MR. J. G. BAKER ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF FERNS. 313 



Of these the five marked with an asterisk extend to the Himalayas, and the other three 

 are confined to Manchuria and Siberia. 



4. Temperate North America. — Next to Europe and North Africa, this has the smallest 

 fern-flora of the temperate districts — 114 species, 5 per cent, of the whole. They may he 

 classified as follows : 



Essentially temperate species peculiar to it 



'.7 



J> J> 3J 



)> >5 J5 



it )i J5 



common to Asia and Europe . . 34 

 common to Europe .... 2 

 common to Asia 8 



81 



and the remaining 33 species are nearly all subtropical species common to this district 

 and the tropical zone of the same continent. The most prominent point to ho noted is 

 the smallness of this last element. The northern half of Mexico is extratropieal ; and if 

 the species which grow there were included, the number of subtropical sped-- would bo 

 considerably increased. Comparing this district with Europe, which on the whole it re- 

 sembles most, the greater range and abundance of several of the peculiar species is note- 

 worthy. We have instances of this furnished by Woodwardia areolata and rirginlca, 

 Tolypodium hexagonopterum, Dlcksonia pnnctiloba, Cystopteris bulbifera, Scohpendrium 

 rhizophyllum, Nephrodium marginale, noveboracense, and Goldieanvm. All these have 

 their head quarters in the Northern United States, which yield altogether 51 species. 

 Throughout British North America we have only 46 species, 7 of which are absent from 

 the Northern States. In the Southern States east of the Mississippi there are 56 spec** 

 19 of which are not known in the Northern States ; the remaining 37 are peculiar to 

 California and New Mexico. About one-fifth of the ferns of the district belong to 

 Vellaa and Cheilanthes, a group proportionally preponderant also at the Cape. 

 ' North Temperate ^.-Taking the north temperate zone as a whole, we find .t to 

 yield 514 species, 34 of which are common to the three districts 18 to foe seoondand 

 third, 8 to the third and fourth, and 2 to the second and fourth. Of these, 1. 1 speeds, 



or one in three, are peculiar to it. ... f 



5. Temperate SoZ Africa.-^ temperate South Afnca we have, ,riflao«n area of 

 ™der a million square miles, 153 speeies, or 7 per eeut. «rf •** <***■ Of ft** o are 

 Peculiar to Cape Colony, 4 to the island of Tristan dAcunha 11 £ ^ -1 ,u tbe 

 south temperate zone, 7 others are American, and 19 £^ n « ^ exclu ° vcly ro 



species common to this district and the tropics, 20 of them ■*"»&«> „,,.,„„_,•,. 



Epical Africa. When we consider the strongly marked peculiarity of the p Han 

 flora of this district, the lack of individuality in its fern-flora is remarkable 



Even out of 



~~- "i mis district, tne lacx oi nuu, ~--v . " , h most distinct f them are 



fee 23 peculiar species 4 or 5 are doubtfully distinct. Th , three ™ ^ 



P^dofilkes-^W**, pectinate, Anemia Dregeana, ™\°? u °?~ „ ' perhaps 

 species out of the 23 belong to Pelkea, CkeUantJ.es, and ***J^"XESZ 

 f>e least moisture-needing In its stations. The specif ehth. ^ ££»•-£ - 

 Perate zone have in common, it may be noted here once tor all, 



