222 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 
£ in. Mr. Trotter said, in his “ Ferns of the Punjab,” (printed for private 
circulation), under Lastrea ochthodes , Kze. — “ The Punjab form is mostly var. 
tylodes (Kze.) Hbk. p. 240, with the basal pinnae suddenly (not gradually) 
abortive and reduced to mere auricles.” His Kumaun specimen (in my pos- 
session) is a frond about 15 in. 1. by 7 in. br., with pinnae up to § in. br., and 
there is no apparent stipes, the glands, 6r representatives of pinnae, running 
down close to the caudex, which is erect with tufted stipes. 
It is curious that the intervals between the auricles or glands in this species 
decrease in length near the caudex, in my large specimens at least, instead of 
increasing as is the normal habit of a fern. The pinnae are cut down five- 
sixths of the half width, thus leaving room for only one pair of veins to approach 
those of the adjoining segments below the sinus, where they merge in a 
thickened web which strengthens the base of the sinus. There are from 8 to 
15 pairs of veins in a segment, according to the size of the frond, all simple, 
and very conspicuous ; and all except the upper one or two pairs are soriferous 
for half the length of the pinna, the apices of segments and pinnae gradually 
becoming bare. The sori are small, closely costal in one row on either side, 
the lower two or three pairs diverging : they are in large specimens didy- 
mochlaenoid, or fadyenoid in shape, with the involucres persistent andlongo- 
hippocrepiform like the sori. The whole frond is very stout in texture, 
glabrous and glossy— only the rhachises being somewhat pilose or do^ny. The 
stipes and rhachises of large specimens are sometimes pinkish in colour, which, 
with the deflexed lower pinnae, gives a resemblance to Polypodium erubescens , 
Wall. 
Beddome, in his Handbook, said of this fern that he believed it quite 
entitled to rank as a species : he had both it and N. ochthodes in cultivation 
for many years, and ssid that Mr. Thwaites, who cultivated them in Ceylon, 
considered them distinct species. But in the Supplement to his Handbook 
Beddome says, under L. ochthodes — “ Omit the Ceylon locality, Thwaites 1 fern 
being Nephrodiim\ externum .” As Colonel Beddome’s field of cultivation was, 
presumably, in the Madras mountains, I consider it proved that both ochthodes 
and xylodes have the same habit — “ caudex erect, stipes tufted,” for he could 
not have cultivated them for many years without having observed the nature 
of the caudex o^ rhizome; and it is clear that he had not got JN. repens . 
Another inrerenc from the passage quoted above is that Beddouue maintains 
Ceylon as a habitat for N. xylodes , though not for N. ochthodes. Mr. G. Wall 
seems to give only the former as a Ceylon plant, and says it is common in the 
higher forests of the Central Province. A specimen of N. xylodes collected by 
Levinge in the Pulney Hills, Madras Presidency, has an erect caudex, with 
tufted stipes, like Trotter’s specimens from the Punjab and Kumaun. 
