NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF -r-*-. MUSEES NATIONAUX DU CANADA .•ftf LIBRARY - BIBUOTHtQUE FIELD-NATURALISTS9 CLUB

NEWSLETTER

Editors: Mr. & Mrs. K.W. Bowies 75 Keni I worth Ave *, Ottawa Telephone PA 8*0466

Number 27 June, 1958

OFFICERS FOR 1958

The following officers were elected at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists8 Club, December 6,- 1957.

President; Dr0 L. S. Russell

First Vice-president? Dr. E„L. Bousfield

Second Vice-president; Dr. Ja S. Bieakney

Secretary: Dr. A. W. Fo Banfield

Treasurers Dr. R. J, Moore

Additional members of Councils Miss Anne Banning, D„ R. Beckett, Mrs. John Hawksbridge,

Mrs* John Arnold, Miss Violet Humphreys, Mrs0 J.S. McGiffin, Miss Pauline Snure, Miss~Mary Stuart, the Reverend Father F, E« Banim, Messrs* R.M„ Anderson, John Arnold, W.KoW, Baldwin,Bernard Boivin, A«E, Bourguignon, Kenneth Bowles, A.W. Cameron> W*J* Cody, l.L, Conners, W.G. Dore, Clarence Frankton, Rowley Frith, W.E* Godfrey, Herbert Groh, JoW. Groves, R«,A* Hamilton, William

tilman, W*H. Lanceley, Hoyes Lioyd, W*W* Mair/ Herbert Marshall, D0A. Munro/AoE» Porstld, P.A.

fejddeiJ^ D^B.O. Savile, G«Wo Sinclair^ and V0E*Fo Solmano :

IIP 1958:; "i-

Sditor - Mr. R.A. Hamilton Business Manager - Mr. W.Jo Cody

Publications Committee - Chairman? Dr. J.Wo Groves Additional members; Dr* Pauline Snure, Dr„ HoA. Crum, Dr* A.E. Porsild,

Dr. V0EoFo SoSman0

Excursions and Lectures Committee - Chairman? Dr. Winston Sinclair Additional members: Miss Anne Banning, Miss Anna Brawn, MrSo J„ Arnold, Miss Violet Humphreys, Mrs. J.S*

McGiffin^ Dr0 J. Arnold, Mr. A.E« Bourguignon,

Mr, Ko Bowles, Mr„ H0 Groh, D.R. Beckett

Reserve Fund Committee ~ Chairman: Mr„ Hoyes Lloyd Additional members? Mro AoEo Bourguignon, Mr. I oLo Conners, Dr» C, Frankton, Mr. Ro Frith, Mr. W.H. Lanceley.

Membership Committee - Chairman; Mr. W.Wo Mair Additional members: Mrs. John Hawksbridge, Mr. W*J« Cody, Dr* R*JL • Moore/Pr* VoEoF* Solman. 2-

Bird Census Committee - Chairman? Dr. D.BcOo Savile Additional members? Mr. A.E. Bourguignon, Mr. G. Cooch, Mr. W.E. Godfrey, Dr* D.A* Munro.

Special Lectures Committee - Chairman: Dr. E.L. BousfieJd Additional members? Miss Anna Brown, Miss Violet Humphreys, Dr« S. Bleakney, Dr. A..W. Cameron, Mr. I.L. Conners, Mr, Ra Frith, Dr. V.E.F. Solman.

Macoun Field Club Committee - Chairman? Dr. H.J. Scogga-n\ Additional members? Mrs••• John Hawksbridge,Miss Violet Humphreys, Dr. S. Bleakney, Mr. A-.E.. Bourguignon, Dr.E.L. Bousfleld, Mr a Herbert Groh,Mr. D*C. Maddox.

F.O.N. Affairs Committee -Chairman: Mr. W.K.W. Baldwin

Additional members: Miss Violet Humphreys, Mr. Rowley Frith.

