104 



ABOUT A FERN. 



[CHAP. 



from it. Along the rhizome of the Bracken-fern, on 

 each side, there runs a line, paler in colour than the 

 rest of the stem, and it is from these lines the fronds 

 take their origin. In the Common Polypody (fig. 97), 



FIG. 97. 



which also has a creeping rhizome, the fronds are pro- 

 duced indifferently from the sides or the upper surface. 

 This species, instead of creeping underground, like 

 the Bracken, traverses the surface, and to afford it 



