217 
filled with large cavities often forming caves, containing some ac- 
cumulation of soil and crowded with a luxuriant growth of ferns, 
although in November and practically the winter season. 
2. Mr. Willard N. Clute, “« The New York Stations for Scolo- 
pendrium.” Mr. Clute contrasted the wide distribution of the 
Hart’s-tongue Fern in the old world, from Great Britain to Japan, 
with the extremely local North American occurrence, in five areas 
only, Mexico, Tennessee, Central New York, Owen Sound in On- 
_tario, and New Brunswick. The Central New York locality was 
made known early in the present century by Pursh in July, 1807, 
who found it five miles west of Syracuse on the farm of J. Geddes, 
where it has recently been rediscovered. About 1827 Wm. 
Cooper discovered it at Chittenango Falls, where Mr. Clute found 
hundreds of plants growing last summer. Mr. Clute described 
the Chittenango ravine and its ferns. On sunny exposures of the 
limestone walls of the ravine grow rue spleenwort and purple 
cliff-brake in quantities; in shady places, the slender cliff. | 
brake; on the talus, upon the larger bowlders, the walking fern, 
and in the shade of these bowlders, the Scolopendrium, with fronds 
chiefly in clusters of 6 to 12, at first erect, finally somewhat | 
drooping. The spores are ripe in September. Mr. Clute added 
that the species seems to be increasing at Beet being now 
under the protection of an association. 
Prof. Burgess remarked upon the former ane of the fern 
in that locality as reported to him by Dr. Torrey, of Chittenango, 
about 1874, and by Dr. Morong, who could find none at his visit 
about 1876. 
Prof. Underwood spoke of the Jamesville locality, also on the 
corniferous limestone in Onondaga County, where 20 years ago 
he found it quite common about two small lakes, but becoming 
soon exhausted as the one most frequently visited. He queried 
Why it should not occur at other ledges of the corniferous lime- 
Stone throughout western New York, and why it should confine 
itself to that rock here; while in England it frequents sandstone, 
Shale and limestone indifferently. Dr. Britton then remarked that 
in Europe (and Nova Scotia) Campanula rotundifolia grows in 
meadows, but here on rocks; Cerastium arvense also grows in 
Europe in fields, but here on rocks. 
