THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 



43 



and the shore of Lake Erie as far as Point Abino. The shore, how- 

 ever, between Point Abino and Point aux Pins, a stretch of about 

 175 miles, remains practically unexplored, with the exception of a 

 little work done by Dr. Nichol and Mr. Wm. Yates in Norfolk 

 County, by Prof. Macoun in the same district about Port Dover, 

 and by the last named gentleman and myself about St. Thomas and 

 Port Stanley in Elgin County. That much is still to be done is 

 evidenced by the discovery during the past season by one of our 

 members, Mr. Hanham, who makes no claim to even the slightest 

 knowledge of botany, of the beautiful and showy Phlox coro7iopifolia 

 introduced at Port Dover, an addition to our Canadian Flora. 

 The island known as Long Point lies about the centre of the unex- 

 plored district, and I have no doubt would yield a generous harvest 

 of new plants to any one with time to visit and work it up. 



What I have called the Erie District is chiefly remarkable for 

 the southern nature of many of the species, some of them being so 

 much so that one would scarcely dream of finding them within our 

 boreal confines. The large size and plentitude of the Kentucky 

 coffee-tree, the pawpaw, mulberry, blue ash and sour-gum trees, 

 clearly show them to be indigenous, and would indicate that they 

 are not merely chance survivors, but that the soil and climate fully 

 meet their requirements. To this region having been but scantily 

 investigated may be attributed the seemingly extraordinary fact that 

 on a trip made to Point Pelee, in the summer of 1882, by Prof. 

 Macoun and myself, in one day we noted no less than eleven 

 species not before recorded as occurring in Canada, and ten ad- 

 ditional ones but very rarely met with. In the week preceding our 

 joint trip the Professor had found, about Amherstburgh and on 

 Pelee Island, eight others, which then for the first time found a place 

 in our flora. The vegetation in many respects resembles that of the 

 northern parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, lying on the opposite or 

 southern shore of the lake, but whether this points toward proving 

 that what is now water was formerly land and connected the two 

 countries I do not pretend to say. In some instances, notably that 

 of the three-thorned acacia {Gleditschia triacanthos) some fine 

 specimens of which grow in the sand-dunes on Point Pelee, I have no 

 doubt but southern plants have been introduced through seeds drifting 

 across the lake. The short distance inland to which some of the 

 specie's extend has always seemed to me a strong argumiint in favor 



