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THE FERN WORLD 
pair the difference between upper and lower pinnules near 
the rachis is less marked than in the basal pinnae. The 
difference in the third pair, though noticeable, is less still ; 
and in the higher pairs the difference between upper and 
lower pinnules disappears, the pinnules becoming, at the 
same time, less and less divided, until they are merged into 
the substance of the pinnae, and the latter into a point at 
the apex of the frond. The venation consists of a wavy 
mid-vein in the lobes of the pinnules, with venules pro- 
ceeding towards the serratures in the leafy margins. The 
sori, unlike those ill Filix-mas, are scattered over the 
whole under-surface of the frond, are small in size, and are 
arranged in thin lines along on each side of the mid-veins 
of the lobes or pinnules, according to the development of the 
leafy portions. There are more than sixty variations, more 
or less marked, from the normal form of this handsome 
Fern. In sheltered positions it is partly evergreen in 
character, the fronds being of a dark green colour, the stipes 
sometimes of a dark purple. 
Distribution. — Lastrea dilatata is an inhabitant of the 
following countries of Europe, namely : — Croatia, France, 
Germany, Italy, Lapland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzer- 
land, and Transylvania. In England it is found in the 
following counties : — Cambridge, Chester, Cornwall, Cumber- 
land, Derby, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Gloucester, 
Hants (including the Isle of Wight), Hereford, Hertford, 
Kent, Lancaster, Leicester, Lincoln, Middlesex, Monmouth, 
Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, Nottingham, Ox- 
ford, Salop, Somerset, Stafford, Surrey, Sussex, Warwick, 
Westmoreland, Wilts, Worcester, and York; also in the Isle 
of Man. In Wales it inhabits the counties of Anglesea, 
Brecknock, Cardigan, Carnarvon, Denbigh, Flint, Glamorgan, 
Merioneth, Pembroke, and Radnor. In Scotland it is found 
in the counties of Aberdeen, Argyle, Ayr, Banff, Berwick, 
