which distinguishes Fee’s genus Phegopteris from true Polypo¬ 
dium. It is singular that while Moore rejects the genus Phego- 
pteris, the cautious Mettenius adopts it. I am content to con¬ 
sider it as a group or subgenus of Polypodium; and the present 
species, which gave the name to the group or genus, may be 
considered the type of it. Its character, however, does not de¬ 
pend entirely upon the position of the sorus, “ toujours,” says M. 
Fee, “au-dessous du sommet de la nerville.” Mettenius and 
others assign to it a petiole confluent with the caudex, not ar¬ 
ticulated : the fronds are more or less membranous, generally 
much divided, and resemble many species of Lastrea , and even 
sometimes of Polystichum , among the indusiate Ferns. 
Plate 3. Fertile plant of Poly podium Phegopteris,—natural size. Fig. 1. 
Fertile segment,— magnified. 2. Portion of ditto, with a single sorus from the 
back of a vein below the apex ,—more magnified. 
