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have disGOvered, on several occasions, accidental crosses 

 of value between varieties which we have vainly striven 

 for by joint sowings. For instance, A.f.f. revolvenscristatuni, 

 the only tasselled tubular form we know of, and the 

 wonderfully delicate crested form of A. f.f. halothvix also 

 originated as a chance " stray." Recently, too, when 

 removing the debris of a specimen of this rarity in the 

 autumn, we found at its foot a most delicate aposporous 

 seedling Polystichum, the presence of which is a perfect 

 mystery, as we can impute it to none of the ferns which 

 we possess. 



We might, indeed, multiply such instances on various 

 unexpected lines, but we think we have said enough in 

 favour of our contention that natural studies, " hobbies," 

 as we have called them, form the best possible means 

 of distraction from these mental worries from which, nowa- 

 days, we are all suffering more or less. Amen. 



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



