5-0 



The West American Sciajitist. 



iauiia of the Pacific coast, and the flesh of our form is said to ri- 

 val that of the Atlantic in flavor, thoui;h at certain seasons of the 

 year it is reputed unhealthy. 



Formerly considerable numbers of turtles were to be found in 

 San Diego bay, but their numbers have i^reatly decreased in 

 the last decade. They are still comparatively abundant in the 

 bays and lagoons on the Pacific coast of Baja California, and they 

 are often found in the San Diego and San Francisco markets from 

 the lower coast. 



Rut little is practically known concerning the habits of our tur- 

 tles, exce])t of such as have been studied at some foreign locality. 

 Possibly more than the five above-mentioned species belong m 

 our fauna, and if so, it would be of interest to learn of them. 



C R. Otcutt. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



Santa Barbara Society of Natural History, June 28, 

 T890. The corresponding secretary read a letter from Dr. Earl 

 Flint of Nicaragua, one of the newly elected honorary members 

 of the society. 



The librarian reported the additions to the library and museum, 

 among the latter, a large number of specimen trays donated bv 

 Mr. W. H. Woodbridge. 



The secretary read communications from R. E. Peary, C. E., 

 of the United States Navy in relation to Arctic research; and 

 from C. Hart Merriam, United States ornithologist, in answer to 

 a notice sent to him by the secretary, of the occurrence of the 

 Sonoran hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus Nelsoni) in Santa 

 Barbara gardens; its northern recorded limit. The secretary 

 read the following, 'Notes on new, or interesting Mollusca of 

 Santa Barbara county.' 



While engaged in prei)aring a 'list of the known Mollusca of 

 Santa Barbara county, for publication my attention has been 

 particularly attracted to some new and rare forms, among them 

 the new genus of Nudibranchiates discovered and named by Dr. 

 Fewkes, a notice of which was published in my 'List of the Mol- 

 lusca of the Chaimel Islands' in the report of our State Mineral- 

 ogist, an illustration of which was exhibited. 



Dr. Fewkes named the genus, Cabrilla, from Cabrillo the 

 famous Portuguese navigator who discovered our islands, and 

 was buried upon one of them. The species was discovered at- 

 tached to the anchor of a buoy in Prisoner's Harbor, Santa Cruz 

 Island, and is named Cabrilla occidentalis; it is a soft slug- like 

 animal somewhat resembling the Sea Hares TAplysia). 



A species of Vcrmiculus, probably n-ew, this genus was iio.t 

 heretofore noted from California, found with aCerithiiun also new 

 to California, by Albert E. Yates, in this county. 