Representatives, Canadian Section, international Committee for Bird Preservation

Mr. W.E.Godfrey, Dr. D.A. Munro

A.W.F. Banfield, Secretary

MACOUN FIELD CLUB ACTIVITIES IN 1958

On April 26th, the Macoun Field Club celebrated its tenth year of existence at a Birthday Party held at the National Museum and attended by members^ parents, and..friends. Badges were pre• sented to fourteen qualifying new members, and Attendance and Merit Awards were presented by Dr, Pauline Snure to David Gorham, winner in the Junior Group, and by Dr. F. J. Alcock to David - Ellis and Gary Kaiser, tying winners in the Intermediate Group. A program of nature films followed, ofter which the gathering retired to the Club Room, where nature projects were on display, showing in concrete form the results of the activities of the enthusiastic young naturalists* These projects were also

shown at the annual dinner of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists1 Club held on April 24th.

The Junior and Intermediate Groups continue to meet on Saturday mornings, and the Senior Group on Tuesday afternoons. All three groups combined forces in a winter hike to the Taylor Hill quarry on February 8th, and Dr. Sherman Bleakney heroically blazed the trail on a ski outing of the Senior Group to the Skyline Drive. Spring excursions will be held as usual in May.

A list of winter activities is given on page 7 of No, 15 of the Club°s magazine, "The Little Bear". The Club is greatly indebted to the speakers mentioned for the weekly feature topics, and also to all who have helped with transportation or leadership on field trips. Mr. Herbert Groh and Mr. D.C. Maddox have, as for many years past, given freely of their time in various ways for the benefit of the Club, setting an example of selflessness impossible to surpass. It is expected that in future Mr. Groh will be relieved of much of the clerical work in editing "The Little Bear". We wish Mr. Maddox many pleasant hours of relaxation as he undertakes the task of sorting out and rearranging the Club's collection of what appears to be tons of rocks, minerals and fossils following the moving of the Club Room to new headquarters at the National Museum«

H. J. Scoggan, Chairman - 3 -

THE TRAILL GROUP

The special. Interest of the Traill Group for the winter months has been a study of the struc• ture of flowers, using what the florists could provide for material. We examined snapdragons, daffodils, iris and several others, taking the flowers apart carefully and attempting to identify and understand the parts as we went along'. At our April meeting we were able to turn to some of the wild flowers such as hepatica and wild ginger. Our studies, we hope, will be of help in the spring and summer when we take a good look at some of our native flowers and try to place them in their family groups. Indoor meetings were held once a month during the winter.

On the evening of April 28th several members drove to Fortune Lake to listen to the spring chorus of frogs. We distinguished the sounds of Spring Peepers and Chorus Frogs, but were disappointed not to hear the Wood Frogs as we had hoped. Later in the evening we listened to recordings of frog voices at the home of MrSo Ho Thompson.

Summer plans include outings to be held once a month, but dates and places have not yet been chosen. The first trip is to be held on Saturday, June 7th, and will be in charge of Miss Winifred Anderson.

If prospective members wish to get in touch with the Group, they may phone Charlotte Dill atCE 2-0576.

Charlotte Dill

THE BIRD GROUP

Under the leadership of Mr. Lawrie Smith, a revived Bird Group assumed the project this past year of encouraging amateur bird watchers to keep permanent records of their observations.

At the Groupfls request, Dr. D.B.O. Savile prepared a leaflet—- MMore Bird Migration Data Needed for the Ottawa District" — expressing the need far records and suggesting a method for keeping notes. A form for collecting data on the Spring migration of 1957 followed the distribution of the leaflet and returns from twenty-three observers were compiled*

A revised form, listing most of the birds of the area, is now being distributed for the re• covery of records for the Fall of 1957 and for the yeor 1958* The list conforms with the nomenclature r.on the new A.OoU. Check-List, except that, at the suggestion of Mr. Earl Godfrey, the Robin and the Goldfinch are called the American Robin and the American Goldfinch. . The notable changes, as this list is affected, ares *

