( 9 ) 
I could produce fronds from one plant grown by myself, or near Co- 
lombo which would be good representatives of these three plates. — Pteris 
I quadriaurita var. Setigera, Hooker, Beddome II t. 202, shown to have 
!j s nail pinnae on the lower side of the bases of the other pinnae is no 
doubt to be found in Ceylon, but I have not noted this particular form. 
Pteris Semipinnata, Linn, Bed. I. t. 34. is no doubt a good figure 
I of one of our Ceylou forms of P. quadriaurita, and though P. Semipinnata 
[ is described in the “ Syn. Fil/’ as a distinct species, I do not believe that it 
exists as such. — In “ Enumeratio Plantarum Zeylanioe,” where this fern 
is included on the faith of specimens in the Hookerian Herbarium, col- 
lected in Ceylon by the lace General Walker, Th waites makes the follow- 
ing remarks : — u I have never seen the typical P. Semipinnata in the 
island; some of the aberrant forms of P. quadriaurita would seem 
to make an approach to it. 55 When engaged in 1857 in making a 
careful examination of Paul Hermann’s Herbarium, (formed in 
Ceylon in 1660.7 and now in a good state of preservation in the 
British Museum, in four folio volumes, and one volume of drawings,) I 
had the use of a copy of the “ Flcra Zeylanica” of Linneus, with references 
on its margin made by Dryander, to the names in the first edition of 
the “ Species Plantarum” of Linneus, and to the plants and figures in Her- 
mann’s collection, and for the Pteris semipiun »ta, Linn. Dryander re- 
ferred to the Fern i ather fully described in the “Flora Zeylanica ” No. 42, 
p. 200—1, and to specimens of it in Herm. Herb, vol, 4. p. 16 and 
fol. 3, p. 38 ; but I regret to say that I find no remark made by my- 
self in addition to the MS. information above given. That these and 
Walker’s specimens however are forms of the most variable Pteris 
quadriaurita, 1 have no doubt,. — On the road- side between the old 
Kandy Road and the Kalany Temple, any one interested in the subject 
can collect nearly every form <4 this Fern from the large regularly 
pinnated one to that which has almost simple long lanceolate pinnae, some 
speciimens of which at first sight are not unlike Pteris cretica, 
Notwithstanding the foregoing opinion of the Director of the Peradeniya 
gardens about the Pteris (Campteria) biaurita, and the fact that it is put 
into a different section from the Pteris quadriaurita, I feel fully convinced 
that it is a mere form of this latter Fern for the following reasons. Several 
plants of the Pteris (Campteria) biaurita which 1 planted amongst other 
ferns in Colombo, and notably some very large fine specimens of this form 
from the old Fort ditch round the Hangwelle Rest-house, have gradually lost 
the Campteroid arches in the veining, and have nearly all gone off to the 
common veining of the Pteris quadriaurita ; several of the fronds, however 
having some of the arched veins between their pinnules on a few 
of the plants. 
40. P. (Psesia) aquilina, L. ; rhizome stout, wide-creeping, subterraneous ; st. 
1 ft. or more 1., strong, erect, naked, straw-coloured or pale-chesnut ; fr. 2-4 ft. or 
more 1 ., 12-24 in. br,, subdeltoid in general outline, only the uppermost pinnce 
simple, those next in order lanceolate, cut down nearly or quite to the rachis 
into short triangular or linear pinnl ., the lowest long-stalked, 1 ft. or more 1., 
with ample lanceolate pinnl,, which are cut down to the rachis into numerous 
lanceolate segm ., which are again fully pinnate ; largest entire ult. divisions 1 in. 1. 
2 lin. br. ; ; texture subcoriaceous ; rachis and both surfaces naked or pubescent the 
reins close, conspicuous, often twice forked, involucre double or the inner one 
obsolete. — b, P. caudata, L. ; pinnl. sometimes linear and entire or with less 
crowded segm. than in a, and the terminal lobe linear entire, 1-2 in. 1— c., P, 
