14 



THE WEST-AMEKICAN SCIENTIST. 



rigid and inclined to curve on the 

 upper face, mostly opposite or in 

 ternate whorles, often fasciculate 

 in the lower axils, and with short 

 reduced branches on the lower 

 shoots. 



Habitat; — Dry, sandy or rocky 

 plains and hills of Lower Califor- 

 nia, flowering irregularly after 

 sufficient rain; foliage dull green 

 with reddish branches; 2 to 5 feet 

 in height, irregularly branched. 

 Staminate plants more slender. 



C. C. Parry, February, 1883 

 near Table mountain, imperfect 

 fruiting specimens from which 

 Dr. Engelmann determined the 

 generic character. C. R. Orcutt ? 

 Sept. 1884, near Santo Thomas, 

 with complete flowering speci- 

 mens. 



Kew, England, Jan'y, 1885. 



A REMARKABLE PHENOMENON. 



A party returning from a picnic 

 at La Jolla a little before sunset, 

 the evening of the 4th instant, re- 

 port having seen a very beautiful 

 and unusual phenomenon. When 

 near the northeast city limits a 

 large meteor shot athwart their 

 course in a direction a little north 

 of east, and continued at a leisure- 

 ly pace until it faded from sight 

 in the glowing horizon. The me- 

 teor looked much like an electric 

 light, with perhaps a slight bluish 

 tinge. Sparks were emitted from 

 it at intervals, giving it the ap- 

 pearance of a rocket. The phe- 

 nomenon was one of rare beauty 

 and its occurrence in daylight was 

 certainly unusual. — [San Diego 

 Union. 



MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 



We take the following notes 

 from a preliminary report of the 

 committee on bird migration, by 

 C. Hart Merriam, M. D., of the 

 American Ornithological Union: 



Over 1000 sets of blank sched- 

 ules and circulars have been dis- 

 tributed to lighthouses, lightships 

 and beacons of the United States 

 and British America. In conse- 

 quence a large number of the heads 

 and wings of birds which dash 

 themselves against the lights were 

 received, together with an excep- 

 tionably valuable amount of data. 

 In South America and the West 

 Indies great numbers of birds de- 

 stroy themselves against the lights 

 and five to six hundred birds have 

 been reported as picked up in a 

 single morning. 



The committee has now estab- 

 lished observation stations in 

 every State except Nevada, and 

 returns have already been received 

 from nearly 1000 persons, compar- 

 atively few of whom are ornithol- 

 ogists or even bird collectors, the 

 great bulk being intelligent farm- 

 ers, tradesmen and light keepers. 

 Those who know only the com- 

 monest birds can contribute data 

 of great value, and their services 

 are eagerly sought. 



Though there were only forty 

 observers on this coast, the most 

 valuable report yet received is 

 that of Mr. L. Belding, Superin- 

 tendent of the Pacific District. It 

 contained notes on no less than 

 280 species, and is such an impor- 

 tant contribution to the ornithol- 

 ogy of our western coast that the 

 committee hopes to publish it in 

 full at an early date. 



