Selected Excerpts from the Vancouver Natural History Society “Bulletin”

On Saturday, October 2^nd an enjoyable trip was taken to Stanley Park. The object was a mushroom hunt and the leader was Mr. F. Waugh. The season was propitious and a good number of specimens were found. Mr. Waugh had some useful advice for the amateur mushroom gatherer: -

(green) [bog orchid]; Cornus Canadenses, bunchberry; Valeriana, [sitka valerian], Copperbush, Cladothamnus [Elliottia] –

Mr. Timmis reported that he made an observation of a very oddly marked robin at his home at 2896 West 38^th Ave. It had the red breast of a robin, but it also had a spectacular black and white back. Starting at the top of the head and down the back of the neck and back of the wings to the tip of the tail, the distinctive black and white splotches were pronounced. The white was clear and the black was dense.

The first field trip of the season got away to a bad start. An unusually heavy rain came on just at the scheduled starting hour. The ten members who stuck it out and stayed with the trip were amply rewarded, however, as the rain cleared off and Mr. Hughes, leader of the trip, was able to find plenty of birds. White-crowned, fox and song sparrows, rufous hummingbird, [spotted] towhee, [northwestern] crow, [American] robin, Myrtle and

Audubon [both yellow-rumped] warblers, violet-green and rough-winged swallows, varied thrush, Hutton’s vireo, [dark-eyed] junco, red-winged blackbird, great blue heron, wood

duck, bufflehead, mallard, Bonaparte’s and glaucous-winged gull, [American] coot, horned and western grebes, green-winged teal, Canada geese, red-breasted merganser, American [common] goldeneye and scaup. A rail was heard at Beaver Lake, but not seen. A partial albino [American] robin was also seen. H.S.

On April 30^th under the leadership of Professor John Davidson, 29 members of the Society made a trip to study the flora of a Mesophytic woodland. Because of the lateness of the season,some of the specimens were insufficiently developed for complete study. However the following plants were noted:

The Caulfeild outing on May 14^th under the leadership of Prof. Davidson, again proved to be one of the most popular trips of the season. Weather conditions being ideal about 30 members and the Evening Botany Class spent a happy afternoon in the area between Marine Drive and the beach. [This is] one of the few localities where settled homes and cultivated gardens blend with the natural landscape and native wild plants, that are still found, even if not in quite the abundance of former years.

Caulfeild provides a typical rocky bluff environment and comparisons were made between the flora of this area and that of the Mesophytic forest studied on the Musqueam trip. Soil conditions were noted with the resultant large proportion of winter annuals. From the rocks above the beach it was possible to visualize the development of primeval vegetation, beginning with algae and lichens and progressing to mosses, ferns and club mosses, and, as the soil was gradually formed and built up, into the more highly developed and specialized flowering plants and trees.
Methods of seed dispersal were observed in the ‘explosive’ action of the Cardamine (bitter cress), the hooked seeds of the yellow [large-leaved] avens found by the roadside, the ‘trigger’ action of herb Robert [Robert’s] geranium (true geranium), and the ‘sulphur spray’ of the lodgepole pine and staminate juniper. Fossilised traces of this latter phenomenon have been found as far as twenty to thirty feet down in peat bogs. Typical plants found included various lilies, whose early blooming provides a long resting season for the bulb; fleshy-leaved sedums (stonecrop), hairy-leaved plants such as ‘cat’s ear’, and several varieties of saxifrage.
Among the flowering specimens noted were white (death) camas, blue (Indian) camas, Claytonia (spring beauty), Valerianella (sea blush), Collinsia (blue-eyed Mary), and vetch and pea. Among rock crevices, Heuchera (alum root), small yellow [chickweed] monkey-flower Mimulus and Nemophila (grove lover) [great basin nemophila], also found were sword fern, oceanspray, (often miscalled ‘spirea’), wild lettuce with its rubbery sap, knapweed (blue bottle), an example of perfect flowers in one head, Trientalis (chickweed wintergreen) [broad-leaved starflower], and lesser sorrel.
In the more thickly wooded places were seen lovely [Pacific] dogwoods in flower, arbutus, false box (an evergreen shrub suitable for garden edging), Juneberry (western Saskatoon), sweet vernal grass, kinnikinnick or bearberry, and salal. Along the roadsides interspersed with many garden escapees were Philadephus (mock orange), and [western trumpet] honeysuckle with its two forms of leaf and brilliant flame-coloured blossoms. E.M.B.

