16 



The President read the memorandum which was drawn up in April last 

 regarding the formation of sections of the Society in various departments of natural 

 science, and after giving an account of the enthusiasm with which the project was 

 taken up by the naturalists in London, he congratulated the members an the 

 success of the movement and hoped that it would long continue. 



A paper by Mr. Frederick Clarkson, of New York, entitled " Observations 

 from the top of a White Mountain coach," concluded the formal part of the 

 meeting, and was listened to with much interest. At the requ3st of those 

 present, Dr. Bethune gave an entertaining account of the admirable work of Miss 

 Eleanor A. Ormerod, the foremost economic entomologist of Great Britain, 

 including pleasant reminiscences of his personal acquaintance with her. 



The meeting then proceeded to discuss the locality and arrangements for an 

 outing the next day, and decided upon visiting the banks of the River Thames a 

 few miles below the city, where there is an excellent collecting ground. 



Mr. Dearness, Mr. W. E. Saunders and Dr. Woolverton were next called 

 upon to give a report of the procedings in the botanical, ornithological and 

 geological sections respectively; their remarks were highly interesting and 

 encouraging, and proved that the new departure made by the Society is an 

 excellent one and must greatly redound to its success and prosperity. 



After some congratulatory remarks by the President upon the admirable 

 showing of the Society for the past year, the meeting adjourned. 



A DAY IN THE WOODS. 



BY THE REV. THOMAS W. FYLES, SOUTH QUEBEC. 



A day in the woods ! What delightful reminiscences do the words awaken 

 — recollections of bird-nesting and nutting expeditions, and of 



" The days when we went gipsy inp: a long time ago," 



To the busy man, who loves business for itself, a day of relaxation can 

 hardly be unwelcome ; but to the man who leads a busy life, not from choice, 

 but from stress of circumstances and for whom the wilderness and the solitary- 

 place have especial charms, how delightful is it to escape from his accustomed 

 haunts, and " far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife," to look into the fair 

 face of Nature, and to listen with loving reverence whilst she tells of many 

 thinsfs. 



It was with something akin to the feelings of such a man that on the 6 th 

 day of August last, I proposed to the young people at my house that we should 

 have a day in the woods. The proposition was joyfully welcomed, a party was 

 soon made up, the horse was harnessed, lunch baskets were packed, tin-pails for 

 berrying were stowed away and forthwith we started. We drove along the cliff 

 road to St. David's and then took a by-road leading to St. Henri's. Soon we came 

 to a region of sand. Wherever the turf was cut by the wagon- wheels sand 

 appeared. With change of soil, a change of flora and fauna may be expected. 

 The first thing that took my attention was the multitude of tiger beetles fre- 

 quentino" this green lane. A sandy tract in which ant-hills are numerous is the 

 f avorite°hunting ground of the cicindelidse, and in such a tract the mining opera- 

 tions of their larvse may be easily carried on. Amongst the beetles that I 

 noticed on this occasion, was the blue-black cicindela with the yellow clypeus 



