34 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



swamp by preference, and as we go look carefully, 

 about a foot or two above the level of where we judge 

 the ice lies in winter, we will probably be rewarded by 

 the sight of the bright yellow spore cases of Botrx- 

 chium ramosum, at this season in full fruit. Keeping 

 the level of the ground where we found the planr care- 

 fully in the eye and proceeding on our journey, we will 

 succeed it is very likely in finding other plants of B. 

 ramosum, perhaps a whole colony, but all at about the 

 same distance above the level of the swamp. We may 

 be able to find plants of ramosum out in the swamp 

 or nearer the brook, but in this case they will be found 

 growing on an elevation of some kind, a spot where 

 there is good drainage. 



Xow let us not remove the plants of ramosum we 

 have found, but let us rather mark the locality, and re- 

 turn at the end of three or four weeks. In ordinary 

 seasons the swamp will then be pretty well dried up, 

 and if we go out into the swamp and nearer the brook 

 and remove the dead leaves and work with some per- 

 sistency, we will probably succeed in uncovering little 

 plants of Botrychium in full fruit, with their little yel- 

 low sporangia. 



I have seen these little Botrychiums, extending 

 along a brookside in Newbury for a hundred yards, 

 in any spot where I choose to examine the ground 

 very much more plentiful than plums in a pudding. 

 A few weeks later some of these little plants will be 

 found extending two or three inches above the dry 

 maple leaves. 



Xow let us remove and take away a few of these 

 little plants, and then we will visit the station where 

 we discovered the larger plants of ramosum a few 

 weeks ago. \Ye will find that the plants have dis- 