Formerly Now

Holboell's Grebe Red-necked Grebe

Least Bittern followed American Bittern Least Bittern precedes American Bittern

Baldpate American Widgeon and follows Blue-winged Teal

American Goldeneye Common Goldeneye

American Scoter Common Scoter - 4-

European Partridge Gray Partridge

Florida Gallinule Common Gallinule

Wi!son°s Snipe Common Snipe

/Hudsonian Curlew V Whimbrel

Red-backed Sandpiper Dunlin

Eastern Dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher

Richardson°s Owl Boreal Owl

Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker American Three-toed Woodpecker Northern Three-toed Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Traill°s Flycatcher

Canada Jay Gray Jay

Ofive-ba eked Thrush Swainson°s Thrush

American Pipit Water Pipit

Blue-headed Vireo Solitary Vireo

Sronzed Grackle Common Grackle

Cpwblrd' Brown-headed Cowbird

Red-polled Linnet Common Redpoll

Red-eyed Towhee Rufous-sided Towhee

Mrs* Harry Thomson, 2066 Rideau River Drive, has a supply of these forms for distribution to any who keep notes on observations.

With the years these records will gain value and amateur bird-watchers who are willing to spend a few minutes after each outing jotting down notes can make a valuable contribution to the know• ledge of local birds*

Anne Banning

CHRISTMAS BIRD CENSUS

The Annua! Ottawa Bird Census took place on Sunday, December 22nd. It was an unusually mild and sunny day. The district was covered by 37 observers, divided into 13 parties. Forty species were seen, including four Canada Geese, eleven Ring-necked Pheasants, one Iceland Gull, one Great Black-backed Gull, one Ring-billed Gull, two Great Horned Owls, one Grey Jay, one American Robin, five Golden-crowned Kinglets, and one White-winged Crossbill, A total of 4,611 individuals were

•counted, ;

D0B.Oc Savile

ANNUAL DINNER

The Annual Dinner of the Club was enjoyed by over one hundred members and friends, on

April 24th 0 The traditional roast turkey and strawberry pie dinner was provided on the traditionally excellent fashion by Miss MacMillan's staff at the Cafeteria of the William Saunders building at . - 5-

A display of note-books and specimens (living and dead) showed that the high standard of work by the Macoun Field Club is being carried on by successive generations of youngsters* Most of the collections showed real care, perseverance and skill on the part of the boys and girls preparing them.

Dr. Russell presided, and welcomed the members of the club and their friends. Mr* Pierre Taschereau spoke of the work of the Macoun groups, and of his own appreciation of the experience gained in them. \

The speaker of the evening was George Holland, who told a fascinating and thrilling story of a trip to New Guinea. His account of this little-known region, its population, fauna, flora and assorted problems made a most interesting story, and was eloquently told. The collection of artifacts and other trophies which Mr. Holland had on display added to the striking effect of the whole evening.

Winston Sinclair

A BOG LEMMING IN PARK

It was the Sunday before Easter and although the snow was two to three feet deep, it was so warm that we were skiing in our shirtsleeves* Six of us had slowly climed up from Harrington's Lake to the bald top of a spur of the that gave a wide panorama eastwards*

After gazing at the view we settled down to the serious business of preparing a meal and I was deputed to find stones to build a fireplace, As I pulled one stone out of the snow I was surprised to see that it had cpncealed a small mouse. He, as we afterwards determined horn to be, recovered from his surprise more quickly than myself and disappeared into a run at the side of the hole* His blunt rounded head and short tail were unlike any of the few small, mainly English, mammals which I had previously seen and none of the rest of the party could identify it from my description*

It was not long before he reappeared at the hole and then ensued a hilarious chase with the small animal scampering over the snow in which we floundered up to our knees. Eventually he was cornered and was securely held in our gloved hands. An inspection showed that he was about four and d half inches long and his tail was less than half an inch long, though, to our later regret, we took no exact measurements* ? He-had long greyish-brown fur which was much lighter under the belly, his ears were small and hidden in his long fuiv He had four toes on his front feet and five on the back. One of the cameras was quickly brought out and then came the difficult job of holding him so that he could, not escape; but would not be hidden from the camera* Slowly he calmed down^ stopped gnawing holes in the leather mit, and in fact, at one point after cleaning his whiskers, seemed to go to sleep. Eventu• ally it was possible to hold him in the bare hand and some good photographs were obtained. Then he wds returned to his hole where, after disdainfully gazing at us for a few moments, he made his final exit.

