1024 



genus of ferns to vvliich it was first applied, he suggests tliat of Iso- 

 pbysis for the Melanthaceous genus, subsequently so called by Sir 

 William Hooker in his ' Icones Plantarum,' t. 858, the species retain- 

 ing the name of Tasraanica. 



The same rule induces the author, in the second case referred to, 

 to separate from the genus Deparia, Hook., a species having a truly 

 and constantly reticulated venation, that of Deparia being uniformly 

 free. The specie^. in question is Deparia Moorii from New Caledonia, 

 named by Sir VVni. Hooker after Mr. C. Moore, the Director of the 

 Sydney Botanic Garden, by whom it was discovered ; and the fol- 

 lowing are its generic characters : — 



CioNiDiUM, T. Moore in Gard. Comp. (nomen tantum). 



Char. Gen. Vena reticulatae. Sori semi-globosi, extra-raarginales, 

 in venularum apicibus excurrentibus pedicellati ; capsulis pedi- 

 cellatis. Itidusia stipitata, subcyathiformia. — Frondes bipin- 

 naiae ; soris ex utrdque pimiularmn pinnaiifidarum margine 

 prominulis. 



Cionidium Moorii, T. Moore, 1. c. 



Deparia Moorii, Hook, in Journ. of Hot. iv. p. 54, t. 3. 



Hah. in Nova Caledonia, D. C. Moore (1851). 



Note on the Nature of Fasciated Stems ; hy the Rev. William 

 Hi neks, F.L.S., Professor of Natural History in Queen'' s Col- 

 lege, Cork. 



The author lays it down as an indubitable principle, that what we 

 call monstrosities or anomalies, either in the animal or vegetable king- 

 dom, are always susceptible of explanation from the operation, under 

 unusual circumstances, of causes or principles the ordinary operation 

 of which produces the normal structure of the species. Hence they 

 are always worth studying until a satisfactory explanation of their 

 nature has been arrived at, and even when that is accomplished they 

 have still an interest as illustrations of principles which we apply in 

 the explanation of normal structures, or as proofs of the truth of par- 

 ticular views in respect to the origin or relations of parts in certain 

 tribes. In accordance with this view of the importance of such inves- 

 tigations he proceeds to the consideration of the nature of fasciated 

 stems, which, in concurrence with the view taken by Linnaeus in his 



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