CONIOPTERIS. 



113 



In the volume of illustrations originally drawn for Lindley & 

 Hutton and published by Lebour in 1877, a specimen is represented 

 in plate xxxviii. which is no doubt identical with S. quinqueloba ; 

 it is described as 8. quinqueloba, var. arbuscula. Williamson, in 

 writing to Lindley in 1837, describes this example as "one of the 

 most elegant little ferns I have yet seen on the Yorkshire coast." 



The habit of the plant referred to S. quinqueloba is rather 

 more open, and the general appearance of the deeply divided 

 pinnules more delicate, than in the smaller forms of Coniopteris 

 hymenophylloides ; but the two species are undoubtedly closely 



FIG. 14. Coniopteris qttinqucloba (Phillips). From a specimen in the 

 Manchester Museum. ( x 2.) 



connected. The fragment shown in Fig. 8, PI. XVI. illustrates 

 the character of the sterile pinnae, while the specimen shown 

 in Text-fig. 14, drawn twice natural size affords an example 

 of frond fragments identical with that figured by Phillips as 

 S. arbuscula, var., and in which he considers the lamina has 

 been destroyed. It is a question whether this skeleton form of 

 a pinna represents the fertile leaf or a partially macerated frond 

 in which only the veins have been left. We know that partially 

 decayed fronds may assume this appearance, but it is not 

 improbable that in this case we have the normal type of fertile 

 pinna. Professor Nathorst, of Stockholm, generously lent me 



