728 JOORNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



familiar wifch F.-mas in all its forms, of course saw at once that Clarke's 

 plant was a distinct species, and named it, as a species, accordingly. Beddome 

 then, in his Supplement, said that the European type of N. F.-mas did 

 not occur in India. And, partly misled by the heterogeneous mass of plants 

 named F.-mas in herbariums, and because the Kashmir and Punjab speci- 

 mens above cited had not (except Jacquemont's, which I had not then seen) 

 then been found, I used to say the same. But there is no longer room for the 

 slightest doubt. Trotter's plant, from the Rembiiira Vy. in Kashmir, which 

 he noted as growing " in circular patches, like great shuttlecocks," struck me, 

 and I then saw that his plant from Kullu, gathered previously in 1887, was 

 the same. Shortly afterwards I found in Mr. Gamble's collection two fronds, 

 collected by Mr. McDonell in Chamba in 1882, which Mr. Levingehad correct- 

 ly named N. F.-mas, — one as a variety. And Trotter's discovery in Kashmir 

 was followed by collections made by McDonell, MacLeod, and Duthie in 1894. 

 There is considerable difference, in this material, in the colour of the scales on 

 stipes, — those on some specimens being very dark, and those on others very 

 pale, — and some difference in cutting ; but I think all the specimens I have 

 noted above can be matched from among European specimens. I have 

 separated, under the next species, N', parallelogrammum, Kanze (under 

 Aspidium), not only Aspidium patentissimum, Wall., but also Clarke's varieties 

 Nos. 3 and 5, Jchasiana and fibrillosa, because I do not think they can be 

 brought under N. F.-mas. Other plants, either given as synonyms or un- 

 warrantably degraded to the rank of varieties of N. F.-mas . in the Synopsis, 

 or by Clarke and Beddome, will be found given as distinct species where I think 

 they ought to be put. 



I am aware that pteridologists are not agreed that even the European forms 

 of F.-mas all belong to the same species, but I will not go into that 

 question. T could sort the above-cited specimens into N. F.-mas and N. pseudo- 

 mas ; but as I have not seen any of these forms growing in India I think it 

 better not to do so, especially in view of my treatment of the so-called varieties 

 I have placed under the next species. Hooker said, in the ' Species 

 FiHcum ' : — " East India, continental. The normal form is perhaps the least 

 common, and mainly confined to N.-W. India, often at great elevations, 

 Jaoquem., Edgeworth, S. & W., Wallich {Aspidivm pafentissimvm. Wall. 

 Cat. 840), Sikkira, alt. 8-10,000', and even 15,000' (and then small) Hk. Fil. 

 et T. Nilfriris, Wight, Bedd. Nepdl Wall., var. ^ is perhaps the next 

 most common.'' 



11. N. parallelogrammuni, Kunze (under Aspidium), in Linnsea 

 xui.-p. 14Q, N. Filix-mas.'Rich., var. ^ parallelogrammum, Hook. Sp. Fil 

 iv. 116 ; " pinnate or rarely subpinnate, their segments oblong-parallelogram, 

 very close and compact. " 



