g88 EEPOiiT — 1891. 



remarkable seedling Atbyriums, yet the development was too far advanced for 

 absolute certainty. To examine this carefully, a number of Scolopendriums were 

 planted in the protballus state, and on the young fronds appearing, two were 

 noticed identical in character and unusual in form, which when examined were 

 found to have their origin in one well-developed protballus. AVitb a penknife it 

 was possible to divide the protballus so as to secure the two plants, which were 

 planted in a pan and have not since been disturbed. 



Prothalli were then planted from a pan of mixed muvicate and undulate Scolo- 

 pendriums, and these were divided before the formation of fronds into two equal 

 parts, in some examples the two plants resulting were alike, in others they differed 

 but showed their muricate and undulate origin. 



The next experiment was dividing the protballus into four equal parts. This 

 was done in January 18SS. Every division grew and spread in a more bush-like 

 manner than is the case with uudivided prothalli, but up to July 1890 there was 

 no sio-n of any frond. It appeared evident that the male and female organs of 

 generation were on separate divisions. To test this, in May 1890 another protballus 

 was planted in close proximity to one of these, in fact made to actually inter- 

 mingle, and in August fronds appeared. The other divisions except four were 

 similarly treate/1, and all have now produced fronds. The spores bad been sown 

 in August 1887, and divided on January 12, 1888, so that the protballus exhibited 

 has been in this condition four years. The usual time from protballus to frond 

 being only a few mouths. 



In an interesting example of the lady fern (alluded to in the next paper), a pro- 

 tballus produced three plants exactly alilce and having two kinds of fronds. It was 

 from a mixture of eight varieties, and these show the parentage of six, and now and 

 then seven. They have the lax pinni-e of nncum, the cruciate pinnae of Victoria, 

 the projected pinnre of j)roJectui)i, the lunulate pinnules of Fri::ellia;, the cruciate 

 pinnules oi cvucipinula, the truncate terminals of trimcatum, and occasionally the 

 cresting of multijidum. This fern has reproduced six and occasionally seven 

 characters. According to the doctrine of probability it is 720 to 1 against the 

 production of six varieties on the same plant, and 5,040 against seven. 



Turning to other means of reproduction, experiments are required in order to 

 ascertain why the bulbils that form on some frords do not always produce plants 

 like the parent, and why it is possible to transfer the bulb-bearing character to 

 other varieties. Scolopendrium densum often produces much more coarse and less 

 divided ferns than itself. [De7istim and one of its coarse bulbils were exhibited.] 



The beautiful plumose shield fern known as plumosodivisolobum has produced 

 two plants from its bulbils that are strikingly distinct from ths parent and each 

 other ; one is densely imbricate and procumbent like the parent, whilst the other 

 is as tiuely divided as Todea superba, and is erect in habit. 



Again, aposporous plants, that is those raised from the prothalli direct without 

 the intermediate spore, also vary. [An aposporous plant of Clarissima of the 

 Lady fern was described.] Even plants raised from bits of the stipes of plumose 

 Scolopendriums produced a marginal belt. 



There are so many truths yet to learn with regard to ferns that it is desirable 

 that some younger man should take up these inquiries. 



2. On Ferns aiid their Multiple Parents. By E, J. Lowe, F.B.S., F.L.S. 



Colonel Jones and myself read a joint paper on abnormal Ferns at the Batb 

 meeting of the British Association, which is printed in full with illustrations in 

 the third volume of the ' Annals of Botany.' The present paper is a report on 

 further experiments, and of the surprising discoveries that have resulted. 



Since 1887 other hybrids have been obtained, and although these hybrids are 

 more or less sterile, a few plants (grandchildren of the original parents) have been 

 raised, and they differ so much from the parent that nearly all resemblance has 

 disappeared. What will be the characters of the great-grandchildren is now in 

 course of proof. It is very different in the case of the offspring of crossed varieties : 