Possibly Eva M. Burrows
Sea Island Bird Trip

On Saturday, May 28^th eighteen members visited Sea Island to study bird life with Mr. Hughes. The visit to the [great blue] heron colony is always of special interest. This year we had a close-up view of a nest that had fallen to the ground. The young were being fed in the nests but that not all survive was evidenced by two that were [also] found on the ground. Several other nests were found including barn, violet-green and cliff swallows, Chinese starling - [crested] (mynah), [American] robin, white-crowned and song sparrows, and tule [marsh] wren. Some of the nests had young and were close to the ground where members had a good opportunity to study them.

M.T.

The annual trip to Crescent Beach on May 24^th was successfully carried out. About 40 members turned up and the weather was everything that could have been hoped for. The salt marsh was visited in the morning and Prof. Davidson talked about the nature of the plants that grow in such an area and the methods by which they conserve their moisture. After lunch in the picnic grounds the party went along the railways tracks toward Ocean park for a discussion of the plants which grow on the dry, sunny banks of the railway cuttings and beside the track on arid rocky soil. Descending to the shore, Prof. Davidson talked about various forms of seaweed and then the party returned along the shore to Crescent [Beach] for tea. H.S.

In June Mr. Hughes again took a small group to view the seagulls’ nests in Howe Sound. This is a fascinating trip for those who have never seen these sea birds nesting. As they are easily disturbed and the nests are so numerous as to be easily stepped on, it is inadvisable to take more than a small group once in the season. This year ten were taken who had not made the trip last year. Mr. Hughes asks that members [who are] truly interested, give him their names next spring so that he can make up another trip. Only members accustomed to small boats and not afraid of the water should go.

A good turnout of members of the Society gathered at Lumberman’s Arch on July 10^th for a trip at low tide, conducted by Mr. R.W. Pillsbury. After a short introductory talk in which he explained that animals and plants live in their own tidal area, that due to harbour pollution none of the specimens should be taken home for the table, and that none of the stones overturned in our search should be left upturned to spoil the animal’s habitat, the hike was on.

cucumbers and several kinds of crabs. Numerous rocks were coloured with encrusting red algae [Corallina sp.] giving them a pink cast. [Northern] clingfish and blennies that live in tide pools were found under overturned stones. At very low tide one of the older forms of life was observed, brachiopod lamp shells. Nudibranch, and sea lemon or sea hare were seen under similar conditions.

Saturday, June 11^th was a fine day and 42 members turned out for the trip to Lynn Valley. Before we set out on our walk, our leader, Mr. Plommer, gave an interesting talk on the district. Quoting from Dr. Burwash’s book, The Geology of Vancouver and Vicinity, he said:

“Within the area studied in detail there are three principal mountain spurs, one subordinate spur, and the valleys of the Capilano, Lynn and Seymour Creeks, that separate them. These valleys are essentially the same in type as those of the fjords of Howe Sound and the North [Indian] Arm, that flank the area on the west and east, or as the valleys of Coquitlam, Stave or Harrison Lake farther east along the southern margin of the range. All of these, except that of Coquitlam Lake, have a considerable depth below sea level and all are deeper in their upper or middle reaches than near their mouths.
“In the time immediately following the recession of the ice the same thing was true of the valleys of the Capilano, Lynn and Seymour. At first they contained fjords, which gave place to lakes as uplift progressed and these were later drained by the cutting of post-glacial canyons through the rock and drift barriers that retained their waters. The existence of these barriers of rock near the mouths of the valleys seem to be connected with the shallowing and lateral spreading of the ice stream as it emerged from the confining valley walls near the margin of the range. The pressure of the glacier on its bed was in consequence less, and erosion was less powerful, than in the narrower and higher-walled parts of the valley. As the glacier receded from the lowland into the mountain valley its front probably rested for some time against the rocky obstruction, with the result that an unusual amount of morainic deposit was left there.”
Mr. Plommer said: “There you have Burwash’s explanation of these canyons. He estimates the extent of the post-glacial uplift to be 650 feet. The morainic deposit has been freshly exposed to view for us by the recent work of the Water Board that has obligingly dug into it with its steam shovels. Down in the basin between the canyons it is interesting to pick up stones brought down from the upper valley. Some of these are granitic, but many have been plucked from the Texadan rocks that comprise Palisade Range (the easterly extension of Crown Mountain), and Lynn Ridge and Goat Ridge. This area will be a fine place for geological study when North Vancouver gets its entire water supply from the Water Board, as it should then be thrown open to the public. It is a grand piece of country from which we have long been excluded. Down in the basin below is also the deposit of lignitic material which some of us observed with Dr. Williams several years ago. This deposit has been the object of Paleo-botanical study since then”.
After following the trail by the creek down to a spot where the deposit of lignitic material could be examined, the party returned to the bus terminus and voted thanks to Mr. Plommer for a pleasant and interesting trip.

