126 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



He exhibited samples, giving a scientific dissertation on the manu- 

 facture of each, and gave their chemical components. 



The lecture was very interesting and was well attended. 



G. MAJOR TABEE, Secretary. 



NEWS AND NOTES. 



Mr. H. G. Watkins, of Hemet, reports as follows: 



I had the good fortune to see, though imperfectly, on the morning of 

 the ISth or 14th inst. A very brilliant meteor crossed from near the 

 zenith northwest to a point noc far from 'the horizon, describing a 

 wavy, irregular course and exhibiting quite a large "head" at upper 

 end of the trail left behind. The light emitted was greenish in color and 

 very brighc, lasting four or five seconds, but the meteor giving out no 

 sound in its passage, either at the time or afterward. The passage oc- 

 curred about 4 'clock a. m., the trail showing for fully ten minutes 

 afterward. 



j^'rom Messrs. J. U. and C. G. Lloyd of Cincinnati we have received 

 an elegantly printed copy of ' ' Materia Medica Americana Potissimum 

 Eegni Vegetabilis, " ' No. 3, of their Eeproduction series. Attached 'to 

 the copy is a reminder that they are still desirous of adding to their 

 collection of puff-balls and they wish that all interested botanists would 

 gather what they can and transmit to them. 



The editor of ' ' The Plant World ' ' makes the interesting state- 

 ment that ' ' specimens cut from a single tree have been passed upon 

 by experts in the genus to which this tree belongs, who have been able 

 thus far, to name sixteen species, all growing from the same root." This 

 remarkable revelation is significant of the value of much recent species- 

 making. Of such are the greater part, in all probability, of the co- 

 pious flood of "new species" discharged Tay some prolific authors, what- 

 ever familiar genus they may take in hand. The time is ripe for botan- 

 ists cax^able of generalizing, of distinguishing between individual pecu- 

 liarities and generic distinctions. It wall be their work to select from 

 the indigested masses now being heaped up, whatever may be of real 

 value, casting the greater part into the oblivion of synonymy. — S. B. F. 



Through the kindness of the author, Mr. Ealph Arnold, we have 

 received a copy of ' ' The Paleontolgy and Stratigraphy of the Marine 

 Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro, California." This is issued 

 as one of the Contributions to Biology from the Hopkins Seaside Lab- 

 oratory of the Leland Stanford University, and is the most important 

 work relating to the biology of Southern California that has been pub- 

 lished in recent years. To the student of conchology this will be a 

 work of valuable reference, and a decided stimulus to further research. 

 The work contains, besides a full list of the known fossil shells, 

 numerous illustrations of the new species described, with photographs of 

 Deadman's Island and the other rock sections that best illustrate the 

 nature of the geological formations. 



