474 The American Naturalist. [May, 
the walking fern, and in the shade of these bowlders, the Scolopendrium, 
chiefly ‘in clusters of 2 to 6, at first erect, finally somewhat drooping, 
and ripe in September. Mr. Clute added that the species seems to be 
increasing at present, being now under the protection of an association. 
Prof. Burgess remarked upon the former scarcity of the fern in that 
locality as reported to him by Dr. Torrey of Chittenango about 1874, 
and by Dr. Morong who could find none at his visit about 1876. 
Prof. Underwood spoke of the Jamesville locality, also on the corni- 
ferous limestone in Onondaga Co., where 20 years ago he found it quite 
common about two small lakes, but becoming soon exhausted at the one 
most frequently visited. He queried why it should not occur at other 
ledges of the corniferous limestone throughout Western New York, and 
why it should confine itself to that rock here while in England it fre- 
quents sandstone, shale and limestone indifferently. Dr. Britton then 
remarked that in Europe (and Nova Scotia) Campanula rotundifolia 
grows in meadows, but here on rocks; Cerastium arvense also grows in 
Europe in fields, but here on rocks. 
Dr. Britton said that Scolopendrium is probably a case like that of 
Sequoia and Brasenia of originally much wider distribution, where the 
isolated plants owe their survival to favorable conditions. He cited 
Epipactis among orchids as a parallel in distribution, confined here to 
Central New York and Ontario, but wide-spread in the old world. 
Mr. Benj. D. Gilbert added an interesting comparison of the growth 
of Scolopendrium at stations where he had collected it at Jamesville 
and Chittenango Falls, also in southern France, northern Italy, and. 
Undercliff in the Isle of Wight. In the warm shelter of the latter 
place, it is more luxuriant than anywhere else, showing great tendency 
to sport, displaying forking tips and deeply cordate bases as at Chiten- 
ango Falls. 
3. The third paper was by Mr. B. D. Gilbert, of Utica, N. Y., en- 
titled, “ New and interesting Ferns from Bolivia,” with exhibition of — 
specimens of two new ferns, Blechnum nigro-squamatum and Nephrod- 
ium villosum inæquilaterale Gilbert, the first peculiar in being fully 
pinnate, the second in being a one-sided dwarf persistently under a foot. 
and a half high, instead of 4 or 5 feet as its type. 
4. The fourth paper, also by Mr. Gilbert, “Jamaica, the Fern-Lov- 
er’s Paradise, described the abundance of species and of individuals 
which the speaker had collected there, illustrating the subject by numer- 
ous specimens. He remarked that Swartz in his Species filicum, 1783- 
’86, enumerating all then known ferns, described 709 species; of which 
149 were from Jamaica; the Jamaican number was raised to 300 by 
