SEA SPLEEN WORT. 39 



at Hastings, and as far north as Scarborough, in York- 

 shire. In every county in Ireland which borders the 

 sea it is abundant. The visitor to the lakes of Kil- 

 larney cannot fail to observe this beautiful fern in its 

 luxuriance on the almost inaccessible rocks which 

 abound there, where, from its situation, it is tolerably 

 safe from the rapacious hands of the fern-collector. In 

 the Channel Islands it is luxuriant. Its European 

 range seems limited to the coasts of France and Spain. 

 It is plentiful in Madeira and Teneriffe. 



Although so common a fern on our sheltered sea- 

 coasts, it is very difficult to deal with artificially, and 

 seldom succeeds in the open air never in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London. In a Ward's ease, however, 

 with the Lanceolate Spleenwort and Maiden Hair, it 

 does exceedingly well in a warm room. They all 

 enjoy warmth, and being all evergreens of moderate 

 size, are well adapted for such a position. It may here 

 be remarked, that for the successful cultivation of all 

 small evergreen ferns of this kind great care must be 

 had to the drainage. Turfy peat and silver-sand, 

 mixed with friable loam, and pieces of porous sand- 

 stone or brick added to fibrous loam, is the composi- 

 tion which suits them best. They should never be 

 kept wet, but moderately moistened, and the roots 

 tolerably dry. This fern is most difficult to dry for 

 the herbarium, on account of the quantity of salt con- 

 tained in its fronds. It is best to dry it separately, 

 if possible, in order to prevent mischief to other 

 specimens. 



