188 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



Jpril. — R. P. Williams, Esq., Vice-President in the chair. " Notes on 

 HymmophyUa , especially with reference to New Zealand Species," by Mr. 

 W. Andrews. In the course of the paper, the following reinarks were inci- 

 dentally made on the two British species : — It has often much surprised me 

 that British botanists are so persistent in making H. mnlaterale the true 

 representative of H. Wilso)n, for I venture to assert that few have ever 

 possessed truly authenticated specimens of H. unilultraleoi Willdenow and 

 of Bory St. Vincent, and none to have seen living specimens. //. 7ini- 

 Inlerale seems altogether to be confined to the Island of Bourbon, where 

 alone it was met with and described by Bory St. Vincent. Of H. uni- 

 lateralc of New Zealand, the spreading frond more nearly approaches II. 

 tunhrichjense, but the fruit, with even and entire involucres, is similar to 

 that of H. Wihoni, with the exception that the lips of the involucre are 

 broader and not ovate. I have been favoured with a specimen of the true 

 H. umlateraU from Reunion, obtained by Dr. Meller. It unfortunately 

 has no involucres, yet the character of the pinnules of the frond are dis- 

 tinct both from H. tiinbridgtnse and H. Jrilwni. I expect better speci- 

 mens. In the meantime, I will give the account of one who has taken 

 much interest in the study of Ferns, especially those of the Mauritius, 

 from which place the communication is sent. The extract, which is 

 very clear and pleasingly written, is from a letter sent to a lady in this 

 city, who is much interested in the suhiect:—".IIi/viei/ojjI/i/ll/tm unila- 

 terale does not grow in Mauritius, but in the neighbouring Island 

 of Bourbon (Reunion), and none has been found there since 1835, so 

 that there was some difficulty in procuring a specimen. Tins, however, 

 has been managed with the aid of Dr. Meller, the Director of the Botanic 

 Gardens here, who was in Reunion when your letter arrived, and who 

 succeeded in getting me an authentic specimen, named by Bory St. 

 Vincent himself, which I now send to you, together with a 'iew of our 

 Mauritius Ili/meiiopliylleae and Tricliomanes, as they may interest you or 

 your friends. Sir Henry (Barkly) and myself, in concert with Dr. Meller, 

 carefully examined H. uiiilfilerale, and we came to the conclusion that it 

 decidedly differs from the description given of H. JFilsoni by Hooker in 

 his ' Species Filicum,' i. 95, inasmuch as its margin is perfectly smooth 

 except just at the apex of the segments, while the latter is described 

 as having the margin " toothed or spiuuloso-serrate." The cells, too, 

 "which Dr. Meller examined with a microscope, are sufficiently distinct 

 from those of II. TP'llsoni, as figured in Seemann's ' Journal of Botany,' 

 I. 294. It also appears to differ widely from the description given of 

 H. tnvhriJgeiise, to which Sir William Hooker referred a specimen of 

 H. imilaterale, sent by Willdenow (tvV/e ' Species Filicum'). We have not 

 yet found H. tnnbridgense in Mauritius, and can only judge from some 

 specimens from Ireland, and from a figure given in Beddome's ' Ferns of 

 Southern India.' There can be little doubt therefore that //. Tf^thoni is 

 a distinct species, though whether the same honour can be given to 

 H. miilaterale, or whether it is only a peculiar form of some of the 

 Bourbon varieties, remains to be proved. Sir Henry and Dr. Meller 

 both incline, I think, to the latter opinion, as several of the Hynwnophylhfe 

 from Reunion have a decided tendency to a unilateral character, and I 

 enclose one specimen of //. Borynnnm found by Dr. Meller growing with 

 a mass of that Fern and from the same root, Avhich you will see is scarcely 

 distinguishable from //. nnilateraler Mr. F. Clowes, of Windermere, 



