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on the other hand, with the Lady Fern, in many places 

 where it is abundant, there is so much variation in cutting, 

 habit and general detail that it is difficult to match the 

 fronds of any two individuals. In the Lastreas, L. filix mas 

 is much given to the production of " rogue " forms, partial 

 forkings and irregularities characterizing some fronds on 

 a plant while the rest are quite normal. L. montana, where- 

 ever it is found, is apt to produce the '* truncata " type, and 

 also varies greatly in width and foliaceousness independently 

 of environment. L. dilatata, too, varies so much as to 

 constitute a subject of disputation between botanists, who 

 have considered it to consist of several distinct species, 

 L. spinulosa, L. uliginosa, and L. cristata, though in the 

 opinion of our most experienced British fernists all these 

 are so linked together by intermediate forms that L. dilatata 

 should be held to embrace them all, they thus ranking 

 merely as varietal forms and not species proper. 



Recurring to L. filix mas, however, we consider that Mr. 

 G. B. WoUaston was fully justified in dividing this into three 

 sub-species, L. filix mas, L.pseudo mas, and L. pvopinqua mas, 

 since each of them has its distinct characters which he has 

 clearly defined and which fern hunters easily recognize. 

 No one, for instance, seeing filix mas side by side with 

 pseiido mas can confound one with the other, and pvopinqua, 

 with its local distribution and curved pinnae is equally 

 recognizable, linking forms not being found. Poly podium 

 vidgare may be classed with the generally constant, but 

 careful study will show local differences of make particularly 

 in the arrangement of the terminal pinnae, sometimes 

 tapering gradually towards the frond tip, which at others 

 finishes off with a pinna set as it were on end. All these, 

 however, are minor forms of variation, which are now 

 practically ignored in favour of the really abnormal types 

 which crop up sporadically and are rarely found in quantity. 

 These represent very wide departures from the normal, 

 involving often great differences in structure such as no 

 ■normal species presents. There is, for instance, no known 



