42 



FERNS. 



affirmative, and asked her if she liked them. " Na, na," 

 she replied, "I've reckoned nought o' them; but I'd like 

 a wee bit to mind roe o' you, leddy." I gave her a frond 

 of the large Fern, which she stroked caressingly, and then 

 added a bit of the Filmy-Fern. "This is the least Fern of 

 all," I said, " so you must have a bit of that too." "That 

 a Fairn \" she exclaimed, "I shall ca' it the Fairy Fairn." 

 Since then I have called it the " Fairy Fern " also. 



A benevolent friend bestowed upon me a frond of the 

 Bristle-Fern (Trichomanes brevisetum, Plate IV., fig. 5), 



It is the glory of the Killarney 

 AVaterfalls, growing freely in the 

 style of the Filmy-Ferns, but 

 only when within reach of the 

 spray. The form of the frond 

 reminds one of the Hare's-foot 

 Fern of our greenhouses ; the 

 leaflets are deeply cut and lobed, 

 and their membrane extends 

 along either side of the main stem. The spore-cups have 

 a bristle growing from their base, extending beyond the 

 margin : this gives the name to the plant. 



The Eoyal Fern (Osmunda regalis, Plate IV., fig. 6), 



has an order to itself, Osmundacese. 

 This noble Fern rises to a height 

 of from two to five feet. The 

 leaflets are of an elongated heart 

 shape, and bright green colour. 

 The fruit is in a cluster at the 

 summit of the frond. There are 

 generally only a few fertile fronds 



TRICHOMAXES. 



OSMUNDA. 



