CHAPTER V. 



THE BUCKLER FERNS. 



I. THE MALE FERN. 



Lastreafilix-mas. 



' I A HE Buckler Ferns include some of the finest 

 of our native species. One of the most 

 plentiful and widely-distributed of these is the 

 Male Fern, also called the Common Buckler Fern. 

 The Male Fern derives its designation from its 

 extremely vigorous and robust manner of growth. 

 The texture of its dark green fronds has a some- 

 what more rigid appearance than that of most 

 ferns. It grows in woods and on hedge-banks, 

 on hill-sides and by the water's edge, almost 

 everywhere in fact ; now exposed in dry situa- 

 tions to the full power of the sun, and now hidden 

 away in almost impenetrable shade. The Male 

 Fern reaches an average height of between two 



