RECENT PROCEBDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SO CIE TIES. 
San Diego natural history society, 
Nov. 2. —The following officers were elected: 
president, Dr. G. W. Barnes; vice-president, Joseph 
Winchester; recording secretary, E. W. Hendrick; 
corresponding secretary, Rosa Smith; treasurer, C. 
J. Fox; librarian, Mrs. Z. R. Cronyn; curator, Dr. 
D. Cave; directors, D. Cleveland, G. W. Barnes, C. 
J. Fox, E. W. Morse, J. G. Capron. 
The following papers were read. Historical no- 
tice of Pinus Torreyana; by C. C. Parry. —In the 
spring of 1850, when connected with the Mexican 
boundary survey, my attention was first called to a 
peculiar species of pine growing on the Pacific coast, 
at the mouth of the Soledad valley, San Diego county, 
by a casual inquiry from Dr. J. L. LeConte, then 
staying in San Diego, asking what pine it was, grow- 
ing near the ocean beach at that locality. Not hav- 
ing any specimens to show, he simply mentioned at 
the time its dense cones, and its long, stout leaves 
(five in a sheath). Not long after, an opportunity 
offered to the writer for a personal investigation, 
having been ordered by Major W. H. Emory to 
make a geological examination of the reported coal- 
deposits on the ocean bluff above Soledad. From the 
notes and collections there made, a description was 
drawn up, dedicating this well-marked new species to 
an honored friend and instructor both of Dr. LeConte 
and the writer; viz., Pinus Torreyana, Parry. Of the 
few specimens then collected, a single cone and bunch 
was sent to Dr. Torrey to be figured for the Mexican 
boundary report. While there, it fell under the notice 
of some inquisitive botanist, who extracted some of 
the loose seeds, which were planted, but by some in- 
advertence were mixed with another three-leaved 
species. When growing, the two different kinds be- 
came confounded, and it was inferred that the present 
discoverer was mistaken in regarding this species as 
five-leaved. Prof. Parlatore, the elaborator of Co- 
niferae in de Candolle’s ‘Prodromus,’ added to this 
confusion by ignoring the name first proposed, and 
substituting that of Pinus lophosperma. Subse- 
quently, frequent collectors have visited this locality, 
bearing away to the remotest portions of the world 
seed of this pine, which, as far as is known, is exclu- 
sively confined to a coast-line of not more than four 
miles, lying between San Dieguito and about a mile 
below Soledad, and extending scarcely a mile inland. 
The bulk of the tree-growth is here mainly confined 
to a series of high broken cliffs and deeply indented 
ravines on the bold headlands overlooking the sea 
south of Soledad valley, and within the corporate lim- 
its of the town of San Diego. Here, within a radius 
of not more than half a mile, this singular species 
may be seen to the best advantage, clinging to the 
face of crumbling yellowish sandstone, or shooting up 
in more graceful forms its scant foliage in the shelter 
of the deep ravines, bathed with frequent sea-fog. 
One of the finest specimens seen reaches a height of 
nearly fifty feet, and shows a trunk eighteen inches 
in diameter at base. 
SCIENCE. 
Bi) ye aie 
The chair was instructed to appoint a committee 
of three (to be named hereafter), to report and act. 
upon such measures as may be deemed best for the 
preservation of the remnant of the Pinus Torreyana. 
at Soledad, treated of in the communication of Dr.. 
Parry. 
Additions to our flora and fauna; by C. R. Orcutt. 
— The writer stated, that, since the last annual meet-. 
ing, over a dozen d ieovenies have been made in species. 
of plants indigenous to this section, while many more: 
have been discovered unknown hitherto in California. 
Notes upon spiders; by Rosa Smith. — Zilla rosa, 
which I discovered at San Diego less than a year ago, 
is the commonest orb-weaver in San Francisco and 
vicinity, spinning its delicate snare on trees, bushes, 
and fences about the city, at Golden Gate Park, and 
at the Cliff House. Even inside the walls of the Cal- 
ifornia academy of sciences, I have seen its lovely 
web, accompanied by silken cocoons of its eggs. 
This spider is easily known by the free radius in 
the snare, —‘a good wedge cut out of the pie,’ Dr. 
McCook expresses it, — which is peculiar to the genus 
Zilla. At Aptos, near Santa Cruz, I secured an Epeira, 
and cocoon of eggs and young spiders, which have 
revealed some curious facts in regard to insect para- 
sites. Of these Dr. McCook writes, ‘* One interest- 
ing thing about the Epeira atrata cocoon is, that it is" 
strangely infested by parasitic and other enemies, no 
less than four. There were first a number of small 
reddish ants alive, probably a species of Solenopsis, 
who no doubt were feeding upon the eggs and débris ; 
second, several larvae of Dermestidae, probably At- 
tagenus pellio. These were creeping into the silky — 
interior at will, though some of them were ensconced 
within the empty cells of some ichneumon. Next I 
found alive a very small ichneumon fly. I have 
never yet seen quite such a ‘happy family’ within 
the bounds of a spider’s egg-nest. The spiderlings. 
seemed to be contented, and indifferent to the pres- 
ence of these intruders.’? A few days later, Dr. Mc- 
Cook sent more information, as. follows: ‘* Since 
writing you, I find from Mr. Cresson that the larger 
ichneumon is a Pezomachus; and the small one, as I. 
conjectured, a chalcid of some sort, which is parasitic 
upon Pezomachus. As Pezomachus is parasitic upon 
spiders’ eggs, their presence within the cocoon is thus 
accounted for. By the way, there is a yet minuter 
chalcid that is parasitic upon the chalcid, that is par- 
asitic upon the Pezomachus, that is parasitic upon the 
eggs of Epeira atrata and other spiders.” 
Natural science association of Staten Island, 
Dec. 8.—Mr. Hollick gave an account of the 
recent discoveries of fossil leaves at Tottenville. 
There are three distinct kinds of rock containing — 
these fossils, —a hard red or gray ferruginous sand- 
stone, a soft gray sandstone, and a peculiar con-_ 
glomerate composed almost wholly of vegetable — 
remains cemented together with what is apparently: 
In the soft baad 
limonite or sesquioxide of iron. 
