1 8 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



botanical knowledge and zeal were well known, some interesting facts 

 with regard to the right of maintaining the specific appellation of that 

 form of those beautiful little ferns. Some years since, when doubts 

 had arisen as to the specific distinction of the Killarney fern — Trichomanes 

 hrevisetum — Mr. Andrews had communicated both with Sir William 

 Hooker, and with Bory St. Yincent, as to the close affinity of forms of 

 that fern that he had met in the county of Kerry with exotic species, 

 especially those of the Mauritius and of South America. Botanical de- 

 scriptions sometimes do not clearly define or decide important points of 

 specific characteristics, unless references can at the same time be made 

 to the Herbaria of the actual species described. With that view he (Mr. 

 Andrews) had been anxious to obtain through a friend at Paris, from Bory 

 St. Yincent, specimens of his Trichomanes longisetum and Hymenophyllum 

 unilaterale, both collected by him in the Island of Bourbon. Mr. Andrews 

 was therefore much pleased to be able to submit the original letter of that 

 zealous botanist, Bory St. Yincent and a specimen of Trichomanes longi- 

 setum. He had promised several other rare species. Of Hymenophyllum uni- 

 laterale he mentioned that no European botanist possessed a specimen, or 

 had ever seen the plant. Willdenow's description is from the commu- 

 nication made to him by Bory St. Yincent ; and he had also described 

 the plant and the indications of the locality in Bourbon to Yentanal, 

 and to the old Jacquine of the neighbourhood, who were then his cor- 

 respondents, with the hope that they will at last find it, as well as three 

 or four other rare species : — " Hymenophyllum unilaterale" — Habitat in 

 insulaa Borbonise montibus mille orgyas supra mare elevatis, ad rupes 

 humidas." — Bory, in litt. Having so far shown the difficulties of clearly 

 understanding what really are the true characteristics of H. unilaterale, 

 yet English botanists have lately, or but a few years since, deprived 

 II. Wilsoni of its rightful birthright, and pertinaciously adhere to the 

 naming that fern from the unknown plant of Bory St. Yincent and of 

 Willdenow. It is frequently difficult to convince English naturalists 

 of any rare or important discoveries announced by the naturalists of this 

 country ; but to find them setting aside upon such slender foundations, 

 and when no authentic specimen of H. unilaterale has yet been seen, 

 the discrimination of so zealous and accomplished a scientific cryptoga- 

 mic botanist as W. Wilson, of Warrington, is indeed a deprivation of 

 merit. 



Dr. E. Perceval Wright, F. L. S., said he congratulated the meeting 

 on receiving such a paper as that of his friend Mr. Eoot's ; for, though 

 there were no very rare or remarkable plants recorded in it, yet we 

 wanted the record of the habitats in Ireland of the commoner even 

 more than those of the very rare plants ; and the authors of the projected, 

 and he believed soon to be published, " Contributions to a Cybele Hiber- 

 nica" would have had comparatively an easy task, if they had, very 

 many such papers to consult as that just read. Mr. Andrews had re- 

 ferred at some length to the fern well known as H. Wilsoni. Dr. Wright 

 could not forget that, since he had last taken part in a discussion on 



