74 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



more than can be useful to himself and 

 friends — not with the selfish thought of send- 

 ing the carcases of the deer to market. To 

 such a sportsman this kind of recreation 

 partakes of the thrill well described by the 

 ancient hunter. But to the market hunter, uo 

 such thrill enters his breast, his motive con- 

 sists in quality, quantity and weight, knowing 

 well that he can easily obtain a market for his 

 ill-gotten flesh. The species of deer inhabiting 

 our northern forests have increased since the 

 British troops have been removed from Canada. 

 The enormous quantity of moccasins and 

 snow-shoes made for soldiers was, in a great 

 measure, the cause of the scarcity of Moose 

 and Caribou. The Indians who made the 

 articles had to obtain the material, and the 

 Canadian woods and mountains were hunted 

 in and out of season to supply the demand. 



It is. reported that the late bush fires 

 destiwed a number of deer, and it is further- 

 more said that many were shot while retreat- 

 ing from the heat and approaching clearings. 

 Thus between woodland fires and the power of 

 man, little chance had they for existence. 

 Those who destroyed the innocents under 

 these circum stances and at such a season, 

 deserve to be stripped and scourged. We 

 trust that at no distant day, a law will be 

 made and become powerful enough to reach 

 cases of this kind, and the unmanly conduct 

 severely punished. — C. 



CANADIAN MUSEUMS. 



THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF MONTREAL. 



The collections of the above Society are 

 generally speaking, well represented in regard 

 to American forms. There is also a large 

 quantity of foreign material, making altogether 

 a very good museum, and we are pleased 

 to say it is in a fair state of preservation at 

 present. The collections, as a whole, are pro- 

 bably the oldest in the Dominion. For a 

 number of years they were under the super- 

 intendence of a paid Curator, at that time 

 known as a " Scientific Curator," who did very 



little in regard to the arrangement of the 

 American birds. In accordance with the 

 advanced knowledge of nomenclature, the new 

 ?3'stem of classification should be one of the 

 first duties that a Scientific Society had to 

 perform. The last time we visited this institu- 

 tion, it was remarkable that some conspicuous 

 foreign birds had no names attached to them ; 

 yet the Societ}^ had been paying a man during 

 a series of years to perform this work. The 

 Society is sustained by private subscription 

 which has been lately reduced to Three dollars 

 per annum for membership. The local govern- 

 ment gives it annual aid to publish its transac- 

 tions. We have no knowledge of its financial 

 position at present, yet, we may say that this 

 Society shows evidence of being somewhat 

 exclusive. If its Council would like to see 

 a good balance sheet, all they have to do is to 

 place its library on the same foundation as a 

 Mechanics Institute ; open the Museum to the 

 children from the various schools, say at a 

 few cents per head. By so doing the building 

 will always be full of inquisitive youths, who 

 are in search of knowledge, especially regard- 

 ing objects of Natural History. We would 

 like to see the unhandled worm-eaten books 

 on Natural History that are locked up on the 

 shelves of some insitutions made use of in 

 the same way as in lending or church libraries. 

 Are not books written and made to be useful ? 

 They cannot do any good while locked up 

 against those who can pay for the privilege 

 of reading them. The Natural History Society 

 of Montreal has a grand opportunitj T of estab- 

 lishing a circulating library, which of itself, 

 would be a source of strengthening its mem- 

 bership, and we presume if this is done, its 

 doors will not remain so long closed to the 

 general public, as they have hitherto been. 

 In conclusion, this institution must, ere long, 

 do something in the way of claiming the 

 attention of the public ; it will have to abandon 

 its present exclusive position, and give a 

 chance to those who are anxious to give i* 

 reasonable support. Unless this is done a 



