144 The West American Scientist \ 



upon the question of the construction of the spiral nebulae, but 

 also upon the much larger question of the constitution of the 

 solar and stellar systems, and of the universe as a whole. 



The affairs of the society are in a prosperous condition, owing 

 to the great interest taken in its progress by the members. It is 

 essentially a society for amateurs, and desires to include in its 

 membership every person in California who takes an interest in 

 astronomy, whether he has made studies in this direction or not. 

 Several ladies are already members. The annual dues are $5 

 and there is no initiation fee. Life membership $50. The pub- 

 lications are sent to everv member, and three of its six meetings 

 are held in San Francisco. The scope of the society is defined 

 so that it can have no possible rivalry with any other. Its sole 

 object is to forward the study and the science of astronomy. 



bibliography: 



C. C. Parry. — Ceanothus, L., recent field notes, with a par- 

 tial revision of the species. Proc. Davenport Academy ofNat- 

 uraL Sciences, V. pp. 185-194. C. tomentosus, C. Lemmoni 

 and C. Orcuttii are three new Pacific Coast forms described in 

 this paper. 



Th. Ribot. — The Psychology of Attention. This interesting 

 contribution to psychological literature, by the author of the 

 "Diseases of the Will," the "Diseases of Memory," and 

 the ''Diseases of Personality," has, like them, been translated 

 into English and presented in the Humboldt Library (28 Lafay- 

 ette Place, N. Y). The present work, like the others, is a study 

 of very recondite problems of psychology — the nature and work- 

 ings of the mind of man — presented in language understandable 

 by every intelligent reader, and is both instructive and highly 

 entertaining. 



Sherman F. Denton. — Incidents of a Collector's Rambles in 

 Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea. Lee & Shepard, 

 Boston, 1889. Price, $2.50. This very attractive volume of 272 

 pages, with numerous illustrations by the author, artist to the U. 

 S. Fish Commission, Washington, D. C, consists of an enter- 

 taining narrative of a true naturalist's experiences, intermixed 

 with notes on the birds, animals, insects and flowers of the lands 

 visited. Many amusing anecdotes are related and altogether it is 

 a delightful and instructive book to peruse — not "too scientific" 

 for any reader. 



E. L. Berthoud. — Birds, Their Migration and Uses. Golden, 

 Colorado, 1887. 8vo. 22 pp. This little paper, just received 

 from the author, treats of the geological history of birds, and es- 

 pecially of their economic and industrial relations to cereal and 

 fruit culture. 



Horace F. Carpenter. —A catalogue of the shell-bearing 



