Mav igoS] PROCEEDmcs s. i. assn. arts and sciences. 63 



IQ04 (vol. ix, no. 7), Mr. William T. Davis reported it as "now 

 nearly exterminated on our Island," and that he had found it growing- 

 at the base of a tree back of Richmond. Since then Mr. Davis and I 

 have found a few small patches of the fern on rocks by the side of the 

 South branch of New Springville Brook, between New Spring-ville and 

 Richmond, and one little clump of it on a small rock on the County 

 Farm. Last summer I found another clump of it in Darcey's Woods 

 near Richmond Turnpike ; also on a rock and on a level with the sur- 

 rounding soil surface. The larger bowlders or rocks that are raised 

 considerably above the surrounding surface are too dry for this fern on 

 Staten Island, because the forests have been more or less cleared by 

 the axe or by fire. 



20. Adiajitum pedatuvi L. — Maidenhair. This is still quite abundant 

 in Bloodroot Valley and in the ravine leading down to Reed's Basket 

 Willow Swamp, but otherwise it is found rather sparingly. 



21. Woodwardia Virginica (L.) J. E. Smith. — The larger chain fern 

 was reported in the original list as "not rare." At present it is rather 

 rare on the Island, because many of the localities where an occasional 

 specimen may be found have been so much changed that they are no 

 longer favorable to the growth of this fern. Mr. Davis pointed out to 

 me a small patch of it between Mariners Harbor and Arlington. With 

 Mr. Davis I found a few straggling plants of it near Oakwood and near 

 Richmond Valley. I found a few plants of the fern northeast of Rich- 

 mond toward New Dorp, and also on the margin of a pond in the 

 woods on the east side of Bradley Road. It grows fairly abundant in 

 two places, one about half a mile south of Mariners Harbor and the 

 other between Merrell Avenue and Lambert's Lane. 



22. AspUnuun platyneuron (L.) Oakes. — 'The pretty little ebony 

 spleenwort is now rather scarce. I have found it in the vicinity of 

 Richmond and in Bloodroot Valley, but I have no record of finding it 

 elsewhere on the Island. 



23. Dryoptefis siMulaia Davenp.— This has been called the Massachusetts 

 fern and was first described in 1894. With Mr. Davis I found it grow- 

 ing near Richmond Valley in 1903. {Proceedings, vol. ix, p. 8.) Last 

 summer I found a few plants of this fern near Linoleumville and also 

 in a thicket of alders between Merrell Avenue and Lambert's Lane. A 

 number of plants of this fern are to be found near South Avenue, a 

 short distance south of Merrell Avenue. 



24. Dryopteris cristata (L.) A. Gray. — The crested shield fern has 

 been locally reported from Mariners Harbor. In the Proceedings of 

 Nov. 1892, Dr. N. Lv Britton reported it found near Oakwood by 

 Mrs. N. L. Britton and made this comment : "This fern is exceedingly 



