Chapter 4 – 1943

May 19, 1943 (Glen Haven, St. Margaret’s Bay)^[1]
Wednesday. Dr. Bell, Mrs. Bell, Professor Bennet and I went on first trip to Professor Bennet’s cottage at Glen Haven, St. Margaret’s Bay [coordinates 44.641999, -63.91005]. We took down 2 microscopes and collected Fucus vesiculosus from the shore, using the microscopes to separate the males and females. We had tea in the cottage and bought eggs on the way home.

May 21, 1943 (Dingle)
Friday. We took the ferry to the Dingle and walked through the woods to the Frog Pond. We called at Major Balders but didn’t get any tea.

June 5, 1943 (Mount Uniacke)
Saturday. We got a lift to Mount Uniacke [coordinates 44.892004, -63.829272] where we explored a bog 1 ½ miles past the village. We climbed a larch tree to collect the pistillate cones, but I dropped half of them out of the tin can. We found and made mounts of Andromeda glaucophylla and Kalmia polifolia, and returned by the 4:11 bus.

June 9, 1943 (Jollimore)
Wednesday. We went with Eville across the Northwest Arm and picked up Professor Walmsley returning from a hike. We went to Colpitt Lake and on through the woods to William’s Lake. We collected some of last year’s Staghorn Sumach from the hill at Jollimore settlement [coordinates 44.628499, -63.607916].

June 15, 1943 (Windsor)
Tuesday. Edgehill school closing. We stopped at Mt. Uniacke for more larch cones, and arrived in the middle of the speeches. It was cold and we watched the gym display wrapped in rugs. We brought back some Cornus stolonifera and stopped at the wrong place for yellow orchids for Janet. We collected some slime from the Meander, but it died.

June 23, 1943 (Bedford)
Wednesday. We took the bus to Bedford with Janet to collect some Christmas ferns and I lost my master key in the woods.

July 2, 1943 (Cow Bay)
Friday. We took the ferry and bus to Eastern Passage, and walked by the shore to Cow Bay [coordinates 44.60909, -63.433305], collecting some Hormiscia off the rocks on the shore. We walked unheeded past sentries and found beach pea in bloom, Mertensia maritima just starting to flower and Ligusticum scoticum in bud. We had lunch on the beach and returned by the proper road.

July 7, 1943 (Lawrencetown)
Wednesday. Dr. Bell took Janet, the Bisset family and Eve to Lawrencetown. We got water from the 2nd Mrs. Oland and went to the small beach. We hunted in vain for wild geraniums, and after lunch some of us went down to the long beach where we picked pitcher plants. We also found Ligusticum scoticum and another large Umbelliferae possibly Heracleum lanatum (Frenchman) of which we want to make a mount someday. We swam the current to look for Ahnfeltia, but found it on our return where we had been picnicking. We found 2 geranium flowers before leaving and took some parts of a horse skeleton back to Dr. Hayes.

July 15, 1943 (Williams Lake)
Thursday. We took the canoe and Janet to Williams Lake [coordinates 44.620131, -63.595524], portaging it from the Saraguay. We couldn’t find any bladderworts, but we found Sedum stoloniferum, a pink sedum at the lake edge by the broken wharves. We had lunch on an island from which Janet and I went swimming.

July 16, 1943 (Oakfield)
Friday. We took the 8 a.m. bus to Oakfield [coordinates 44.900848, -63.576605], and were relieved to find Col. And Mrs. Laurie^[2] leaving for Halifax on our arrival. We collected beech nuts, still green, near the ruins of the house, and then walked out to Indian Point through wonderful virgin woods. We found silver maples, yellow birches, white ash trees, ironwood trees, numerous Lycopodia and ferns, 2 Pyrolas, and many signs of luxurious vegetation. Janet went swimming and we had milk at the house on the way back.

July 21, 1943 (Dartmouth)
Wednesday. We took Janet walking round the first 2 Dartmouth lakes, picking up specimens of Spyrogyra and other algae from the streams, ponds and locks. We got lost for an hour at the head of the lake, but we finally found the path. We came out by the prefabricated houses and went by a new radio station.

July 22, 1943 (Kearney Lake)
Thursday. We went by car to Kearney Lake [coordinates 44.686954, -63.684984] in rather damp weather. We found Oxalis montana in bloom but no trace of the yew which used to grow on the bank. We were hunting for Spleenwort in a stream near the path but missed it completely because the lumberman had altered the scenery. After going much too far, we returned and leaving the beaten path we plunged upstream in search of the lake. Finally, we took to the woods, lit a fire, and had lunch in the drizzle. On returning we had one last search and found beautiful specimens just where they should have been, and so we returned to Halifax triumphant.

