CULTIVATION. 355 



rdficent Neottopteris muscefolia, which is described by a 

 Penang correspondent in the following words : " I 

 saw two fine specimens of the Birds 3 -nest Fern ; each 

 had between forty and fifty perfect green leaves ; the 

 average length of the leaves was six feet, and from 

 one foot to fourteen inches across in the broadest part. 

 They were growing on each side of a doorway ; when 

 I was walking up to them I thought they were American 

 Aloes. 33 



The remarks that have been previously made 

 respecting the nature of the rock-loving Asplenice are 

 equally applicable to others that inhabit rocky places, 

 such as certain species of the genera Notlioloena, 

 Myriopteris, Cheilanthes, &c. ; some are rocky-coast 

 plants, others are mountain, being found in elevated 

 situations within or near the tropics, where they are 

 subject to the heaviest showers and most powerful 

 sun, their surfaces being generally furnished with 

 beautiful scales or woolly covering, which resist in a 

 great measure the action of the sun. They all seem 

 very impatient of moisture under cultivation, especially 

 in winter. A material composed of finely-broken and 

 mixed sandstone, bricks, old mortar, and a small 

 quantity of sandy loam, suits them, placed in a position 

 of the coolest shade, with abundance of moisture in 

 summer, and in winter very little water, just sufficient 

 to keep the soil slightly moist ; a comparatively dry 

 atmosphere and as much light as may be obtainable 

 at that dull season, with a temperature not below 36. 

 As a general rule, the above may be considered appli- 

 cable to all small-growing rock species of temperate 

 regions, including the natives of this country. The 

 species of the genus Gymnogramma, especially those 

 2 A 2 



