FROM THE HUXTON COLLECTION. G5 



so no rigid comparison can be instituted with these Type figures, 

 but I have no doubt that the figures quoted above refer to the 

 same species of fern. Brongniart tells us that the drawing of 

 his figure was sent to him by the widow of the late Dr. Taylor, 

 of Durham (county). Mr. James W. Kirkby informed me that 

 he had ascertained that ' ' Brough Taylor was a doctor in Sunder- 

 land, just rising into a good practice when he died. He collected 

 Magnesian-Lfniestone and Coal fossils. After his death his widow 

 sold the former to Sir Walter Trevelyan and the Coal fossils to 

 the British Museum. The Bev. Gr. C. Abbs, of Cleadon, and Dr. 

 Taylor had an intention of publishing on the Coal Blants, and 

 they collected with this view. They also made drawings, of 

 which Mr. Surtees (the historian of Co. Durham) got many." 

 Mr. Kidston states that the Type-specimen of Taylor's drawing 

 is still in the British Museum Collection. 



Ho. 104 is a small portion of the fertile frond, I think, of this 

 small fern. It is identical with Kidston's figure Q. J. Gr. S., 

 "Vol. 40, pi. 25, f. 2, quoted above, and which, he thinks, belongs 

 to Sph. delicatula, Sternb., and enables him to separate this 

 species generically from Sphen. tenella, Brongt., but it will be 

 found eventually that the opinion expressed in the above list 

 of synonyms is correct, and that we must regard these slightly 

 different forms as varieties, or occasioned by difference of locality 

 and physical conditions, and not specific. The figures of the 

 fructification of Sphen. tenella, Brongt., given by Mr. Kidston in 

 Yol. 7, pi. 1, f . 3, 4, Boy. Phys. Soc. Edinb., I regard with ex- 

 treme doubt, and surprise at the minuteness of the details, which 

 can scarcely be defined more accurately even in recent ferns ; but 

 I have good proof that the figure quoted from the Journal of the 

 Geological Society represents the fertile frond of Sphen. tenella. 

 Compare Mr. Kidston's figures of the spore-cases of this little 

 Fern with figures of the seed-leaves of seedling Firs. 



Lindley and Hutton's figure was from a Lancashire specimen, 

 but in the Hutton Collection were several good specimens, one 

 of which is figured in the Illustrations quoted above, and another 

 larger figure, pi. 39 of the same work, was probably from a local 

 specimen. 



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