44 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



burrows in the earth, but it ascends bushes and 

 trees in search of buds and bark on which it 

 feeds. It also eats certain species of coarse 

 grasses, which grow near water. Indians cap- 

 ture it by pouring water into its holes. The flesh 

 is considered delicate when the animal is fat. 

 It may be a delicacy to the aborigine, but to the 

 white man, its strong flavor is against it. It 

 is easily domesticated. The teeth are strong, 

 and formed similar to those of the Beaver. The 

 linings of the mouth indicate rudiments of 

 cheek pouches. When annoyed it produces a 

 hissing noise. Milk pleases these animals 

 greatly, and they lap it with sounds of pleasure. 



Burroughs at Esopus-on-the-Hudson, where 

 they will be set free. The Editor of this jour- 

 nal contemplates having a pair of British Jack- 

 daws sent out this summer. When this bird is 

 properly domesticated, it is doubtless mis- 

 chievous and a thief, but with these exceptions 

 we will be compensated by its odd tricks. 



GAME IN THE NORTH-WEST 

 TERRITORY. 



Last Apiil, Messrs. Bird and Ballendine 

 started for four days on the plains in pursuit of 

 feathered game. The former shot forty-three 

 geese, three swan and fifty ducks. Mr. Bal- 

 lendine bagged the same amount of geese and 

 swan, but did not care to waste shot on ducks. 

 One of the swans shot by Mr. Bird measured 

 seven feet seven inches from the tip of the 

 wings ; four feet three inches from the beak to 

 tail, and weighed twenty-five pounds. It was 

 sent to be stuffed for Chief Factor Clarke of 

 Carleton. What a grand country for the sports- 

 man. 



THE BRITISH SKY-LARK IN AMERICA. 

 Several \ears ago, a number of Sky-Larks 

 were liberated on Long Island, U.S., with the 

 object of acclimatizing the birds. Nothing 

 further was seen of them until early in May 

 last, one was heard by Mr. John Burroughs, a 

 writer for Scribner's Magazine, who says that 

 he sees no reason why the British Sky-lark 

 should not thrive in America as well as in 

 Europe. Acting on this suggestion, Mr. Charles 

 R. Rowe, of Cornwall, England, an enthusiastic 



MONTREAL BRANCH, ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



The Eighth Annual Meeting of this Society 

 was held on the 10th of May. The following 

 gentlemen were elected to office for the ensuing 

 year :— 



President — Mr. H. H. Lyman, M.A. 

 • Vice-President — Mr. William Couper. 



Secretary — Mr. George J. Bowles. 



Curator — Mr. George Bowles. 



Council, Messrs. Robert Jack (Chateauguay 

 Basin), F. B. Caulfield, and R. Burland. 



Several new members were elected, and the 

 Annual Report gave a satisfactory statement 

 of the condition of the Society. 



A paper entitled " Notes on some species of 

 Hymcnopicra occurring at Montreal/' was 

 read by Mr. F. B. Caulfield, and another on 

 " Instinct in Insects," by Mr. G. J. Bowles. 

 We regret that want of space prevents us 

 from publishing these papers, but we are glad 

 to say that the study of this interesting branch 

 of Natural History — Entomology — is being 

 zealously carried on by this Society, particu- 

 larly as regards the insects of the Island of 

 Montreal. 



RESOURCES OF THE NORTH-WEST. 



Professor Macoun of Belleville, Ontario, 

 who delivered a lecture last March before the 

 " Ottawa Field Naturalist's Club," on the 

 Geographical Distribution of Plants and Ani- 

 mals of the North-west," enunciated an impor- 

 tant law accounting for the well-known heavy 



, crop of grain secured so far north, i. e., " the 

 admirer of Mr. B. s writings, has sent him a | ]aw * of reproduction which was wonderfully 

 number of Sky-larks which arrived safely in : j ncre ased as plants approached their outer or 

 New York, and have been forwarded to Mr. northern limit. Hence, the cereals grown in the 



