8o 



found to drive over to view it, and after seeing two grand 

 specimens of the original find at Buchanan Castle, Mr. 

 Crosbie, gardener to the Duke of Montrose, accompanied 

 us to the spot. Fortune favoured me, for though thirty- 

 five years have elapsed since the discovery, Mr. Buchanan, 

 a farmer residing close by, who was present when it was 

 dug up was still to the fore, and joining our party, led us 

 to the identical place. It originated on a grassy bank by 

 the road side, and when found was a fair-sized specimen 

 with several crowns. Mr. Cosh, a student from Edinburgh, 

 was getting over the stone dyke, when he suddenly found 

 the fern at his feet. He then went to Mr. Buchanan, who 

 was cutting the grass in the vicinity, and asked him to take 

 care and not cut down the fern, and contrary to tradition, 

 which states that it remained there two years before it was 

 removed, only a day or two elapsed, its rarity being fully 

 appreciated at the outset. One division went to the Bridge 

 of Allan, and another to Buchanan Castle. Some enter- 

 prising nurseryman expressed in the autumn a strong wish 

 to have an "impression " of a frond of so unique a plant, 

 and sent some gummed paper for the purpose, and his wish 

 being unsuspectingly gratified, the adherent spores were 

 not long in forming a marketable stock. This is the 

 history I obtained direct from headquarters, and on the 

 very spot itself, and is, I think, sufficiently circumstantial 

 to merit chronicling. 



I may add that at present there is no lady fern near the 

 site of the find ; a clump of L. pseudo-inas fringes the dyke 

 foot, and on the other side of the dyke the ferns of the 

 district are fairly plentiful. If variety be induced by 

 environment, there must have been something peculiarly 

 subtle here to lead to such a sport, for, as is obvious, no 

 specially peculiar conditions are visible at all to the eye. 



Chas. T. Druery, V.M.H., F.L.S. 



