﻿406 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  the 
  body, 
  the 
  basal 
  joint 
  armed 
  with 
  a 
  sharp 
  spine 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  distal 
  

   end 
  .; 
  hand 
  shorter 
  than 
  basal 
  joint, 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  acute 
  tooth 
  on 
  the 
  posterior 
  

   third 
  of 
  the 
  underside. 
  Superior 
  antennfE 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  

   the 
  second 
  joint 
  about 
  one-third 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  basal 
  ; 
  flagellum 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  sec- 
  

   ond 
  joint. 
  Inferior 
  antennae 
  about 
  equal 
  in 
  length 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  joints 
  of 
  

   the 
  superior 
  antennae. 
  

   Length 
  of 
  body, 
  about 
  1 
  7-16 
  inch 
  ; 
  of 
  superior 
  antennce, 
  % 
  inch. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Harkness 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  Fungus 
  presented 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Cooper, 
  

   at 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  October 
  5th, 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  somewhat 
  rare 
  species 
  — 
  

   Meleancomes 
  Stilbestoma. 
  Julasne. 
  

  

  Curious 
  Electrical 
  Light 
  Observed 
  during 
  the 
  Storm 
  of 
  

   September 
  30tli. 
  

  

  BY 
  JAMES 
  BLAKE, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  Being 
  at 
  Placerville, 
  in 
  El 
  Dorado 
  County, 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  30th 
  of 
  

   September, 
  I 
  was 
  watching 
  the 
  lightning 
  that 
  was 
  continuously 
  flashing 
  towards 
  

   the 
  southwest 
  horizon, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  fail 
  of 
  remarking 
  that 
  the 
  electrical 
  dis- 
  

   charges 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  continuous 
  I 
  had 
  ever 
  seen. 
  About 
  a 
  quarter 
  past 
  seven, 
  I 
  

   observed 
  a 
  luminous 
  appearance, 
  apparently 
  proceeding 
  from 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  a 
  range 
  

   of 
  mountains 
  about 
  six 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  the 
  range 
  that 
  overlooks 
  the 
  

   Cosumnes 
  River. 
  The 
  light 
  was 
  visible 
  through 
  an 
  arc, 
  horizontally, 
  of 
  about 
  

   fifteen 
  degrees, 
  and 
  extended 
  about 
  eight 
  degrees 
  above 
  the 
  horizon 
  ; 
  the 
  highest 
  

   part 
  was 
  not 
  exactly 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  but 
  more 
  towards 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   light. 
  The 
  general 
  appearance 
  was 
  somewhat 
  like 
  a 
  faint 
  display 
  of 
  the 
  aurora 
  

   borealis 
  near 
  the 
  horizon. 
  I 
  watched 
  it 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  ; 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  

   the 
  light 
  was 
  becoming 
  fainter, 
  and 
  on 
  looking 
  for 
  it 
  about 
  twenty 
  minutes 
  later 
  

   it 
  had 
  entirely 
  disappeared. 
  The 
  light 
  was 
  undoubtedly 
  electrical, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  think 
  it 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  silent 
  escape 
  of 
  electricity 
  from 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  

   the 
  ridge, 
  as 
  such 
  appearances 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  other 
  mountainous 
  coun- 
  

   tries 
  during 
  electrical 
  storms 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  storm 
  in 
  

   question 
  was 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  greatest 
  electrical 
  disturbance 
  witnessed 
  in 
  

   this 
  country 
  since 
  its 
  settlement 
  by 
  the 
  Americans. 
  I 
  would 
  observe 
  that 
  the 
  

   storm 
  did 
  not 
  reach 
  Placerville 
  until 
  about 
  2 
  a, 
  m. 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  Oct. 
  1st. 
  

  

  