THE BRITISH FERNS 143 



it goes. The impetus is sufficient So fishes another and much larger 

 to carry it a foot or two beneath the bird. The empire of the solan goose 

 surface, deep as the glittering ranks is out in the deeper water. It passes 

 of sand-eels. over like the gulls ; but unlike the 

 By this simple device which the gulls, it looks below the surface. It is 

 gull must have watched a thousand heavy in the air lacks the buoyancy, 

 times as he passed by on his vain which may be one reason why the 

 search the tern gets its living at the gull does not try to dive. It wheels 

 sea. Not a chance diet, but food on its course, dashes down, and van- 

 when it is hungry. There are limita- ishes. It goes deeper than the tern, 

 tions. The water must be clear, and but no deeper than the dive will carry, 

 the surface undisturbed, save by the In this somewhat sensational way, 

 play of ripples, else the keen glance which arrests and fascinates each time 

 may not see what is beneath. So one looks on, it commands the upper 

 far is there an element of chance, depths. Its weight carries it some 

 and seasons of dearth ; days when the ten to twenty feet. A lighter bird, 

 fisher is absent from its beat. The the tern splashes barely over head : 

 tern searches the shallows along the in its buoyancy it is allied to the gulls, 

 margin, only a few yards from where The solan goose belongs to a fishing 

 the wavelets lap upon the sand, and family. Its nearest relatives are truly 

 the black-headed gull picks up the marine birds. Its mode of diving is 

 stranded shrimp. In like manner, somewhat puzzling. It is an inter- 

 it is just on the edge of seabird life. esting connecting link. 



XXIX 



THE BRITISH FERNS 



"Ferns, . . . noxious weeds, to be classed with thorns and briers, and other ditch 

 trumpery." UNENLIGHTENED OLD AUTHOR. 



'T^HE very word ferns bears with popular leaning towards the " wild " 



it something of an early Vic- type of garden, was responsible for 



torian impression, and a " rage " or much of their abundant literature. 



fashion in ferns, long since dead, but But who ever looks into the large, 



of late years in part revivified by the handsomely illustrated volumes issued 



