1024 



pears saturated with moisture : seedling ferns, mosses and Junger- 

 manniae growing freely. 



May \, 1846. — I discovered to my surprise that the prostrate frond 

 c was unconnected with the rest of the plant : the rhizoma appeared 

 io have rotted at the base of the frond, and a small portion, not larger 

 than a mustard-seed, adhered to the frond. I examined the frond 

 very carefully when removed, and could not perceive that it exhibited 

 any alteration from its state when first examined in May, 1845, al- 

 though it appeared to have been lying prostrate without roots for 

 twelve months. I stuck it in an erect position into some earth under 

 another hand-glass. (It is as well to finish the history of this frond 

 at once : it remained under cover until Midsummer, 1847, when I 

 found attached to it a rhizoma, seven-eighths of an inch in length, and 

 bearing two very minute fronds, neither of them an inch long: it was 

 transplanted at this dale, and owing to neglect, subsequently died). 

 The young fronds,/ and ^, have partially expanded, they exceed the 

 others in length : the state of the rest remains the same : something 

 like the circinate ball which precedes the development of a frond has 

 appeared at another point of the rhizoma: it is densely covered with 

 filamentous scales : the rhizoma has elongated at this point. 



June I, 1846. — The apparent ball has developed itself, and it is 

 evidently a young frond, h. 



July 1, 1846. — The frond, h, has partially unfolded itself, and is a 

 small one. 



August 1, 1846. — The fronds, /and g are completely expanded, /* 

 is nearly so ; a young frond, i, has made its appearance. The others 

 exhibit no change. 



December 24, 1846. — Two new fi-onds, k and I, have appeared. 



June 24, 1847. — The fronds, k and l, are greatly developed, parti- 

 cularly k : h and i are completely expanded. Separated the frond, 

 d, with a penknife, taking with it a very small portion of rhizoma, 

 and stuck it erect in the earth below the pot. 



September 1, 1847.— After a temporary absence from home I found 

 the interior of the glass much crowded with seedling ferns, the growth 

 of which had been astonishingly rapid : removed the greater part of 

 them : the young frond, k, exhibited discoloration at the extremities 

 of its pinnules, as though decaying : two more fronds, m and n have 

 appeared. 



October 2.3, 1847.— The fronds, m and n, exhibit greatly elongated 

 stipes: the frond ^' looks more healthy than on the 1st September, 

 the discoloured extremities, however, remain. This frond is ten 



