green drooping fiend.-, s'< ems to alight on every available space in 

 the Fernery, and is, like a few oftier not clearly identified kinds, 

 most useful for covering rock work, &c v while the charming metal- 

 lic blue &, caesium presents a pleasing contrast in colour and is very 

 ■ fiective for hanging baskets. 



Some of the noblest inhabitants of Our Ferneries are the Palms, 

 which also occur in great variety. Many of the same kinds, which 

 Have been mentioned as inhabitants of our gardens, find in their young 

 stale a congenial home iu our Ferneries, and are even there valuable 

 for decorative purposes, Besides these, however, rarer kinds, which 

 have not as yet found their way to the open ground, are occasionally 

 met with. Among these ChrySalvddcaipics Intescens (Areca iutescens) 

 forms a most striking object, by its bright yellow stems, contrasting 

 beautifully with its glossy green, gracefully arched, feathery leaves. 

 Martiriezid caryotcbfolia has the appearauce of a compact, miniature 

 fish-tail palm, except that the back of its leaves and the stem are 

 clothed with long black spines. Thrinax elegans is a most elegant' 

 dwarf palm, with finely divided fan-shaped leaves, Calamus lepto- 

 padix with palo green, feathery, prickly leaves, Latania Commer- 

 soni, conspicuous by its dark red large fan-shaped leaves, Phtenix 

 ntpicola by its graceful habit, Tubeea spectabilis and Gocos Wedelliana 

 by their feathery very finely-divided leaves, in gracefulness even 

 surpassing the favourite Cocoa plumosa, arc a few of the most orna- 

 mental forms, while a pleasing variety may be presented by kinds 

 of Arckoiitoplueitix, Bacularia, Bactris, Calamus, Calyptmgyne, 

 uAanicedored, Dypsis, Euterpe, Geonoma, Iledyscepe, Hetcrospafhe, 

 Howea, Pinanga, Rhopalostylis, etc., still too rare in Bombay. A 

 few kinds of lately-introduced palm-like Carlo dovicas represent the 

 natural order of Cyelanthcracece, while the Screw-palms \Pethdanem) 

 are represented by the effective and handsome Pandanus ntilis, and 

 the very luxuriant unarmed P. gramiiiifolius (?) The vast order of 

 Arum-lilies (Aroidem) is amply represented, chiefly by foliage-plants, 

 Among these none can equal the numerous varieties of Caladium in 



pect to beauty of foliage, exhibitingan endless variety in hue and 

 colour, from satiny green to silvery- white, golden-yellow and shm 

 ing red, and the most delicate designs in the veined, blotched^ 



:ied or netted leaves, Variations of colour also occur in 6he 

 22 



