44 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIV. 



cated by a similar patch of feathers scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable from the surrounding area in color- 

 ation but of peculiar velvety texture that makes its 

 outlines obvious. In all plumages the feather line 

 of the bill is distinctive, e.xtending down the culmen 

 of the bill well over the nostril, cutting in an almost 

 straight line from thence to the gape at the sides. 

 Steller's Eider, Polysticla stelleri. 

 Plate III, Figs. 1, la, lb. 

 This IS the smallest and the most divergent of the 

 eiders. The male with his strangely pied head and 

 silvery sheen on face is distinctive. The female can 

 be recognized from other eiders by its steel blue 



speculum edged above and belcw with a white line 

 like a mallard. 



Probably the bill gives the most satisfactory single 

 character for the recognition of the species. Coues 

 says of it, — "tomial edges dilated and leathery." 

 In all dry specimens seen by the writer the edges 

 of the upper mandible are incurved, (Fig. l.a) 

 probably the results of drying, and the normal con- 

 dition of preserved specimens. 



It is thus seen that by comparing the feathering 

 characters about the base of the bill nearly all of 

 these species can be readily identified. With the 

 pla'es this task should be easy. 



FURTHER NOTES ON THE ORCHIDS OF HATLEY, STANSTEAD 

 COUNTY, QUEBEC, 1919. 



By H. Mousley. 



In my last paper on the orchids of Hatley 

 (Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. xxxii., 1918, No. 8, pp. 

 144-147^ after recording eighteen species, I con- 

 cluded by suggesting, that even then, the possibili- 

 ties of the place might only have been touched up- 

 on, seeing that practically the whole of my time had 

 been devoted to the birds, and very little attention 

 paid to the orchids, it having taken eight years to 

 locate the above eighteen species. Now in order to 

 put the above suggestion to the test, and at the same 

 time gratify a long felt wish of becoming better 

 acquainted with the ferns of the district, I decided 

 early in 1919, not without much deliberation how- 

 ever, to entirely ignore the birds after the spring 

 migration, and devote the rest of the summer months 

 or un'il such time as the fall migration set in, to the 

 collecting of ferns, and any further species of or- 

 chids, should that indeed be possible. 



The weather entirely favoured my plans, it being 

 very hot on and off, all through June and July, with 

 a good deal of humidity in the air, which entirely 

 suited the orchids, many appearing in greater pro- 

 fusion and blooming earlier, than in previous years. 

 Of the ferns, probably forty species have been col- 

 lected, including the Adder's Tongue (O. viilgatuni) 

 and at least six species and forms of Botrychiums, 

 two of which have never been found in the Province 

 of Quebec before. These however, will be dealt 

 with in a separate paper, when they have been 

 further critically examined. 



Now I have noticed in some of the text books, 

 that it IS a moot point in many localities, as to which 

 of the three following orchids is the earliest bloom- 

 er, namely, Cyprifiedium acaulv. Orchis spectabilc 

 or Calypso hulbosa. I here need be no mystery con- 



cerning this at Hatley, for it is certainly the lovely 

 little Calypso, which was much more plentiful in 

 1919 than in the year previous. As regards the 

 showy Lady's Slipper (C. hirsutum), I am glad to 

 say after the disaster that overtook the species in 

 1918 (as previously described), it was found this 

 year growing in greater profusion than ever, one 

 little patch alone containing forty-one blooms, whilst 

 another close to, had seventeen. I only found a few 

 plants, however, with more than one bloom, I'-.ree 

 blooms being the most in any case. Four snow- 

 white blooms of the Mocassin or Pink Lady's Slip- 

 per (C. acaule) were noted. Of the Habenarias, 

 I came across one very large plant of the Tall 

 Leafy Green Orchis (H. hyperborea), the height 

 of which including the raceme was 9.5 dm., the 

 raceme being 3 dm. I have noticed the larger 

 plants of this Habenaria, blcom much earlier as a 

 rule than the smaller ones, and grow in certain lo- 

 calities only. Can it be that they belong to a dis- 

 tinct species?, a contingency not altogether unlikely 

 in hypcrhorea, which is supposed by some authors 

 to include several species. 



With the exception of the Wide-lcavcd Ladrs 

 Tresses (Spiranthes lucida), I have this year (1919) 

 found all of the other seventeen species enumerated 

 in my previous paper, besides addmg another 

 twelve. It will thus be seen, that my total now 

 stands at thirty species and forms of these rare and 

 interesting plants that I have located at Hatley, or 

 considerably more than one-third of all those to 

 be found in eastern North America, and all have 

 been gathered within a space of four square miles. 

 The record for the Gray's Manual area has been 

 made in the State of Vermont I believe, where 



