SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 45 
V. microbola, Tuck. Thallus mealy, thin, areolate-diffract. 
Apothecia small, black, depressed globular with a minute 
aperture. Spores colorless, 3-septate, ellipsoid, 28 micr. 
long, 16 thick. 
Paraphyses none or indistinct. On calcareous rock, Mill 
Creek Canon, San Bernardino Mts. 
V. margacea acrotella, Ach. Rocks, 8S. M. range. 
Leight. |. ¢. p. 448. 
V. cinerea, (Pers.) On Rhus diversiloba, 8. M. range. 
Leight. 1. c. p. 464. 
V. achrostoma, Borr. Thallus brownish-black, areolate. Apo- 
thecia apparently entire, immersed with a small black 
osteolum. Sp. 8 nae, simple, colorless, 1-nucleolate, ovoid 
ellipsoid, epispore delicate, 18 micr. long, 8 thick. Asci 
56 micr. long, 20 thick. Paraphyses absent. With Jo- 
dine the Hymenium is stained dull violet. On sandstone, 
Ballona Bluffs, Los Angeles Co. 
Leight. l. ¢. p. 454. 
V. fusco-cinerascens, Nyl. Parathecium dimdiate, sp. ellipsoid, 
simple, oblong, 30 micr. long, 7 thick. Roeks, Malibu 
Canon, S. M. range. 
Leight. |. ¢. p. 451. 
A Few Words on Tumors 
Gi vA: WHITING, SGD De Os 
The pathologist frequently receives vomitus, pus and vari- 
ous kinds of serapines, for examination, to determine the pres- 
ence or absence of ‘‘cancer cells.’’ The laity practically unite 
in beheving that cancer cells materially differ from all normal 
cells, and this behef is held by many physicians who have not 
had eareful training along the line of structural pathology. 
There are two laws relating to abnormal growths which are 
the keys to all ecorreet thinking and reasoning. The first is that 
all cells of whatever nature found in the body have been de- 
rived from pre-existing cells, and the second is that the tissue 
which forms a tumor of any kind resembles in its general strue- 
ture tissue which is normal to either the adult or embryonie 
body. These two statements being true, it will readily be seen 
that it is by no means easy to exactly define a tumor, as almost 
