NOVEMBER. 251 



for adhering to the old nomenchiture, which he probably thinks the 

 best ; but when he states, as he does in the Preface, that the new 

 system of classifying Ferns according to their venation is neither 

 correct, convenient, nor practicable, we must join issue with him. 

 We maintain the exact opposite. Indeed, Mr. Francis appears to 

 have totally misconceived the system itself, as though venation was 

 made to overrule every thing else ; which is by no means the case, it 

 being only made auxiliary to the fructification. We also differ in 

 toto with Mr. Francis as to the genus of the Scaly Hart's-tongue, 

 wdiich he still places in Grammitis — an error long since exploded, 

 Grammitis being a genus of Polypodiesc, while the plant under notice 

 evidently belongs to Asplenieaj. This error has, however, arisen 

 from trusting to the single character of the absence of an indusium. 

 The plant should be referred to the genus Ceterach. The figure 

 given of Polypodium calcareum represents the allied P. Dryopteris. 

 This error is the more remarkable, as Mr. Francis has evidently de- 

 scribed the true plant, and insists on its distinctness in opposition to 

 some contrary published opinions. The two species of Woodsia 

 could not be recognised from the figures given of them. Cystop- 

 teris dentata is kept distinct from C. fragilis ; and perhaps correctly 

 so, though almost all authors now unite them. The Aspidium acu- 

 leatum of this book is one of the many forms of A. angulare. Mr. 

 Francis's Aspidium spinulosum would appear, from some points of 

 his description, to be really a form of A. dilatatum, although he takes 

 especial care to explain that it is not. Either this is the case, or 

 there is some confusion in the descriptions, the phrase " indusium 

 glandulous" not being applicable to the true A. spinulosum. Aspi- 

 dium recurvum is jumbled up wdth A. dilatatum, as in the earlier 

 editions, notwithstanding that Mr. Newman, so long ago at least as 

 1844, clearly distinguished it, and that all botanists who have paid 

 any attention to the subject now acknowledge its distinctness. The 

 Rock Brakes is named Cryptogramma crispa, a genus alHed to Pteris. 

 On this point w^e differ, and refer the plant to Allosorus, a genus of 

 the Polypodie?e, the edge of the frond which covers the sori being 

 simply turned back, and not changed in texture, so as to become a 

 true indusium. Trichomanes brevisetum is retained as the name of 

 the rare Bristle Fern, long since identified with the T. speciosum of 

 continental authors, and by some believed to be the same as T. radi- 

 cans, a species described even earlier than T. speciosum. Neither of 

 these synonyms are quoted. Passing to the Equisetums, we find no 

 mention whatever of E. Mackaii, a distinct species published by Mr. 

 Newman at least as long since as 1844, nor is it in any way alluded to. 

 Our limits, of course, prevent us from going into any detail on 

 the doubtful or erroneous portions of the book ; but we think the 

 preceding enumeration will at least justify us in stating that Mr. 

 Francis's work has now fallen behind the state of our knowledge on 

 this particular subject. The author, we believe, is now a resident in 

 Australia, which may account for the defect, but does not render it a 

 less blemish. We must protest, too, against these booksellers' " new 

 editions," which are mere unre vised reprints of former issues. 



