unknown to me. Colour a dull dark-purple. Substance soft and mem- 

 branous. In drying the frond closely adheres to paper. 



A very beautiful little plant, with a habit completely re- 

 sembling that of a Jungermannia of the section PlapocJiila. 

 Decaisne describes two other West Australian species, which 

 either I have not seen, or have confounded with what is here 

 figured, and which I regard as identical with Schimper's speci- 

 mens from the Red Sea. In W. Australia, where L. Schimperi 

 is very common on several of the Sargassa, it varies considerably 

 in size and in degree of ramification, and less so in the order of 

 branching and shape of the leaflets or pinnae. Still, only one 

 species seems present. Nor can I well distinguish Decaisne's 

 L. gracilis of Ceylon, where I have gathered specimens in equal 

 plenty, from some of the more slender specimens of Western 

 Australia. On the whole I am mclined to unite the L. gra- 

 cilis, L. pectinata, and L. comosa of Dene , to the L. Schimperi, 

 of which they may be varying forms, or imperfectly developed 

 fronds. L. ciliata, by its ciliated pinnae, is perhaps more dis- 

 tinguishable. 



The genus Leveillea is nearly related to Polgzonio, but suffi- 

 ciently different in habit and character. 



Fig. 1. Leveillea Schimperi, — the natural size. 2. Part of the frond, — 

 enlarged. 3. A leaf-like pi ana and supra-axUlary stichidium. 4. A tetra- 

 spore. 5. Apex of a young pmnule. 6. One of the discs or holdfasts of 

 the creeping stem : — magnijied. 