That evening I consulted my books and then telephoned my companions. We had made three separate identifications, each concluding that it was one of two animals, but only one was com• mon to the three pairs. This was the Bog Lemming* I was rather sceptical since one reference stated,

l8Bog Lemmings are rarely seen by the average person since they are nowhere commonQ0(l) and a rarity has never before come my way. The habitat, which according to the book should have been "damp bogs or low meadows";' did not seem to fit the open rocky area, some 1,1Q0 feet above sea-1 eve I, in which we had found him* Later in the week, one of my companions telephoned Austin Cameron of the National Museum staff who said that our identification was almost certainly correct and that the habitat was extremely likely* But he was most disappointed to learn that we had not collected the specimen, which alone would have made a specific identification possible. However, from the distribution maps in Burt and Grossenheider (2) it seems probable that we had seen Synaptomys cooperi Baird. This would - 6 -

support the statement^ JJNot recorded from within our area, but probably occurs33 by A*L* Rand (3) in

811 Mammals of the Ottawa District0 Sometime we intend to return and hope to find "our mouse again, when we will be better able to make a positive identification*

(1) Austin A* Cameron - A Guide to Eastern Canadian Mammals* National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, 1956

(2) W* H* Burt and R0 P„ Rossenheider - A Field Guide to the Mammals* Houghton Mifflin, 1952

(3) A. L. Rand - Mammals of the Ottawa District*

Can* Field Nat* Vol* 59* No* 4* Ottawa, July-August, 1945

C*G« Champ

A WINTER VACATION Vacationing in Florida was a disappointing experience for many this winter; but it takes more than cold weather to dampen the spirits of a bird-watcher in such a place where bird life is so prolific. Even the sight of common birds of Canada, such as the Robin, descending in flocks of many hundreds on the lawns of Fort Lauderdale, was thrilling* Perched on the power lines along the highway, more Loggerhead Shrikes were seen in a single day than I had ever seen before* Although it was still Janu• ary, large numbers of Bluebirds seemed impatient to be on their way north.. Two resting on a RESUME SPEED road sign appeared ready to obey the instruction* The witchity-wstchity of the Yellowthroat was frequently heard*

To be awakened in January by a Mockingbirds song was a pleasant surprise, as was the sight of Blue Jays and Cardinals flitting through the same tree* Cattle Egrets, so recently immigrated from Africa that they have not yet made the Check-List of Florida Birds, are commonly seen in the fields feeding on the insects disturbed by the cattlea Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls were plentiful along thg coast and Vultures, mostly the Turkey, were everywhere.

A highlight of the trip was a day spent in Everglades National Park under the expert 'guidance of Mr* C. V* Bowes of Fort Lauderdale and of Big Moose, N.Y* "Major", as he is popularly called, conducts wildlife tours in small groups of six or seven around Florida and the Caribbean* His pleasant personality and his knowledgevof natural history made our excursion fascinating.

