THE FERNS OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 467 



1 oannot see much, if any, resemblance of this fern to A. Prescottianum 

 Sook ; though Mr, Clarke says the two species are no doubt very close, and 

 Colonel Beddome that A. TJwinsoni is very near the smaller forms of A. Pres- 

 cottianum, and that it is very probable that they are only varieties of the 

 Same plant (name not stated). A, Prescottictnum is a comparatively large fern, 

 and grows to dense bushy thickets ; it is very scaly all over, shaggy almost. 

 A. Thomsmi is a small plant, growing on rocks, or on rocky ground in forest, 

 but each plant separately, so far as I have seen. The largest plants of A. 

 Thomsoni I have seen are Mr. GoUan's from Nag Tiba Mt. in Tehri Garhwal, 

 one frond of which is 17i-X H ins., and it is just as much A. Thomsoni as is 

 the smallest of all those cited above. Bat there is difference between some of 

 these : McDonell's from the Sach Pass in Chamba and "Duthie's No. 101 from 

 the Ganges Vy. have stipes and rhachis almost glabrous, and quite a different 

 cutting of frond from that of most others — like some one's var. alpina of A, 

 Presmttianum from Sikkim ; and some at least of the sori of Duthie's plant are 

 nephrodioid. These cannot, however, be Clarke's var. gracilis (Lastrea gracilis 

 Moore), for that is said to have fronds smaller than those of typical A. Thom- 

 soni, whereas Duthie's is a large plant with fronds 10 ins. long by 1^ ins. 

 broad. Another form has broadly falcate and aurlcled pinnte with sharp teeth, 

 much cut away at the base on the lower side ; while another has straight, 

 almost dimidiate pinnae, and segments spreading on both sides ; but these are 

 intermediate forms, and the habit of all is alike. 



[A. amleatum Sw. is attributed in all the books to the Indian 

 Region. The Synopsis says — "Hab. — Throughout the world " ; but 

 gives as a synonym 4. sg'wo!rr<9S2<OT Don [rufo-harbatum Wall.), which 

 " has the rachis densely clothed with reddish-brown fibrillose scales," 

 and we are left in doubt under which of the three varieties it recognises, 

 namely « A. khatum^ Sw., 3. A. amleatum, Sw. and 7 A. angulare 

 Willd,, A. squarromm ought to be placed. From the fact that var. 

 (3 is given in the Synopsis as a variety of A. aculeatum Sw., «.e., as 

 a variety of itself, I gather that the species 18, ^. aculeatum Sw., of 

 the Synopsis is a theoretical conception of the authors' ; but it ought 

 to have been given a distinctive specific name, instead of being 

 fathered on Swartz, and I would suggest metaphjsica, hypothetica^ or 

 theoretim, or some equivalent name, to indicate that the plant has no 

 existence in nature. Swartz did not include A. lobatum under A. 

 aculeatum^ but gave it as a separate species, with only " Anglia " as 

 ihe habitat. 



Mr. Clarke says .4. aculeatum Sw. (var (3 of the Synopsis) is very 

 common in the Himalaya and Khasia, alt. 2,000' — 13,000'; and he 



