138 THE DEVONIAN FOSSILS OF CANADA WEST. 
has a separate and distinct history of its own, though in many cases 
it is very imperfectly known to us. If sportsmen and others who 
have opportunity of observing the birds in their native haunts could 
be induced to make notes of their observations, and communicate 
them to public bodies having the means of making them known, 
much new information would no doubt be gained, and we could with 
tolerable certainty ascertain the geographical distribution of many 
species, a point at present undetermined. 
There are few places in Canada so well situated for making such 
observations as Hamilton, for besides being in the near vicinity of a 
large lake and extensive marshes, which are the favorite resort of the 
waterfowl, it is situated between two lakes, on a narrow neck of land, 
which is most probably the route chosen by a large proportion of our 
short-winged summer birds when migrating to and from their great 
nursery in the north. It would also add much to the interest taken 
in this branch of natural history if museums were formed, accessible 
to the public, and containing well-preserved specimens of all the birds 
found in their particular districts. Good books of reference should 
also be in the libraries, so that those whose tastes tend in that way, 
might have the means of getting correct information on their favorite 
subjects, without incurring very great expense. 
With such facilities at command, we might fairly expect, that many 
of our young men would be induced to devote a portion of their 
spare time to these healthful and elevating studies, as a pleasing relax- 
ation from the more confining duties of the counting-house and the 
store ; and by cultivating and extending the love of what is true and 
beautiful in nature, keep alive the better feelmgs of the heart 
which the cares of the world are too often allowed to overgrow. 
ON THE DEVONIAN FOSSILS OF CANADA WEST. 
BY E. BILLINGS, F.G.S. 
(Continued from Vol. V. page 282.—No. XXVII. May, 1860.) 
As the nomenclature of the important and widely-distributed genus 
Athyris is somewhat confused, it seems advisable to give, in this 
place, a short account of the leading points of its history. Professor 
McCoy was the first to separate the species, of which this genus is 