Leaving Fort Lauderdale by station wagon, we entered the park near Florida City from where the road leads some forty miles across grassy plain, past hummocks of jungle-like growth, through sawgrass swamp and then mangrove forest, as it descends from the six-foot elevation at the park entrance to the sea at Florida Bay* We made a short stop at Anhinga TraiL There, in the top of a nearby tree, an Anhinga, or Water Turkey, stood with his wings spread out to dry* Alligators lay like logs along the edge of the pond and, from a boardwalk built several hundred yards out over the swamp, a beautiful Purple Gallinule was seen picking its way daintily over the reeds. A sora Rail slipped shyly in and out of the thick vegetationo

I could have spent the day happily in that one spot but we were hurried back to the wagon and on to the end of the road at Flamingo on Florida Bay* There we boarded a small motor beat and, traveling about one or two miles from shore in water from one to three feet deep, we made our way some seven miles towards Point Sable* There we followed a channel through the mangroves and entered Lake ingraham. We had passed many birds along the way . Every stick in the bay, it seemed, had its - 7-

Doublecrested Cormorant. Great White Herons were conspicuous even at a distance and every sandbar had a flock of shorebirds; but we were unprepared for the sight of the "mass of birdlife on* rv Lake Ingraham* There were thousands of birds* From the boat, stuck in a sandy spot, we counted twenty-seven species, including Western Sandpipers, Red-backed Sandpipers, Dowitchers, Willets, • White Pelicans and Hudsonian Curlews* A flock of Black Skimmers rested not fifty feet away while others flew by skimmiilg the water with their red bills a White and Wood Ibises flew overhead; a Ye I low-crowned Night Heron settled in a tree at the water°s edge* Further into the lake were seen three Flamingoes, with plumage of an unbelievably bright pink, standing in the vast expanse of shal• low water. As there was a seven-mile return trip to Flamingo to be made before dark, we regretfully left the area with much more to be seem

Due to the miserable weather in Florida, Mr* Bowes was unable to gather together the re• quired number for a Jamaican tour in the time at my disposal* But not willing to be done out of it entirely, I took an island-hopping tour of the Caribbean, landing in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica*

Three Brown Pelicans and two Bananaquits were the only birds I saw at San Juan, Puerto Rico, due, partly at least, to the many diversions. We made a walking tour of the quaint old city within the fortress* From the heights of El Morro, we watched the blue sea breaking on the rocky shores* We slipped through the side gate of a cemetery and took pictures of the elaborate carvings on the tomb• stones* But we were a little worried when approached by the caretaker, speaking Spanish and waving a truncheon, who directed us to the main gate- However we discovered that he only wanted to show us the best carvings. We passed through La Perla, a slum of tiny shacks piled tier on tier against the ancient wall, and climbed the rickety wooden stairs to the city, I marvelled at the clean laundry being carried up those stairs for return to customers within the walls* That clothes which were washed with little water and dried on wooden doorsteps in such a dirty, filthy place, could be so clean is a tribute to the sun and to the bleaching action of lime juice applied to stubborn spots* Returning to the hotel by bus, a wom&n sitting in front of me contentedly spat long streams of tobacco juice through the open window at amazingly frequent intervals* With the light breeze that was blowing I felt it was wise to change my seat. But the majority of the people of San Juan are clean, gracious and exception• ally good-looking*

A short hop from San Juan's magnificent airport (it has two lily pools) and we were in the Dominican Republic, sharing the sightseeing of Ciudad Trujillo with a thousand Japanese immigrants who had arrived by ship that day* On a drive into the country we visited a sugar refinery, listened to the praises of General Trujillo, saw pictures of him, statues of him, his house and his farm* But

5 it wasnDt until we reached Haiti that I began to appreciate the general and what he has done for his people* At least, in rhe Republic more people appeared to be riding adorable little burros, and I saw no begging* •

In Haiti, each morning endless streams of humanity descended on Port au Prince on foot with heavy loads balanced on their heads and each evening they returned to their homes miles up the moun• tain. The sight was picturesque but the people were unsmiling, and whenever we slowed down begging hands were thrust into the car* But the drive up the mountain is beautiful * The valleys are deep and luxuriant„ Poinsettias, six feet high, bloomed along the road and a Mango Hummingbird appeared in

full view. Ant ill eon Swifts and Palm Crows were plentiful in Port au Pnnce0

There were many Black-faced Grassquits in the trees around the hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, and along the verandah rail darted a delightful little lizard, changing colour as he climbed over the jardinieres. During a heavy shower a larger, more thickly set, green lizard stood motionless on the lawn. While driving among the plantations back of Montego Bay, a mongoose slipped across the road and disappeared into the thick vegetation. That one brief glimpse was the highlight of the drive that

proceeded over the mountain and returned through a lovely deep shady valley to the town* Then a

swim in the warm blue sea and a sunbath on the white sand of Doctors Cave completed my vacation-

