EXTRACTS FROM THE CENSUS OF THE CANADAS. 



[1853 



few jars, such as are used to keep preserves, a barrel of about fif- 

 teen or twenty gallons, and a supply of whisky and alcohol. 

 These may be kept in a cool place, a cellar, or a skeltered recess, 

 ready to receive the fishes. The smallest fishes are best kept by 

 themselves in jars, and the larger ones in a barrel. The barrel 

 ought to be put upon one head, the other removed and used as a 

 cover. It will be well to see that the fishes are placed in it in as 

 natural a position as possible, that is to say, stretched out with 

 the fins closed against the body, or at least not unnaturally bent. 

 It is equally desirable to exclude specimens the fins of which are 

 bruised, and the scales rubbed off, unless they be rare species. 

 When the fishes are too bic to be stretched across the barrel, they 

 may be gently bent upon the flatter side, and if too stiff to allow 

 this, put in, head foremost, in an upright or slanting position, and 

 then slightly bent against the sides of the barrel. It is useless at 

 first to pour more alcohol over the fishes than is necessary to 

 cover them. While cruizing at sea, it will be well to throw some 

 rags over the specimens to prevent their jarring, until the vessel 

 in which they are contained is quite full and headed up. Of the 

 smaller kinds of fishes, at least a dozen of each would be required 

 for a full and satisfactory examination. Where they may easily 

 be caught, more would be very acceptable. Of those of medium 

 size, about half that number; and of the larger ones, as may be 

 most convenient, one, two, or three. It will secure a better state 

 of preservation, and afford fuller means of study if a cut is made 

 into the belly of the larger fishes, to allow the alcohol to pene- 

 trate into the intestines. At all events, these ought never to be 

 removed. The knowledge of the local names is very desirable. 

 To rectify the errors of nomenclature now spread over the whole 

 country, the simplest way of recording the name of a fish is to 

 write it with a black, hard pencil upon a piece of stiff paper, or 

 with indelible ink upon cloth, and to place such paper under the 

 gill-cover of the specimen to which it belongs. Specimens too 

 small to be labelled in that way may bo rolled up in a piece of 

 cotton cloth upon which the name is written. Delicate fishes, 

 with very deciduous scales, would keep better if they were wrap 

 ped up singly in this way in cloth.. Any other notices respecting 

 the habits, uses, <fee., of such specimens may be preserved in the 

 same manner-, or referred to a No. inscribed upon the label of the 

 fish. It would be very important to record as far as possible the 

 date at which the specimens preserved were caught. This may 

 often enable the anatomist to determine the spawning season of 

 the species. A 'so, the depth at which they are known to live. 

 Should any collector be sufficiently familiar with painting to draw 

 coloured figures of any of these fishes, or so situated as to have 

 some of them drawn by an artist, it would be an invaluable con- 

 tribution to Natural History. 



When collections have to travel over great distances, or to be 

 for many months on a journey, it is desirable that every specimen 

 should be wrapped up singly in a piece of cloth; but this is not 

 necessary, generally speaking, for collections which arc likely to 

 be taken care of after a short journey. 



Those unaccustomed to making collections may occasionally 

 suppose from their smell that they are spoiling, the mixture of 

 alcohol with dead animal matter being rather disagreeable ; but 

 unles there is actual putrefaction, no apprehension need be had 

 respecting the safety of a collection, and the removal of decayed 

 specimens is all that is required for the preservation of the remain- 

 der, provided the alcohol has the necessary strength of at least 

 twenty-eight degrees of Beaume, or .SS specific gravity. To 

 avoid losses, it is prudent never to use kegs of more than twenty 

 to twenty-five gallons, save in exceptional cases, where very large 

 and highly valuable specimens are to be preserved. As a gene- 

 ral rule a twenty-five gallon keg will contain any desirable speci- 

 men collected even in our largest rivers,there being always an oppor 

 tunity now and then to obtain a moderately large specimen of our 



largest fishes, which when full grown are at any rate too bulky 

 to be preserved in alcohol. Upon small watercourses, or small 

 ponds, an ordinary jar may be sufficient to contain complete sepa- 

 rate collections of their natural productions. Of very large fishes, 

 especially of sharks and skates, the skin may be preserved, leaving 

 the whole head attached to it, and rolled up, preserved like other 

 specimens in alcohol. A longitudinal cut upon one side, in pre- 

 ference the light side, will afford sufficient facility for removing 

 the intestines and all the flesh and bones of the body. Skeletons 

 would be also very desirable. To obtain them it is simply neces- 

 sary to boil the animal, either whole or in part, and to gather and 

 clean all the bones, and preserve them together in a sack. A na- 

 turalist will readily put up the loose parts in their natural con- 

 nexion. 



Extracts from tlie Fiist Report of the Secretary of the Board of 

 Registration mid Statistics on the Census of the Canadas 

 for 1851-52. 



The returns of a population Census acquire their chief utility 

 from being contrasted with those of former periods, as from this 

 comparison we learn the increase or decrease of the population, 

 the annual rate of such variations and the proportionate relation 

 of the two sexes. From these results as it has been said, " we 

 approximate to something like a Law of Population, or to certain 

 natural rules, the infraction of which must be due to particular 

 and perhaps removable disturbing causes." It has been found 

 that although the population of Great Britain has increased up- 

 wards of ten millions during the last half century, yet throughout 

 this period, the sexes have presented their relative proportion, viz. : 

 30 males to 31 females, 



Until the Abstracts of the personal census are completed, it 

 will be impossible to do justice to this most interesting feature of 

 the census. A few general remarks must at the present time suf- 

 fice, and our chief attention be directed to the agricultural produce 

 and prospects of the country, 



It is believed that a very general feeling prevails, not only in 

 the Mother Country but even in Canada, that her growth and 

 prosperity are not commensurate with that of the United States, 

 and without any inclination to deny or conceal the rapid progress 

 of our neighbours, it may be well by a few facts, compiled from 

 statistical returns, to prove how erroneous such an impression is — 

 the growth of Upper Canada, taking it from the year 1S00, 

 having been nearly thrice that of the United States. 



According to the " World's Progress," a work published by 

 Putnam, of New York, in 1851, page 4S1 — the free population 

 of the United States was in 1800, 5,305,925; in 1850, it was 

 20,250,090, (in 1810 it was 7,239,814,) thus in 50 years its in- 

 crease was not quite 400 per cent., whilst that of Upper Canada 

 was upwards of 1100 per cent, for the 40 years from 1811 to 

 1851. 



Comparing the last decade of Upper Canada with that of other 

 countries, exclusive of Australia and California, we arrive at the 

 following result : 



The total number of inhabitants in the United States, on the 

 1st June, 1850, according to the census report, was 23,263,48S, 

 but it has been shown that the probable amount of population 

 acquired by territorial additions should be deducted in making 

 a comparison between the last and former census. These dimi- 

 nish the total population of the country as a basis of comparison 

 to 23,091,4SS. 



United States- 



-Census of 1S50. .23,091,488 

 " 1840..17,067,453 



Increase in 10 years. . 0,022,035 or 35,27 percent. 



