» BTTBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



Blackhead. lu the last-named locality my attention was drawn to this 

 fern by my friend, Dr. O'Brien, of Ennis. It grows in vertical clefts, 

 which are open joints in the limestone rock. It attains sometimes to a 

 height of three feet, or, in fact, the depth of the clefts, as the top ^of 

 the frond always reaches the surface. I was so struck with their size 

 and hixuriance, that I sent up plants to my father, who immediately 

 brought some specimens to Mr. Moore at the Botanic Gardens. They 

 both remarked the strong resemblance, in form and size, borne by the 

 Ballynalackan plants to the West Indian fern. A, Icctum, and as yet they 

 have not been able to detect any difference between them. It will be 

 an interesting fact if it can be shown that this plant is identical with 

 A. Icetum, and that the latter is nothing more than A. marinum, growing 

 under circumstances particularly favoui^able to its development. 



Asplenium trichotnanes. — Generally abundant. 



A. ruta muraria — Ditto, ditto. 



On the wall of Kiltannan demesne, near TuUa, the fronds of this fern 

 attain a length of six to eight inches, being proportionally broad and 

 luxuriant. 



Scolopend/rium mdgare. — Generally abundant. Var. Crispum. Clefts, 

 limestone rocks, neighbourhood of Ennis. 



Ceterach officinarum Generally abundant. On the table are some 



dried specimens of a variety of this fern, abundant in the Ennis neigh- 

 bourhood. The fronds are often as long as twelve or eighteen inches, 

 pinnate, with margin deeply serrated. The dried fronds were some that 

 I happened to have by me. They show the form pretty well, but do not 

 give an idea of the length. I believe this variety has been called 

 Sinuatum, and also Crenatum. 



A thyrkimfilix fcemina. — Abundant everywhere . 



This fern alters its form considerablj", according to the situation. 

 In shady places the handsome form with dark purple rachis, and of a 

 deeper green than usual, is frequent. In exposed situations the variety 

 Convexum, Aspidium irrigimni (Smith) ; A. rhoeticum {Moore), is abun- 

 dant. 



Blechnum horeale — ^Abundant and general. 



Pteris aquilina. — Abundant and general. The variety Crispa, if it 

 be a true variety, is also abundant in very exposed places. 



Adiantum capillus Veneris. — Locality, Ballynalackan, near the shore 

 on the west side of road leading to Blackhead, and also on limestone 

 cliffs on the east side of and half a mile from the road. The latter lo- 

 cality was pointed out by Dr. O'Brien, of Ennis. I cannot describe my 

 delight when he first brought me to the spot. Tlie above-mentioned 

 inland cliffs are formed of horizontal beds of limestone, and on the ver- 

 tical face of these cliffs in the clefts, or interstices between the beds, 

 this most exfjuisite of all the ferns grows in its glory. In fact, for a 

 distance of fully half a mile, if not more, the stratification of the rock is 

 distinctly marked by the peculiar green hue of ^. eapillus Veneris. Be- 

 tween this and the sea almost every vertical fissure in the flat bed of 

 rock over which we walked was filled with this fern, and on the sea side 



