360 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



of Erlangen, finds formic acid to be certainly present (which 

 Frankland failed to detect), as well as indications of propi- 

 onic and butyric acids. Mr. A. W. Bennett, of London, has 

 detected G^lands in the leaves of Drosera and Pins^uicula, 

 which seem to have hitherto escaped attention, and which 

 he believes to be intimately connected with the processes 

 of absorption and digestion. 



FLOKA OF GUADALUPE ISLAND, LOWER CALIFOENIA. 



Mr. Sereno Watson publishes in the Proceedings of the 

 American Academy of Arts and Sciences a report on the 

 Guadalupe Islands of Low^er California, lately explored very 

 thoroughly by Dr. Edward Palmer. In this he shows that 

 the flora is to be considered as part of that of California, 

 as distinguished from that of Mexico, but that it has been 

 derived to a considerable degree through human agency. 

 Those of the most recent introduction might be expected to 

 be Californian ; the older might be from the nearer penin- 

 sula, or from other localities. It might be inferred, also, that 

 it has not been derived from California by any existing proc- 

 ess of conveyance and selection, but that it is rather indig- 

 enous to its present locality. Moreover, while it would in- 

 dicate a connection at some period between the island and 

 the mainland to the north, yet the number and character of 

 the peculiar species favor the opinion that they are the rem- 

 nant of a flora similar to that of California, w^hich once ex- 

 tended in this direction considerably to the southward of 

 what is now the limit of that flora upon the mainland. Fi- 

 nally, the presence of so many South American types sug- 

 gests the conjecture that this and the similar element which 

 characterizes the flora of California may be due to some other 

 connection between these distant regions than any which 

 now exists, and even that all the peculiarities of the w^estern 

 floras of both continents had a common origin in an ancient 

 flora which prevailed over a wide now submerged area, and 

 of whose character they are the partial exponents. 



The study of the birds collected by Dr. Palmer suggested 

 somewhat the same conclusions. These are in every respect 

 closely allied to those of California, but sufiiciently different 

 to entitle them to be considered as well-marked geographical 



