On the Ferns in the Vicinity of Montreal. 489 



swamps and shaded cliffs, in fact, all the most favorable 

 conditions for the growth of the various species of ferns. 

 Thus, out of at most forty-five varieties which include 

 Montreal within the limits of their distribution, no less 

 than thirty-two have been found within an area of about 

 one square mile. My purpose in writing this paper is 

 to collect the past records of Montreal ferns, describe as 

 far as possible the present distribution of the various 

 species in this vicinity, and contrast it with what can be 

 learned from the records of their distribution in the past. 

 Ferns have always received their due share of attention 

 by botanists. While the rest of the Cryptogams and 

 many of the orders of Phanerogams are persistently 

 neglected, except by specialists, the ferns form part of 

 every herbarium and are included in all manuals of 

 flowering plants. As a result of this, we find, on referring 

 to past records of Montreal plants, that we have a fairly 

 complete record of ferns from 1821, when the Holmes 

 Herbarium was made, to the present time. The more 

 important of these records are as follows ; — 



Catalogue of the Holmes' Herbarium ; Canadian Naturalist, 

 April, 1859. 



List of Canadian Plants, by Dr. Maclagan ; Annals of the 

 Kingston Botanical Society. 



Synopsis of Canadian Ferns, by Dr. Geo. Lawson ; Canadian 

 Naturalist, August, 1861. 



Notes on Canadian Ferns, by John B. Goode ; Canadian 

 Naturalist, Vol. IX., p. 49. 



Canadian Filicineae, by Macoun and Burgess ■ Transactions of 

 the Royal Society of Canada, Vol. II. 



Catalogue of Canadian Plants, Part V., by John Macoun. 



Flora of Montreal Island, by Dr. Robt. Campbell ; Canadian 

 Record of Science, Vol. V., No. 4. 



A few species have also been recorded from Montreal by 

 McCord, St. Cyr, Provancher, Parsons, and others. 



I have made a careful comparison between these 



