m THE WEST AMEKICAN SCIENTIST. 



Another interesting discovery was here made, Saccularia veatchii, or as it is 

 more properly called, Galvesia junceum, which I recognized at once from the col- 

 ored plate published in Bulletin No. 3 of the Calif. Acad. Sci. 



The 19th of April we leave this interesting locality and drive along near the 

 ocean beach on a broad mesa, which, from the presence of agaves, Emory's cereus, 

 and sphaeralcea, resembled the mesa south of the monument between the U. S. and 

 Mexico. Franseria chenopodifolia, Rosa minutifolia and Harfordia were all promi- 

 nent along the beach and southward in places. A white form .of gilia dianthoides 

 was also abundant, and rattlesnakes became rather too much so to suit Frankenia 

 Palmeri, layia elegans, abronia umbellata and numerous oth t spet ies common at 

 San Diego were found abundant here and also further south, beautifying the other- 

 wise long and dreary drive of thirty miles to the San Ramon creek, where we pitched 

 our tent for our 21st night. 



Here I discover a couple kinds of mimite shells, pupas, and a few helices. The 

 next day we cross the creek, which had so far receded as to be scarcely over our 

 horses feet, making the offered help from Mr. Hyde unnecessary. A band of cattle 

 had been previously driven across, which had settled the sands sufficiently to make 

 it safe crossing. In company with Mr. Hyde, we start for his San Quentin ranch, 

 Santa Maria, and drive over ten leagues of the best road we had seen south 

 of the line of equal extent. Trees and shrubbery of all kinds seemed to have disap- 

 peared. Only a single cluster of bacc' aris and another of rhus laurina were seen 

 south of the creek along the whole road. The tall stems of Cereus Schottii shot up 

 in a few spots, choUas were common — and little black flie? also. The big mountain 

 east was white with snow. Meet a wagon — the first for many days. Find Echino- 

 cactus Emory i abundant, with its beautiful red or purple flowers in great profusion. 

 Find a few j)lants of pholisma arenarium, an abundance of pogogyne serpylloides, 

 mimulus inconspicuous, and a few San Diego plants around a large lag09n of fresh 

 water near the hills, where I shoot another rattlesnake. Mosquitoes plenty. 



April 22d, we start with a blanket, a small quantity of provisions and our 

 horses — bareback — to explore a neighboring canyon, leaving our wagon at Sta. 

 Maria. Discover the giant columnar cactus, or cardon, as it is known to the Mexi- 

 cans, which proves to be the Cereus Pringlei, lately described from Sonora. Yucca 

 Whipplei was also in magnificent flower. Several species of Astragalus were found 

 on the plains — a genus of which the entire region seems prolific in species. Near 

 the mouth of the canyon I found the blue palm, a tall tree laden with fast-ripening 

 fruit, and numerous younger palms, but all Erythea armata, though it is said that 

 another species of palm is found in this canyon. 



This canyon proved a rich locality, and though it was too late and dry to find 

 any oi the delicate annuals that would be characteristic of the country, yet it 

 yielded a variety of nice i)erennials. A simple list of some of the species collected 

 or observed will be of interest to botanists: 



Viguiera Parishii, G-ymnogramme triagularis, 



Mentzelia multiflora, Rhus laurina, 



Eucnide cordata, Hyptis Emoryi, 



Phaseolus filiformis, Nemophila racemosa, 



