86 Bolton's woodsia. 



materials to determine the question, rather following the prevail- 

 ing opinion than my own."- — -Trans. Linn. Soc. ix. 172. Mr. 

 Babington has treated them as forms of one species, and makes 

 this observation : — " Our plants appear to form but one spe- 

 cies, although they present three very different appearances." 

 — ' Manual,' 409. 



Both this fern and the preceding are comparatively easy of 

 cultivation under glass, care being taken to avoid excessive 

 heat : no sunshine whatever should be allowed to reach them, 

 not so much from any ill effect to be apprehended from the di- 

 rect rays of the sun, as from the excess of heat always produced 

 in a glazed case from the shining of the sun thereon : sunshine, 

 accompanied by the fresh mountain breeze, is perfectly innocu- 

 ous. If potted, the pot should be first filled with thin pieces 

 of stone, placed vertically ; basalt, commonly known as " dew 

 stone " granite, freestone, and sandstone, have all been found 

 to answer : after the stone has been arranged so as to surround 

 the rim of the pot, the radicles of the fern should be carefully 

 arranged between the central pieces, leaving the crown of the 

 caudex just visible : then prepare a finely sifted mixture of 

 thoroughly decayed leaf-mould, silver sand, and peat earth ; 

 introduce this in a nearlj^ dry state, and gently shake it down 

 amongst the stones, until all the interstices are filled : on wa- 

 tering the surface, this light mould will probably disappear ; it 

 should be repeatedly filled up and watered, until the fragments 

 of stone only crop out here and there above the surface of the 

 IDot. Mr. Wollaston slightly differs in his directions for culti- 

 vating these ferns, recommending the addition of loam, as mort 

 retentive of moisture. 



The Rev. Mr. Little informs me that Woodsia Ilvensis grows 

 freely with him in a cool greenhouse, and also under a frame, 

 but that it thrives still more freely in the open air, in a shady 

 corner of the garden. W. alpina is more difficult to cultivate : 

 he has lost it several times. Mr. Little adds that the Moffat 

 Hills are of the lower Silurian formation. 



