48 
THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
have deleted a good many species which are still maintained 
by Christensen, and which our opportunities of studying the 
living plants under natural conditions lead us to think are 
not specifically distinct. Christensen’s work is most thorough 
and accurate, and as it is always difficult to reduce a species 
except where it is well known in natural growth, he has re- 
frained from doing so and thereby rather inflated the total 
number of fern species. Our endeavour here has been to 
put that right, so far as South Africa is concerned. But as 
an instance of how careful one has to be in expunging a name, 
may be mentioned the case of Ceropteris calomelanos , collected 
in Natal by Gerrard about forty-five years ago, and of which 
the only other known South African specimen on record is a 
frond labelled ‘Transvaal’ in the Bolus Herbarium. Suspicion 
was natural that these unsupported records were either from 
cultivated plants, or that the localities were given in error. 
But recently we have found this fern near Durban in profusion 
and long established, but in a deep railway cutting which did 
not exist in Gerrard’s time. If not indigenous it is fully natu- 
ralised, and Gerrard’s ancient record still raises a doubt as to 
whether or not it is really indigenous. Being an attractive 
‘Golden Fern’ it is surprising that the present locality should 
have escaped notice for so many years, as it is passed by 
hundreds of railway passengers daily, and there may be 
other localities still undetected. 
