Vegetable Productions. 89 



Each group of thecse in the tribe of spleenwort 

 ferns is protected on one side by a " cover," as it 

 is called, shaped somewhat like one half of a pea- 

 pod. -Another fern called Hart's-Tongue, a strong, 

 large, showy plant, somewhat resembling dock, has 

 two covers, one on each side of the group (fig. 5). 

 The Common Polypody fern has no covers at 

 all; its theca3 stand up in round groups, very like 

 heaps of oranges, their colour being bright yellow 

 (fig. 8). 



The " Shield-fern," common in dry ditches, has 

 its " cover " constructed not unlike a little umbrella 

 standing up in the centre of each group of thecge. 

 Fig. 6 represents part of a leaflet the size of nature, 

 and fig. 7 one of the groups of thecae magnified. 



There is a very great diversity in the shape of 

 these <e covers," and a collection of the native ferns, 

 arranged for the purpose of showing these, forms a 

 beautiful series of objects for the microscope. They 

 should be gathered before they are quite ripe, and 

 placed at once in blotting-paper to dry, if the object 

 is to mount them as slides for the microscope; in 

 which case some sort of little raised frame must be 

 placed on the glass, as without this the thickness of 

 the specimen would prevent the covering-glass from 

 being easily fastened down. 



But ferns examined in a jresh state are objects of 

 great beauty, and are readily prepared, as nothing 

 has to be done farther than to lay a portion of the 

 frond on the microscope's stage. The richness of the 

 greens and browns will attract the eye pleasantly; 



