﻿Distinctive Characters of Canadian Spruces. 171 



Ontario, gave an average number of 77, and of five cones 

 of the same from a tree at the Emerald Mine, near Buck- 

 ingham (Co. Ottawa, P.Q.), the average is 61. 



The white spruce is observed especially along the 

 shores of the ocean, estuaries and lakes, as in Cape Breton 

 Island, around the Atlantic and Bay of Fundy shores of 

 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, also around the shores 

 of the St. Lawrence Gulf and up the St. Lawrence Elver, 

 and along the Ontario lakes. Dr. Bell sends a beautiful 

 photograph of this species, showing its characters well, 

 from Grand Lake House, on the Upper Ottawa. I have a 

 specimen collected at Lake Winnipeg by his Hon. Lieut.- 

 Governor Schultz, M.I)., in the summer of 1860. 



I desire specially to call the attention of observers 

 to one point in regard to the geographical distribution 

 of Picea alba. For many years it has appeared to me to be 

 essentially a maritime species, growing around the Atlantic 

 and northern coasts of Canada, and extending by way 

 of the St. Lawrence westward to the great lakes, as far, at 

 least, as shown by Governor Schultz's specimen, as Lake 

 Winnipeg. Its absence in inland localities is not noticed, 

 so far as I have ascertained, in published works, yet, even 

 in the narrow peninsula of Nova Scotia, bounded on 

 one side by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other by the 

 Bay of Fundy and waters connecting with the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, the absence or scarcity of this tree in inland 

 localities, or even in such as are only a few miles distant 

 from the shore, is very marked. It appears, therefore, to 

 be especially desirable, in recording localities for its occur- 

 rence, to note their distance from seaboard or great lakes. 

 I have already endeavored to impress upon observers the 

 consideration that the only reliable material for tracing 

 geographical distribution must consist of substantial data, 

 actual local observations carefully noted and authenticated 

 by specimens, corrected, reduced and compared, after the 

 manner of H. C. Watson, and left on record in such form 



