and thus contribute to the development of the 
