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there were no signs of a crested Kalothrix proper. About 

 fifteen years afterwards we made a sowing oi A. f. f. Plumo- 

 sjiin superhim, which practically failed, producing only a few 

 strays of no value. These remained in the thimble pot in 

 which the spores were sown, until one day we were about 

 to throw the contents away, when on the very edge of the 

 pot a curious looking patch of apparent moss was noted, 

 and examining this with a lens, we found it consisted of a 

 bunch of tiny ferns delicately cut and shining like Kalotlirix. 

 Removing it and bringing it on it revealed itself as no less 

 than seven plants of a true Kalothrix cristatum, all springing 

 from one pyothallns, and six of these, after a surgical opera- 

 tion, survived. It will be noted that the cross sowing was 

 made about fifteen years previously, the results being now 

 large established plants, and that this " sport " (? cross) 

 arose in a sowing of a different type entirely, and was 

 raised in a Wardian case after the usual precautions had 

 been taken to ensure a pure sowing, though, as we have 

 seen, these were vain. One assumption is feasible here, 

 and that is that one plant of the originally attempted cross, 

 which we have described, was really a success as regards 

 the blending of bloods, and that one of its spores yielded 

 as a stray this obvious blend on the desired lines, to use 

 a colloquialism, a most decided " fluke," as an intentional 

 sowing from the possible parent only yielded the parental 

 form. Mr. Whitwell's batch of dwarf-crested L.propinqua 

 may be quoted among similar mysteries, since a number of 

 these, all alike, turned up in a sowing of Blechniim spicant, 

 and there is no form oiL. pvopinqtia to which their parentage 

 can reasonably be imputed. 



Among apparent mysteries which, however, found a 

 solution, may be mentioned the case of Lastvea cemula 

 cristata, found many years ago as a wild plant in Devon by 

 Mr. Gill. The original plant was lost, but, happily, a 

 single seedling came up in the pot. Colonel A. M. Jones 

 acquired a fertile frond of this, part of which he sent to 

 us. Both of us sowed at once. Colonel Jones obtained 