Anne Banning

MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Visitors to the National Museum of Canada during the past year or so have been struck by a new approach to the use of the large rotunda on the main floor. It is now being used to display special temporary exhibits, the Natural History Branch and the Human History Branch taking turns in arranging 'them*. During the winter each display stays up for about one month *

The display arranged by the Natural History Branch for April dealt with the shells of the world, and provided a series of beautiful cases of exotic shells, as well as a fine selection of our (less colourful) Canadian mollusks.

On March 31st, just after the display was officially opened by Dr. Huntsman, the OFNC members were invited to see it at leisure, and to hear something about it. After a short period during which members informally examined the exhibits, we went Into the lecture hall, where Dr. Russell welcomed the club, and spoke of the making of the exhibit and Its purpose. He also outlined the history of the study of mollusks in the Ottawa district, largely by members of the club, and working under its auspices.

Dr. Bousfield, who was directly responsible for the shell exhibit, also spoke briefly, as did Dr. Sinclair, who complimented the Museum on its dynamic program of public education through these exhibitions. A film had been arranged, but at the last minute was unavailable, as films so often are to non-commercial users. A program of short films dealing with marine life, or at least with water, were substituted.

It is hoped that similar evenings can be arranged to mark future displays of the Museum5s Natural History Branch.

Winston Sinclair

ANNUAL MEETING FEDERATION OF ONTARIO NATURALISTS The twenty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists took place the weekend of the 21st of February in and proved as always an enjoyable occasion, meeting old

1 friends and making new ones.

Before the opening of the business portion of the meeting, a pleasant and instructive guided tour of the natural history galleries of the Royal Ontario Museum, and especially the new and impres• sive Geology Hall, was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Walter TovelL Visitors took advantage of the chance to view the exhibit of seven centuries of English domestic silver, a spectacular display which took two years to prepare and which has been described as one of the finest museum exhibits ever presented in North America. It. was certainly one of the finest I have ever seen.

At the annual business meeting, Professor J.R. Dympnd presided and was chosen President for another year. The following officers were elected. - 9 -

Honorary President Dr* R.A. Laidlaw President Professor J*R, Dymond Corresponding Secretary Mr* W, J * Large Recording Secretary Mr. Douglas Sadler Treasurer Mr* B*A* Diekman

It was announced that the 40th club had joined the Federation,ihe Tay Naturalists Club of

Perth, and that we now had 3,002 members0 A change was made in the Constitution. Clubs operating solely within Ontario were designated Federated Clubs, and those having international memberships and alternating American and Canadian Presidents are to become Associated Clubs with no voting powers. Mention was made of the fact that the annual fee just covers the cost of printing the Bulletin and that it would be greatly appreciated if members could see their way clear to increpsing their contributions.

In the afternoon, interesting illustrated talks were given by Dr. Walter Tovell, Curator of Geology, Royal Ontario Museum on the subject ^Southern Ontario —• Its Rocks and Landscape" and Mr. W.B. Greenwood, Chief, Parks Division, Ontario Department of Lands and Forests spoke on "Progress in Reservation of Areas for Recreation, Education and Research in Ontario"* In this regard, many of those present expressed amazement at the amount of work already accomplished in our parks and the plans and new ideas advanced for recreational facilities in the future.

