ON THE GENUS BRAINEA. 343 
again, which, so far as habit is concerned, is certainly not unnatural, 
being distinguishable at once by the fleshy stellate-haired fronds, P. 
angmtatapty Suz., with its large, distant, oval, sunken sori, comes nearer 
such a plant as P. sinnomm^ Wall., than to the rest of the species ; 
which, by their numerous, approximate, and subconfluent sori, and 
occasionally somewhat Elaphoglossoid habit (e. g. Nipliobolus Jioyce- 
folius^ T. Moore, apparently not taken up by Hooker), offer a distinct 
approach to Acrodicliece. With regard to Meniscium, I confess that a 
renewed consideration of the subject compels me to assent to Professor 
Mettenius's view; who, after admitting the genus (Ueber ein. Fargttn. 
iv, 25, in adn. ad Phegopt, cuspidatiim), and placing it next to Acro- 
stichi7ny § Qhrymdium, has since (Fil. Lechlerianse, pt. ii. 21) unhe- 
sitatingly I'cdueed it to Phegopterls, § Goriioptens. The comparison 
of such plants as Polypodium uropliylliim^ Wall., P. lineatum, Colebr., 
P. proliferum, Eoxb. (the latter of which was at first placed by Hooker 
in Meniscium), with M. salicifolium. Wall., will at once show 'the rea- 
sonableness of this step I and Hooker, whilst maintaining the genus, 
remarks (Sp. Pil. v. 162): — "Too nearly allied to some species of 
Goniopteris'* In M. simplex, Hook., it is quite exceptional to find 
simple sori, such as are represented in Hook. Journ. Bot, i. t. 11, or 
even subconfluent ones, as shown in ' Filices Exoticge,' t. 83. In almost 
all instances, the fertile fronds are contracted, and have their entire 
under smface concealed by a uniform covering of sporangia. The plant 
is, then, sometimes technically a Phegopteris, at others an Jcrostichum, 
§ Heteroneuron, as was well observed by Mr. Smith (Bot. Herald, 
r 
425). In M. tripJiyllum, S\v., again, the sori are either simple and 
.globose, or more or less couflnent, and then often so widened as to 
form nearly contiguous bands on the frond, precisely similar to those 
of AcrosticJtum (Heteroneuron) costatum. Wall., /3. deltigerum. Hook. ; 
and it is singular that the remarkable red tint of the fronds of P. 
(Goniopteru) ritbidum, P. lineatuniy and P. iirophjllam, occurs also in 
Acrosiichum costatum, I have in these remarks, with Sir W. Hooker 
and Mr. Moore, considered Phegoplerh o.^ inseparable from Polypodium^ 
not having been able to satisfy myself of its distinctness, Mr. J. 
Smith, who accords it generic rank, still places it in a division of his 
Polypodiem^ near Gymnogramme. But if, as Fee (who, while locating 
it next Polypodium, observes that the species are " bien plus rapprochees 
des Aspidium que des Polypodium "), Mettenius, and Grisebach con- 
