368 FOEKED SPLEENWOET. 



and since the publication of these localities, Potter, a \Yell-known collector of 

 -British ferns, visited the district, and brought home hundreds, or perhaps 

 thousands of roots for sale : I saw more than a bushel of them in his pos- 

 session. From his description, I am led to believe the fei-n common on 

 the stone walls of the neighbourhood, and not confined to either county. 



Caebnabvonshieb. • — Eay records that this fern was fmmd by Mr. 

 Llwyd on the summit of Oamedd Llewelyn, (Spi. 120). Mr. Wilson has 

 found it near Llyn-y-own ; and Mr. Babington on rocks near the Pass of 

 Llanberis. Mr. Wm. Wilhams (the Snowdon guide), and many others, 

 have found it in the Snowdon district, particularly on Moel Lechog, also 

 on rocks about Bettwys-y-Coed, on the Caernarvonshire side of the river, 

 and in several spots near Pont-y-Pair. I had the good fortune to discover 

 it in profusion on a loose stone wall, about a mile from Llanrwst, on the 

 Conway road ; the locality is on the left hand, looking towards Conway, 

 and exactly opposite a small farm-yard, certainly on the Caernarvonshire 

 side of the river. Several botanists have visited the place subsequently, 

 and taken it away in such quantities as nearly to destroy the habitat, so 

 nearly, indeed, that others have been unable to discover a trace of its for- 

 mer existence. I deeply regret the prevalence of this exterminating spirit, 

 for it tends to deprive the true botanist of one of his greatest pleasures, — 

 that of visiting rare plants in their native looahties. It however affords me 

 some satisfaction to know that the plant has since been observed by Mr. 

 Wilson on the same wall, two hundred yards nearer Conway ; and that it 

 grows in many other spots in the neighbourhood, especially on rocks above 

 this station, and extending towards Capel Cerig. 



Denbighshire. — It is recorded by Kay that Dr. Richardson found it 

 on old walls at Llan Dethyla, about a mile from Llanrwst, towards the 

 North, (Syn. 130). Turner and Dillwyu place this habitat in Denbigh- 

 shii'e : the possibihty of its being in Caernarvonshire, and identical with the 

 one I have recorded as discovered by myself, has often occurred to me ; but 

 when in the neighbourhood I failed to find Llan Dethyla, probably tlu-ough 

 my inabihty to pronounce the name intelligibly. 



The radicles are very long, fibrous, crooked, and intertwined, 

 and, together with the caudex, which is very large and tufted, 

 form an amazing bulk. The fronds make their appearance in 

 March and April, ai-rive at maturity in August, and remain 

 green throughout the winter : they grow in a horizontal posi- 

 tion, from a perpendicular surface ; the fronds represented at 



