THE BLADDER FERNS. 217 



pots, indoors, it will equally thrive. If you grow 

 it in pots, plant it amongst some stones, not for- 

 getting, however, to give it the appropriate soil. 

 The more nearly you can approach, in your treat- 

 ment of it, its natural conditions of growth, the 

 more certain is your prospect of successfully culti- 

 vating it. 



2. THE ALPINE BLADDER FERN. 

 Cystoptcris regia. 



THIS is an exceedingly rare species of the British 

 Ferns. Similar in some respects to the Brittle 

 Bladder Fern, it differs from the latter chiefly in 

 size, growing ordinarily to a height of only four 

 or five inches ; but sometimes becoming a few 

 inches taller. It has a short brittle stem, some- 

 what scaly at the part nearest the ground. In 

 this ^species the branches of the frond, although 

 similar to those of Fragilis, are placed more di- 

 rectly opposite each other. The stipes is shorter 

 than in Fragilis: the frond-branches are also 

 shorter, corresponding with the smaller size of 



