APPENDIX. 149 



little distance from the mansion. Mr. Parisli the photographer was on the 

 ground, and attempted a sketch of the scene, but owing to the broken light 

 among the trees, was but partially successful. A pleasant hour quickly pas- 

 sed, after which a visit was paid to the President's private museum, which 

 is contained in a building erected for that purpose. 



The collection of specimens gathered together in this building is varied and 

 interesting, comprising many rare and curious forms in every branch of zoo- 

 logy, brought at miich trouble and expense from various parts of the globe, and 

 exhibited either in the drawers of cabinets, or in table cases which extends 

 down the centre of the room. The foreign entomological collection, principally 

 from the East Indies and South America ; the conchologlcal collection con- 

 taining some rare land shells from New Guinea, Arroo and other Pacific islands ; 

 and especially the beautiful specimens of corals from the Bermudas — attracted 

 the notice of the members. But perhaps the most interesting portion of the 

 whole lay in the series of madrepore and asteroid corals, illustrating the 

 growth of the Bermuda reefs, which is considered by Mr. Jones to be far more 

 rapid than is generally supposed. Coal, glass bottles, recent shells, contain- 

 ing their inhabitants; roots of trees, &c., were here to be seen coated with a 

 vigorous growth of coral, affording facts sufficient to prove. beyond a doubt 

 that some polyps are able to secrete their calcareous forms very rapidly in 

 the Bermuda waters, in comparison with similar or allied species in other , 

 parts of the world, which according to some naturalists are supposed to take 

 thousands of years to form a few feet of calcareous matter. The collection of 

 Nova Scotian reptiles was also worthy of notice, as it possessed nearly every 

 species known to the country, and in some cases species were exhibited in all 

 stages, from the embryo to the adult. The whole collection comprises from 

 seven to eight thousand specimens. 



This ended the first Field Day of the Nova Scotian Institute, for 1866. A 

 subsequent half hour was spent on the green sward amid the quiet beauties of 

 nature and in merry social converse, under the influence of a delightful summer 

 evening. Carriages then arrived to take back to the city the Members and 

 their friends — and the party broke up, after kind adieus to the worthy Presi- 

 DeNT, by whom they had been so as;reeably entertained. 



W.G. 



Some AccotNT of the Life of Titus Sjiith. By William Smith. 

 (Communicated BY the President.) 

 At a Field Meeting of the Institute held at Ashbourne, near Halifax, the 

 residence of the President, June 26,1866, one of the places of interest visited was 

 the grave of Titus Smith. Mr. Smith resided at the commencement of the present 

 century for several years in the vicinity of Halifax, leading a retired life and 

 devoting nearly his whole time to the study of nature. He was one of the first 

 observers who paid attention to the Natural History of Nova Scotia, and his manu- 

 script notes contained in the archives of the Province, bear testimony to the care- 

 ful manner in which lie registered all facts, especially those relating to the botany 

 of the country. Being'employed in different Provincial surveys in the interior he 

 had ample opportunity of pursuing liis favourite study, and made such good use of 

 his time while in the forest on these expeditions, that he was enabled to write a 



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