140 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



(not figured) exhibits the tissue pillars extending completely across 

 the frond from surface to surface, without the intervention of the 

 space just referred to. There are no clear vacuities between the 

 tissue-pillars, but their place is taken by patches of dark brown 

 pulverulent material, as if filling up such hollows. In PL xxvii., 

 fig. 14, we see a section taken horizontally through the leaf, im- 

 mediately below the surface, exposing the mid-rib, veins, and 

 epidermal tissue between the latter, as well as very dark brown 

 round patches between the veins, which occupy the same relative 

 position as the dark spots in PL xxvii., fig. 15. 



There is evidence of fructification only in the microsections of 

 the fronds, although when the undersides of the latter are visible, 

 and disintegration has taken place, an appearance very similar to 

 fructification presents itself, but that is all. This is due simply 

 to the veinules passing over the revolute margins. 



In PL xxvii., fig. 16, however, are probably the remains of sori, 

 consisting of a number of filaments clustered under the revolute 

 margins, which remind one of pedicels for the support of sporangia, 

 and attached to one of these on the right-hand side of the frond 

 is a small ovate body that may be a sporangium (PL xxvi., fig. 7), 

 very similar to the arrangement of the fructification in Pteris* 

 There is no trace of an indusium. The length of the revolute 

 portion of the frond is 0'3 mm., width of the receptacles contain- 

 ing the pedicels 0-1 mm., its depth 006 mm., and the length of 

 the pedicle 01 mm. 



When first this Fern came under my notice, I took the fronds 

 to be attached in a verticillate manner. I now look upon them 

 as forming small tufts arranged in ordinary close spirals. The 

 structure shown in PL xxvi., fig. 6, showing that the fronds were 

 not arranged in a verticil on the same plane, but in a spiral manner, 

 is emphasised by the fact that in PL xxiv., figs. 2 and 4, and par- 

 ticularly in the last, some of the fronds appear protruding from 

 below the others. This is specially the case in PL xxiv., fig. 4, 

 where the dark shade running across the matrix, indicates a piece 

 removed, displaying a lower level than that to the left of the 

 shading ; on the former are two fronds. 



The Scales. — More or less pyriforui bodies are visible associated 

 with the fronds in PL xxv., fig. 5, and PL xxvi., fig. 6 ; these I 

 have tentatively termed "scales." Mr. A. 0. Seward, to whom 

 I submitted photographic copies of the present plates, has been 

 good enough to suggest that these may be bulbil-like appendages, 

 or scale-leaves. He remarks that bulbils occur in some recent 

 ferns, such as Cystopteris bulbifera. A dimorphic condition of 

 the fronds has been shown to exist in Glossopieris browniana, 



* See Hooker and Baker's Synop. Filicium, 1868, pi. iii., fig. 31. 



