THE FERN PARADISE. 



on each side of the rachis, is a very narrow leafy 

 wing or expansion, not readily discernible with- 

 out close inspection, but serving in some sort to 

 connect the several leaflets. These are somewhat 

 irregularly egg-shaped, sometimes almost roughly 

 four-sided, connected with the rachis at their 

 lower side by means of a very short stalk, and 

 slightly indented. The leaflets are merged in the 

 tip of the frond. 



We remember finding some specimens of the 

 Sea Spleen wort down the Dart, about three or 

 four miles from Totnes. We were looking for 

 some small specimens of the Fern, which we were 

 told grew in the locality ; but we lighted by 

 chance upon a small cluster of larger plants. 

 The tide was out, and as we were searching the 

 rocky banks of the river, we suddenly rounded a 

 jutting rocky corner, and came on to a strand that 

 would have been inaccessible at high tide. On 

 oar right the river bank shelved in, and formed a 

 sort of overhanging projection, crowned with 

 large shrubs, and sheltered by trees rising on the 

 high ground above. On the soft red sandstone 

 rock, and just above high-water level, we carne 



39 



