B. ternatum silaifolium (_B. silaifolium_ Presl.). This is also mainly a western form. To it, however, I would refer the plant recently described by Mr. Gilbert as _B. obliquum Habereri_ from central New York. I have examined the type specimen and in my opinion it agrees perfectly with specimens of _silaifolium_ from California identified by Dr. Underwood. Even the striations produced in the pinnae by drying appear identical. I should call this a sub-species, as it does not approach the type as closely as the others. So little is known about _B. biternatum_ Unde. and _B. tenuifolium_ Unde. that I shall not attempt to place them. Judging from what I have seen of the latter, and I have seen numerous plants in the field, I should consider it a form of _obliquum_ and I suspect that _biternatum_ will prove to be based upon aberrant plants of this which have fruited in spring instead of autumn. In regard to this, Mr. W. W. Ashe has recently informed me that many spring-flowering southern plants do not flower in the North until late summer. It is possible our ferns may have similar changes in their fruiting season. NEW FORMS OF FERNS. By Charles T. Druery, F.L.S. The editorial note appended to my short article in the April issue of The Bulletin rather takes my breath away, as I never imagined that an answer to my query could “depend somewhat upon whether we admire ferns for pure leaves or whether we collect them for study.” No true fern lover in either case would knowingly destroy one of Nature’s own novelties in the way I described by denuding it repeatedly of its fronds for herbarium purposes in situ, when by removing and cultivating it he could also, in either case, not only gratify his own special taste more fully, but could afford much gratification to a host of other fern lovers of either class. That “students of ferns know that many fern forms are due to varying conditions of soil, light, moisture, etc., and are inclined to pay very little attention to them” I accept at once, ranking myself with them; but advanced students also know that many forms are not demonstrably due to such influences, and amongst these forms are all those which claim so much attention in this side of the ocean. The former are, as the editor puts it, “variants,” the latter true varieties, and so far as they are of Nature’s own shaping, i. e., wild finds, as distinct from improved selected types from the spores, they have at least as much right to recognition in fern literature as the normals. Hence it is to be regretted that a unique form of the Christmas fern (_Polystichum acrostichoides_) should exist in the possession of a member of the Fern Chapter for ten years, and, yet, never be described. What have the other members done that such interesting data to some of them should be withheld?