THE ROYAL FERN. 151 



the streams of moorlands the Royal Fern finds 

 its habitats. The grand specimens have enormous 

 roots, and the fern-hunter will have to labour 

 hard to get them up. But it is a labour of love, 

 and one not to be delegated to others. After 

 carefully digging up in the woods and trans- 

 planting in your fern garden a noble specimen, 

 there is an immense satisfaction in remembering, 

 when you see it unroll its fronds in its new home, 

 that you yourself gathered it. Every time you 

 look at it the sight brings back the delightful 

 association of the wild woods and the grand moor- 

 land scenery, amongst which you wandered in 

 your fern-hunting rambles. 



Pleasing, indeed, almost beyond .expression, are 

 the scenes which we recall to mind in connection 

 with the stately Osmunda: scenes of sylvan 

 beauty of a rare and unusual kind. We will 

 instance one of these, and the relation may, per- 

 haps, serve to recall similar scenes to the minds of 

 our readers. 



We had started from Totnes to search on the 

 borders of Dartmoor for some specimens of the 



