<?2 The West Anioican Scicnlisl. 



cessful in contriving methods for rearinj^; and studyino; living in- 

 sects. 



Mr. T. S. Brandegee and Mrs. Mary K. Curran, both of San 

 Francisco, surprised their friends by a quiet wedding on May 

 29th. They were married in San Diego by Rev, Dr. Noble. 

 The Scientist offers them its heartiest congratulations. 



Messrs. T. S. Brandegee and Walter Bryant returned in May 

 from an extensive trip through Lower California. We failed to 

 meet Mr. Bryant and so did not learn the extent of his success, 

 but Mr. Brandegee reported the collection of about thirty species 

 of cacti; and altogether nearly a thousand species of plants, while 

 his field notes will give the most southerly stations for many of 

 the Californian plants. 



Prof L. F. Ward, (Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus.), shows that the 

 genus Platanus, of only seven existing species, was at its zenith 

 in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. 



Chlorogalum parvifolium is abundant on portions of the San 

 Diego mesas, where it grows scarcely six inches high. We re- 

 cently measured a specimen of this lily which we collected in a 

 canyon among our loot hills — the loose, spreading panicle of 

 flowers, of which, %\.oo& seven feet high! The bulbs are frequently 

 as large as onions, and the height above recorded is not excep- 

 ional. 



Frederick A. P- Barnard, President of Columbia College, died 

 April 27th. He was born May 5th, 1809, at Sheffield, Mass. He 

 ranked with the most advanced thinkers of the day, and did much 

 to enhance the scientific standing of the United States- In mic- 

 roscopy and astronomy he did excellent work, and his labors 

 were recognized by the conferring of honorary degrees from 

 many universities. 



The seeds of the alfilaria are gathered by the ants in Southern 

 California, in considerable quantities, judging from the hulls 

 which they pile around the openings to their nests. 



The Century for June contains an interesting and instructive 

 illustrated sketch of an "American Amateur Astronomer," Mr. 

 Burnham, fprmerly of Chicago, now of the corps at the Lick Ob- 

 servatory. 



Among the articles in St. Nicholas, for June that will interest 

 young naturalists, is one by Anna Botsford Comstock, on "Hid- 

 den Homes." Prof. H. H. Ballard, President of the Agassiz 

 Association, also contributes a suggestive paper on "Amateur 

 Photography." 



