THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



bend in the neck to enable the sportsman to 

 cover the object; aimed at. Before the intro- 

 duction of breed) loaders it was a difficult mat- 

 ter to procure a gun with the necessary curve, 

 and even at the present time, the greater num- 

 per of those manufactured are too straight in 

 the stock to suit the average neck. 



The various improvements in the manufac- 

 ture of guns made during the past few years, 

 leaves little to be desired, and the reputa- 

 tion for excellence of work, achieved by some 

 of the most celebrated makers, leaves little 

 room for criticism. The Sportsman has now 

 no difficulty in procuring a good article ; let 

 him be careful in his selection, recognize the 

 importance of a proper fitting gun, and the 

 result will be an increased pleasure in his sport, 

 — a pleasure engendered by success. 



Wallace. 



DEATH OF THE EDITOR OP " LAND 

 AND WATER." 



The death of Francis Trevelyan Buckland, 

 better known as Prank Buckland — announced 

 from London, has been expected, as he has 

 been in wretched health for some time past. 

 His father, the geologist, Dean of Westminster, 

 a most accomplished man, lost his reason 

 some time before his death. Prank Buckland, 

 who was born in 1826, was a student of 

 Winchester College and afterwards at Christ 

 Church, Oxfoid. The larger part of his life 

 was given up to the study of the natural 

 sciences, and he was a recognized authority 

 upon the habits and culture of the food fishes. 

 Pew men of science were so popular in Eng- 

 land. He was a public benefactor through his 

 introduction of new varieties of fish for food 

 and especially th rough, his successful cultiva- 

 tion of salmon and trout. In social life he was 

 one of the most charming of men, despite the 

 fact that his house was really a kind of com- 

 bination of the Aquarium with the Zoological 

 Gardens, so full was it of birds and beasts and 

 fishes. Whoever loved him loved him perforce, 

 not his dogs only, but his cassowaries and his 



crocodiles. The story might have been told of 

 him which was true of Agassiz, that when his 

 wife one morning found in one of her slippers a 

 cold little slimy snake, one of six sent the day 

 before to her scientific spouse, and carefully 

 set aside for safety by him under the bed, 

 and upon the startling discovery started back, 

 crying out in terror, Agassiz ! Agassiz ! there 

 is a snake in my slipper !" ihe response of 

 the savant was, as he rose suddenly up from 

 his couch : " A snake! Good heavens, where 

 are the other Jive?" At home Frank Buckland 

 sat in a cumbrous old chair which he valued 

 highly because it had once belonged to the 

 famous John Hunter. Its uncomfortable angles 

 were disregarded by him — they were convenient 

 for the monkeys. These small men sat aloft, 

 and were free to pounce clown on his proof 

 sheets at will. A retired organ monkey was a 

 great favorite, and shared with the afflicted but 

 always cheerful savant the frugal meals to 

 which physicians limited him, tasting every- 

 thing in turn, even to the claret and water. — 

 N. Y. World. 



MONTREAL BRANCH OP THE ENTO- 

 MOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



The seventy-ninth meeting of the above 

 Branch took place on the evening of the 11th 

 inst., at the residence of H. H. Lyman, Esq., 

 " Thornnill," McTavish Street. 



An accurate and interesting paper was read 

 by Mr. George H. Bowles, "On the' mouth- 

 parts of some carnivorous and wood-eating 

 Beetles," with very excellent illustrations of 

 dissections. 



It was moved by Mr. Couper, seconded by 

 Mr. Lyman, " That the paper just read, with 

 the accompanying illustrations, be sent to the 

 Entomologist for publication. — Carried. 



Mr. H. H. Lyman exhibited his very fine 

 collection of Insect Architecture, the only one 

 of the kind in the city. 



Mr. Burland, jr., was elected a member. 



