16 



it now appears. In England the yew tree is the typical form of Taxus baccata, L., 

 and grows to the sizi of a large tree, sometimes fifty feet high, with a massive 

 trunk. One specimen at Hounslow has a girth ot 27 feet. This tree little re- 

 sembles our Canadian variety of the same plant, Taxus baccata, L., var. Canadensis, 

 Gray, which is a low straggling shrub growing in swampy woods and seldom 

 more than three or four feet high, and does not form a trunk at all. The paper 

 ended, we continued our walk as far as Oakhurst, the residence of the Rev. W. 

 Linton Wilson, the Vice-President, where a large schoolroom was put at our 

 disposal. After some time spent in the examination and comparison of speci- 

 mens collected during the day, our host summoned us into an adjoining room, 

 where a sumptuous repast had been prepared, to which ample justice having 

 been done we all' took our seats tor the great attraction of the day, a paper on 

 Infusoria, by Mr. Saville Kent, one of the highest authorities on these minute 

 animalcules. The paper was virtually an outline sketch of Mr. Kent's magni- 

 ficent work now in course of publication. Judging by the parts which are 

 already issued, it is by far the finest work ever published on the subject, and will 

 be a necessary companion for anyone taking up this interesting stud}'. la 

 illustration of the paper Mr. Kent sent round the room a complete set of the 

 illustrations with which his book is to be embellished ; there were also several 

 living specimens collected during the day which were examined through micro- 

 scopes of which there were several very fine ones brought by difi"erent members. 

 Subsequent to the paper there was much interesting discussion, and the diffi- 

 cult points were ably explained by the lecturer. There was also read a 

 communication from Mr. English upon a new method of preserving plants in 

 their natural shapes, beautiful specimens being at tlie same time exhibited, 

 which might easily have been mistaken tor living plants, so well had their shapes 

 and colonrs been preserved. 



I have noticed this excursion at some length because I think that it will be 

 of use to us to see how others doing the same work as ourselves carry on their 

 proceedings. It will be found by the reports to be read that much work has 

 been done by ourselves in many lines of natural history, but yet I must express 

 a hope that next season will produce some active students in one or two of the 

 branches which so far have attracted little attention, as well as some specialists- 

 in those which have already been worked. Something new is sure to turn up even 

 in a study of the most common objects when submitted to an exhaustive investi- 

 gation. In the small family Nuj^har I believe I have succeeded in discovering 

 during the past season that what has been considered a form of iV. luteum by 

 American botanists, and which was added to our Ottawa list last year under the 

 name of " N. luteum. Smith var.," is only a hybrid between N. adoena and N 

 kalmiana. I am led to this belief from an examination of the fruit ; but so far my 

 conclusions have not been confirmed by any other botanist. This, however, U 



