322 Mr. Ch. C. Babington on the correct Nomenclature of the ZOOPHYTA. Cellepora Skenei, Ellis and Solander (sp.) ; Johnst. Brit. Zoop. p.275. pl.32. f.6— 8. Among " corallines " taken in the trawl-nets in very deep water off the eastern coast of Ireland, and preserved in Miss Ball's collec-tion, is a specimen of C. Skenei which was pointed out to me by that lady in May last. Dr. Johnston, in his ' British Zoophytes,' p. 276, remarks — " Notwithstanding the apparent dissimilarity in habit of the three preceding Celleporce [C. Skenei^ C. ramulosa and C. pumi-cosd], I cannot but suspect that they are merely different states of the same species, for in these productions the * fronti nulla fides ' receives many an apposite illustration." This specimen tends to bear out the correctness of the view that the three forms are not speci-fically different : the form C. Skenei is rare ; C. ramulosa not common ; C.pumicosa abundant : this last may perhaps be considered the base of both the others. With this one specimen of C. Skenei, a good deal of C. ramulosa was taken of small size adherent to Sertularia ar-gent ea. Retepora cellulosaf Linn, (sp.) ; Johnston, Brit. Zoop. p. 297, vignette no. 46. p. 283. Professor AUman informs me that he has in his possession a spe-cimen of this Retepora attached to a Pinna obtained by the long-line fishermen in spring last at Cape Clear. Iluanthos Scoticus, Forbes, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 183. pi. 3 ? A number of specimens of an Iluanthos (and there is little doubt belonging to this species, though from their not having been seen in a living state a note of interrogation is added) were found by Mrs. W. J, Hancock on the beach at Balbriggan, after a storm in March 1843. The only other specimens recorded were taken in four fathoms water at Loch Ryan, south-west of Scotland. XLV. — On the correct Nomenclature of the Lastrsea spinosa and L. multiflora of Newman, By Charles C. Babington, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. &c.* Lastrcea spinosa. — In Newman^s ' History of British Ferns' tbis name is adopted for the plant usually known in England as Aspidium spinulosum (Sw.), on account of Roth having been the first botanist who, in Mr. Newinan^s opinion, properly distin-guished this plant from the fern known in this country by the name of A. dilatatum, and called by Roth Polysticum multiflorum. That Roth deserves the credit of very carefully distinguishing the plants will be allowed by all who read his observations upon them, • Read before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 10th April, 1845.
BioStor
