Proceedings of Natural History Society. 439 
tion of the varied assemblage of plants which characterizes 
the junction of the Laurentian and Palsozoic rocks, and the 
diverse kinds of soil and station which these afford, Our Zoo- 
logical papers were few, but not unimportant. Dr. Wesley 
Mills gave us some interesting contributions from the 
physiological work which he has so successfully pursued, and 
the observations of Mr. Caulfield on birds observed at Mont- 
real were of much interest, raising among other things the 
questions of the relations of the imported sparrow to our 
native birds, the services and misdeeds of the former, and 
the manner in which it is accommodating itself to the 
peculiar conditions of our climate. These questions were 
merely opened up by Mr. Caulfield, and I hope will be 
followed farther by him in the same earnest and observant 
manner. One fact to be noted in regard to the services of 
insectivorous birds, and which is often overlooked, is that 
the multiplication of certain species of insects which these 
birds do not relish or cannot easily destroy, is no proof that 
they do not deliver us from others which, but for their 
agency, would become equally abundant. Farther, we 
cannot expect birds lo annihilate the species on which they 
feed, but only to keep down their numbers. The amount of 
original worl: implied in these papers may not be large, in 
comparison with that done by stronger societies abroad ; 
but in so far as it goes, it is so much gained to science, so 
much of valuable fact and inference obtained and preserved 
for future use, and marking a perceptible advance in know- 
ledge. On this we may well congratulate ourselves, and 
take courage for the future, and I would again say here that 
our friends should remember that any facts or specimens 
throwing any new light on the geology or natural history 
of this country will not be despised by us, but are always 
welcome at our meetings. Every genuine and accurately 
observed fact in natural history is a gain, often a much 
greater gain than that which results from mere speculation 
and generalization, however brilliant. 
[ have now, in resigning the position of president with 
which this Society has honored me for a number of times, to 
