1886-87.] of Trichomanes radicans in Arran. 37 



it had ever been found there. He promised to take me to 

 the place where he had found it, on my return from 

 Campbeltown, and said he had left plenty of it still growing. 

 I urged him to say nothing about his discovery till I liad 

 returned, and, above all, to show the place where it was 

 growing to no one. 



On my return, the first thing I heard from my family was 

 that there was quite a sensation about the finding of the 

 fern; and that paragraphs had appeared in the Glasgow 

 papers announcing the discovery of T. radicans in Arran, 

 and in Scotland for the first time. They also told me that 

 the postman was very angry because his name had not been 

 mentioned as the finder of the fern — and, in fact, had not 

 been mentioned at all in connection with it, — the credit 

 having been taken by some gentleman, or gentlemen, from 

 Glasgow. 



When I met Douglas I found that, contrary to my advice, 

 he had told these Glasgow gentlemen about T. radicans, 

 and had even shown them the place where he had found it. 

 He was very angry at their having taken the credit of the 

 discovery to themselves, so I promised to write to Professor 

 Balfour and others giving the true history of the finding of 

 the fern. 



I said I would like to see the place where it was found, 

 and gather a specimen for myself, more especially as the 

 frond he had given me before I went to Campbeltown had 

 been lost in my absence. 



He took me some distance to the north of Corrie, where we 

 scrambled up some cliffs. On reaching a certain place he pulled 

 away a large plant of I^ejyhrocli^im Filix-mas, or other large fern, 

 which seemed to be growing in a large crack or crevice in the 

 rock, and told me to look in and I would see T. radicans 

 growing."^ I stooped and looked in, but could see nothing 

 except a large, upright, dark crevice, with dripping wet sides. 



I said to Douglas I could see no fern there, to which 

 he replied that though the Glasgow gentlemen had 

 taken away some plants of it, there was plenty of it 

 left. I couldn't see a single frond, so got up off my knees, 



* This large fern was the means of his discovering T. radicans, he told 

 me, as it was growing in this crevice, and on his laying hold of it to pull him- 

 self up the cliff, it came away in his hand, and showed something green grow- 

 ins in the interior of the crevice. This was T. radicans. 



