NOTE ON THE FERN GENUS BRAINEA. 15 
what is now an error in the Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. vol. viii. p. 
542, where Professors Balfour and Babington state, **'The Ferns of the 
Shetlands are less numerous than those of Iceland or Feroe; while those 
of the Long Island, Hebrides, exceed the Feroe species by 4, and are’ 
exactly equal to the number found in Iceland." The census of the 
Filices is now—Orkney, 17; Shetland, 15 or 16; Hebrides and Ice- 
land, 14; and Feroe, 10 
The Shetland Isles possess an extinct flora, the most characteristic 
species of which is Betula alba; but a consideration of the agents 
which have brought about the extinction of such is not quite in keep- 
ing with the descriptive character of the present paper, and may pos- 
sibly appear as a separate communication. 
In conclusion, I would acknowledge the assistance rendered me by 
Professor C. C. Babington, in determining Gnaphalium Norvegicum, 
the Hieracia, and Chara aspera, and also for his critical notes, which 
are appended to the species they refer to. I have also to thank Messrs. 
C. W. Peach, Adam White, F.L.S., and J. Gatherer, for submitting to 
my examination many Shetland plants, collected by him in 1864, 
from which I have been enabled to add one new Fern, and several ad- 
ditional localities of interesting species. 
Plantago, collected by Mr. Tate, was thought to be P. alpina, 
but, on closer examination, it turns out to be some broad-leaved form 
of P. maritima, or, at all events, it is better considered so until more 
evidence has been adduced.—Ep1rTor. ] 
~ 
NOTE ON THE FERN GENUS AZAINEA. 
By Jonn SurrH, Esa. 
I beg to make a few remarks in reference to Dr. Hance’s article on 
the name and affinity of Brainea insignis given in the Journal of Botany, 
Vol. III. p. 341. First, as regards the name. In 1851, Mr. C. J. 
Braine, on his return from Hongkong, brought with him a collection 
of living plants, whieh he presented to the Royal Botanie Garden at 
Kew ; amongst them were several epiphytal Orchids artificially attached 
to stems of Tree-Ferns about a foot or 18 inches in length, and about 
a foot in circumference, The fronds of these stems were closely cut 
