6o The *West American Scientist. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Editor West American Scientist: 



Sir: — By mail to-day, I send you a specimen of moth, (Colo- 

 radia pandora Blake), one of a large number captured on our 

 streets, attracted by the electric lights. They surround the lights 

 in vast numbers, flying against and into the glass globes, filling 

 them up to such an extent as to darken the lights. 



They have an expanse of wings about three and a half inches, 

 length of body one and one-half. Beautiful plumose yellow an- 

 tennae about one-hall inch in length. General aspect dark gray- 

 ish brown above, with pink and grayish brown under wings on 

 which are four dark spots and wavy lines of lighter and darker 

 shades and with a faint marginal trimming of white. Abdominal 

 rings conspicuously marked with white and also a white trans- 

 verse mark across the prothorax. Being nocturnal in their 

 habits they have never been observed before by the inhabitants 

 and are considered by them to be a strange visitation of bugs 

 that have never been here before, while the fact is they have been 

 all around us in large numbers all the while and until the glare 

 of the new electric light has attracted them almost by millions 

 they have remained unnoticed, reminding us of how much there 

 is immediately around us which we never see. 



Truly yours, 



Aureiius Todd. 

 Eugene, Oregon, July, 1890. 



EDITORIAL. 



Exploring the Colorado Desert in the interests of botanical 

 science, our editorial duties have necessarily to be slighted. Our 

 readers must be contented with a witty editorial (brevity is the 

 soul of wit) this month. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Mr. John Muir, the California naturalist, has contributed to 

 The Century two papers on the region of the Yosemite. These 

 will be illustrated and will appear in the August and September 

 numbers of the magazine. The August paper is entitled the 

 'Treasures ol the Yosemite' and deals exclusively with the val- 

 ley itself, including graphic descriptions of the waterfalls, in each 

 of which Mr. Muir finds a distinct individuality. A touch of ad- 

 venture is imparted to the article by the author's account of his 

 observations at the brim of the Yosemite Fall and behind it, and 

 by his description of a sublime winter storm, a feature of which 

 was fifty-six temporary falls in the upper end of the valley alone 

 — as Mr. Muir says, 'probably the most glorious assemblage of 

 waterfalls ever displayed from any one stand-point.' Mr. Muir 

 sounds a warning note as to the destruction in the Yosemite region 

 by the 'sheepmen' and by the operations of the large mills upon the 



