FERNS, FERN ALLIES, AND FOSSILS. 2/5 



are protected by other contrivances, of which some 

 are rather unusual. In Tree-Ferns and others, tough 

 and wiry roots are produced in great quantities from 

 the base of the leaf-stalks, and form an efficient 

 covering to the stems. In the Male fern the leaves 

 wither nearly to the base in autumn, but the bases, 

 or stumps, are left in a dry, withered, and fibrous 

 state. As the entire rhizome is almost wholly 

 covered by these leaf bases, it is not easy to get 

 through them to the stem itself In addition, there 

 seems to be some unpleasant taste in the leaves of 

 ferns, for they are but seldom eaten by animals. The 

 Male-Fern {Lastrea filix mas) also contains special 

 cells secreting filicic acid, as well as aspidin, volatile 

 oil, and tannin, etc. The drug obtained from it, 

 which has a faint disagreeable smell, and a bitter 

 and nauseous after-taste, is efficient in dislodging 

 tapeworms. There are also peculiar red, or red- 

 brown, hairs on young bracken-leaves, which are 

 supposed to attract ants who may keep off caterpillars 

 and other destructive insects. The bracken is distri- 

 buted almost all over the world, and this protection 

 would be useful in places where leaf-cutting ants are 

 abundant, but it can scarcely be said that the 

 bracken is myrmecophilous. According to Ludwig, 

 old leaves which have lost the hairs are sometimes 

 almost wholly devoured by the grubs of a small 

 wasp {Strongylogaster cingulatiis), which passes the 

 winter in the bark of the Scotch Fir {Pinus Sylvestris). 

 In other respects also, the Fern is well adapted to 

 moist and shady woods. The reproductive bodies are 

 on the under-side of the leaves and therefore cannot be 

 injured by rain or by sun. They consist of little brown 

 clusters of spore-cases or sporangia, which are lens- 



