ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-VENERIS. 41 



seat at Carclew, also at St. Ives and at Hayle; in Devonshire, 

 at Ilfracombe, Billidge Point, Watermouth, and Brixham; in 

 Glamorganshire, at Dunraven and Barry Island; in Somersetshire 

 I found three plants growing in the fissures of rocks in an air 

 shaft of a stone quarry at Comb Down, in the year 1849; since 

 that time several persons have visited the locality, and in 1855 

 I myself went through the quarry a second time, but failed, 

 like others, to detect any more plants. In the Isle of Man, in 

 Glen Meay; in Ireland, in Galway, Arran Isles, Kerry, and 

 Clare. It has been said to have been found in the counties of 

 Stafford, Shropshire, Derbyshire, and York, and in Scotland at 

 Argyle and Kincardine, yet these localities require verification. 



The fronds are generally of a lengthened triangular or ovate 

 form, occasionally lanceolate or oblong. They are membrana- 

 ceous, glabrous, sometimes bipinnate, at others tripinnate. Both 

 the pinnse and pinnules are alternate. The pinnules differ much 

 in form, they are rounded with a truncate base, being obliquely 

 fan-shaped ; mostly wedge-shaped at the base, being attached to 

 short petioles. 



Sterile lobes toothed on the edge, the fertile lobes blunt. 



The veins are a collection of dichotomous ramifications, being 

 radiately forked. Venules disunited at their apices. 



Length of frond from six to eighteen inches; colour bright 

 green. 



Sori oblong, varying in length according to the width of the 

 lobe. Indusium of the same form, membranaceous, and bearing 

 the spore cases on its under surface. 



Stipes and rachis ebeneous and polished, slender, purplish 

 black in colour, having a few scales near the base. Stipes 

 lateral. 



Rhizoma creeping, densely scaly, of a dark brown colour. 



There are three varieties described in the "Nature-printed 

 Ferns :"— 



1st. var. Multifidum, Wollaston. 



2nd. var. Incisum, Moore. 



3rd. var. Rotundatwn, Moore. 



A description of each will be found in the before-mentioned 

 work. Intermediate forms occur, so as to run the different forms 

 into each other. 



By some authors A. Moritzianuni is considered a distinct 



