268 JOURNAL , BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV, 
Trotter ; Kulht 8-9000', Trotter; Simla Beg *— Simla 7000', Hope 1871;Smla— 
abundant on trees on north side of Jako Mt. 7000' and a little above that level, 
and ranggs (eastward) np to at least H,000' on Kamalhori and Hattu,” Blanford /in 
List) ; Hope, Trotter, Bliss. 
N.-W. P, : T>. D. Dist.— Jaunsar, Mrs. Stansfield ; T. Garhical 8-12,000', Duthie ; 
B. Garh, 12-13,000' Duthie, Mrs. Fisher ; Kumaun 9-14,000' Duthie ; Lessar Pass 
14,000', MacLeod 1898. 
Nepal W. ; K£li Vy., near Kangua 11,000', Nampa Gadh 12-13, 0C0', Duthie. 
Disteib. — Asia : N. Ind. (Him.), N. China, Hancock. 
Mr. Clarke’s description seems to have been written from material gathered 
in a limited tract, and his drawing is by no means an adequate representation of 
the plant, which seems to have various forms. The figure shows fronds not 
more than 6 in. L, including the stipes ; and Mr. Clarke says the fronds are 
small. Blanford’s figure is better, as it is of a larger plant, and shows the 
venation more correctly ;.but it does not give the “ sessile irregularly peltate and 
lacerate clathrate scales ” which are mixed with the sporangia and are the 
characteristic feature of the plant. He gives a drawing of a scale from the 
rhizome, and says the fern is readily distinguished from P. simplex by its 
narrow linear fronds, the character of the venation, 'and the clathrate scales of 
the rhizome and sori, as if these were identical. Clarke’s enlargement of a scale 
from the sorus is quite different from Blanford’s from the rhizome, and is 
correct : both are clathrate, though their shapes differ. But, as Blanford says, 
the scales of the sori are not persistent, and it is not easy in dried specimens to 
find a specimen of them. On some fronds I find similar scales on the under 
surface quite unconnected with sori. 
P. dathratum , if all the specimens so named be that species, varies very much 
in dimensions and shape of frond. Duthie’s high-level examples, from Garhwal, 
Kumaun, and West Nepal, are generally smaller than even Clarke’s figure shows, 
and are rather coriaceous with venation obscure, but they have the characteris- 
tic scales in the sori, Duthie’s No. 5178 from the Kuari Pass, British Garhwal, 
18,000', has a comparatively broad frond and short stipes, like that of P. simplex : 
stipes lj— lj in., frond 4£-—8£ in. 1., narrowed gradually to both ends, but it 
has the characteristic sorus scales in abundauce. Some of my specimens from 
the Simla Begion, gathered late in the season when withering, and with no 
scales in the sori, have stipes 2 in. 1., and fronds 10— 12 in. 1. by § — •§ in. br. 
Some of the sori iu these are linear — § in. 1. A frond from the Mandi State, 
collected by Trotter, has stipes under 2 in. 1., with frond 12 in. by -§- in. A 
plant of Blanford’s, from Kamalhori Mt., 9500', is only 4 in. high, rather coria- 
ceous, with venation obscure, scales wanting, sori oval or oblong. I collected 
plants of this form at Simla in 1871, and was then certain they were not P % 
linear e. Fronds from Chamba are 13 in. 1. by f to barely f in. broad, very 
