WILLIAM E. SAUNDEES 



SECRETARY OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



Fig, 268 r. William E. Saunders. 



PROMINENT among Canadian 

 naturalists is Mr. W. E. Saunders, 

 of London, Ont., who has been 

 secretary of the Ontario Entomological 

 Society since the year 1887. 



His father, Dr. Wm. Saunders, director 

 of the experimental farms of the Dominion, 

 has always been devoted to the study of the 

 natural sciences, and hence the son's atten- 

 tion was in early years directed to similar 

 pursuits, his interest in them being main- 

 tained by the making of collections in the 

 different departments. Geology, botany, 

 entomology and ornithology all in turn pro- 

 vide object lessons for study, training his 

 mind to habits of close observation and fill- 

 ing the leisure of later years with delightful 

 employment. 



After a few years of miscellaneous col- 



lecting Mr. Saunders turned his attention 

 more exclusively to ornithology, and as 

 soon as the use of a gun was permitted he 

 commenced a scientifically arranged collec- 

 tion of our native birds, showing male and 

 female in summer and winter plumage, 

 with any variations from the types ; also the 

 nests and eggs of each species. Year by 

 year the collection is added to, until now it 

 numbers over 1,000 specimens'. Mr. Saun- 

 ders' birds are his intimate friends, and 

 whether in his house or on the public plat- 

 form his " Bird Talks," illustrated with 

 specimens, show to his audience that he 

 speaks of what he has learned by personal 

 experience in the fields and woods. His 

 enthusiasm for this study is such that he 

 counts it no hardship to walk miles into the 

 country in time to hear some favorite song- 

 ster greet the dawn. He has also been 

 known to spend a night in the woods in the 

 depths of winter, just to see what he misled 

 by spending his nights in bed. 



About two years ago Mr. Saunders c- 

 companied his father on an official visit to 

 Sable Island, a place he had long wished to 

 go in order to see the only known breeding 

 place of the " Ipswich " sparrow. The im- 

 pressions of this trip were given to the pub- 

 lic in an article in one of our local papers, 

 which has since been adapted for some of 

 our scientific magazines. Mr. Saunders 

 was able also to enrich his collection by sev- 

 eral specimens of the rare sparrow, as well 

 as some other beautiful birds which have 

 their habitat on that interesting island. 



Although Mr. Saunders is kept fully em- 

 ployed in looking after his business inter- 

 ests, he finds a change of work sufficient to 

 afford him the rest he needs ; hence, he has 



