DEATH OF PROF. MACOUN 295 



"We were camped north of Carberry., in mid-June, with in- 

 numerable sloughs in the neighborhood. Prof Macoun and I 

 started to gather some aquatic plants in the shallow water where 

 great quantities of Black Terns were nesting, as they do on muddy 

 knolls among the vegetation. A number of them kept darting 

 at me, being in the advance, as if to make for my eyes, then glided 

 over my head. Feeling somewhat concerned about their actions 

 and my eyes, I picked up a short stick and drove into the next 

 flock that came over my head about a foot, killing one. Im- 

 mediately the rest set up an alarm cry which brought a great 

 flock over our heads where they hovered and dropped their ex- 

 crement on us and we were glad to beat a hasty retreat. We 

 were very much mussed up, and Prof. Macoun informed me at 

 the time that this is a common means of defence among sea birds, 

 to which the Black Tern is an allied species. When we arrived 

 back to camp, we looked as if we had been "carrying the hod." 



He was called upon to appear before the Agricultural Com- 

 mittee of the House of Commons to give an account of this trip 

 and, after his address, the following resolution was passed : 



House of Commons, 



Ottawa, 23rd Jan., 1906. 



"Moved by Mr. Derbyshire, 

 "Seconded by Mr. Wright (Renfrew) 



"That the thanks of this Committee be now ten- 

 dered to Mr. John Macoun, Naturalist to the Geological 

 Survey Department of Canada, for the valuable in- 

 formation laid by him before the Committee, on the 

 natural capabilities of that large section of Western 

 Canada extending from Edmonton to Portage la Prairie, 

 on the occasion of his appearance before us, on this 

 subject. 



"The Committee desire also to record their ap- 

 preciation of the valuable services Mr. Macoun has 

 rendered to Canada in the past thrity years of his ardu- 

 ous official service as a practical science officer of the 



