EDWIN FYDELL FOX 



Edwin Fydell Fox was born on April 20, 18 14, at 

 Brislington House, near Bristol. He adopted the medical 

 profession, and passed his examinations with distinction. His 

 specialty was mental disease, and he was considered very 

 clever in his profession in cerebral complaints. Mr. Fox was 

 the medical man in attendance at the Brislington Lunatic 

 Asylum. He died March 12, 1891, and was buried at the 

 Rookery Cemetery, Brislington, belonging to the Fox family, 

 and formerly the property of the Society of Friends. 



Mr. Fox began cultivating Ferns in 1869, when he made 

 the acquaintance of Colonel Jones ; he took up the subject 

 with great interest and zeal, and formed a very large collection 

 of plants. 



He began crossing Ferns in 1884, and was eminently 



successful. It is difficult to separate what he did from what 



was done by Colonel Jones, as there was a kind of partnership 



in their experiments. Colonel Jones often brought mixtures 



of spores to sow, and eventually the spoils were divided. 



Among the best successes were three Lady Ferns — Evelyna, 



Nellie, and Helena: these Mr. Fox named after members of 



his own family, saying that he "would set an example that 



long descriptive Latin names were not now to be tolerated, 



although he himself had been a culprit, having been led astray." 



He used to declare that had he known twenty years ago what 



he then knew, that varieties of British Ferns were going to 



be more like swarms of Bees than Solitary Wasps, he should 



have set an example earlier. His great favourite was Aspidium 



