THE LADY FERN 63 



smaller scale. The sori are slightly curved, the basal 

 very much so, being horse-shoe shaped ; the indusia of 

 the same form. This horse-shoe shape is made by the 

 lateral line of spore cases crossing the vein and then 

 returning, and sometimes the indusium is circular all 

 but a small notch, so somewhat resembling the fructifi- 

 cation of Lastrea. One side of the indusium is fixed 

 lengthwise to the side of the vein which forms the 

 receptacle, while the anterior one (that toward the 

 midvein of the pinnule) becomes free, and is split into a 

 fringe of hair-like segments. 



The Lady Fern is common all over England and 

 Ireland, less so in Wales and Scotland (in the High- 

 lands at an altitude of 3,000 feet), but found in all our 

 Northern, "Western, and Channel Islands ; it is found 

 also in one or other of its forms from Lapland to 

 Crete, from the Ural mountains to Kamtchatka, from 

 the Mediterranean to India, from Abyssinia to Algeria, 

 from Canada to British Columbia, and in the United 

 States and South America. It is perhaps the most 

 prolific in varieties of all our British species, the 

 varieties being very marked, singular, and permanent. 

 It is common everywhere in the Lake Country. 



VABIETIES. 



Barnesii, Levens, J. M. Barnes. 



Irachypterum, Whiufell, J. M. Barnes. 



defectum, -Tebay, J. M. Barnes. 



eroswn, Brigsteer, J. M. Barnes ; Windermere, F. Clowes. 



exiguum, Levens, J. M. Barnes. 



fimbriatum, Farleton Knott, J. M. Barnes. 



