Annual Report of the Council. 



To the Members of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists Club: 



In presenting a rej)ort on the work of the Club during the j'ear 

 just closed, the Council can claim tliat a large amount of valuable work 

 has been accomplished. Through an oversight in last year's report no 

 mention was made of the Botanical Class which had been conducted 

 during the winter (1882-83) by the President, Mr. James Fletcher. 

 The class was continued in the field during the past collecting season 

 with great success, and has added much botanical strength to the Club. 

 Four regular excursions of the Club were held during the summer. The 

 first was on the 2Gtli IMay to Kingsmere, a favourite resort of the 

 members. The second was to Cassehnan on 23rd June, and was 

 perhaps the best excursion yet hehl by the Club. The third was a very 

 pleasant trip to Buckingham on 2nd August, while the fourth, 

 through the kindness of Capt. Goulet, of Aylmer, who placed a steam- 

 .boat at the disposal of the Club, was to the beautiful Chats Falls on 

 12tli September. In addition, many sub-excui'sions were held by the 

 different branches on Saturday afternoons, which aided largely in inves- 

 tigating the natural history of the localities visited. Seven soirees 

 wei'e held during the winter, at which valuable [)a}>er;s and reports were 

 presented, and at which the attendance was very satisfactory. A 

 synopsis of the discussions has been prepared with a view to publication 

 in the Transactions. Classes have been conducted by Prof. Macoun 

 and Mr. Fletcher, in Ornithology and li) jtany respectively, which will 

 undoubtedly add to the futur." wurking strength of the Club. For the 

 prizes announced by the Council for the best collection made during the 

 year in each branch thei-e were no competitors except in Botany, for 

 which the prize — a copy of Gray's manual— has been awarded to Miss 

 Isabel L. Grant, as recommended iu the r.'[);)i t of the leaders of the 

 branch. For the prize offered by^tUe P.esident, Di-. Small, there were 

 no competitors. The Lil)rarian leporis that a Luge number of 



