8 



of 



I 



I 



i 



Tliat there ^^ as some strong attraction it will be r«ad% '*:iraatwL I liad gone there 

 ftmn Ottawa (808 miles) two years runnin;;, before this; wk^m^ and had now persuaded 

 Mr. Si'udder to come all the way from Boston to acc^infiajnx rin*. 



I have elsewhere mentioned that in 1885 ProfeBBor Muiuiia brought back with him 

 from this locality a collection of butterllieH. In tliis coIU'tfliHtL were some of exceptional 

 intRrest and one of which was a great .surprise. This wn*. ;ii m-w species f)f the Arctic 

 gpnus Lhioiiobns (or CEaeis, Hiil)). It wa.s a surprise ucA «5) nmch trom i)eing a species 

 of that genus but from being of a distinctly western tr^i*-.. Et resembles most nearly 

 6V». (^tiUfinnicn of the Pacific coast and is a large speciefe, •♦■xpihmimg from 2 to 2\ inches. 

 Besides this there were several specimens of C'w/ia,'.' Int.rri;ir^ jwad^ Arrjynnin Electa, Edw., 

 a» well as many other insects, and amongst them a siuaJJ Ck/ri/.-topkanu/t, of which Mr. 

 Edwards .says "it may be Floras." I am of the opinioDtlaiiiitt certainly is not Hi'Uoidea, 

 Bd.. but it seems to me to approach more nearly to Z>orf;«M;, iiiirftjr, and Epixanthe, B. L. The 

 finmale is the same size as Dorcaa and the spots are almrnrt aIi«icicaJly the same. In the 

 5f<>pigon species, however, the color of the up|»er Burfuw or deep purplish brown, and 

 upon both primaries and secondaries, between the margin vwM che post-median band of 

 black spots, is a band of orange lunules running out to tix- '(roa*! margin from each spot 

 on the primaries. These are larger and longer outside ti» ttiiunw lowest spots, correspond- 

 inj5 with the greater distance of these three spots from tbf manjji th m the three upper- 

 moat. On the secondaries the orange spots are much BmBikir and the continuous band 

 although discernible is indistinct towards its upjier ecnd. Toa coloration of the under 

 aide is very rich, being bright rusty orange, slighiJy -w^ih^i with purple over the 

 secondaries and at the apices ol" primaries. The spots &,uii mairks, as on the upper side, 

 am like those of Dorcas, of which indeed this form b posHibly a variety. I have 

 mentioned it here at some length because it has not been t&Bkea again at Nepigon since 

 Professor Macoun took the five specimens he brougtot fitack with him. Specimens 

 identical with these were sent to me by Dr. W. Brodie., rf Toronto, who took them at 

 Toberrnorey in the same district in September. 



Now, the eggs of the s[)ecies I have mentioned and tit^jiw ■■si C'zrterocephalus Manian 

 •WBTO our particular desiderata and these were the attrawtiome v^riuch led ua to Nepigon in 

 preference to nearer places. 



The whole fauna and flora of the locality nre, ho w^reir..irf particular interest from their 

 northern character. The geographical position of Nepigcm if about lat. 49', Ion. 88°, and 

 apart from its northern position it has a cooling influence tiinreiaed on it by the proximity 

 oirthe large mass of cold water found in Lake Su[>erior. THb* dilference in the state of 

 development of tlie plants here and at Ottawa was at onoe mimajeitble when we left the hotel 

 amd began to search for the treasures we had come for. Id lii** clearing round the station 

 and " village " wild strawberries and raspberries were BtiU iim ifower, and the white stars 

 at (Jomua Canadensis were a conspicuous feature. In tftie woods the Like Superior 

 2R)«lding Trillium, T. dexlinatum, was still in flower, togtrtft»«r witih Clintonia borealis. A 

 variety of Rosa blanda was just beginning to exjtand, mA a&fr bushes of Amelanchier 

 ^antule,ni8 were a beautiful sight. Strevtoput ron"H¥ and J *»i iilha w^re everywhere 

 aiiundant beneath the trees, and amongst the mossy staiBpt Coptis trif'oiin and Mitella 

 nuita opened their gemlike flowers. By the river banks ■ntsijailiu'ent clumps of Caltha 

 pnlii8tri«, the marsh marigold, caught the eye. AH tbeet asa spring flowers which at 

 Ottawa expand their blossoms in the middle or end of May. *ad although there were 

 anme flowers of a later date amongst them, the character off tti» fliora was such as we had 

 SBen at Ottawa at least a month sooner. We learnt npcm iimmiFy that upon the 1st of 

 .Fune the woods had a great deal of snow in them and tft»f i>!i» had only lately left the 

 river. 



The collecting grounds at Nepigon may be described u Mlo-ws : — Starting from the 

 hotBl near the railway and going down to the Hudson Bbt "piiHt; ia a tract of low wood- 

 land and beyond this are the fields and meadows l»elan£iiatt5 Go the Hudson Bay post. 

 OppoHite the hotel and north of the railway is a road ranauiaif back into the woods, and 

 pai-ollel with Lake Helen. This is called " the wood rciui.' ;fcn,d is used in the winter 

 tame to bring down firewooi from the highlands beyond aftit clearing. Turning west- 

 ward along the track, high rocks and banks soon come dow^s to the railway on the right 



