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in fact, a well-grown cvistaUiui may run a grand icfps very 

 close. On the other hand some crested forms are so slender, 

 graceful and neat that all the cresting is extremely small. 

 Such a plant is Moly's cvistato-qracile, really a percristatmn. 

 This variety comes true from spores. In gvandiceps we 

 have " swollen heads," especially in Barraud's form, which 

 is nearly all head. Moly's, too, is a bold and splendid 

 instance of a magnified crest. In the decompositums the 

 pinnules are sub-divided, therefore there is a plumose look 

 about them. All are handsome, in fact, Pearson's form has 

 given a fine pliimosum ; while splendens Moly is reputed to 

 be the parent of densiim, laxum, robustum, Jones and Fox, of 

 which more anon. 



As we are now within measurable distance of the plu- 

 mosums we will accept the significance and proceed to note 

 a few. The beauty of this group is beyond cavil, and that 

 beauty is undoubtedly due to the increased development of 

 their foliaceous parts. But strange to say this super-growth 

 affects their fructification, which in consequence is scanty 

 or absent. Exception, however, must be made in the case 

 of Wollaston's yellow green variety, which not only spores 

 freely but gives typical progeny. Moreover, it is as free as 

 it is fine. One morning I was much impressed with a large 

 plant in my Fernery, for it happened to stand just where 

 the sunbeams came through and suffused the Fern with gold ! 

 Hence niy partiality. Patey's form is exceedingly beautiful, 

 and so is Elworthy's. All fronds come symmetrical and 

 true, which cannot always be said of the phunoso-divisolohum 

 varieties. Phimosum grande, p. pevfecftim, and p. splendens are 

 equal to their respective designations. But what shall we 

 say of Birkenhead's plumosissimum ? Has it ever been seen 

 since so finely developed as in the illustration in " The 

 Book of British Ferns ? " 



Dr. Stansfield very kindly sent me a small plant four 

 years ago, which was carefully potted up and ultimately 

 resulted in a respectable specimen, but it failed to produce 

 those wonderful, attenuated, thread-like growths in quan- 



