Our California Bird Friends is an attempt to interest children in birds, by presenting a group of factual stories describing the habits and characteristics, the courage and cleverness of various birds. It is hoped that it will fill a definite need in nature study. The stories are limited to proven facts, presented in a manner which the elementary school child of the fourth, firth, and sixth grades may readily read and understand. The element of reality in the thesis is greatly enhanced by the nature of the illustrations, which are photographs and sketches or real birds in true-to-fact situations. It is hoped that the thesis will be found valuable either for oral or silent reading. The stories are intended to stimulate oral reading, but are simple enough and of suitable length for rapid independent silent reading. The tests which follow the stories provide definite comprehensive checks.

It was the purpose of this study (1) to find out what use is being made of the tape recorders as shown by the literature; (2) to find out by questionnaires to what extent they are used in the city school districts of California; (3) to find out by personal interviews the extent to which they are used in nearby counties and comparable neighboring school districts; (4) to determine the administrative practices and extent of use of tape recorders within elementary schools of the Modesto City School District, and (5) to recommend a program of administration and use of tape recorders based upon the findings of this survey.

How can school district budget procedure in California be improved? This thesis submitted evidence indicating a need for improved practices in many areas directly connected with school district budgets. Problems involved are shown to be extremely complex, and from the facts presented the study concludes that there can be no simple, piecemeal approach. How may the problems of school district budgeting in California be solved through a comprehensive study of all related fields, made by a committee giving representation to all interested groups, the committee to be appointed and financed by the State of California, with instructions to recommend and prepare legislation?

Statement of the problem: How does the program of safety education in California elementary schools meet the needs of youth as defined by selected authoritative criteria? A sampling of 112 elementary schools of various grade combinations in thirty-four California counties furnished the basis for a questionnaire study. These schools fell within the average daily attendance range of 165 to 599. In addition to this the questionnaire was sent to twelve large city schools in various parts of the state, but in no case did the attendance figure go over seven hundred. The majority of the schools were in rural or semi-rural areas.

Man measures many things. The development of suit~able units to represent the magnitude of a given property with consistency and accuracy and under varying conditions has enabled him to understand and control his environment better and to predict future events and behavior. The land and its produce, the radioactivity of an element and its power to destroy, the child and his capacities, all of nature and her mysteries stimulate the quest for an ever more exact system of quantification and evaluation. But of all the things which man has attempted to measure, none has proved so provocative as himself. This paper is concerned with one aspect of such measurement , educational achievement.

Studies on the helminth parasites of salamanders from California have been very limited. Between September 1975 and April 1977, 340 salamander belonging to seven species, Aneides flavipunctatus (7), A. lugubris (7), Batrachoceps attenuatus attenuatus (250), Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii (52), E. e. sierrae (17), Taricha torosa (6), and Dicamptodon ensatus (1), were examined for helminths and found to harbor 10 species, four of which are new. The parasites found are: Cestoda: Distoichometra ensatinae sp. nov. from Ensatina e. eschscholtzii and E. e. sierrae; and Baerietta diana (Helfer, 1948) Douglas, 1958 from Batrachoceps a. attenuatus. Nematoda: Dibulbiger caballeroi sp. nov. from Dicamptodon ensatus; Pseudaplectana cable isp. nov. from Ensatina e. eschscholtzii, Aneides flavipunctatus, and A. lugubris; Psudaplectana waltoni sp. nov. from Batrachoceps a. attenuatus; Cosmocercoides dukae (Holl, 1928) Travassos, 1931 form, Taricha torosa; Rhabdias sp. from Taricha torosa; Thelandros salamandrae (Lehmann, 1954) Schad, 1960 from Ensatina e. eschscholtzii, Aneides flavipunctatus and A. lugubris; T. magnavulvaris (Rankin, 1937) Schad, 1963 from Taricha torosa; and T. minutus Read and Amreim, 1952 from Batrachoceps a. attenuatus. A new host record is established for Thelandros salamandrae from Ensatina e. sierrae. A host-parasite list covering work in California, Oregon, and British Columbia is also included.

An increasing interest has been evident during the past several decades in the problem of the normal, slow learning child in education. While educators have been more concerned with the problem during recent years, due in part to the increase in knowledge of the nature and extent of individual differences, there has been much disagreement and uncertainty regarding the actual extent and seriousness of the problem in the schools. Differences of opinion have also existed regarding the value of the more common methods which could be used in attempting a solution of the problem. This study undertakes to more clearly define the problem in terms of actual practice, to indicate its probable scope, and to reveal some of the means used by certain school systems of California in striving to more adequately serve the children involved through the medium of remedial instruction.

The California of today is a union of complexities. It is a geographic giant composed of startling climatic and topographic variations. It is an economic elasticity satisfying the differing demands of agriculture, industry,and commerce. It is a social syncretism uniting a vast assortment of living patterns. With all of these diversities, California is a single, sovereign state. Within the state, however, there are two obvious sections: Northern and Southern California.1 They are separated, theoretically, by the Tehachapi mountain range, which runs east and west, on a line with the city of Santa Barbara. So pronounced is this sectionalism that Carey McWilliams said of it, "While other states have an east-west or a north-south division, in no state in the Union is the schism as sharp as in California."2 Even more forceful is the comment by John Gunther, "California is . . . two states; the dividing line is the Tehachapi . . . ."3 The distinction between Northern and Southern California, although it is more highly developed, is not the only manifestation of sectionalism within the state. Other geographic areas have also developed varying degrees of sectionalism. The subsequent rivalry of two or more localities has frequently intensified to become a movement to divide California. William Henry Ellison,6 in his monograph "The Movement for State Division in California, 1849-1860," presents a thorough study of this problem during the first decade of California's statehood. It is the purpose of this study to record the proposals for political division form 1860-1952. To understand the division attempts after 1860, it is appropriate to summarize the agitations prior to this period.

The years before 1910 are filled with accounts of the gains made for woman suffrage in various parts of the United States as well as in countries overseas. There is evidence of agitation in Mexico, England, Ireland, and even in China. The California movement for woman suffrage was an important part of a world-wide movement.

The two foremost forces working for human betterment are the religious values and secular education. To assist in the attainment of these values, released-time religious instruction has been organized in many communities. The problem that naturally arises and needs evaluation in California is: What are the Nature and scope of released-time religious education in California? California has permitted released-time religious education since 1943. The program has been carried on extensively. It is advisable than an evaluation be made. What are the nature and scope of released-time religious education in California up to and including May, 1948? How successfully has the arrangement operated, in the opinion of public school administrators? The ultimate objectives that evolve in this investigation are: (1) To provide for workers and others interest in public education and in religious education, information regarding the historical background, and present status of released-time religious instruction in California.; (2) To furnish possible bases for revision and improvement of the released-time program as it now exists. This evaluation of religious education in California will limit itself to released-time religious education as carried out in the elementary school system. The information secured is data, reactions and opinions of school administrators, because it is they who work intimately with the plan, and who have opportunities to evaluate its effectiveness in their particular school systems.