1028 



in the Edinb. Cat.'" With reference to this passage we would ask, if 

 Presl " banished all Bory's species," how it happens that Oreopteris 

 and Thelypteris are retained, not only in the Edinburgh Catalogue, 

 but also in Presl's own Tentamen ? For in the latter, we find The- 

 lypteris and Oreopteris holding the second and third places in his 

 §. 2, Thelypteris. In his Synopsis, ed. 2, Mr. Newman gives Bory 

 as the authority for the genus: while at p. 185 of his History, ed. 2, 

 under L. Thelypteris, he states that " Botanists seem scarcely agreed 

 as to the genus to which this fern should be referred. Presl places it 

 in Bory's genus Lastrsea ; Schott constitutes a genus (Thelypteris) pur- 

 posely to receive it, and gives to the species the name of palustris; and 

 Sir W. J. Hooker, in the fifth edition of his ' British Flora,' makes it 

 an Aspidium : thus we have three of the highest, as well as most re- 

 cent authorities, completely at issue on the question." 



Next with regard to Athyrium. The editor's words are these : — 

 "Athyrium also is a genus of Roth, (1800), (adopted in part by Presl), 

 and the species above mentioned [.? A. Filix femina and fontanum] are 

 of the same antiquity." At p. 61, Mr. Newman says: — " In opposi- 

 tion to the views of many eminent botanists, I feel inclined to return 

 the Lady fern to the genus Athyrium of Roth, which I think must al- 

 so include the Allantodia australis of Brown, I doubt whether I can 

 agree with Presl in placing Aspleuium Halleri and fontanum in the 

 same group." 



With respect to Allosorus, the editor observes, " We are well aware 

 that Crjptogramma crispa Br. is the Allosorus of Bernhardi, (1806) ; 

 but the Cheilanlhes odora, Sw. is the plant which Bernhardi seems 

 to have had in view in constituting the genus ; " Mr. Newman, " It 

 [A. crispus] has by three eminent botanists been made the type of a 

 new genus ; viz. by Bernhardi, under the name Allosorus ; by Des- 

 veux, under the name Phorobolus ; and by Brown, imder the name 

 Cryptogramma The name I have adopted has the claim of priority." 

 —p. 17. 



. And lastly, with regard to Lomaria : the editor says " So long ago 

 as 1810, Mr. Brown expressed his opinion that Blechnum boreale 

 might perhaps be referred to his Stegania (Lomaria, Willd.) ;" and 

 in his Synopsis Mr. Newman says of Stegania, " Apparently identical 

 with Lomaria." 



We have been thus particular in quoting parallel passages, in or- 

 der to show that Mr. Newman was careful to give the authorities for 

 the generic names employed by him. To this we shall presently 

 return . 



