has always been found with these ferns, and that the hybrid theo- 

 ry of Berkely "certainly appears probable." The '-Synopsis Fili- 

 cum" (1868) classes it under A. platyneuron, as the fern which it 

 most closely resembles; while the basal sori of nearly every seg- 

 ment, and the proliferous apex seem to connect it with Camptoso- 

 rus. Another interesting link connecting it with the wai king-leaf 

 is the areolate structure of its veins. Eaton's book says: ;i The 

 veins are everywhere free," and none of the manuals deny the 

 statement; but nearly all the specimens I have examined show a 

 very few areoles between the middle and the apex of the frond. 

 However, a month's experience wiih the fern in its native haunts 

 has shaken my firm belief in the hybrid theory. To 'my mind, 

 ebenoides has uniformly appeared as a distinct spleenwort, and he 

 who wouid impeach its title to specific rank must bear the burden 

 of proof. The vascular bundles of ebenoides are like those of pinna- 

 tifidum, platyneuron, and other closely related spleenworts, and 

 though proliferous, as pinnatifinum and platyneuron sometimes 

 are, no fronds have been found actually rooting at the tip. With 

 hybrids, there is usually a complete gradation from one parent to 

 the other, but none of the variations of ebenoides appear to ap- 

 proach the supposed parents At Havana Glen, Ala., ebenoides is 

 said to grow in profusion, while its supposed parents are present 

 only in small numbers. Young plants, too, are there in abundance, 

 most probably descended from spores ; for I find that, though the 

 sporangia of Virginia forms are mostly filled with black, dusty 

 masses, the specimens from Alabama yield several spores t hat- 

 look as if they might grow. But here I need more time for an in- 

 vestigation. Much remains to be learned, and any helpful sug- 

 gestions will be very gratefully received. I am already deeply in 

 debt to Messrs. W. N. Clute, C. E. Waters and Alvah A Eaton, 

 and Dr. L. M. Underwood for valuable aid in the preparation of 

 this article. 



LYCOPODIUM ALOPECUROIDES IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



the 4th of September, 1896, while botanizing on Plum Is- 



land, I came across a cranberry bog, of which there are 



several on the south half, in which I found an abundance 

 of Lycopodium inundatum, and what appeared at the time as a 

 very odd form of it, very unripe. Calculating it would be about 

 right on Oct. 5th, I made another trip to the locality, and found 