H.S.

On Saturday, October 29^th, we had a pleasant and instructive afternoon. Meeting at the covered picnic tables at Lumberman’s Arch, 34 of our members came prepared with bags and baskets for the collection of mushrooms. Our leader, Mr. F. Waugh, divided the party into three groups with instructions to go in diverse ways. After about an hour the three groups returned and laid out the “spoils” on the tables. Mr. Waugh sorted them and talked about the different kinds. There was such a variety that it is impossible to list them all. Moreover, your secretary is extremely ignorant on the subject and is afraid of making mistakes.

This was the subject chosen by Mr. Dave Munro of the Canadian Wild Life Department at our meeting on February 8^th. He was in the district to observe the Canada goose and

reported that a rough estimate would be 650 to 800 pair nesting there. Nests were primitive, mainly a hollow on top of muskrat lodges (which are numerous along the Columbia River and lined with sedge grass and other material. Some interesting Kodachrome slides of the nests were shown, one containing nine eggs in place of the usual clutch of six. The pictures also showed the young birds just hatching or just hatched, and the parent birds in various activities, singly and in groups.
Mr. Munro’s pictures and comments also included the [American] bittern, and the [belted] kingfisher nesting in the cut banks, [American] coots, blue-winged teal and nest with eleven eggs, black tern, horned grebe and ruffed grouse etc. He also showed many fine panoramic views of the Columbia River Valley, Lake and headwaters and the Duck Lake area where reclamation has been so controversial. The pictures were taken from prominent vantage points, giving a lovely view of the area.

A.H.B.

Four enthusiasts who turned out on March 26^th in spite of the threatening weather were rewarded by the sigh to several hundred magnificent lesser snow geese feeding on the sea flats of Terra Nova on Lulu Island. In among the geese were [American] coots, bufflehead, goldeneye, [northern] pintail, mallard, scaup, canvasback and merganser. A large jaeger sea hawk was seen among the birds. Before rain drove the watchers home, a flock of sandpipers was observed as well as several other birds including song sparrow, Brewer’s blackbird, [northern] flicker, [American] robin, red-winged blackbird and [dark-eyed] junco. The [western] meadowlark was heard but not seen. E.B.

Because cold weather had retarded our spring, the bird population seemed smaller than is customary at this time of year. Nevertheless, the small group that turned out on April 15^th enjoyed an interesting afternoon under the excellent leadership of Mr. Hughes. Bird seen included the rufous hummingbird, western grebe, Bonaparte’s, glaucous-winged and herring gulls, red-winged blackbird, [northwestern] crow, Canada goose, [American] robin,

In spite of threatening skies, about 15 enthusiasts started out from Kingsway and Broadway at 8:45 a.m., on Saturday, April 22^nd. The journey to Crescent Beach was made through rain, hail and snow and on arrival the downpour was so intense that the hardy few who started off along the beach, viewed birds through a veil of water. However, the weatherman relented and by noon it was warm and sunny, enabling all ramblers to enjoy a delightful walk around the oyster beds.

This trip served as a reminder to the 40 members participating that spring was once more on the wing although about the latest on record. Prof. Davidson explained that the area was a Mesophytic forest, that is the zone of vegetation, midway between the water plants on the

one hand, and the dry desert plants on the other. He pointed out how the deciduous trees increased in number and size providing protection for the slower growing young conifers. Eventually the latter reached a height sufficient to cut off the sunlight from the other plants and became the dominant species in the area. He dissected a bud to show how all the leaves were already formed inside in miniature, and said the plant would never increase the number of its leaves. However, the more moisture it obtained, the bigger the leaves would grow. As we followed the path through the woods, the usual trees, shrubs and flowers examined in previous years showed delayed growth as a result of our recent severe winter and spring. Prof. Davidson reminded us that the showy white parts of the [Pacific] dogwoods were bracts and that the inflorescence in the button contained many minute flowers. The difference between Dutchman’s breeches [horticultural ?] and [Pacific] bleeding heart [our native species} was fittingly demonstrated.

