244 



that ere long every collection of Note will be further 

 enriched with a specimen which, without doubt, is a very 

 desirable addition to our beautiful British Ferns. 



WILD FERN ''SPORTS." 



It is a curious fact that despite the now very large 

 number of marked "sports" which have been discovered, 

 each one, as a rule, has its distinct characteristics, and we 

 believe it would be safe to say that no two so exactly 

 resemble each other as to be practically indistinguishable 

 when placed side by side. We do not include, of course, 

 such common forms as the merely forked Hartstongues 

 which are so frequently found where the species prevails, 

 and are known as Scol. vnlgare lohatum, or varieties which 

 occur so closely associated as to be legitimately assumed as 

 the offspring of one among the group. The crispum 

 Hartstongues, for instance, of which a considerable number 

 were found by Col. A. M. Jones in one lane in the 

 Chepstow district, were practically identical in form, but 

 can only be assumed, as they themselves are perfectly 

 barren, to be the offspring of some of the apparently 

 normal Hartstongues in the vicinity, in the blood or sap 

 of which the capacity of sporting in this direction was 

 implanted. Even in the crispums, however, a number 

 of diverse forms have turned up, and vary in outline, 

 development of basal lobes, width, length of stalk, outline 

 of edge and depth of frill quite sufficiently for recognition, 

 while if crests are developed they are nearly always on 

 different lines of division. The innumerable tasselled 

 forms of other species shew this individuality, as a rule, 

 markedly, though one would expect that mere multiplica- 

 tion of the growing terminals would be effected on similar 

 lines. Instead of this, however, the tassels vary in extent 

 of development from simple forkings to dense bunches; 



