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character, and it is of absorbing interest to note how these 

 characters are developed in their various forms from the 

 primarily similar coiled-up terminal on the rapidly-lengthen- 

 ing stalk of the rising frond, and to observe how the various 

 divisions expand and fall apart, and finally arrange them- 

 selves on more and more beautiful or curious lines in 

 conformity with the particular plan with which Nature 

 has endowed it. Go out into the woods where that 

 particular species prevails, and we may find thousands 

 of plants of it, all as practically alike as peas in a pod, 

 all equally displaying the same simple character and 

 cutting as we must assume have formed its peculiar 

 specific type for ages and ages. In one collection, 

 however, within the compass of precisely the same 

 species, we may find the greatest diversity of make; 

 no two examples are alike, unless they are of the same 

 varietal parentage. How is this ? If now we go back 

 to the woods and pursue our investigations further, we 

 may, if we are fortunate and persistently keen-si^^hted 

 enough, quite suddenly perceive that one amongst those 

 common and prevalent forms differs very materially from, 

 and it may be is far handsomer than, its fellows. If so, 

 we have found what is termed a " sport," and it is precisely 

 such natural and spontaneous gifts which have turned up 

 from time to time, and form the progenitors of the many 

 varieties which constitute our collections. The expert, 

 being thus enriched, carefully extracts the plant so found, 

 disentangles it possibly from a bunch of the ordinary type 

 amid which it is growing, takes it home, pots it up, and as 

 soon as spores are available, sows it with a view to its 

 perpetuation and propagation. Having done this, and in 

 due time acquired a crop, he will learn, if he does not 

 already know, that the youngsters will probably greatly 

 resemble the parent, but vary both ways ; some may revert 

 more or less to the ancestral or common type, but others 



