42 



BRITISH FERNS. 



specimens of lobatum approach very closely to Lonchitis, par- 

 ticularly the variety named lonchitidoides, which is shov^^n not to 

 be a young form of lobatum, but a distinct form by its bearing 

 fructification. When I had the pleasure of seeing the yoimger 

 Agardh in England, I mentioned to him my suspicion that 

 Lo7icMtis would be found to belong to the same species as lobatum^ 

 amleatum^ and angulare, when he informed me that it could not 

 be considered a mountain form of these, as I suspected, because 

 it was the most common species throughout the flat countries of 

 Sweden." 



Sadler sinks lobatum as a synonyme of aculeatum, not noticing 

 it as a variety, but he raises to the rank of a species, under the 

 name muni turn, that variety of the lobate type which has " the 

 frond pinnate, the pinnae lineari-lanceolato-subfalcate, and pin- 

 natifid at the base." I cannot doubt that this is the plant alluded 

 to by Mr. Babington as bearing the name of lonchitidoides, and 

 represented ante, page 39, fig. f. 



In the Annals of Natural History, I find in some botanical 

 notes of a tour in Ireland by Mr. J. Ball, of Cambridge, a 

 passage so completely in accordance with the views I have 

 expressed, that I cannot resist the temptation to quote it. " At 

 Colin Glen, a few miles from Belfast, in ascending from the 

 lower woody part of the glen to the rocks at the summit, the 

 botanist can scarcely fail to remark the gradual transition from a 

 very divided form of Aspidium angulare through the forms 

 named aculeatum and lobatum to one on the rocks above, which 

 cannot be distinguished from A. Lonchitis." — Ann, Nat. Hist. 

 Vol. ii. p. 29. 



