o 



CHAPTER I. 



THE BRACKEN. 



Pteris aquilina. 



F all our native ferns, the Bracken, or Brake, 

 is the most plentiful, and the most widely 

 distributed. It abounds almost everywhere ; and 

 hence, perhaps, the reason why it has been con- 

 sidered by some persons to be a common or vul- 

 gar-looking plant. But it is emphatically a vulgar 

 taste which can thus judge of this beautiful fern. 

 To our mind it is exquisitely graceful ; and its 

 abundance does but increase the charm which 

 it flings over hill, woodland, and plain ; and does 

 but testify to the abounding goodness of the 

 Creator in giving us so much to delight the eye 

 and to please the mind. 



That the Bracken is put to vulgar uses may be 