Two interesting panel discussions were held. The first one was "Is Wildlife Disappearing in

Ontario?88 with Lister Sinclair, the noted author, playwright and radio and T. V. pprsonality as moder• ator, assisted by Dr. C.H.D* Clarke, Ontario Department of Lands and Forests; R.J. Mitchele,

8 5 Secretary, Toronto Anglers and Hunters Association; and Dr0 R.L* Peterson, Curator of Mammals,

- Royal Ontario Museum. The second, a symposium on B9B3rds of this Winter — What and Why", with Wishart Campbell, well-known singer and Musical Director of Radio Station CoF*R*B. as Chairman

and Mrs. Lucy McDougall; Mrs. Florence Cummings; and Dr. J0Bc Falls, Department of Zoology ^

University of Toronto, asfparticipating members. , - -

The annual dinner on Saturday evening was the highlight of the meeting and took place in the Great Hall, Hart House, University of Toronto. Sir Saville Garner, High Commissioner for the

United Kingdom was a most entertaining and enlightening speaker. He chose as his topic flttNature in Britain" and gave instances of his own adventures in natural history. Among those at the head-table were The Honourable Roland Michener, Speaker of the House of Commons; Dean Woodside, University of Toronto and Joe McCulIy, Warden of Hart House*

The Photographic Salon proved another well received feature of the evening when prize-win• ning colour slides were projected and the merits of each discussed by Professor A.F. Coventry. Ottawa members who attended last year's meeting at Peterborough will be glad to know that the irrespressible Mrs,, Wallace of Belleville walked off with one of the top prizes for her outstanding photography. Valuable door prizes were also given away to lucky ticket holders at the end of the programme.

A field excursion was conducted on the Sunday morning to two conservation areas of Metro• politan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the Boyd Property near Woodbridge, and Heart Lake near Brampton. A stiff cold wind was blowing but this did not weaken our enthusiasm. Mink and other mammal tracks were noted, six deer were seen to good advantage bounding across a ridge and two baby European hares from the first litter of the year were picked up along the trail frozen to death* After a most welcome and satisfying lunch, provided by the Conservation Authority in the Legion Hall at Woodbridge, the cavalcade of over thirty cars broke up and proceeded to different points of interest. Dick Saunders promised a Hawk Owl for any interested persons and as this would - 10 -

ze a lifer for me I went along. The owl was exactly where Dick said it would be and we were able TO approach quite closely,, It did not seem to be too disturbed by our presence and it was remarked by someone that it was probably the biggest tally of humans the bird had had on its list for the day.

Vi. Humphreys

A The Blue Jay, March 1958. Reprinted from Barry Mather's column "MatherDs Nightcap" in the Vancouver Sun, April 17, 1955.

CAN HUMANS TELL SPRING ? by Robin Redbreast

Other birds intrigued by that time-honoured question, Can Humans recognize Spring? may find some observations of mine of interest.

While out human-watching on a sunny April afternnon I was lucky enough to see an entire family of humans emerge from their nest. I had an excellent view(being hidden in a tree only 150 yards from them)and saw the whole of their antics.

Old Man Human, whose dress is much the drabbest of the family (and who, I noticed, is also distinguished from the Female by marks under his eyes,' circular in shape), came hopping out of his nest carrying a rake-^shaped piece of wood. The Old Man Human hops chiefly on his heels. Hop, hop he went with rake, as though combing grass.

After perhaps 15 minutes of this, Old Man Human threw down the rake and uttering croaks which sounded likes o-my-bak, o-my-bak, o-my-bak, he hopped into the nest.

Meanwhile the Female Human had been digging and poking in the earth, pulling out bits of grass and weeds. While qt this she was joined by another Female and the two, making a "my-dear, my-dear, my-dear kind of cry, hopped into the nest.

The young Humans who had all this time been going through little tricks, such as skipping (there is no other word for itV) over a piece of rope, or running after one another with bits of wood, chirping "Bang-bang-yoor-ded", in a sudden came to a full stop and crying together, tee-*vee, tee- vee, tee-vee," all flew into the nest.

