proved so interesting that I desired to see them growing for my- 

 self, and about a month later I had the pleasure of spending a day 

 with Mr. McDonald in their haunts, where we both made exten- 

 sive collections of it. 



A careful examination showed that the clay-pit contained not 

 one species, but three. The form recently described as L. 

 adpressum was most abundant, but growing with it were a few 

 specimens of L. annotinum and some other larger ones of L. 

 alopecuroides. Incidentally it may be remarked that there were 

 so many intergrading forms between L. alopecuroides and L. 

 adpressum in the same square rod as to shake one's belief in their 

 being distinct species, and make it little wonder that Mr. McDon- 

 ald overlooked one species at his first visit. 



The interest of the trip, however, centered in an unusual form 

 of L. adpressum with several spikes on one stem, and which Mr. 

 McDonald characterizes as follows: 



Lycopodium adpressum forma polyclayatum McDonald. 

 Appearance of the plant similar to the type, stout and rather 

 fleshy; sterile branches often very short, fruiting portion from 2 to 

 12 inches high, branching above with from two to six or more short 

 or long-stalked spikes; spikes usually an inch or less in length, 

 often abortive, or with the appearance of sterile branches. Type 

 in the herbarium of Willard N. Clute. 



The plants were growing very thickly together in the sterile 

 soil and exposed to the full sun, leaving little doubt that the pecu- 

 liar form is due to the location rather than to any natural tendency 

 of the species. It is, however, quite worthy of a name to distin- 

 guish it. 



Binghamton, N. Y. 



'HE number of Indian Gardening and Planting, of Calcutta, 



for September 20th, contains a list, with descriptions, of 



abnormal British ferns found by Charles T. Druery, which 

 we here condense for such of our readers as are interested in the 

 subject: 



In a recent paper to the British Pteridological Society I gave 

 particulars of such well-marked varieties as had fallen to my lot 

 in my fern-hunting expeditions in England, Scotland and Ireland, 

 and as I cannot help thinking that many of your fern students 

 may be interested therein, I give you a short summary of the 



ABNORMAL BRITISH FERNS. 



