p ABNORMAIi FERNS. 



In revex.ing to the various f ^f ^^-^^1:^0.^:^^^^^^^ 



the froud to the ff yg^'-;- ?£^'Anderside of the frond (though nut 



they choose to caU seeds on ^^^e Ji^%^'''^ ^,-e ,,ot, as we have 3ust 



aJays necessarily on the ''^^'"'f^f^J^^J^^^lA. the development of 

 .aid^ealseeds hut spores the fostproc^tow^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^. ^^^^ 



a fresh plant. It may be "le"*^""^'^''', It he had made the discovery 

 Professor NageU, of Zurich, anuounced that he h^d m ^^^^ ^iverwoit- 

 thatinthe Marchantia-hke gennmal fiond U^ ^^^^^^ .^ ^,^^^t 



Rke condition) ^vere to be seen the oigans ot lepio ^ existence of 



the year 18-15 Count Summski, ^/J^^^^^ ^'J^^S^ of ceUs existed ou 

 these so-caUcd Anthcridia and also that tNvoM ^^^^^^;^ threw out 

 the young germ frond, and that ^^f ^^^;^^^^,^f';"^a furnished w-ith ciUa 

 Bpinll thread-like bodies, tuickened ^^ °"« f "^^^f^^^^ktv, were caUed 

 about the thickened part, and ^^^^ese Ji»m the^r act^ ^ ^^^ ^ 

 ..Animalcules." The Count fm-taersated^^^^ distinctly 



spirals landed in a female f-^: ^ YrewTirproduced within the pistilli- 

 observed the ternunal bud of t^i^ ^^^w ax s po" ^^ • ^^^ centre 



dium, (or femaleceU,) %-) ^^^^.f^^I'^^e^^^^^^^^ from a fi:ee 



as itself the rudnncnt of t^^,^,\^!^l ^j^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ a nucleus within the 

 cell produced withm it. Mettenius ouseivea filaments 



Sobnlar cellule. Merckhn then declared t^J**^t\Xd seen them 

 twarnied about the P-^tmidium m imn^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^,^ ,, 



on rare occasions penetrate it. ir-ioiessoi xieun y, 

 iiitprestine ai-ticle on this subject. 



mentioned, to flower, to have "^^\1« 7,^^^^'^^^^^^^^^^^ 



male than female cells,) and these ^.^^^Vft 4 Uv depends upon how this 



aud thus enable it to put on its butteriivlife oi fionds. 



Let an example be taken in ^the ^ady Fern wj--e^ a^ n^^^^^^^^ 

 varieties have been sown together. Now if J^^ f J f^^^^y natu- 



wmmmmmm 



form has been obtained, it seems only necessary to .S<:'J J^ ccU lee '.^^^ 



onuaUy lUmost uupossiblc to raise any but nonual forms. 



As regards the various normal forms that species wUl assume it is 

 a sin^uhu- faeTtbat most of our British ferns luit on -in----«; -'^^ ^ 

 fn imitation of each other, tbat tbe varieties oi each ^l^^f^l};^^^^^ 

 characters m coimuon, and that a certain law of form of vaiiety seems 

 Jo extend more or U through both Bntish ^nd exotic species^ ibo 

 usual forms nmning through nearly ■^Uoui- British eins ^^^ hose 

 having the fronds creMrd, crisp, imbncatnl, coHjliwnt, """'•''• 



d,carj: aud not only this, but we have the multiple of these, oi tUc com 



