THE WEST-AMEBICAN SCIENTIST. 



25 



OUR PENINSULA FLORA. 



Visiting on the 4th instant, the 

 low mesa of the peninsula in front 

 of the city of San Diego, the 

 shrubs of the southern portion 

 were found to consist mainly of 

 Rhus integrifolia, growing in dense 

 clumps a few feet high. Sim- 

 mondsia Calif ornica of only a foot 

 in height, forming thick mats sev- 

 eral feet in diameter upon the 

 earth, Ephedra Californica, Ar- 

 temisia Californica, and tallest of 

 all Yucca baccata with trunks six 

 feet high, already budded to bloom 

 while the other shrubs were all in 

 full bloom, except the Artemisia. 

 Clematis pauciflora was trailing 

 over them with a profusion of 

 flesh-colored flowers, and an occa- 

 sional vine of Megarrhiza Califor- 

 nica in fruit and flower. 



Among the bushes were the 

 blue heads of Brodisea capitata,the 

 purple Mirabilis californica, kryn- 

 itzkias, Phacelia tanacetifolia, Ne- 

 ophila racemosa, mosackia glabra, 

 Lupinus truncatus and a few other 

 flowers, while beneath them D grow 

 Pterostegia, Till?ea minima and 

 other inconspicuous plants. 



A few cacti grew along the edge 

 of the mesa in company with Ly- 

 cium Californicum, Erogonum fas- 

 ciculatum, Frankenia, Bigelovia, 

 etc., while the space between the 

 clumps of bushes was occupied 

 by Oenotheras, Euphorbia polycar- 

 pa, Senecio, alfillaria, Draba cunei- 

 f olia, interspersed with small clus- 

 ters of astragalus or crazy weed, 

 cotyledons, ice plants and stones 

 ornamented with bright colored 

 lichensi 



The peculiarities of the flora are 

 still undeveloped at this season of 



the year, though most of the plants 

 were earlier than on the mainland. 

 The rhus and simmondsia, which 

 grow to be fair sized trees among 

 the hills in sheltered places, here 

 form only low, rounded clumps. 



CONTEMPORARY JOURNALS. 



Journal of the New York Mi- 

 croscopical Society. Issued in 

 nine monthly numbers at $1 per 

 year. Benjamin Braman, editor. 



The American Naturalist, a pop- 

 ular illustrated monthly magazine 

 of natural history and travels, $4 

 per year. McCally & Stavely pub 

 lishers, 237-9 Dock st., Phil. 



Tidings from Nature. For young 

 naturalists. An excellent monthly 

 published by H. M. Downes, Rut- 

 land, Vt., at 25c per year, (after 

 April 1st, 40c.) 



Canadian Science Monthly. De- 

 voted to Canadian naturalists and 

 popular science. $1 per year. A. 

 J. Pine, editor, Wolfville, N. S. 



Hoosier Mineralogist and Arch- 

 eologist. A 25c monthly. Published 

 by H. F. Thompson, 17 Butler 

 si, Indianapolis. 



National City Record. A weekly 

 newspaper of Southern California. 

 $2.50 per year. Wm. Burgess, 

 editor, National City, Cal. 



Ladies Home Journal, Dewey 

 & Co., San Francisco, Cal. A $1 

 monthly devoted to literature, art, 

 fashion, etc. 



The Collectors' Companion. A 

 new 50c monthly devoted to stamp 

 collectors. Published by J. H. 

 Raymond, 162 Center st., Chicago. 



Pacific Science Monthly. A new 

 50c journal edited by S. Bowers, 

 San Buenaventura, Cal. 



