92 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV, 



Trotter ; Kullu 8-9000', Trotter; Simla Reg.— Simla 7000', Hope 1871 ; Simla— 

 " abundant on trees on north side of Jako Mt. 7000' and a little above that level, 

 and ranges (eastward) up to at least 10,000' on Kamalhori and Hattu, 11 Blanford (in 

 List) ; Hope, Trotter, Bliss. 



N.-W. P. : D. D. Dist.— Jaunsar, Mrs. Stansfield ; T. GarUoal 8-12,000', Duthie ; 

 B. Garh. 12-13,000' Duthie, Mrs. Fisher ; Kumaun 9-14,000' Duthie ; Lessar Pass 

 14,000', MacLeod 1893. 

 Nepal W. : Kali Vy., near Kangua 11,000', Nampa Gadh 12-13,000', Duthie. 

 Distrib. — Asia : N. Ind. (Him.), N. China, Hancock. 



Mr. Clarke's description seems to have been written from material gathered 

 in a limited tract, and his drawing is by no means an adequate representation of 

 the plant, which seems to have various forms. The figure shows fronds not 

 more than 6 in. 1., including the stipes ; and Mr. Clarke says the fronds are 

 small. Blauford's figure is better, as it is of a larger plant, and shows the 

 venation more correctly ; but it does not give the " sessile irregularly peltate and 

 lacerate clathrate scales " which are mixed with the sporangia and are the 

 characteristic feature of the plant. He gives a drawing of a scale from the 

 rhizome, and says the fern is readily distinguished from P. simplex by its 

 narrow linear fronds, the character of the venation, and the clathrate scales of 

 the rhizome and sori, as if these were identic.il. Clarke's enlargement of a scale 

 from the sorus is quite different from Blanford's from the rhizome, and is 

 correct : both are clathrate, though their shapes differ. But, as Blanford says, 

 the scales of the sori are not persistent, and it is not easy in dried specimens to 

 find a specimen of them. On some fronds I find similar scales on the under 

 surface quite unconnected with sori. 



P. dathratum, if all the specimens so named be that species, varies very much 

 in dimensions and shape of frond. Dubhie's high-level examples, from Garhwal, 

 Kumaun, and West Nepal, are generally smaller than even Clarke's figure shows, 

 and are rather coriaceous with venation obscure, but they have the characteris- 

 tic scales in the sori. Duthie's No. 5178 from the Kuari Pass, British Garhwal, 

 13,000', has a comparatively broad frond and short stipes, like that of P. simplex : 

 stipes 1\ — H in., frond 4£ — 8 J in. 1., narrowed gradually to both ends, but it 

 has the characteristic sorus scales in abundance. Some of my specimens from 

 the Simla Begion, gathered late in the season when withering, and with no 

 scales in the sori, have stipes 2 in. 1., and fronds 10 — 12 in. 1. by f — f in. br. 

 Some of the sori in these are linear — f in. 1. A frond from the Mandi State, 

 collected by Trotter, has stipes under 2 in. 1., with frond 12 in. by f in. A 

 plant of Blauford's, from Kamalhori Mt., 9500', is only 4 in. high, rather coria- 

 ceous, with venation obscure, scales wanting, sori oval or oblong. I collected 

 plants of this form at Simla in 1871, and was then certain they were not P, 

 lineare. Fronds from Chamba are 13 in. 1. by f to barely f in. broad, very 