This queer behaviour in April which I have never witnessed at any other time of year, seems to me to give weight to the idea that Humans DO have a sense of spring*

ooOoo Vi. Humphreys

THOUGHTS ON RIGHT-OF-WAY SPRAYING

Thirty years ago I did some experimental work on the use of chlorates as herbicides. This :'was before the advent of 2,4-D and the host of related formulas in use at present. In various instances it was demonstrated that the chemical could be taken up from the base of a plant or tree into its circu• lation even better than by application to the foliage direct. The usual application in case of herbaceous weeds was to the foliage, the objective being that the poison would travel down the root to the required depth to prevent re-growth to the surface of the ground. With bindweed and other tenaciously deep- rooting species this was not ieasy to achieve* On the other hand, when a tablespoon of sodium chlorate crystals was placed around the base of a clump of two or three-year-old Manitoba maple stems from an aider root, the reaction was striking. By the time the crystals were all dissolved — in ten days —

darkened patches were appearing in the current year£s soft growth several feet from the ground. As these extended the foliage wilted, and in three weeks all branches were defoliated and did not recover. Again, in water-logged soil where roots are forced to be shallow feeders, poison ivy foliage was sprayed and, unavoidably, the base of .the trees growing with it„ These trees, six to eight inches in diameter, were so weakened as to fall a prey to borers and those in the centre of the area were killed.

This bit of experience was brought to mind again recently upon reading a challenging article by F. E. Egler in Science, March 14, 1958, p. 573, on the general subject of brush control on utility rights-of-way — highways, railroads, electric power and telephone lines, pipelines, etc.

In recent years this subject has loomed large in the programs of weed conferences. It is of interest to the utility company and its engineer, the chemical manufacturer, the biologist and the public. The primary objective obviously is to prevent obstruction to wires and other equipment and to keep the right-of-way open for maintenance patrol. This involves keeping vegetation within bounds, and along railroads there has always been the familiar burning of grass and the scything of low brush to reduce the fire hazard. The biologist should be able to gi^/e th& proper advice and to recommend suitable brush control or complete elimination. He can advise as to chemical, as well as biological procedure, as a substitute for costly or less efficient manual operations.

Present practise in the use of chemicals is largely by means of blanket spraying, which destroys vegetation indiscriminately . This commonly leaves an unsightly blanched ribbon of dead foliage across the landscape, most of which is alive at the root, and must be treated again and again before being killed. This type of treatment removes much underbrush which, if left, would hinder the return of tree seedlings and provide cover for attractive wild life, such as birds, rabbits and chipmunks.

A more satisfactory alternative to blanket spraying with weak application is spot spraying with knapsack, instead of power equipment, and with a more concentrated chemical. Undesired trees and larger shrubs are attacked directly and, as my experiments have shown, can be eliminated while preserving the general cover. Barring the ground, even where erosion would not follow, is likely to be succeeded by a .grass cover, which, good in itself, is a better nursery for a new crop of trees than is shrubbery, and thus hastens the need for recurrent control.

Briefly, this is a case for biological direction of operations rather than the prevailing practise of over-all spraying.

Rights-of-way may legitimately "belong" to the private interests who operate them, and short-sighted or even selfish choices of method may be their own affair; yet in modern society no man lives wholly unto himself. It is becoming "one world" even in these restricted areas. Society's indirect stake in these lands includes, and here I quotes " I refer to the forestry profession, which may be involyed with alternating hosts of forest diseases. Members of the wildfife profession and sportsmen have a large interest, for vegetation can serve as habitat, as food, and as cover for game populations which will breed here and spread to other lands. Berry pickers, hikers, bird watchers, and other recreationists often utilize these rights-of-way. Then there are the naturalists and scientists, who often find on these lands rare and unusyal plants and animals and biotic communities. In some ways the general public has one of the largest stakes, but it does not kn$w about it." Egler goes on with a reason, but to do him justice his argument should be read at first hand.

H. Groh