﻿90 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  ulate, 
  sub-scarious 
  below, 
  chiefly 
  the 
  3 
  outer 
  with 
  a 
  rigid 
  chartaceous 
  concave 
  

   glabrous 
  central 
  pitted 
  portion, 
  the 
  flaccid 
  herbaceous 
  surrounding 
  parts 
  par- 
  

   tially 
  hirsute 
  on 
  the 
  face, 
  and 
  altogether 
  so 
  on 
  the 
  back. 
  

  

  Bracts, 
  and 
  intermixed 
  bracteoles, 
  similar, 
  or 
  subulate-filiform, 
  1 
  or 
  2 
  at 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  each 
  articulated 
  pedicel, 
  very 
  hirsute, 
  }^ 
  to 
  ^-^ 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length, 
  or 
  

   longer 
  than 
  the 
  pedicels. 
  Flowers 
  small, 
  tube 
  very 
  short, 
  funnel-form 
  border 
  

   nearly 
  entire, 
  or 
  eraarginated, 
  glabrous, 
  (testivation 
  plicate) 
  ^^ 
  to 
  1 
  inch 
  expan- 
  

   sion, 
  bright 
  blue, 
  star 
  bands 
  whitish 
  taper-pointed, 
  genitals 
  exsert. 
  Stamens 
  

   short, 
  flattened 
  filaments 
  attenuated 
  upwards, 
  ciliate 
  below, 
  inserted 
  into 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  tube. 
  Style 
  1, 
  somewhat 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  stamens, 
  stigma 
  2-lobed, 
  

   lobes 
  ovate, 
  flattened, 
  spread 
  at 
  a 
  right 
  angle. 
  Cap=!ule 
  conoidal 
  sub-prismatic, 
  

   2-celled 
  (perhaps 
  at 
  length 
  becoming 
  1-ceIled 
  ?) 
  2 
  seeds 
  in 
  each 
  cell, 
  or 
  4-seeded, 
  

   2 
  to 
  4-valved, 
  splitting 
  also 
  at 
  the 
  nerves 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  opening 
  at 
  the 
  angles 
  ; 
  seeds 
  

   roundish 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  sub-plane 
  on 
  the 
  face, 
  smooth 
  (?) 
  [It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   make 
  out 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  capsule 
  to 
  entire 
  satisfaction, 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   ture 
  fruit.] 
  

  

  As 
  D. 
  0. 
  gives 
  the 
  complanate 
  stigma 
  place 
  in 
  his 
  description 
  of 
  Aniseia, 
  

   we 
  place 
  our 
  plant 
  here 
  provisionally. 
  

  

  Found 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Geo. 
  Davidson 
  of 
  U. 
  S. 
  Coast 
  Survey, 
  on 
  his 
  recent 
  (March, 
  

   1873) 
  visit 
  to 
  San 
  Jose 
  del 
  Cabo, 
  near 
  Cape 
  St. 
  Lucas, 
  Lower 
  California, 
  in 
  

   lat. 
  23° 
  03'. 
  

  

  The 
  Abrasions 
  of 
  the 
  Continental 
  Shores 
  of 
  N.W. 
  America, 
  and 
  

   the 
  supposed 
  Ancient 
  Sea 
  Levels. 
  

  

  BY 
  GEORGE 
  DAVIDSON. 
  

  

  In 
  continuing 
  my 
  examinations 
  of 
  the 
  well 
  marked 
  benches 
  or 
  plateaus 
  bor- 
  

   dering 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  northward 
  of 
  Cape 
  San 
  Lucas, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  constrained 
  

   to 
  doubt 
  their 
  marking 
  the 
  ancient 
  sea 
  levels 
  arising 
  from 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  

   coast 
  Hue, 
  or 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  water 
  alone. 
  

  

  That 
  some 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones, 
  which 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  gravel, 
  etc., 
  were 
  

   made 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  may 
  mark 
  ancient 
  sea 
  levels, 
  I 
  think 
  may 
  

   be 
  admitted 
  ; 
  but 
  those 
  that 
  exhibit, 
  on 
  an 
  extended 
  scale, 
  level 
  plateaus 
  of 
  

   rock, 
  which 
  has 
  every 
  degree 
  of 
  inclination 
  or 
  contortion 
  of 
  stratification, 
  and 
  

   an 
  infinite 
  variety 
  of 
  texture, 
  cannot 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  wrought. 
  

  

  Other 
  forces 
  more 
  powerful 
  and 
  more 
  uniform 
  and 
  constant 
  in 
  action 
  than 
  

   water, 
  shaped 
  these 
  flat-topped 
  rocky 
  benches 
  or 
  plateaus 
  ; 
  and 
  those 
  forces, 
  if 
  

   more 
  than 
  one, 
  abraded 
  the 
  present 
  continental 
  line 
  of 
  our 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  

   islands 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  Channel. 
  

  

  The 
  terraces 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  or 
  above 
  it, 
  but 
  

   more 
  likely 
  beneath 
  it, 
  and 
  subsequent 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  brought 
  them 
  to 
  

   their 
  present 
  positions. 
  

  

  Much 
  of 
  the 
  sharp 
  outlines 
  of 
  this 
  abrasion 
  and 
  terrace-forming 
  has 
  been 
  ob- 
  

   literated 
  by 
  subsequent 
  causes 
  ; 
  principally 
  by 
  water 
  from 
  precipitation, 
  alter- 
  

   nations 
  of 
  heat 
  and 
  cold, 
  and 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  waves. 
  

  

  