FERNS. 23 



up that beautiful valley was enjoyable in the extreme. 

 The hills on the opposite side were covered with purple 

 Ling, across which cloud-shadows flitted with gliding 

 motion. Keeping in a line with the river, we passed noisy 

 brooks, whose waters were stained deep brown by the peat 

 through which they had flowed, or were tinted with the 

 paler hue of the limestone from the lead mines, where they 

 had already performed the important duty of washing 

 the ore. Whoever espied anything Fern-like was to call 

 a halt, for the ponies were engaged to stop as often as we 

 pleased, and for any given time. 



We had passed through two villages, and reached a 

 narrower part of the valley, when I espied Fern-tufts 

 thrusting themselves from the crevices of a loose wall. 

 We dismounted, and attacked the Fern with our knives ; 

 but though we quickly got fronds enough for our collection, 

 it defied our efforts to procure a plant for the fernery. 

 The ground on the other side was much higher than the 

 road, and the Ferns were rooted in it, protruding only their 

 long fronds through the openings between the stones. 

 The rachis was a foot long, the pinnae extending only about 

 one-third of its length ; the lower ones so broad and 

 pin /tat (fid as to give a triangular form to the leafy part 

 of the frond. The colour was of a full green, and glossy. 

 The elongated spore-masses, nearly covered the backs of 

 the leaflets, and the rachis was of a dark purple. The 

 elegantly-tapering summit gave great grace to the Fern. 

 It was the Black Maiden-hair Spleenwort (A. adiantum 

 nigrum, Plate III., Jig. 3.) This was the first Fern 

 that had ever attracted my attention. Many years ago, 

 when visiting in Wiltshire, a friend of my hostess's came 



