STRUCTURE OP PERNS. 7 



even the young ears of corn and the spikes of the meadow 

 grasses must be well-remembered objects. Now, these all 

 afford examples of flowers, either separate or collected into 

 groups of varied form and character. The Daisy and Dan- 

 delion heads have been often plucked to be made into floral 

 chains, and the Buttercups, the Roses, and various other 

 flowers have been as often gathered for the rural garland. 

 The plants which bore these brilliantly coloured parts which 

 the tiny fingers chiefly desired to gather, bore other parts 

 which were mostly green ; in these latter the same intuitive 

 perception learned to recognise the leaves. Now, besides 

 the stem which bears them all, these two kind of 

 " organs,'' as they are called the leaves and the flowers are 

 the principal conspicuous parts of plants. 



What, then, is a Fern 1 A Fern may be described, in a 

 popular way, as a plant which bears leaves only, and no 

 flowers. Still there remains the difficulty of how to distin- 

 guish a Fern which never bears flowers, from some other 

 plant which does bear flowers, but from which they are 

 temporarily absent. A little patient and attentive observa- 

 tion will overcome this seeming, and to the beginner real, 

 difficulty. The course to be taken is this : Search for what 

 seems to be a full-grown plant : it will rarely happen that 

 young plants, not in the fertile state to be presently men- 

 tioned, will occur without mature ones in the vicinity ; exa- 

 mine the under surface of the leaves, and brown dust-like 

 Eatches, round or elongated or in lines, will be seen placed 

 ere and there, and generally arranged with much regula- 

 rity. These patches are in reality heaps vast accumula- 

 tions of the minute seeds. 



Now, as the leaves of those plants which NEVER bear 

 flowers, bear these dust-like patches of seeds or spores, as 

 they are technically termed, it is on their presence that the 

 novice must depend for the assurance that his plant is a 

 Fern. Imperfect as this test may be, and unsatisfactory as 

 it doubtless is to the advanced student, there is in truth no 

 other available guide-mark at the starting-point, nor until 

 the eye has become familiarized with the peculiar appear- 

 ances by aid of which Ferns may be recognised at first 

 sight. The ready recognition of a Fern from other plants at 

 first sight must be the result of experience gained by ob- 

 servation, towards the acquirement of which good and cha- 

 racteristic figures are valuable helps. 



Ferns, then, are flowerless plants. They are furnished 

 with roots, by wlu'ch they obtain nourishment from the soil. 



