50 



in profusion in Madeira, and from that country have reached the 

 hands of Mr. Ward, Dr. Lemann, Mr. Watson, and many others, I 

 think there is no reason to doubt that he included me in the species 

 whicli he so named ; but then, as you observe, you " have both Mr. 

 Lowe's varieties, a. and /3., from Madeira, so marked by (your) 

 valued friend Dr. Lemann ; and there cannot be better authority ior 

 Mr. Lowe's plant (in which I fully concur; and) these unfortunately 

 tell a different tale ;" and subsequently one of you, viz., George A. 

 Walker-Arnott, LL.D., &c., makes this assertion in the ' Annals of 

 Natural History :' — " I possess Nephrodium Fcenisecii, Lowe, from 

 Lowe himself, and it is clearly not the form or species called Lastrea 

 recurva by Newman ;" (Ann. Nat. Hist. vi. 473). From all this I 

 infer that Lowe's Fcenisecii is what has been called a " collective '* 

 species, that is, two or three of us rolled into one, a practice that 

 saves a deal of trouble and a deal of time, yet is what may be called 

 a slow or andante movement compared with the more brisk and 

 exciting labour of creating species out of one's own imagination. 



But abandoning the question of identity between Fcenisecii and 

 myself, allow me to ask, in the most humble manner, by what means 

 you so positively identify me with your spinulosum, y. You admit 

 you can make nothing of Mr. Newman's figure of me, and you say 

 you find in Mr. Newman's book no specific description, and yet you 

 positively identify me as your spinulosum, y. This is " passing 

 strange !" You know me by my unintelligible effigy, by a represen- 

 tation that 1 am four feet high, and by the entire absence of a 

 description. There is no doubt, no query, no hesitation. This 

 indeed is superhuman wisdom ! I have misgivings whether you are 

 altogether canny ! However, I rejoice to be thus raised to the honor- 

 able position till lately occupied by my lovely mountain friend, rigida. 

 You surely have not forgotten that the lady now known as Lastrea 

 rigida was the spinulosum, y., of the earlier editions of the ' British 

 Flora,' not, however, of the fifth edition : there something else figures 

 as spinulosum, y. ; something found at " Bingley Wood, near Hali- 

 fax, by Mr. W. Wilson ; " something that had the " pinnules and 

 segments very unequal in size and in their spinulose serratures;" 

 something, in fact, which you suggest may be " a monstrosity." 

 Thus your spinulosum, y., is of rather protean character : one year it 

 is Lastrea rigida ! another a monstrosity !! another Lastrea recurva !!! 

 What will it be next.? You " can't say !" I thought as much. I 

 will answer for you. It will be nothing at all ! By that time, 

 reverend signiors ! you must yield to the information and expression 



