41 



species. The=e curious animals are very abundant in the quiet bays of the 

 Ottawa, especially where there are decayed logs or wood of any kind. They are 

 neither pleasant to smell nor taste and are accused of giving the Croton water of 

 Boston a peculiar cucumber flavour. Happily so far as we know they are not 

 poisonou?, although they readily become putrid ; but as there is so much flow in our 

 river its water is not likely to be affected either with their odour or taste. They 

 are wonderful creatures ; their development from the spore to the perfect form 

 and the formation of their curious spicules are amone the mysteries ot nature. 

 They constitute a colony of what is called flagellato-ciliated monads. 



Passing now to the vegetable kingdom, the sub-kingdom of. the Algfe 

 and the family of the Diatomacea; demands the first attention. Th^ se remark- 

 able and beautiful forms lie on the borders of the two kingdoms animal and 

 vegetable. They float free and have no roots ; most of them are solita'-y but many 

 are social, I have found fifty diff'ercnt species and suppose that three time-^ fifty 

 might easily be obtained. Most of th-'m I have been al^le to identify and they 

 comprise species of over twenty genera, none of them uncommon, but the indivi- 

 duals of some are very numerous. 



The beautiful bright green Desraidiaceaj were also numerous ; Cosmarinm and 

 Pediastrum, occurring in their various brilliant forni.s, most of which I have 

 been able to identify. 



Of the AlgfB proper I have noted about 50 species of the globular and filamen- 

 tous kinds, OscettariaB, Conferv;E and Conjugata3 being very abundant. The 

 smaller species of this order that border on the fungus tribe and can scarcely be 

 distinguished from them are not wanting, such as Bacteria, Bacillus and Vibrios, 

 the species of which are doubtful and indeterminate. They are however the 

 mauvais sujets of the Kingdom, accused of poisoning our blood, infecting us with 

 deadly diseases, acidulating our milk, converting cider and wine into vinegar, 

 sweet must into bad whiskey, and with moisture hastening the destruction of 

 all animal und vegetab;e tissues. The living sporules of these uselul and 

 pernicious plants swim in our waters, infest our teeth, grow like a forest in our 

 throats, and like invisible agents of the wicked one play on us fantastic tricks. 



Fiually I have found fragments of all sorts of leaves mashed into indistin- 

 guishable pulp, and frequently covered with parasitic algJB ; also quantities of 

 silicious dust and some fragments of marble, with some fantastic things for 

 which I have no name. 



What effect these things have on the salubrity of our water it is hard to say. 

 That they are impurities that it would be better without, is certain. Many of 

 them are not in themselves hurtful, only they might afford favourable conditions 

 for the development of hurtful things. They make it manifest however that 

 water, even in its best obtainable form, is an agent by which invisible and even 

 indiscoverable germs of potent poisons may be transmitted from place to place 

 and from great distances, to the detriment of human life. The Natuia'ist who 

 traffics among these atoms of life can say with a warning voice that he finds the 

 most favourable conditions for their existence and increase in waters polluted 

 more or less by sewage, and putrid animal and vegetable matters. If citizens 

 and sfatesmen will listen to the voice of Science, they will do their utmost to 

 prevent the pollution of the sources of our water supply. Cities, towns and 

 villages, and even farms on the banks of great rivers and lakes, should, under 

 pains and penalties, be prevented from draining sewage into them. The immense 

 quantity of .sawdust and chips that are thrown into the Ottawa, along a great 

 part of its course, a-e undoubted sources ot pollution, and furnish favourable con- 

 <litions for the development of various lerments. How to keep sewage and waste 

 out of our rivers is a puzzling problem. It is taxing the wits of the best men in 

 England, and it will puzzle us too. We may be awakened to the necessity of it 

 when it is too late The maximum purity of our water will not save us from the 

 injurious effects of the living things that inf st i"". 



