FERX SPORTS. 
95 
and persists amongst us. Whether or not this amount of variation 
is owing to our insular climate, as some botanists suppose, the fact 
remains, and some recent experience rather goes to confirm the 
supposition. Tim Messrs. Stansfield and Son, of Todmorden, 
recently sent me fronds of several abnormal forms of a well-known 
FTorth African species which they had received from the Azores, 
namely, Pteris arguta , and these, with a few other curious forms 
from other sources, were recently exhibited at a meeting of the 
Scientific Committee. The most remarkable of the variations are 
the following 
Pteris arguta majuscula (M.). —Fronds normally leafy, penta¬ 
gonal, pedately-bipinnate, the lower pinnae with a strongly deve¬ 
loped semi-decurrent pinna on the posterior side ; apex of the 
frond much elongated, the segments very large, those of the main 
rachis 2 inches, those of the basal pinnae 1J inch long; pinnules 
bluntish, slightly serrate, soriferous towards the base; apices of the 
pinnae caudate. This form is chiefly remarkable for the large size 
of the segments, and the caudate apices of the pinnae. 
Pteris arguta acuminatissima {M .\—The fronds of this very 
characteristic form, which are normally leafy, are smaller than in 
the preceding; they are about 1 foot long, pentangular, pedately- 
bipinnate; the pinnules are rather distant, about an inch long, 
linear or oblong falcate, tapered to a very sharp point, and occa¬ 
sionally drawn out to a very narrow point, as are all the pinnae ; 
apical pinnules depauperated, so that the pinnae terminate in a 
long slender tail-like apex. 
Pteris arguta polydactyla ( M .).—Fronds normally leafy, pen¬ 
tangular, pedately-bipinnate ; the pinnules are oblong or oblong- 
falcate, with serrated edges; apices of the pinnae two, three, or 
more times divided into slender tapering very much divaricate 
lobes, which form a many-fingered margin to the frond. Of 
spreading habit, and of very ornamental character, the furcation of 
the tips of the lobes being well marked. 
Pteris arguta rotundata (M.). —Fronds symmetrically depaupe¬ 
rated, pedately-bipinnate, pentangular, 2 feet high or more; pinnae 
in the lower half of the frond, with one or two larger pinnules 
developed on the posterior side, on the upper half and in the apical 
parts of the lower pinnae reduced to roundish or flabellate lobes, 
bearing sori along the rounded edge. This is a most remarkable 
form, the pinnules being almost entirely reduced to roundish lobes 
such as appear in the curious variety of Lady Fern, Athyrium 
