WOODSIA ILVENSIS. 77 



discovery. It was found by Isaac Hudhart, a gardener, who has stu- 

 died the ferns, and has been very successful in finding all the best 

 ferns of the district. He has wisely told no one about the locality of the 

 Woodsia but myself ; for I consider it absolutely necessary to keep secure 

 the habitats of good ferns now, as, if known, they are sure to be extermi- 

 nated. There may be about twenty plants.'' — Mr. F. Clowes, in Phytol. 

 iv. 1134. I am indebted to Mr. Clowes for a frond from this locality, and 

 find it correctly named. 



Caeknaevonshire. — Mr. Wilson found this fern near Llyn-y-cwn, 

 on Glyder Vawr, in 1834 ; and it has since been seen by Mr. Roberts, 

 of Bangor, and I believe several other botanists, directed to the spot 

 by Mr. Wilson. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Wilson and Mr. 

 Pamplin, for specimens from the Llyn-y-cwn locality ; the two fronds 

 represented at a, on page 71, are from this station. Dr. Allchin informs 

 me that he found this species near Llyn-y-cwn in 1851 ; and I am also in- 

 formed by another botanist that he has found it "above" Llyn-y-cwn. My 

 correspondent says that " as many as a hundred plants are visible, fortu- 

 nately, however, nearly the whole of them are inaccessible, and cannot pos- 

 sibly be obtained without the assistance of a ladder." — Phytol. iii. 739. 

 When I received this information I quite supposed the station the same as 

 Mr. Wilson's, but now I think otherwise, for the plant has since been found 

 in two stations, one above, the other below, Llyn-y-cwn. Mr. Latimer 

 Clark discovered a third station, " on rocks of a peculiar character, resem- 

 bling Umestone, which crop out on the Glyder or left hand side of the Pass 

 of LlanberiSj looking towards Capel Curig : there may be a dozen small 

 plants scattered over the rock, which is barren, arid, and exposed, and the 

 plant seems dwindling to extinction." William Williams, an active and 

 intelligent Snowdon guide, is but too well acquainted with the Snowdonian 

 stations of both the Woodsias : I don't think he would willingly extermi- 

 nate them, but he is subject to such constant soUcitations from botanical 

 tourists to be conducted to the localities, that the utter extermination of 

 these ferns from all accessible places is not only certain, but also imminent. 

 A passage from Ray's ' Synopsis ' should be quoted here, since it goes 

 far to show that both this species and the next have been found on Clog- 

 wyn-y-Gamedh ; the comparison of the leaves with those of Pedicularis 

 seems to agree with the present species. " FiUcula Alpina Pedicularis 

 rubris foliis subtus vUlosis. Small Stone Fern with Ued-ratth leaves hairy 

 underneath. Nusquam vidimus quam in udis scopulis Clogwyny Qarnedh 

 dictis juxta summitatem mentis Gwydhvae totius Cambrise altissimi. D. 

 Lloyd. E petrarum rimis emergit, non erecta sed aliquantulum procum- 

 bens Ceterach aut Trichomanis ad instar, foliis sex oirciter digitos longis. 

 It's a very rare plant even at Snowdon."' — Syn. p. 27. 



