CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 120 



in this volume, is four days later than that of the meeting at 

 which it was announced. Several descriptions were how- 

 ever published at a date earlier than the beginning of the 

 first volume; notably those of Mxcroscapob , Pterosporopsis and 

 Marah. 



Many species, especially those collected by Dr. Yeatch on 

 Cedros Island, were described and figured in the Hesperian, 

 a monthly magazine published in San Francisco in earlier 

 years; a few found their way into the columns of the San 

 Francisco Rural Press, and one, Viola BrooJcsii, into the 

 California Horticulturist. 



The plates of Dr. Kellogg's species appended to this Bul- 

 letin were prepared for the Hesperian, and after it ceased 

 publication, those unused were returned to him and present- 

 ed to the Society to be used in this manner. 



In soma instances, even when the original specimens have 

 been preserved, it has not been possible to fully identify 

 certain species. This is especially the case in the genus 

 Lupinus, which is at present very much confused. 



Some of the generic names proposed by Dr. Kellogg re- 

 quire more than a passing mention. 



Macroscap i i-^ much the oldest one for the plant now known 

 as Stropholirion, and though we must all regret the retiring 

 of an appropriate name in favor of a defective one, the pres- 

 ent tendency seems to be to re-pect the law of priority, and 

 lessen the number of exceptions. 



Any rule to be of force, and generally recognized, must be 

 universal and impartial, and as we accept many other names 

 which are equally barb irous, we must accept this if the 

 generic rank of the plant be maintained. 



Marah is an entirely different matter. It is, as will be 

 seen, by many years the older name, and it seems to me that 

 the proper thing for Dr. Torrey to have done in the case 

 was to have dropped the final h and accepted the name as 

 Mara. It would have spared us a synonym. The objec- 

 tion "that it was neither a native nor a personal name, nor 



