1 



344 THE CROSSING OF FERNS. 



— there were, among the earliest cultivators and students 

 of the varieties of British ferns, some who were occasionally t: 



struck by the appearance of forms bearing a very suspicious | 



resemblance to combinations of other forms; and attention ''^ 



having been arrested, observation became keener : and as in 

 course of time these instances became more numerous, culti- 

 vators conld not at last resist the evidence of their senses, 

 that, in some way, unknown to them, ferns crossed ; and 

 experiments, undertaken with the view of more completely 

 testing the correctness of their impressions, placed the 

 matter entirely beyond doubt in the minds of all who had 

 given attention to the subject. 



Pioneers. 



When independent conclusions have been formed, nearly 

 about the same time, by several, it would bo unjust to ti'ans- 

 fer to any one in particular all the merit of a discovery. 

 There were, I believe, in this case five who had formed more 

 or less certain conclusions on this subject. I will therefore 

 mention their names alphabetically — and fortunately this 

 will bring to the front one to whom I am sure no true fernist 

 will grudge any distinction ; for no one has worked harder, 

 and with less assistance, and to no one are lovers of ferns 

 and mosses more indebted than to Mr. .T. M. JSarnes, of Miln- 

 thorpo, who, by his discoveries in Lastrea montana, has 

 opened up an entirely new iiold of interest, though I do not 

 mean to imply that this is the only claim which Mr. Barnes 

 has on the gratitude of all who are interested in these 

 matters. 



Next in alphabetical order is Mr. E. J. Lowe, the well- 

 known author of Our Native Ferm, and distinguished in so 

 many other branches of science that no further remark is 

 needed here. 



