tfEKNY liAMULES IN SOUTH DEVON. 



the fresh green hedge-banks near us were nume- 

 rous specimens of the Male Fern, the Harts- 

 tongue, the Soft Prickly Shield Fern, and small 

 plants of the Bracken, delightfully intermingled 

 with ivy, moss, and wild hyacinths. 



A little further on the road we found the tops 

 of the hedges on each side crowned with number- 

 less tall specimens of the Bracken and presenting 

 a peculiarly graceful and beautiful appearance. 

 At a short distance from this place, the road 

 suddenly descends as it bends sharply round to 

 the right. At this point a beautiful view of the 

 valley lying below on the left, with its wooded 

 bottoms, its orchards, and its meadows, is revealed; 

 here and there houses picturesquely dotted about, 

 and, away in the high background, green hills. 

 Immediately next the road, and on the first 

 slope of the descent into the valley is a small 

 orchard, in which the Brakes, when we saw them, 

 grew so thickly and luxuriantly as to touch the 

 tips of the fruit trees, and give a most singular 

 and romantic aspect to the scene. 



Now the view again changes in true Devon shire 

 fashion as we pass onward. Our road rapidly 



105 



