Transcriber’s Notes: Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_ in the original text. Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals. Illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs. Deprecated spellings have been preserved. Typographical and punctuation errors have been silently corrected. GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY OF CANADA ALFRED R. C. SELWYN, LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., DIRECTOR. OBSERVATIONS ON THE GEOLOGY, ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY OF HUDSON’S STRAIT AND BAY, MADE IN 1885. BY ROBERT BELL, B.A.Sc., M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.C. [Illustration] PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF PARLIAMENT. MONTREAL: DAWSON BROTHERS. 1885. OTTAWA, April, 1886. TO ALFRED R. C. SELWYN, ESQ., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., _Director of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada_. SIR,—I beg to submit, herewith, my report as Geologist and Naturalist on the Second Expedition to Hudson Strait and Bay, sent out by the Government of Canada on board the steamship “Alert” in 1885. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, ROBERT BELL. OBSERVATIONS ON THE GEOLOGY, ZOOLOGY, AND BOTANY OF HUDSON’S STRAIT AND BAY, MADE IN 1885. BY ROBERT BELL, B.A.Sc., M.D., LL.D., F.R.S.C. My preliminary report, of December, 1885, gave a general account of the field-work of the year, and a narrative of the Second Hudson’s Bay Expedition by the steamship “Alert,” as far as the geological and biological work are concerned. I purpose, therefore, in the following pages, to confine my remarks to a fuller description of the results in these departments. These were, unfortunately, very limited, owing to the fact that most of our time was spent either at sea or in the ice, or in relieving the stations, which I had already visited on the “Neptune” expedition of the previous year, and had done as much geological work as possible in their neighborhoods. A month in the middle of summer, was also consumed in our voyage from the Straits to St. John’s, Newfoundland, and back again, after the “Alert” had there undergone some necessary repairs. [Sidenote: Botanical collections.] [Sidenote: Entomological collections.] [Sidenote: Birds, mammals and fishes.]