87 



not only been resuscitated, but in many instances 

 increased considerably in number by the operation, For 

 many years Mr. Moly was closely associated with the 

 late Dr. Wills, his neighbour and fellow-collector, who 

 also found a large number of beautiful forms; and it was, 

 thanks to the latter that the writer made Mr. IMoly's 

 acquaintance many years ago and found, despite his then 

 neophyte stage, such a hearty welcome after a few 

 testing questions, that his introducer, on his departure with 

 sundry precious acquisitions, could not refrain from 

 expressing his surprise as well as his pleasure, so true is 

 it that " a fellow hobby makes us wondrous kind." By 

 Mr. Moly's death a very handsome bequest falls to the 

 ancient borough of Lyme Regis, to which, apart from a 

 generous gift to the Axminster Cottage Hospital, he left 

 Langmoor Manor and the residue of his estate *' to 

 promote the educational well-being of the inhabitants, 

 such subjects as drawing, painting and modelling to be 

 specially encouraged." 



C. T. D. 



APOSPORY. 



Although as far as possible I" desire in this "Gazette" 

 to avoid such matter as only the scientific botanist can 

 fully grasp, the discovery of Apospory in Ferns presents so 

 peculiar an instance of an ordinary amateur student being 

 able to contribute a material item to scientific knowledge, 

 that I may perhaps be pardoned for describing what it is. 

 Shortly stated, it is the direct production upon the fern 

 frond of that little green scale, or prothallus, which 

 normally is only produced by the agency of the spore, 

 and forms the preliminary growth upon which bodies 

 analogous to pollen grains and ovaries are generated, 

 the young fern resulting from their coaHtion. The steps 

 which led up to the discovery are in themselves interesting. 



'■=For clearness sake the writer is compelled to use the first person, 

 singular, in this article, as a record of his own personal experiences. 



