T 



CHAPTER III. 



THE LADY FERN. 

 Athyrium filix-fcemina. 



HE majesty of gracefulness is embodied in 

 the Lady Fern. Amongst our native ferns 

 this species stands unrivalled. Charming as all 

 the fern family are, there is in this particular 

 member of it an indescribable loveliness. Words 

 cannot picture its attractions. It must be seen 

 to be thoroughly appreciated ; and one glance 

 will convey to the mind a glad sense of its 

 soft beauty, which no verbal description can 

 properly give. It is, indeed, amongst its kind, the 

 queen of delicacy, grace, and beauty. 



Combined with its majestic gracefulness, there 

 is an extreme simplicity about the Lady Fern, 

 rendering its formal description a matter of ease. 

 It has a tufted root-stock, always slightly raised 



