July 8i. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
303 
D 
M 
JULY 31—AUGUST 6, 1855. 
Weather near London in 1853. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
3, 
Tu 
Chalk-liill Blue Butterfly. 
29.803—29.654 
76-59 
S.W. 
36 
23 a 4 
49 a 7 
9 
27 
17 
6 
6 
212 
1 
W 
Silvanus frumentarius. 
29.697—29-658 
69—46 
S.W. 
24 
25 
47 
9 
42 
18 
6 
3 
213 
2 
Tb 
Cassida maculata. 
29.783—29.684 
73—56 
N.W. 
40 
26 
46 
9 
56 
19 
6 
0 
214 
3 
F 
Cassida nebulosa. 
29.854 — 29.805 
58—46 
N.F.. 
27 
28 
44 
10 
10 
20 
5 
56 
215 
4 
s 
Triplax russica. 
29.929—29.916 
1 57—52 
N. 
39 
29 
43 
10 
27 
€ 
5 
51 
216 
5 
Son 
9 Sunday after Trinity. 
30.038—29.974 
69 — 54 
N. 
04 
31 
41 
10 
47 
22 
5 
45 
217 
1 6 
M 
Pr. Alfred b. 1844. 
30.110—30.060 
67-49 
N.E. 
— 
32 
39 
11 
12 
23 
5 
40 
218 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest tem¬ 
peratures of these days are 74.3°, and 52.1°, respectively. The greatest heat. 92°, occurred on the 25th, in 1844 ; and the lowest cold, 36°, 
on the 6th, in 1833. During the period 104 days were fine, and on 92 rain fell. 
This bears tbe English names of the Rock Polypody, 
Slender-stemmed Polypody, and Smooth Rock Spleenwort. 
Why tbe specific name fontanum was ever applied to it 
we cannot discover, and such specific name is sin¬ 
gularly inappropriate, since so far from delighting in 
fountains, it is found only on dry rocks and old walls. 
The root is dark-coloured, short, and thick, furnished 
with many rootlets, and terminating in a scaly tuft, 
from among which arise the fronds. These fronds vary 
in height from three to eight inches, but rarely exceed 
four inches. They grow in an erect tuft, as represented 
in our drawing. A very small portion of the stem, or 
stipe, is without leaflets, and the scales of the root are 
continued up a part of that unleafleted portion. All the 
leafleted part of the stem has a narrow wing of a leafy 
texture running up opposite sides, between the stalks 
of the leaflets. The leaflets are pale green, alternate, 
and lengthened egg-shaped, some being divided into 
leafits similarly shaped, but others near the top of the 
stem are only deeply notched. The fructification , or 
sori, is very accurately described by Mr. Moore as 
being produced two or three (sometimes five, as in our 
magnified specimen) on a leaflet, on the side veins, and 
near where they join the mid-vein. The sori, he adds, 
are short, oblong, sometimes distinct, but often running 
together (confluent), and, occasionally, occupying nearly 
the whole under surface of every leaflet. “They are 
covered by an opaque, white, oblong skin (indusium), 
more rounded on the loose edge, which is turned 
towards the midvein, than on that edge by which it is 
attached to the leaflet; the loose edge being, also, 
waved and rather toothed.” — (. Moores Handbook of 
British Ferns. 150.) 
Many botanists have doubted the claim of this Fern 
to be considered a British species, but we think its 
claim as fully established. That it has been found but 
No. CCCLVIL Vol. XIV. 
