118 KEPORT— 1870. 



Pohjpodm7nvulffare(com.TQ.on])6\.y^oiy). Asplenium adiantum-niyrum (black 



LastreaJiUx-7nas (male fern). spleenwort). 



Pteris aqtdlina (brake fern). Aspleniuvi trichomanes (wall spleeu- 



Blechnum horeale (hard fern). wort). 



Polystichum anijulare (shield fern). Osmunda rcyalis (royal fern). 



Athyriimi felix-fcemina (lady fern). 



The abnormal growth of several of the above-named ferns is by no means con- 

 stant; although under cultivation some of the variations of Lastreu filix-mas, 

 Pohjpodium vulffcire, and Polysticlmm am/idare may be not only retained, but also 

 improved upon. As an illustration of this the author mentioned a plant of Poly- 

 stichum anyidare, which he transplanted from a neighbouring lane into his fernery 

 a few years ago, when it had only two or three fronds which were bifm-cated, the 

 remaining leaves being in their normal condition. Within twelve months all the 

 fronds became bifurcated, and the succeeding year brought them out with a thickly 

 crested multifid termination ; whilst at the same time a fresh element of variation 

 appeared in the bifurcation of each of the pinnae or side leaves. In another season 

 the pinnfe also had become crested, and so the whole plant has gone on, becoming 

 more and more divided and subdivided, until all its original character has passed 

 away ; and the twenty-nine fronds of which the plant at present consists, and which 

 ought of course in a normal state to have only as many terminations, have now 

 become multiplied to such an extent that on the smallest and least crested of all 

 the fronds may be reckoned no less than 137 small but well-defined terminations, 

 whilst some of the larger leaves have upwards of double that number. During all 

 this time the plant had never been moved or meddled with in any way, and the 

 only attention it received was an occasional watering during the spring and whilst 

 the fronds were sprouting out. 



The fern which, in its natural state, is at the present time imdergoing the greatest 

 amount of change is the Pteris aquilina, or common brake. The observations of 

 the bifid and multifid forms of this species were said to date from five years ago ; 

 up to which time the author knew of only one locality where an abnormal plant 

 could be met with. Now the variations have increased to such can enormous ex- 

 tent that even in this short space of time this species bids fair to outstrip Scolopen- 

 drimn vidyare in its race towards what, in strict botanical language, would perhaps 

 be called " teratological metamorphosis." 



The warm and moist climate of the south-west of England and the corresponding 

 portion of Ireland appears more especially favourable to the growth of such ferns 

 as have a tendency to depart from their original and recognized type ; whilst, on 

 the other hand, in the drier atmosphere of France and Italy, Spain and Switzerland, 

 it was noticed that the ferns did not seem to have reached an equally advanced 

 stage of abnormal growth. This question of geographical distribution was one of 

 considerable importance, and as such was deserving of a full investigation. 



In conclusion, the author said that the change now taldng place so extensively 

 amongst the Cryptogamia deserved to be especially observed, because it appeared to 

 be a change of comparatively recent date. As far as he was aware, no instance of 

 a fern with an abnormal growth had hitherto been noticed amongst the fossilized 

 remains of the Old Red Sandstone, or in the still more luxuriant and diverse flora 

 of the Carboniferous period, or even in any of the Mesozoic strata, — lower, middle, 

 or upper ; whilst, advancing a step further into the recent period, it was remarked 

 that up to the time of De Candolle there was scarcely a botanist who had made 

 any investigations in this department of botanical science. 



Note on the Larval State of Molgula, ivith Descriptions of several neiv Species 

 of simple Ascidians. By Albany Hancock, F.L.S. 



The author of this paper shows that in two members of the genus Molytda the 

 usual tadpole-like larva is developed, notwithstanding M. Lacaze-Duthier's recent 

 discoveiy, that in a certain species stated to belong to this genus there is no such 

 tadpole-larva, but that the young on escaping from the egg is a comparatively 

 inactive xVmosba-like creature. There is some probability, however, that the 



