289 



permits. The tasselled fern frond, on the other hand, 

 produces, as a rule, normal stalks and stems, and it is 

 only in the final stages of growth that the divisions and 

 subdivisions produce the tassels as purely terminal growths. 

 In some ferns it is true that the tendency to multiplica- 

 tion on abnormal lines is so pervasive that apparent fascia- 

 tion occurs at so early a stage that normally flat frondage 

 fails altogether to appear, and the whole plant becomes 

 one conglomerate bunch. In this way the specific character 

 may be so veiled that it is difficult to determine in two 

 well-known instances whether the plant is an Athyrium or 

 the entirely different Hartstongue, both resembling bunches 

 of moss. Neither, however, would on examination recall 

 fasciation to the mind. That this extra growth is due to 

 cultivation in rich soils or under specially close and 

 stimulating cultural conditions cannot be maintained in 

 view of the fact that some of the most marked forms 

 were found wild, while experience has led most variety 

 hunters to believe that the most likely ground for dis- 

 coveries is rough and broken land, where growth is rather 

 handicapped than encouraged to the utmost. 



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



MENTAL RAMBLES IN FERNLAND. 



By an Amateur. 



I have been requested by our worthy Editor to supple- 

 ment my notes and observations, as recorded in a previous 

 issue of the " Gazette," but I am afraid that during the 

 last few months, among our members, fern hunting has 

 been considerably curtailed, and our thoughts and observa- 

 tions have been restricted to our collections, or the memory 

 of past hunting expeditions. In looking back o'er memory's 

 page, it may be that we may recall some almost forgotten 



