24 FERNS. 



to see their guest, and brought a handful of this Fern, 

 which she had gathered on the way. She gave her 

 verdant bouquet to me, saying kindly, I don't know 

 whether you are a botanist or not, but I feel eager to 

 introduce the treasures of our neighbourhood to you." 

 She understood Ferns and directed my attention to their 

 beauties; and I then came to the resolution to study them 

 whenever opportunity should offer. I have since 

 gathered this Fern in Kent and Herefordshire, and 

 very abundantly in Scotland, both in the Highlands and 

 about Edinburgh. 



In the same wall grew another Fern, much smaller, and 

 familiar to my eye as the constant companion of the 

 Ceterach. A rachis of from three to six inches in length, 

 purple and very wiry ; and oval indented leaflets, ranged 

 on either side, bearing a row of elongated seed-masses on 

 cither side of the mid-vein, characterizes the Black-stalked 

 Spleenwort (A. tricho-manes, Plate III., Jig. 5). Every 

 one who notices Ferns knows this one, the frequent 

 inhabitant of rocks and walls. Here in Svvaledale, it 

 grew on walls and bridges, in old quarries, and from 

 under gnarled roots in the rocky woods. Sometimes its 

 tufts will spring from the lintel of an old barn ; we 

 found it in such a situation afterwards. Every county 

 that I have visited has yielded me this pretty cheerful 

 Fern ; its very scent is dear in memory of woodland 

 rambles. 



As we proceeded, the valley became more wild. We 

 passed through a very sequestered village, Gunnerside, 

 and ascended some rising ground, from whence we had a 

 splendid view of the wild hill-country stretching far 



