— Ill — 



from the species to which they refer by a dash. In the 

 case of forms the synonomy (in parenthesis) follows 

 immediately after the stated distribution of the form. 



I have also attempted to give in a general way the 

 comparative abundance of the species. That this can 

 only be general is manifest from the unequal distribution 

 of the species. Xo one would be inclined to call Sckisaa 

 pusilla abundant, and yet in some of the localities where 

 it grows it is abundant. In general the comparative 

 abundance may be understood to refer to the regions in 

 which the species grows naturally and to refer to the 

 center of its distribution and not to the extremes. The 

 list is not intended to take the place of the various Fern 

 Floras now being issued in The Ferx Bulletin. There 

 are often large areas in the given range of any species 

 in which the species may be absent. The lesser floras 

 will ahvays be able to define the limits of a species better 

 than any general list. Only such " common " names have 

 been given as are in common use. 



The nomenclature, it need scarcely be said, is con- 

 servative and in practical accord with that used by fern 

 students in other parts of the world. In America two 

 methods of writing the scientific names are in vogue. 

 One considers that no species is properly named until the 

 correct specific and generic name is joined and would 

 write as the author the name of the one who first cor- 

 rectly joined them : the other takes into consideration 

 the rights of the one who gave the valid specific name and 

 would write after the species the name of the author. If 

 the species was later combined with some other generic 

 name the author of the species is enclosed in parenthesis 

 and the name of the author of the new combination 

 written after it. I believe that this latter practice offers 

 altogether too great inducements to nomenclaturists to 

 change names and so have followed the practice of 

 zoologists in leaving off all but the name of the author of 

 the species. When a name in parenthesis follows the 

 specific name it is to be assumed that the name has been 



