224 



generally chartered for the party, and was put up at 

 some country hostelry while the members botanized- 

 Some very happy and profitable days were spent in this 

 way, and some notable finds were made. I remember 

 one occasion some twenty years ago when, while driving 

 through Long Sleddale, Westmorland, almost the whole 

 party noticed a wall covered with a form of Asplmum 

 trichomanes which had a peculiar " combed " appearance. 

 We all dismounted and collected plants. Mr. Smithies 

 secured one which seemed better than the rest and, as 

 his plant had two crowns, he kindly shared it with me. 

 I still have my plant and it has turned out quite con- 

 stant, and is a very pretty variety which I call serrato- 

 constvictum, Smithies. The pinna are narrow and toothed 

 and all turn upwards almost parallel with the rachis, 

 giving the frond, especially in its upper half, a very 

 slender and pointed character. The variety is abun- 

 dantly fertile and comes true from spores. That was an 

 occasion upon which the horse " had the pull " over the 

 motor vehicle, inasmuch as the latter would probably 

 have travelled too swiftly for a trichomanes to have been 

 noticed from the car. Nevertheless, the car has points 

 of superiority over the horsed vehicle, not the least of 

 which is that it is independent of any hostelry, and can 

 be left for hours, if necessary, in any out-of-the-way 

 place in the charge of a boy or a wounded soldier, or 

 even without any attention if care be taken to make it 

 temporarily incapable of travelling, which can generally 

 be arranged without much difficulty. Should the happy 

 days ever come when the younger members will be 

 home from the war, and the elder ones will have time 

 and opportunity for travelling, I trust our annual meet- 

 ings may be resumed in England, Wales, Scotland and 

 Ireland. I hope also that a motor-car may be available 

 at least for the elders of the party. May the time soon 

 arrive. Amen. F. W. S. 



