THE EEBN PARADISE. 



fibrous rootlets ; thin, narrow fronds ; brittle 

 stems; and two rows of leaflets, now placed 

 opposite in pairs, and now ranged alternately 

 egg-shaped and saw-edged. Both grow from their 

 crowns in dense clusters. But, as we have already 

 inferred, TricJwmanes is found growing in sunnier 

 and more exposed situations than Viride. Tri- 

 chomanes, nevertheless, though so hardy and bold, 

 best loves deep shade and moisture. It never, 

 however, grows on the ground, but must be 

 elevated on wall, rock, or hedge-bank. 



It is really difficult to imagine anything more 

 beautiful than a wall or rock clothed with dense 

 tufts of the fronds of TricJwmanes , with their 

 shining, purplish-black stems and refreshingly 

 green leaflets. Peer over the arch of yonder 

 bridge, beneath which the stream is surging and 

 splashing ! Beyond you, dark woods tower up 

 against the horizon ; beneath, the shining river 

 reflects in its limpid surface the blue canopy of 

 the sky checkered with fleecy white clouds. You 

 follow the course of the current, watching some 

 foam spot as it eddies along, and disappears 

 beneath the arch over which you are leaning. As 



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