September, 1922.] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



113 



above high water mark, which represents the 

 terrace last uncovered in the district. 



Twenhofel'^ reports the highest terrace on 

 Anticosti island observed by him to have an eleva- 

 tion of 442 feet. On the opposite side of the mouth 

 of the St. Lawrence from the Bay of Seven Islands 

 Coleman'^ found the terraces progressively higher 

 toward the west, with a maximum elevation of 434 

 feet at Ste. Flavie. The 195-foot terrace at Clarke 

 City may not represent the maximum emergence 

 in that district. No higher terraces were seen, 



"Amer. Jour. Sci., Vol. I, Ser. 5, p. 272, 1921. 

 "Can. Geol. Surv. Bull., No. 34, 1922, pp. 14-15. 



however, and it is inferred that the Bay of Seven 

 Islands area and the Chaleur Bay region lie on 

 opposite sides of a zone of maximum emergence 

 which has an axis passing near the north shore of 

 the Gaspe peninsula, through Anticosti island, to 

 the north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle where 

 Daly reports a terrace at 500 feet. 



Coleman and Goldthwait agree in making the 

 maximum emergence on the south side of the Gaspe 

 peninsula less than half that on the north side. All 

 of the data available concerning the south half of 

 the west coast of Newfoundland place it in the zone 

 of relatively low emergence. 



BIDE-A-WEE LOON 



By Mrs. E. J. Boag 



EARLY in July, 1922, the writer and family 

 . arrived at one of the small islands in Blue 

 Sea Lake for a short holiday. 



A pair of Loons had already taken possession of 

 one end of the island. They seemed far more 

 curious than perturbed at the arrival of the humans 

 and would frequently come within ten or twelve 

 feet of the shore, heads on one side, to inspect us. 



After a few days of this mutual inspection, we 

 suddenly remembered our camera and decided to 

 try for a snapshot. We rarely saw both members 

 of the pair of Loons at the same time, but were 

 quite content to snap one. Unfortunately fate 

 here played us an unkind trick. The appearance 

 of our camera marked the disappearance of the sun 

 for that day. 



Next day I decided to try my luck again and, 

 armed with the camera, went in search of the Loons. 

 There was neither sign nor sound of them in their 

 usual haunt, so, creeping slowly and cautiously, I 

 n eared the water's edge where it seemed their 

 nesting place must surely lie Still no sign of them; 

 but from amongst the bushes near by a continual 

 "cheep, c/i€ep" and yet nothing moving except myself. 

 Finally I located the spot whence came the "cheep, 

 cheep," and there, amongst a few old twigs on levelled 

 ground, was a large grayish-green egg vAth two large 

 black spots on it. On creeping closer, I discovered 

 that the two spots were portions of the Loon chick, 



visible through the broken shell. 



By the side of this egg was a broken shell indicat- 

 ing that the first-born had arrived earlier. 



It was about ten in the morning when I first 

 discovered the egg and not till four in the afternoon 

 did the little one finally emerge. 



The parents were still absent, so I put some clam 

 shells of water near the chick and left it, heartily 

 wishing that its parents would come, asno doubt 

 did the chick 



We listened for them through the night; it was 

 windy and stormy and not a sleep-inducing one. 

 We heard their calls from an island to the south of 

 us, but they did not come near us. In the morning 

 I hurried off to see my foundling. 



It was still alive but apparently weaker, and much 

 bothered by the flies, so I made a little nest and 

 brought it in this nearer to the house, where we 

 could watch it better. 



After it had been given a little stimulant it be- 

 came decidedly chirpy and our hopes rose according- 

 ly, only to fall later, as, towards evening that day 

 the little victim of parental neglect gave up the ghost. 



We could not leave it to the mercies of flies and 

 ants and others of the insect world, so buried it 

 deeply and erected a granite tombstone at the head 

 of the grave, whereon you may read: "In Memory 

 of Bide-a-wee Loon, Born July 11th. Died July 

 12th, 1922." 



LICHEN GROWTH AND SNOW DEPTH 



By W. Ta\'lor 



I HAVE found in the course of observations made 

 during the last few years that there is an apparent 

 connection between the surface level of the snow 

 which accumulates on the higher moimtain slopes 



north of Vancouver, B.C., and the ix)int to which 



the lichen Usnea barbata, or "old man's beard," 



descends on the bark of the trees in the alpine zone. 



Systematic measurements here are limdted to the 



