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HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



crowded. It is very difficult to find these fern prothalli out- 

 doors, but they do frequently occur near ferns in green- 

 houses. The above gives you a part of the life history of 

 every fern. The life history of non-flowering plants is ex- 



FIG. 46. MAIDENHAIR FERN. Adiantum pedatum. 



A part of the frond in the centre, much reduced ; to the left and to the 

 right pieces of the frond seen from below, the former natural size, the 

 latter enlarged. 



ceedingly interesting, but it cannot be thoroughly studied 

 without a compound microscope. 



Another fern common in and around rather sunny woods 

 is the Brake. It is our largest fern, and frequently attains 

 a height of four feet. The long stalk bears a large tripar- 



