58 



The Ferns 



my search shows) of a root, although there are many favour- 

 able sites. It grows only where very short herbage covers the 

 shallow soil, generally close above the perpendicular fall to 

 the water- worn rocks, I hardly think there is much fear of 

 its being exterminated, for three of the patches where it occurs 

 are about sixteen feet square, still it is much sought after to 

 complete the sets of English collectors, and therefore we 

 should not remove roots unnecessarily. Having found it 

 myself years ago by the aid of a map on which its stations 

 are marked, and dug out some specimens, I directed a botani- 

 cal friend who wished to obtain some plants to the same spot. 

 He followed the general directions I gave him, and told 

 me he immediately recognised the exact place on seeing the 

 holes which I had made there ; so he gave me advice which 

 I now repeat to members of this society :— " When you have 

 dug out your specimen, fill up the hole ! " Writing on this 

 fern, I find both Moore and Heath appear never to have 

 visited Guernsey, learn about the plant from actual observa- 

 tion. They both state 4 'That it appears early in the year, 

 being fully developed in January." I show you specimens 

 which have attained full growth in November. In fact, the 

 fronds appear almost immediately after the autumn rains, 

 fresh plants rise from that time onward, I think it is most 

 abundant in March, bat as soon as the dry hot weather com- 

 mences it gets dried up and disappears. I have shown fully 

 developed specimens as early as August 25th (in 1886), and as 

 late as April in the same year. The plant often consists of a 

 single leaf spreading close along the ground, sometimes of 

 two similar fronds opposite each other ; but the perfect speci- 

 mens have these two horizontal barren fronds, and the fertile 

 fronds between them rising vertically with a club like form. 

 It requires patient search on hands and knees to find the plant, 

 especially if you do not know the exact spot on which it grows. 

 When told that we have a fern which is not to be found in 



