86 Canadian Record of^Science. 



series of plants. There is still a good deal of the original 

 forest on the island, and under its protection the native 

 flora continues to abound. There are also several swamps 

 and peat-mosses stocked with those distinctive species 

 to which they give support ; while a large part of the 

 island is under cultivation, affording abundant scope for 

 the maintenance of that gradually increasing variety of 

 plants which delight in the open. It may be added in 

 this connection that the insular situation of the district, 

 surrounded as it is by a considerable body of water, secures 

 for it a modified temperature ; while the varied aspects of 

 the mountain, looking in the direction of every point in 

 the compass, offer as many varieties of climate, and these 

 encourage the growth of a correspondingly varied flora. 



Having thus set forth the features of Montreal Island 

 which make it a most promising field for botanical 

 research, the next matter to engage our attention is to 

 enquire what has been done towards observing and report- 

 ing on its plant-life. As regards the collecting and cata- 

 loguing of its local flora, Montreal had the start of every 

 other place in the Dominion. Dr. Holmes, afterwards the 

 first Professor of Botany in McGill College, between the 

 years 1820 and 1823, made a very large collection, espe- 

 cially of the Phenogamous plants of the district. Of 

 course he had the advantage of being able to make use of 

 the work done by others who had made observations on 

 the flora of the Province, notably Kalm, Michaud and 

 Pursh. But besides this, he had paid special attention as 

 a young physician to the flora of Britain and France, and, 

 therefore, occupied an advantageous position for entering 

 upon his self-imposed task, but one which happily inured 

 to the laying of an excellent foundation for the botany of 

 the district. Considering the state of this department of 

 science at that time, Dr. Holmes must be accorded the 

 credit of being both an enthusiastic collector and a careful 

 and accurate observer. His herbarium, constituting the 



