THE LADY-FERN. 31 



The large frond you brought from the woods has the 

 seeds clustered together, along the middle vein of 

 each leaflet. It is called ( Male Fern,'* on account 

 of its strong growth and hardy nature. A very 

 delicate and graceful species is called ' Lady Fern/ 

 while another is called ' Maiden-hair.' " , 



Mary remembered some lines of Sir Walter 

 Scott's about the lady-fern, and she now repeated 

 them : 



" Where the copse-wood is the greenest, 

 Where the fountain glistens sheenest, 

 Where the morning dew lies longest, 

 There the lady-fern grows strongest." 



"The juices of several ferns," continued her 

 father, "have been used as medicine, and the 

 stems of others as food : but their ordinary uses 

 in this country are merely for thatching, or for 

 heating ovens, or for horse-litter. But there is 

 one thing I must not omit to say about the 

 foreign ferns. Do you remember, Henry, having 

 your curiosity excited by a picture of a * Scythian 

 lamb,' as it was called ?" 



" yes, papa ; it was an odd-looking thing 



* Aspidium Fttix, mas. 