August 3, 1943 (McNabs Island)
Tuesday. We took the 8 a.m. duty boat to McNabs Island, got off at the Naval Range wharf and walked through batteries of guns, through the military range to Big Thrumcap [coordinates 44.58891, -63.502993]. We hunted for Lamanaria stipes and, to Dr. Bell’s dismay, found the barrier beach between Big and Little Thrumcap washed away. So we returned to the island and lit a fire on the beach. We picked Alnus crispus berries at the military range and Ligusticum scoticum seeds on the beach. We found sea lavender half killed by tar and patches of Sandwort, Arenaria peploides [Honckenya peploids] in seed. We returned through the naval range and went across the harbour to York Redoubt on the way home.

August 12, 1943 (Kline Heights)
Thursday. We took Eville up through the Dingle to Kline heights in search of ferns and didn’t think much of the settlement there.

August 19, 1943 (Preston)
Thursday. We went by car to Preston [coordinates 44.715695, -63.434226] to Hugh Bell’s property, and took Eville. We visited the poison ivy plantation and collected a lot of flowers. We walked through swampy undergrowth to Lake Eagle where we made a collection of a Liverwort. We returned by the river and were glad to find the car intact at the school.

September 15, 1943 (Kentville)
Wednesday. We took Janet back to school and went on to the Experimental Farm at Kentville. We took J. Fred Hockey the slides, and looked at the labs and the greenhouses and then drove through the plantations. We had tea at Mrs. Bligh’s and stopped at Edgehill on our return to see Janet, and also Patience and Eve. It rained from 1 onwards.

September 17, 1943 (Chester)
Friday. We took the 6:55 train to Chester [coordinates 44.541408, -64.242544] and were met by Mrs. Winthrop Bell who took us to her house. We took the car and collected peat at a bog and returned for lunch where we met the child prodigies, Dora and Fabian. We visited the carpenter and returned in the afternoon train.

September 22, 1943 (Mt. Uniacke)
Wednesday. We went to Mt. Uniacke [coordinates 44.892004, -63.829272] by the 8 a.m. bus to explore Hugh Bell’s property there. We walked to the lake and were pleased to find a good hardwood plantation there. We lit a large fire and found lots of huckleberries. We got a little wet fording a stream and watched a sawmill at work while waiting for the bus home.

September 29, 1943 (Oakfield)
Wednesday. We went on our last trip to Oakfield [coordinates 44.900848, -63.576605] for the beech nuts and acorns, but the squirrels had been there first and what nuts there were, had no insides.  Finally, with the help of a stepladder we found one small half dead tree with a good crop and collected enough for a few years. We then walked to Indian Point and had our lunch, and afterwards walked through the fields to the sheep and came out by the old road. We went to the Laurie’s for tea and talked and were entertained on the way home by two drunks in the bus.

October 17, 1943 (Dartmouth)^[3]
Sunday. I went collecting green filamentous algae for Botany 2. Laura B. and Jimmie came with me. We took the car and crossed to Dartmouth in the ferry, collecting at the “brook where we saw the horse” (just before Port Wallace) [coordinates 44.698815, -63.54767] and at Portobello. When at Portobello it started to rain and blow. I tried to get some gas from Oickle, but as it was Sunday, he would not sell me any.

After finishing collecting, we circled through Bedford and started for Windsor. At first Laura did not know where we were going. Quite a storm had sprung up. We had lunch beside a pond full of logs, bordered with piles of slabs. The wind blew the slabs all over the place and we had to move to save the car windows. Later, on our way to Windsor, we were almost hit by a falling branch.

At Edgehill, Laura found Janet, Patience and Eve, while I was talking to Miss Murray. These three came with us when we went collecting from the ponds in the college woods. Jimmie stayed in the car. It was pelting rain and all collectors got soaking wet. After returning the soaking inmates to Edgehill, we started for home. Jimmie would have liked to have gone on to Wolfville, but we did not have enough gas. We got home before dark. I examined the material the same evening. It was good.

December 30, 1943 (Long Lake)
Thursday. Laura and I started for the Frog Pond, William’s, Lake etc., but Boutilier’s ferry was not running (10 a.m.) so we took the tram to the head of the Arm, went up the road past Klein Heights, and through the woods to Long Lake [coordinates 44.621634, -63.638843]. It was a gorgeous day, neither too warm or too cold. After walking the length of the lake, the sentry at the dam objected to us being on the ice but he let us off without making much fuss.

We approached the road to the Rocking Stone from the Spryfield end, and got through the gate without paying five cents. Built a fire and had lunch on the rocks beyond the Rocking Stone. “Auntie Helen” had provided Laura with a Mince Pie. This was heated in spots and was good. From there we went to the inner Herring Cove Road, the Old Spryfield road, McIntosh Run (where I got my feet wet), York Redoubt and the Shore Herring Cove Road.

Before reaching McIntosh run, we discussed the “concept of species” on which Laura was preparing a paper for Zoology A and before reaching York Redoubt we passed quite a stand of young Jack Pines. I had not realized before that the stand was so extensive. At York Redoubt we collected some branches which turned out to be Rowan Berry (Mountain Ash). From York Redoubt we walked to Boutilier’s Ferry and home. It was a good day.