TIIU CANADIAN SPOKESMAN AND NATi BALIST. 



15 



districts alluded to,'so near the extreme north- 

 em limit, were found to be more prolific than 

 those grown anywhere else Ordinarily on an 

 ear of wheat grown in Ontario each fascilecon- 

 tained bul two grains. In Winnipeg they 

 averaged two and a hair, al Prince A Unit 

 four, and at Edmonton the wheal ear- were 

 found to average nearlv five faciles across lin- 

 ear, extending the whole length of the head. 

 When it was taken into account that the heads 

 also increased in length il was no) dilliculi to 

 understand that the same number of stalks thai 

 would produce 1 5 hushels to the acre in Ontario 

 would produce 25 hushels at Winnipeg, and 

 from 30 to 40 bushels farther north. Speaking 

 of the grasses found in the various parte of the 

 country the Professor stated that there was no 

 dilference between the grasses grown under the 

 eastern base of the Rocky Mountains and (hose 

 found further east, commonly supposed to be 

 inferior in quality. The only difference was 

 that on the dry plains of the south hardly any 

 grasses produce a large crop of seed, and from 

 that cause the fodder afforded by the natural 

 grasses was richer in nutriment equalling first 

 class hay. He referred to the popular belief 

 that cattle fatten on the grazing lands of Texas 

 and warm districts in the south, which he 

 characterized as a fallacy as shown by the 

 custom amongst grazers of driving their herds 

 northward to fatten. This was also in obedience 

 to a well-known botanical and geological law, 

 which provided that the farther north animals 

 are found the greater their capacity for putting 

 on fat. On this ground he was convinced of the 

 great advantages possessed by the North West 

 as a cattle raising country. The lecturer re- 

 ferred incidentally to the fuel supply of the 

 North West, and ventured to say that there was 

 untold wealth in the form of great peat bogs 

 within forty miles of Winnipeg, the manufac- 

 ture of which could be prosecuted with great 

 convenience in that dry climate." 



SCIENTIFIC REVIEW. 



Osteology of Speotyto cunicularia var. hypo- 

 gcea, and of Erernophila alpestris, by 

 Lieut. R. W. Shufeldt, U. S. Army. 



The two birds above named, one the Burrow- 

 ing Owl, which " occurs on the prairies west 

 of the Mississippi, notably in the villages of 

 species of Marmot Squirrels, the deserted bur- 

 rows of which it occupies for the purpose of 

 nidification. Perhaps no species in the great 

 Order to which it belongs, have less limited 



power of flight, none so habitually c 

 together in certain localities and i I 

 open treeless country as their resort, and i 

 their in-!- underground." Mr. Shufeldl exhibits 

 expert ne.-- in being a correct comparative ana- 

 tomist, as every portion of the skeleton of the 

 bird is illustrated with great care ; all portions 

 of which are fully explained in the text. There 

 are three plate.- on the structure of the Bar- 

 rowing Owl. Also, the osteology of the Shore 

 Lark ( !■!. alpestrv*,) a bird said to nest on the 

 [gland of Montreal, is illustrated. Mr. S 

 fortunate in obtaining several hundred 3] 

 mens in March, 1880. He aaj — " As they 

 afterwards lav on the table of my study, 

 would almosl have said before submitting them 

 to careful scrutiny and examination, thai not 

 only was true alpestris represented, hut leu- 

 colcema and chrysi Icema, described by modern 

 writers. I have never seen the black pectoral 

 crescent of this bird in the low position in which 

 Audubon represents it in his work." M 

 has evidently identified but one s»p 

 alpestris, and his description of the skeleton, 

 simply reminds the student that of the a vera! 

 genera that go to make up the family Alaudi- 

 dce, or Larks, bul one genus has fallen to the 

 lot of the North American fauna, and that the 

 genus contains but one species, i. e. alpestris. 



Itorresponbence. 



SPORTING AND NATURAL HISTOID 

 CAPABILITIES OF BELLEVILLE, 

 ONTARIO. 

 Sin,— As I understand from your prospectus 

 that the indication of favourable spirting and 

 collecting localities is to form a prominent, as 

 it will certainly be a valuable, teat tire in your 

 serial, 1 believe I will be doing a kindness to 

 many of my fellow sportsmen and natural ista 

 by making them aware of the ad\ antagesoffered 

 to them by this locality. The city of Belleville 

 is situated on the north shore of the Lay of 

 Quinte,at the mouth of the River Moira Hotel 

 and private accommodations are to be had ol 

 excellent quality, and at most reasonable fare-. 

 The Lay swarms with fish, — pike, pickerel. 

 (dor*), maskilonge. Mack and Oswego bass, 

 perch, lake trout, rock bass, sturgeon, suckers, 

 cat-fish, sun-fish, herring, whitetish, and eels 

 are taken from its waters. The bass are espe- 

 cially line; 1 have taken them myself up to 

 oA lbs. weight, and I saw one some years ago 



