J^EA'.VS. 241 



Mrs. Traill's Shield Fern — A. marginah\ (Swz.) var. 

 Tf'ailla;, (Lawson). 



A more remarkable form of A. ntarginale was found near the village 

 of Lakefield, on a vacant town-lot, still only partially cleared from the 

 forest trees and brushwood. Rearing its noble dark-green fronds among 

 the broken piled up branches of a brush-heap, I found the fine tall fronds 

 of the dark-green fern to which Professor Lawson has given the name 

 Trailhe, in compliment to the finder. 



From a hard, woody, chaffy root-stock, standing some inches above 

 the soil, close to the roots of an old Beech stump, sprung up some six 

 stout fronds of a deep-green colour ; pinnae long and narrowly pointed, 

 curving upwards ; pinnules deeply crenate so as to form wide sinuses 

 between the lobes; pinnae distinct on the rachis nearly to the upper pairs; 

 indusia pale-green, kidney-form, one on each lobe, for with the exception 

 of one or two smaller fronds, they were all fruit-bearing ; veining strongly 

 marked, twice-forked, and waved, so as to form an elegant sort of shell- 

 like pattern on the upper surface of the leaves. The height of this stately 

 fern was from two to four feet. The root-stock was evidently many years 

 old. The only second plant of this fern that I have since found was at 

 the side of a piece of corduroy road at the foot of a hill near Mr. G. 

 Strickland's, but it was in a mutilated condition, having been bitten by 

 cattle ; nevertheless it was not so much injured but that it could be readily 

 identified with the former specimens, which fact was very satisfactory. 

 These plants grew nearly two miles apart, but fire has destroyed the 

 one, and the other has disappeared beneath a newly erected fence, to my 

 sorrow and disgust. 



This fern is so distinct in its features that I think it may be con- 

 sidered a species rather than a mere variety. Prof Lawson's description 

 is as follows : " Fronds very large (3 % feet long), bipinnate, all the 

 pinnules pinnatified." He further states that this variety has the same 

 relation to the type of A. Marginale as var. uicisa has to typical Filix- 

 mas. 



Crested Shield-Fern. — Aspidium crista/ion, (Swz.) 



We meet with the Crested Shield Fern in great abundance growing 

 in the Cedar swamp in the rear of the village of Lakefield, Noith Douro. 

 This very handsome, though somewhat coarse fern, grows freely in wet 

 boggy ground, among fallen timbers and rank herbage ; often on rotten 

 logs or at the roots of stumps. The young bright green fronds are 

 extremely pretty. Sometimes the roundish lobes of the pinnae are crowded 

 and stand forward on the rachis, so as to give a full crisp look to the 

 Q 



