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members who have not as yet contributed their maiden 

 speech, or rather article, to the pages of the " Gazette." One 

 reason that makes my task easy is that the hst is a short 

 one, though it contains one or two ferns that I think I may 

 claim to be unique or that are, as far as my present 

 knowledge goes, unrecorded in the " Gazette." I will first 

 describe my finds. One is an Asp. trich. found by me in 

 Northern Italy, near Lake Maggiore, in igi2, a robust 

 grower with pinnules half an inch long and deeply serrated 

 and inclined to be foliose. Spores have been sown and are 

 now in the prothallus state, and I am hopeful something on 

 the lines of incisum may result. The fern is copiously 

 soriferous, as a frond I now send to the Editor shows. I 

 have not yet had time to submit the plant to a meeting of 

 the Society, but hope to do so next August, as well as to 

 show Asp. trich. variegatnm, found by me last November, 

 also in Italy, this time among the Alps. The fronds are 

 beautifully spotted with yellow variegation, and the fern was 

 most conspicuous when seen growing among its normally 

 coloured companions. I send a frond of it also for the 

 Editor's criticism. In this neighbourhood A. Septetitvionale 

 was common and A. Germanicnm frequently met with, as 

 well as Polypodmm vulgar e^ which grew everywhere, I found 

 several very curious forms which I trust may remain 

 constant in cultivation ; but time alone will tell. I also 

 found at the same time a polydacLylous form of A. 

 trichonianes, some of the fronds have as many as six points 

 to them, and my hostess found a similar form earlier in the 

 year which she has kindly given to me. The only fern 

 hunting, besides this, that I did last year was in the Fort 

 William district in the end of July. I saw there one day 

 masses of Pseud, alp. flexile and brought home one or two 

 curious forms to try in my garden. I also found a clump 

 of Lastrea montana, laciniate all over, on the lines of 

 Nowelliana, not a beauty by any means, but worth a trial, 

 as I am particularly fond of this fern, seeing it does so very 



