I09 



THE AUGUST MEETING. 



As announced in our last issue, and also by special 

 notice to all the members, the place of meeting was this 

 time determined by a previous visit made by M. M. W. B. 

 Cranfield and C. T. Druery to Devon, where after explor- 

 ing the neighbourhood the rendezvous was fixed at the 

 ** Seven Stars " Hotel in Totnes, as being a centre of a 

 region peculiarly fertile in most of our native species. The 

 country hereabouts is practically a labyrinth of those deep 

 lanes so characteristic of Devonshire, where high banks 

 on each side, coupled often with shady conditions induced 

 by overhanging trees, afford ideal conditions for ferny 

 growth, and what is more, for seeking varietal forms. 

 Unfortunately by the long continued drought, which had 

 prevailed for over two months, a vast number of ferns have 

 suffered terribly, many obviously having perished entirely, 

 while the survivors were hanging down in a wilted and 

 moribund condition, quite precluding any chance of 

 detecting those peculiarities so dear to the variety hunter. 

 Asplenia Cetevach and tvichomanes and P. vulgare on old walls 

 were represented by bunches of apparently dead fronds, 

 and here and there Hartstongues might be seen lying 

 prone, yellow and flaccid by the thousand even in shady 

 woods. If adults and well-established specimens suffered, 

 the destructionof young ones, and particularly of the millions 

 still in the infant prothallus stage, thus is obviously 

 beyond computation. Despite this handicap, however, 

 several finds were made, Mr. J. J. Smithies finding a 

 serrate form of Blechnum sjiicant, like, or on even better lines 

 than, Mr. Airey's find which yielded B. s. pUimosnm Airey, or 

 Aivey No. 2. Dr. Stansfield found a promising hvachiate P. 

 angiilave and other varieties, of which he send details (see 

 " The Totnes Excursions "). Mr. Druery found 5. v. vadio- 

 soYum with round ended fronds, and the terminal sori semi- 

 circularly arranged like the figures on a clock dial, also a 

 grand pender^t form of L. pseudo mas, which, however, owing 



