DOWN A GREEN LANE ! 



right, hard by a Brake which spreads its arching 

 fronds towards us, a noble specimen of the 

 purple-stemmed Lady Fern springs out of the 

 hedge-bank, its splendid clusters of fronds, each 

 a yard in length, flinging over the scene the 

 indescribable gracefulness which is a fit emblem 

 of Fern-land. 



And now for a plunge into this glorious lane 

 of lanes. As far as we can see, it appears to melt 

 away in shadowy green, as it sinks down over the 

 declivity of the hill. For some distance along 

 the route, in both hedge-banks, the Lady Ferns 

 appear to hold sway. Here is a grand specimen, 

 fully four feet long ! and there are many others 

 equally grand, and equally beautiful, in every 

 shade of purple stem. Intermingled with them 

 and forming a charming variety of fronds, are 

 some fine specimens of the Male Fern, of the 

 Broad Buckler Fern, with its curling leaflets, and 

 of Bracken, the latter towering up to a height of 

 eight feet. If we peer between the branches 

 which filter the light on the hedge- top, we shall 

 find small specimens of the Male Fern, with 

 shuttlecock shapes, dark green fronds of the Harts- 



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