This must be tlic fate of many such plants, and the character of 

 the island llora must therefore be constantly changing. 



McCall's Ferry is not the place it once was in the prosperous 

 days of the canal, when the swish of the tow-line and the expres- 

 sive if not elegant language of the driver broke in upon the still- 

 ness around. The canal is but a ditch, fast filling up, and locks 

 and banks are rapidly crumbling a\va\'. Nature does not tarry 

 long in razing the works of man, for it is but ten years since the 

 canal was in active operation. But its delightful surroundings ; 

 these remain, the homes of rare and interesting plants. Many of 

 these were seen for the first time by some members of the party 

 growing in their native haunts. Among them were several ferns, 

 including Asplciiium Bradleyi and A. nioiitauinn. It is quite a 

 delight to see in their living freshness plants which one has 

 known by name only or from herbarium specimens. 



Many excursions were made to surrounding points, including 

 visits to York Furnace and Tucquan Creek. It is to be hoped 

 that these "symposia" may be held every year, and that they 

 may all be as successful and a source of as much pleasure and 

 delight as has this one. An opportunity was afforded this year 

 for the active botanists of this eastern country to get together 

 and compare notes, and it can but broaden the views of all and 

 add much to the accumulating knowledge of the botany of the 

 eastern states. 



THE NOMENCLATURE OF HEXALECTRIS AND 

 APLECTRUM 



By John IIendley Barnhart 



The genus Hcxalcctris was proposed b\' Rafinesque in 1825, 

 and republished by him in later years. It was monotypic, being 

 based upon " Blctia aphylla Nutt. or Arctliusa spicata Walt." As 

 these two names have been identified by recent writers with plants 

 belonging to two distinct genera, it has proved of no little interest 

 to me to trace their history. 



Walter's original description of Arcthusa spicatix is as follows : 