A. H. Bain

On May 24^th under the leadership of Prof. John Davidson, we were able to study the saltmarsh flora, without getting muddy feet, from the dykes along the estuaries of the Nicomekl and Serpentine Rivers. Dominating the flora of the saline habitat were arrowgrass Triglochin maritima, seaside plantain Plantago maritima, and sea milkwort Glaux maritima. Common too was the [American] glasswort Salicornia ambigua [virginica], a plant with very fleshy parts, salty to taste and often pickled for food by the ‘savages of Scotia’ – quoth our leader! Saltgrass Distichlis spicata, was just beginning to shoot through great mats of winter-cured leafage. Brilliant orange threads of the parasitic [saltmarsh] dodder Cuscuta sp., were developing here and there over the saltmarsh. On the dunes and sandy flats adjacent to the saltmarsh we saw remnants of a once extensive and colourful flora in the lyme [wildrye] grass Elymus sp., dwarf larkspur Delphinium sp., beach pea Lathrus sp., lesser paintbrush [owl-clover] Orthocarpus sp., blue-eyed Mary Collinsia sp., death camas Zygadenus sp., sea blush Valerianella [Plectritis] sp., and mouse-ear chickweed Cerastium. A close-up of a Hudsonian curlew [whimbrel], and a western tanager were seen.) V.C.B.

The sun shone on October 14^th for the V.N.H.S. ‘fungus foray’ after four days of inter -mittent rain, producing ideal conditions for collecting mushrooms. About fifty members

met at the sheltered picnic tables in Stanley Park for the outing. Armed with containers for their specimens and a few instructions from Mr. Foote Waugh, the party dispersed. An hour later three tables were needed to hold the spread out fungus display of about one species for every member present. The leader identified as many of them as possible. He described some of the methods of identifying mushrooms and warned of the dangers of eating unknown ones.
Special attention was given to one of the poisonous species, the Amanita muscaria or fly agaric. The name Amanita is derived from Mount Amanos in Asia Minor where the mushroom was first recorded. Muscaria comes from musca (fly), the name given to this species because in some parts of Europe it was used as a fly poison.
Four specimens of Amanita muscaria in different stages of development were displayed. First the small ball or button stage with sheath or volva unbroken; then the specimen with the volva ruptured into scales allowing the red of the cap to show through; next the veil protecting the gills broken away from the edge of the cap; and finally, the mature mushroom with the fragments of the volva about the base of the stem, the veil hanging like a skirt two-thirds of the way up the stem, and the orange-red cap flattened out to carry the apparently regular remains of the volva. It is a mushroom that no one could fail to recognize after the first meeting, and is abundant in Stanley Park. In eastern Asia some people took it as a drug. The effect is similar to marijuana. There were not many deaths attributed directly to eating this fungus, but frequently the person who ate it did so to get the courage to kill one of his enemies.
After the specimens were examined and gathered to take home and eat, the leader warned that he would not be responsible for any headlines in the local papers such as “Mass Murder in Stanley Park”. Several helpful books from the Vancouver Public Library were available to members. Three of them can be purchased: Some Mushrooms and other Fungi, by Geo. A. Hardy from the Provincial Museum; The Mushroom Book, by L.C.C. Kreiger, and Field Book of Common Mushrooms, by W.S. Thomas, from Vancouver bookstores.
A partial list of the mushrooms gathered that October 14^th includes the following:

Note: (--) indicates that the species is not known. Where common names are not entered, they are not known.

There has been some talk among members of the Society regarding establishing a bird checklist for the Vancouver area. If enough members who note the birds they see in their day-to-day activities desire this, nothing would be more to their advantage than to come on our bird trips, under the guidance of Mr. Bill Hughes.

