238 THE BRITISH FERNS. 
Handbook of British Ferns (2 ed. 124), on two fronds gathered by 
the late Miss Bower, near Tunbridge Wells. We have subsequently 
seen a somewhat similar form, scarcely identical, from Hartland, 
Devon, where it was found by Mrs. Chanter in company with 
Chanterie. 
9. alpina (M.). This is an elegant form, remarkable for its delicate 
texture, much more delicate and membranaceous than in any other 
form of the species we have seen. The fronds seem to be normally 
oblong, that is, nearly straight-sided with the point tapered off, such 
as occurs in the typical state of spinulosa; but some of our specimens 
are ovate, or even broadly ovate, probably resulting from differences 
of age, or of the conditions under which they were grown. The fronds 
are almost or quite tripinnate below, bipinnate upwards. The pinne 
are ascending, membranaceous in texture, obliquely deltoid or ovate 
below, ovate-lanceolate, and nearly equal above; the lowest Dinnee 
are very unequal sided, and in the oblong, or as we regard them 
typical fronds, very little shorter than several of the succeeding 
pairs; but the rest, above the second pair, are very slightly unequal. 
The pinnules are rather ovate, or elongate-ovate, according to 
their position, the lowermost ones almost or quite cut up into ovate- 
oblong pinnulets, which are lobed, the lobes serrate; the smaller 
ones are deeply pinnatifid with mucronate acute serratures. The sori 
are large numerous, placed near the base of the sinuses, and so 
forming generally two lines along the pinnules ; they are furnished 
with small fugacious indusia having a ragged somewhat glandular 
margin. The scales are broad lance-shaped entire, sometimes whole- 
coloured palish-brown, sometimes, and apparently most commonly, 
pale brown with a dark central mark varying in intensity. This 
form occurs plentifully among rocks on the higher parts of Ben 
Lawers, Perthshire, where it first attracted our notice. It occurs 
also in—Aberdeenshire : Glen Callater, Braemar, A. Croall ; Loch- 
na-gar (a dwarfed and depauperated form), W. Sutherland. West- 
moreland: Hawes Water, F. Clowes. Yorkshire: Ingleborough, 
plentiful on the N. E. side, 7. Blezard. Lancashire: near Shooter’s- 
Spring, Salter-fell, Roeburndale, near Lancaster, T. B. A very 
dwarf form with ovate fronds, found by Dr. Balfour on Ben Voir- 
lich in Perthshire (as montana), and which does not well associate 

