602 87. FILICES. 
with my half dozen fronds of Derbyshire dumetorwm, mentioned 
on page 456 of this volume. 
Pseudathyrium (alpestre) flewile, Newm. Hist. ed. 3, p. 208. 
Province- 15. Mid Perth. Forfarshire ; Mr. Backhouse ! 
Syn. 1398. Rather a puzzling fern. Mr. Newman has omitted to 
tell us in the work quoted, by what special characters it is to be 
distinguished from P. alpestre. His figure appears to represent a 
fern in an abnormal state, a sort of monstrosity, as are so many 
other strange aberrations of ferns now in cultivation. Of course, 
we accept the figure as the portrait of an individual, selected for 
its least likeness to alpestre. Let us illustrate this mode of 
making or figuring species, by a fancy counterpart. If a Zoologist 
should wish to make two species-on-paper out of Canis familiaris, 
he might draw a portrait of a strong and shaggy Newfoundland 
Dog, and then put in contrast a portrait of the slimmest of Italian 
Greyhounds. No doubt the two figures would make very good 
species-on-paper, if taken by themselves, with all intermediate 
forms left conveniently out of sight and description. Doubtless, 
a truth-seeker in their localities would easily make out the species 
to which flexile really belongs. The new generic name Pseu- 
dathyrium is used in my books because it so aptly expresses the 
affinity of this Polypodium with Athyrium Filix femina. 
Athyrium (Filic femina) rheticum, Roth. 
Provinces all? But authorities not clear. 
Syn. 1394. <A characteristic figure of this, the “ smaller form ” 
of Filix-feemina, was given on page 68 of the first edition of 
Newman’s History, repeated on page 207 of the third edition. It 
includes the molle, conveaum, and irriguum, as figured in editions 
second and third. Judging by the examples in my herbarium, 
supported by more local observation of late years, in Surrey and 
adjacent counties, this is much the commoner form or sub-species. 
Athyrium (Filia feemina) incisuem, Newm. Hist. 
Provinces all? General; Newman History. 
Syn. 1394. This is distinguished from the other form or sub- 
species by its larger size, more upright growth, more compound 
frond, thicker and more scaly stipes, pinne usually commencing 
abruptly far up the stipes, not extended in a gradually decreasing 
size almost to its base, and by the less numerous fronds, which 
are not produced in such continued succession through the 
summer, as on the smaller form. In the garden, and in the 
wilds where it can grow clear from other herbage, the indicated 
characters are well marked ; but when the rheticum has to push 
through other herbage, its lower shortened pinne are few or 
absent. I incline much to believe in two fairly distinct «sub- 
species,” as here explained. In the other named forms (all 
