363 
found that it was scattered freely through the wood. Most of the 
Carices were past finding out, but I managed to catch C. pauciflora, 
Lightfoot, and C. exz/ts, Dewey, while C. fol/iculata, L., and C. oligo- 
sperma, Michx., were still in full force. 
I had anticipated a rich treat in looking up the ferns of the re- 
gion thinking that they would be numerous and that I should per- 
haps obtain some rarities. But I was disappointed. About four 
miles down the river there is on the north side a wall of granite rock 
125 feet high. Another ledge about 30 feet high stands away from 
this at an oblique angle and over this the water leaps, making a high- 
ly picturesque fall. One would have thought that here there might 
be ferns, but long search failed to discover anything more than Poly- 
podium vulgare. On the borders of a pond, named after the fern, 
grew plenty of Woodwardia Virginica, Smith, but aside from this the 
only desirable species lay among the genera Botrychium and Aspidi- 
um. Of these forms, B. simplex, Hitchcock, was past, 2. matrica- 
riefolium, A. Br., which is in its prime near Utica in June, and for 
which I have hunted in vain during the fore part of July, was gath- 
ered Aug. 25, in Watson No. 4, a little passé, but good enough to 
make very respectable herbarium specimens. This shows the differ- 
ence in climate between the open country and the North Woods. 
However, 2. ternatum, Sw, in several varieties was in splendid con- 
dition. The smallest specimen found was 13 inches high, with 
three tiny divisions of the sterile segment, each about the size of two 
pin-heads, the fertile segment bearing one sporangium. From this, 
they range up through the varieties dissectum, obliguum, and interme- 
dium, to australe, which in my largest forms measures seven inches 
across the sterile segment, and ten to the summit of the fertile. 
These ferns grow in the open land, in old deserted pastures, particu- 
larly among loose stones and low bushes, and sometimes in beds of 
Lycopodium complanatum and Polytrichum moss. 
Of the rarer species of Aspidium which flourish there, 4. Booftit, 
Tuckerman, is frequently found in the woods, although not in any 
‘ 
large quantity. It seems strange that the specific character of this _ 
fern has only recently been generally acknowledged. Want of fa- 
miliarity with it has probably had much to do with its non-accep- 
tance as a species. It closely resembles a specimen of Lastr@a odon- 
toloma,Moore, which I have from India. The lobes of the pinnules 
of the latter are a little more toothed at the extremity—that seems to 
be the main difference. “ Beny. D. GIvBert. 
§ 363. Thirty-first Annual Report of the Botanist, C. H. Peck, 
to the Regents of the University ofthe State of New York. Albany, 
1879.—In the present, and recently distributed report, which embra- 
ces an account of the work performed during the year 1877, 
Mr. Peck states that during that period specimens of 189 species of 
plants were mounted and placed in the State Herbarium, and that 
of these 162 were not previously represented therein. The number 
of plants collected and contributed during the year, and which were 
new to the Herbarium, was 147; of these, 58 species—all fungi—are 
described by Mr. Peck as new to science. Two very interesting ob- 
servations, bearing on one of the methods taken by Nature to present . 
