6(i PROCEEDINGS S. 1. ASSN. ARTS AND SCIENCES. [VoL. I 



(31 if Clinton's fern be recognized as a species). If we consider the 

 fact that the Island has no limestone outcrop we must admit that this 

 is a good showing. 



The Island is fortunate in having a few little tracts of woodland that 

 have been spared from destruction. Portions of woodlands near New 

 Springville, Richmond, Great Kills, and along South Avenue contain 

 small areas where the woodman's axe has been sparing in its work and 

 nature has been left more or less undisturbed. These are veritable 

 garden plots for some of our native plants and animals. One of these 

 favored spots is to be found near South Avenue, where I have found 

 23 species of ferns on an area of less than i Y^ acres. 



These are the ferns found on this area: 



1. Botrychium obliquum Muhl. 



2. " dissedum Spreng. 



3. " Virgiiiianum. (L.) Sw. 



4. Osmunda regalis L. 



5. " cinnamomea L. 



6. " Claytoniana L. 



7. Pteridium, aquilinum (L.) Kuhn 



8. Woodwardia areolata (L.) Moore 



9. Asplenium acrostic hoides Sw. 



10. " FLlix-foemina (L.) Bernh. 



11. Polystichum acrostic hoides (Michx.) Schott 



12. Dryopteris Noveboracensis (L.) A. Gray 



13. " Thelypteris (L.) A. Gray 



14. " cristata (L.) A. Gray \ 



15. " Cli^itoniana (D. C. Eaton) 



16. " Goldieayia (Hook,) A. Gray 



17. " marginalis (L. ) A. Gray 



18. " cristata x marginalis Davenp, 



19. " Boottii (Tuckerm.) Underw. 



20. " spinulosa (Retz.) Kuntze 



21. " " intermedia (Muhl.) Underw, 



22. Phegopteris liexagonoptera (Michx.) Fee 



23. Dennstaedtia piinctilibula (Michx.) Moore 



24. Onoclea sensibilis L. 



A few rods away in the same piece of woodland I found also thg 

 maidenhair and the larger chain fern, making a total of 25 species on 

 an area much smaller than Professor L. M. Underwood's noted 

 Green Lake area near Jamesville, N. Y., where he found 28 species. 



The sad part of this story is that the trees immediately adjoining 

 this little area are being cut away; and-unless some public spirited in- 



