Jonr7ial of Travel and Natural History 319 



FERNS OF KILIMAND/AFO.* 



AVALUABLIC paper on the gcograijliical (lislribulion of 

 ferns was contributed last year to the Linna3an Society by 

 Mr Jjaker of Kcw. 'i"he little jjamjjhlet, whose title we have ];laced 

 at the head of this notice, treats of the same subject at some length 

 in its introduction, and our first intention was to delay noticing 

 it until we could pass both under review at the same time. 



On perusing Dr Kuhn's j^aper, however, we think it will be 

 better to discus's it at once, for his general data differ so materially 

 from those of Mr Baker, that the one cannot be used to throw light 

 upon the other : we must make our selection between them, and 

 cleave to the one and reject the other. We cannot follow both 

 Kuhn and Baker. 



The total number of species admitted by Mr I'aker is 2229, that 

 by Ur Kuhn is 3334,t leaving a difference between the two of no 

 less than 1105, or a third of the whole. If this difference were 

 uniform in all the tribes and families, we might, by apj>lying a 

 correction of a third, keep the j)rojKjrtion the same, and make some 

 comparison between the results of each ; but it is not so, no two 

 tribes differing in the same proportion. The difference between 

 them, for example, is, on the whole a third; on the IIynieno]jhylla- 

 cea2, a fourth; on the Gleicheniaceaj, a half; on the Osmundaceoc, 

 a tenth ; and on the Schizaeea), an eleventh — always in favour of 

 Dr Kuhn's numbers. There are, therefore, no termini haOiles for 

 reconciling the two; and, as it is imjjossible that both can be right 

 — perhaps impossible that either can be right — we shall content 

 ourselves with endeavouring to ascertain which comes nearest to 

 the true amount. 



Mr Baker has attained his results chiefly from the actual ex- 

 amination of species in the Kew Herbarium (the richest in ferns 

 in the world), so that his results are mainly derived from actual 

 examination of the specimens themselves, and, if errors exist in 

 regard to the admission or rejection of species, they are at least 



* Filiccs DcckcniaiKc, Auctor. Max. Kuhn, Lcipsig (1867). 



+ The entire number of Comiophytes given l^y \)x Kulni is 3825, hut lliis 

 inchulcs the Equisetaccic, Ihc I.ycopodiaccic, aii'l the Kliizocar[)e.''.-, aniouiitiiif,' 

 to 491. 



