92 American Fern Journal. 



an extreme development of the curved or athyrioid sorus, 

 while others suggest that the athyrioid form is a pre- 

 cursor of the Dryopteris form. That A. filix-femina is 

 biologically the most recent of the species under considera- 

 tion is suggested by the fact that it is most common and 

 generally distributed, which indicates that it is best 

 adapted to present conditions; that it is most variable, 

 w^hich may mean that it is a species in the making; and 

 that it is most highly specialized, a smaller portion of 

 the vein being capable of producing sporangia. 



D. C. Eaton expresses the belief that no two of these 

 species are closely related. And anyone examining a 

 collection of ferns from various parts of the world is 

 likely to be impressed by the fact that there are two 

 distinct groups, one of which bears a general r< semblance 



filix-femina 



Mass 



Notes and News 



A Pennsylvania Fern Trip 



The Doylestown (Bucks Co., Pa.) Nature Club de- 

 voted its May meetings, 19th and 26th, to the study of 

 "Ferns" under the guidance of Miss Anna K. Bewley, 

 cryptogammic botanist; George MacReynolds, scribe, 

 and J. Kirk Leatherman, "Dean" of the Doylestown 

 Botanical Club. 



On the 19th a "Fern Walk" was taken through the 

 rich floral country adjacent to Doylestown and on the 

 26th, Miss Bewley gave a talk on "Rare Ferns" at the 

 home of Mrs. George Watson and illustrated her remarks 

 by specimens from her own herbarium and by growing 



Miss 



Smith 



Among the ferns indigenous to Bucks Co., noted by 



