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HINTS ON A NEW CHARACTER IN FERNS. 257 
These however disappeared on the same parts in the fully de- 
veloped frond. Amongst other things the spores did not remain 
unnoticed ; but I must confess I did not observe in their forms, 
size, or markings, such differences as to render them of sufficient 
importance as specific characters; nevertheless I do not assert 
that such do not exist; but it did occur to me at that time, that 
the form, number, and relative position of the fascicles of the 
vascular tissue, observable in transverse sections of the stipes, 
might possibly be made available as a distinctive character. 
Whether this character would prove generic or specific, my re- 
searches were not carried out to a sufficient extent to determine 
accurately, for my attention was soon afterwards diverted from 
the subject, which was never subsequently resumed. I have 
selected from my drawings, preserved from that period, the ac- 
companying rough sketches of transverse sections of the stipes 
of a few British Ferns, which, with the accompanying descrip- 
tions, will explain my meaning. It is to be wished that some 
student of this beautiful family of plants would follow out the 
investigation through the remainder of our British forms. 
Fig. 1. Transverse section of stipes of Lastrea Filix-mas, Presl. 
The stipes is composed of an external zone of close woody tissue 
(a), surrounding the mass of cellular tissue (c), which forms the 
central portion. In this cellular tissue are imbedded seven fas- 
cicles of vascular tissue (4), various in size, round in form, and 
placed near the external woody zone. 
Fig. 2 represents one of these fascicles of vascular tissue (0) 
on an enlarged scale, showing it to be composed of a thin outer 
layer or zone of oblong muriform cells of a dark brown colour 
(d), within which is a dense mass of woody tissue (e), envelop- 
ing a cluster of scalariform vascular tissue, pear-shaped, and 
curved at the narrower extremity (/). 
Fig. 3. Transverse section of stipes of Lastrea Thelypteris, 
Presl. Here the vascular fascicles are two, large, oblong or 
ovoid, parallel, slightly diverging from each other in the upper 
part, occupying the centre of the section. Each of these is sur- 
rounded by a pale or colourless thin layer or zone, enveloping the 
woody tissue in which is imbedded the vascular tissue itself, of a 
peculiarly graceful, swanlike form. This section was made about 
the middle of the stipes; but fig. 4 is a section near the base of 
the stipes, in which the fascicles appear round and parallel. 
N.S. VOL. f. 2 L 
