478 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV* 



N.-W. P. : D. B. Dist. — Jaunsar ; Chachpur Peak 10,000', Gamble 1892, Kerana 

 9500' Gamble 1893 (on sheet with A. Thomsoni) ; T. Garh. — 10-16,000', (tea stations) 

 Duthie 1879—83 ; Brit. Garh.-— T)omh\tia. Gadh 9-10,000', Duthie 1885 ; Eumaun— 

 Wallich ; above Tola 12,500' and near Milam, S. & W.; Palam Vy. 11-13,000', S. & W., 

 Trotter ; Finsara 10,000', Davidson ; Dhauli Valley 14-15,000', Duthie 1884 ; near 

 Pindari Glacier 10-11,000', Trotter 1891. 



Nepal, W.— Nampa Gadh, 12-13,000', Duthie 1886. 



DiSTRlB. — Asia : N. Ind. (Him.) — Nepal ; Sikkim and Bhotan. 



Clarke's and Beddome's descriptions of A. Prescottiatmm are better than 

 that in the Synopsis ia that they mention the fibrillse or narrow scales which 

 are mised with the large broadly ovate-acuminate scales on the stipes and 

 rhachis. On the rhachis the scales get narrow and smaller, and the fibrillse 

 more hair-like. The fibrillse are found on the surfaces, perhaps more sparing- 

 ly on the upper than on the lower. The cutting of the frond varies of course 

 with the size ; but, with the exception mentioned below, I cannot find any 

 specimens on which the pinnte are " even pinnate," as Beddome says they are ; 

 and yet I have fronds, gathered by myself on Hatu (or Hatugarh) Mt., which 

 are up to 27 ins. long by 4 ins. broad, though 18 by 3 ins. are the 

 maximum dimensions given in the Synopsis. The habit of the plant is well 

 described by Blanford — " abundant on Hatu, growing in dense masses, on 

 the hill side between 9,500 and 10,500 ft."— in the open, chiefly, I should add. 

 The rhachis may be weak, as the Synopsis says ; but the masses on Hatu Mt. 

 Blanford speaks of (as I have seen) are composed of stout upstanding plants ; 

 the fronds support each other, perhaps. Normal fronds of old plants have 

 from 35 to 40 pairs of pinnae — generally about 40 — cut down to a winged 

 rhachis into 8 — 10 pairs of elongated rhomboidal segments which have 4 or 5 

 pairs of aristately toothed lobes. Beddome's figure is from a young plant, and 

 does not correspond with his description. 



I have a beautiful little frond from Kashmir, Dathie's No. 13539 above- 

 mentioned, stipe (incomplete) about 3 inches, frond 10 in. long by 2 in. broad, 

 unextended, bipinnate, pinnules stalked, distant, rather bluntly and shallowly 

 lobed or toothed, scales and fibrillse as of P. Prescottiamm, with numeroua 

 pinme of which most are again pinnate. Small as it is, it is mature and 

 crowded with sori ; and had I more material Uke this I should be mclined 

 to make of it a separate species, from the distinct bipinnateness, the great 

 breadth of frond in proportion to length, and other characters. 



Another form, notably different from the type, is that of Duthie's speci- 

 mens Nos. 2215, 5159, and 6240, from Tehri Garhwal, British Garhwal, and 

 West Nepal, which has stipes up to 10 or U inches in length, very regalarlr 

 shaped ovate-lanceolate bipinnate fronds 15 — 18 ins. long by 4 — 5 ins. broad ; 

 pinnae distant, about Sf^ pairs below the pinnatifid apex of the frond, pinnules 



