238 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



Sparrow is seen to do in the streets of Montreal. 

 While collecting insects at Ellis Bay 

 Anticosti, two male Fox-coloured Sparrows 

 were having a battle within a yard of 

 where I stood, and they were so 

 earnest in the affair that I caught them 

 in my insect-net; they apparently had no 

 fear of my presence. I gave the little pugilists 

 their liberty, and in a few minutes aiterward, 

 both were singing as cheerfully as if nothing 

 had happened. — C. 



THE GOSHAWK. 

 (Ashir atricapiltus.) 



A very fine adult female of this falcon was 

 sent from Coaticook to Montreal, early this 

 month, (July). We do not frequently see it 

 in summer. It is generally more abundant 

 between the months of October and January. 



THE ENGLISH HOUSE SPARROW. 

 Dr. Elliot Cones, an eminent American 

 ornithologist says that no step now likely to 

 be taken can end in the extermination of these 

 birds ; they have multiplied so rapidly since 

 their introduction on this side of the Atlantic, 

 that it is useless to try the. experiment. Some 

 time ago the Corporation of Montreal were 

 anxious to have the sparrows detroyed, sug- 

 gesting poison as a means to kill them. They 

 could never succeed by this mode, as the birds 

 are now extensively distributed over temperate 

 America, therefore a continual supply would 

 come from adjacent cities and towns, and it 

 would take years to get rid of them. The 

 English Sparrow is preyed upon, since his 

 introduction here, by cats, hawks, owls and 

 shrikes; he survives, enjoying the climate 

 and our habitations, and not particular as to 

 the kinds of food he eats. — C- 



MONTREAL BRANCH, ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



The tenth annual meeting of this Society 

 was held on the 8th May last, at the residence; 

 of H. H. Lyman, Esq., President. The 



Annual Report showed that though the stu- 

 dents of this branch of Natural History in 

 Montreal are few in number, the interest of 

 the meetings is well kept up. Six original 

 papers were read during the j'ear, and many 

 observations on the insect life of Montreal 

 stand on record in the minutes of the Society. 

 The following gentlemen were elected officers 

 for the ensuing year : Gr. J.Bowles, President; 

 W. Couper, Vice-President; F. B. Caulfield, 

 Secretary-Treasurer. Members of Council, H. 

 H. Lyman, J. G. Jack, W. Shaw and H. 

 Graves. 



Mr. WHITCHER ON FISH CULTURE IN 

 CANADA. 



We have before us, a long letter from Mr. 

 W. F. Whitcher in " Forest and Stream," 

 which is both astounding and instructive at 

 this instant when fishculturists from all parts 

 of the world are assembled at the Fisheries 

 Exhibition in London, England- Of course 

 Mr. Whitcher substantiates the fact that 

 eggs can be artificially fecundated ; that their 

 ova have been successfully transported from 

 America to Europe, and are there being 

 developed into living fish. But " what remains 

 yet to be done- is to convince the world that a 

 proportion of such prolific hatchings and 

 abundant distribution, commensurate to the 

 prodigious numbers hatched and liberated 

 alive, has reached maturity and reappeared in 

 commercial and industrial channels as a com- 

 modity of trade and an article of supply to 

 such an appreciable extent as the faithful are 

 justified in expecting. The multiplication of 

 the marketable food fishes, as evidenced by 

 the actual catch, is what remains to be 

 proved. There can, I presume, be no doubt, 

 that the public tax-payer has a right to 

 demand this proof; and Canada, Parliament 

 and the press are already asking for it in 

 somewhat impatient terms." It is not our 

 wish to disparage Mr. Wilmot's enthusiastic 

 efforts as a fish-breeder, but honestly speaking, 

 Mr. Whitcher is correct in alluding to " prac- 



