202 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



be counted as more or less completely surveyed, it was in con- 

 Sequence assumed that along each reasonably accurate line of 

 •exploration, a belt of country about fifty miles in width was re- 

 anoved from the unexplored category. This was a very liberal 

 assumption, for no explorer, however competent, could know 

 «iueh about the country twenty-five miles away from his route 

 on either side. Still he would have obtained a general idea of 

 the character of the land — there could scarcely be any prominent 

 Tnountains which he would not see, nor very large lakes or rivers 

 of which he would not hear from the natives. Drawing broad 

 belts of this kind across the map, some very large and very 

 many small areas remained, but of such areas none under 7,500 

 square miles were considered. Neither were the Arctic islands, 

 to the north of the continental land, taken into account. 



Proceeding on the plan above mentioned, sixteen unex- 

 plored areas of large dimensions were outlined,* of which the 

 aggregate area was computed to be about 954,000 square miles, 

 an area between one-third and one-fourth that of the entire 

 Dominion. 



Since the date of the address to which I have been alluding 

 — partly perhaps in consequence of the facts made known — a 

 great deal of good exploratory work has been done, and the 

 map then drawn to represent these facts, now requires to be 

 largely modified Most of the work has been done by ofificers 

 of the Geological Survey, and it has thus been possible to com- 

 bine geographical exploration with geological work and the 

 scientific inspection of the resources of the regions traversed. 

 Detailed reports and maps have been made or are in course of 

 preparation. You are all, no doubt, already familiar with some 

 of these, but it has been urged by the gentlemen engaged in 

 arranging the programme of evening meetings for this season, 

 that some short account at first hand of the results achieved 

 would be acceptable and interesting. 



I will not now occupy more of your time, except to say 

 that in the near future it devolves upon us to remove what re- 

 5nains of the unexplored dark tracts upon our map, and further 



* See map Vol. 4, No. 2, May, 1890. 



