224 HEPATIC^. [Mdnhantia. 



the last mentioned variety ; upon it we have the pcdunculated 

 male receptacles, and lying among the specimens received, but 

 not attached to them, a single female receptacle, in all proba- 

 bility belonging to them and having all the characters of that of 

 M. hemisphcerica. Still a third appearance of this species, as 

 we presume it to be, is found growing abundantly on a bank, 

 intermixed with Targionia hypopliylla^ in the New Forest, 

 Hants, by Mr. Lyell. In this, likewise, the specimens have 

 the fronds of a compact nature, the under side and margin of a 

 deep purple, the upper surface sometimes, especially in the dry 

 state, apparently as destitute of areolse as that of the last 

 variety, whilst at other times, when moist particularly, we 

 have observed the areolse and their pores tolerably conspi- 

 cuous. The female fructification, as seen and described to us 

 by Mr. Lyell, seems precisely similar to that of M. hemisphce- 

 rica, but the most remarkable peculiarity in this plant, is, that 

 the male receptacles, which are very abundant, have hitherto 

 been observed always sessile, and imbedded, as it were, in the 

 substance of the frond, situated near the extremities, whence, at 

 the period of their decay, innovations of the frond are seen to 

 issue. 



The three varieties just alluded to, we believe, are found grow- 

 ing upon comparatively dry banks, and to this may be attri- 

 buted the compact nature of the frond, the deep purple hue of 

 its under side and margins, and the indistinct appearance of the 

 cellules. The M. quadrata of Scopoli, which Sir James Smith 

 refers to his M. androgyna in Engl. Bot. may, we think, be 

 quoted under M. hemisphcerica. 



We cannot help expressing our suspicions that the M. an- 

 drogyna, at least of English Botany, is nothing more than 

 M. hemisphcerica. We allude to the two upper figures, the 

 two lower ones with more perfect fructification, are stated to be 

 copied from Swiss specimens, and we have no hesitation in 

 pronouncing them to be the M. fragrans of Balbis, a highly 

 curious species, which has never yet been found in Britain ; we, 

 however, possess specimens of the same, or an analogous 

 species, which we have received from Philadelphia and the 

 Cape of Good Hope, as well as Switzerland and Savoy, and 