Evidently we can’t always expect perfect weather for our bird hikes. The Burnaby Lake trip was damp, to say the least. Our leader, Bill Hughes, did manage to stop the worst of it just before our outing started, but allowed a misty rain to continue. Nevertheless the excursion was interesting. A welcome addition to our group were members of Mr. DesBrisay’s Junior Audubon Club. These boys were keenly interested in what our leaders had to point out on the trip and we certainly hope they will be able to come on future excursions. We extend to them a hearty welcome at all times.

For those of the Society who took part, the afternoon will stand out as an exceedingly interesting one. After parking the cars, the party walked along the dike for some distance, all eyes and ears attuned to anything of interest. As usual when these trips begin, everyone is keyed up, trying to see and identify all the various birds in the vicinity. With the aid of many pairs of eyes and field glass, great blue herons, rusty song sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, [Northern] pintail, [American] wigeon and mallards were soon identified. Mr. Hughes told us that the latter three [species] flew in from offshore open waters to feed on land.

Although the afternoon of January 7^th was rather raw, some dozen or so members turned out. The general cloudiness of the day did not prevent our seeing a good many seabirds from the pier of the Steveston fish cannery, but they were not quite as abundant as in previous years. By being careful we did manage to get good views through our field glasses of western grebes, old squaw, glaucous-winged and Heermann’s gulls, and red-breasted merganser and American [common] mergansers. A song sparrow was seen flitting from bush to bush as we walked along the path behind the buildings. Mr. Hughes pointed out the characteristic flight of a goldeneye as it swept past overhead.

This bird trip proved to be the coldest and wettest this year. As we assembled at the foot of Trafalgar Street on January 21^st, a drizzle started; by the time we walked down to the sea the full force of the strong west wind came fully at us. Despite this discouraging beginning, the day eventually proved to be very beautiful. Excellent views of sea birds were obtained as we walked slowly east and north along the beach: surf scoters, American [common] goldeneye (with a white dot before each eye), Barrow’s goldeneye, (with a white crescent before each eye), buffleheads, red-breasted mergansers, loon, short-billed [mew] gull, horned grebes, greater scaups (dark body and light wings), great blue heron, American [black] scoter, double-crested cormorants, western grebes and pigeon guillemots. B.R.

Despite darks skies and a drizzling rain 15 members turned up at Celtic cannery at 9:15 on the morning of March 25^th to take the boat across to Iona Island. Two trips had to be made. Once on the Island, Mr. Hughes apologized for the few birds to be seen. Last year flocks of hundreds of birds had been seen flying about, but this year only a few score were at first noticed. Unfortunately the tide was a considerable distance out and the birds following it could be seen turning and twisting in flight, but too far off to be identified.

The new season started off in brilliant April (14^th) sunshine with a large turnout. It was evident that everyone felt delighted to be a member of this group – friendly greetings across

Professor Davidson usually undertakes three botany trips in the spring so that he can compare the manner in which the flora changes due to the different types of habitat. This year only the Mesophytic, or plants with an ample supply of water, and the rocky bluff flora were studied [at Musqueam Reserve and Caulfeilds]. The planned trip to Crescent Beach to see the salt marsh flora had to be cancelled owing to the inclement weather.

The proposed visit to the Marine [Pacific] Biological Station at Departure Bay on June 16^th had to be postponed, but an alternative trip was taken to Crystal Water Beach near Point Roberts. Enough private cars were available to take everyone to the beach, and the day was warm and sunny, though a strong wind made wading in the sea seem a chilly prospect when we first arrived about 10 a.m. However, the sun slowly warmed up the sands and the visit proved enjoyable as well as educational.

We followed the tide as it receded, under the leadership of Mr. Waugh, who appears quite as much in his element among the sea cucumbers as he is among fungi. The water was clear and in consequence we found a wide variety of sea life, including a brittle starfish which is seldom found. Perhaps our most notable failure was an attempt to capture a horse [gaper]clam. These creatures reside too far under the sand to be easily located, but they indicate their presence by a stream of water, and this stream proved something of a challenge; in all cases the clam withdrew faster than our spades descended. Our thanks for a very pleasant morning must be extended to Mr. Waugh and the car owners who made space for those without means of transport. N.P.

Summer Camp – Cathedral Lakes

The Natural History Society’s camp this year, under the leadership of Dr. Brink, was located on the edge of Quiniscoe Lake on a raised tongue of land at a height of 6,700 feet. It nestled among the trees a short distance below the timber line with a superb view from our tents of the neighbouring peaks, all about 8,000 feet high.