164 WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. 



building. The dormitories were beautifully kept : everything faultlessly clean ; each room 

 bore the name of its inmate and his number. The spacious library was well-stocked with 

 books; the refectory with its long polished, hard- wood benches — a noble room — gave one some 

 idea of the numbers entertained at certain seasons. The space and coolness of the entire 

 building were delightful, and the different views from the summit were charming enough to 

 amply repay one for the fatigue and trouble of climbing. On a clear day Hangchow Bay on 

 the South can be seen, and, in a northerly direction the hills at Soochow, 50 miles away, 

 stand out in bold relief. Pagodas seem scattered almost broadcast — marking favourite spots, 

 and for the most part their sites appear well chosen. Rice-fields, rich in their bright green 

 crops, bordered by numerous creeks and waterways, extend as far as the eye can reach. 

 Shanghai some 18 miles distant appearing as a small white spot. A general impression obtains 

 that the way to the larger chapel crowning the westernmost hill is approached by twelve 

 "stages," each stage being marked by a building dedicated to one of the Apostles. This is 

 not quite correct. There are in reality seven lateral zig-zag paths terminated by " stations," 

 the architecture resembling the facade of a miniature temple. In the front of each is set a cast 

 in bronze portraying one of "The Fourteen Agonies." The workmanship of each of these 

 tablets is a study in itself — the tablets alone are well worth the visit. The priest informed 

 us that the bronzes were cast in Paris, and it seemed to us it would be difficult to meet with 

 finer work anywhere. A verger preceded us and showed us over the main chapel. The 

 western sunlight striking the stained-glass windows made lovely mosaics on the well laid 

 parquet. After resting a while on the parapet on the crest of the hill and enjoying the 

 widespread landscape we slowly retraced our steps towards our boat. And now for the 

 principal object of our trip, namely : — 



THE FERNS. 



The first of these to catch our eye is the graceful Lygodiutn scandens, often attaining to 

 a height of many feet, climbing and encircling any object within its reach. When taking 

 up a root of this pretty cryptogram we dislodged a woodsia, and subsequently discovered 

 two more varieties of this family. The Lastrea abounds here, and we came across the 

 Helypteris, Spinulosa, Montana Jilts-mas and Rigida. Some of these were remarkably handsome. 

 The common Polypodium, Pteris and Blechnum spicate were to be found at every turn. 

 Although our search for the Botrychium was fruitless we discovered it on a previous occasion 

 growing by itself almost on the summit of the hill. In the month of October it is especially 

 striking when its amber-coloured frond catches the golden sunshine. To those unacquainted 

 with the plant there would be a difficulty in finding it till such time as its tall, fertile frond 

 appears : this is in striking contrast to the dark green, curly leaves below, half concealed by 

 the grass. Further down this, the third hill of the first group, we found the Adiantum nigrum 

 and many varieties of the Asplenium : A. lancelatum, A. viride, A. trichomanes, A. hemionitis ; 

 and doubtless there were several others we had neither the time nor 'the good luck to find. 

 A grave was beautified by large tufts of Scolopendrium, and a coarse fern somewhat resembling 

 the common bracken, difficult of removal as its roots were so deeply imbedded in bricks 

 and stones. On leaving this spot and descending to the undergrowth the Osmunda regalis 

 abounded, the infant plants of a delicate pale green tint compared with those of maturer 



