tOO BOTANY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 



the solitary Naiad sleeps, and where she has 

 slept from the beginning of ages ; at other times 

 they are borne on the wings of the wind to the 

 summits of lofty towers, or the tottering rem- 

 nant of an old chateau, where they shine like 

 verdant stars ; and sometimes disposed in light 

 festoons, they adorn the retired and shady spots 

 which shepherds love. Thus this wild plant is 

 not to be understood by science, but hides its 

 secret origin from our curious enquiries. It is the 

 prettiest of all ferns, and Pliny states that though 

 you plunge it in water it will still remain dry. 



The Royal Osmund or Flowering Fern, is an- 

 other noble and stately species. It is most com- 

 mon in our dark swamps, on it the capsules are 

 very conspicuous. The Fragile, a most elegant 

 species, is also here, noted for its extreme brit- 

 tleness, as also the Lycopodium, which Nuttall 

 considers the most elegant and curious Fern in 

 the United States. Some of the species of Fern, 

 in tropical countries, attain a height of thirty 

 feet. The number known amounts to near a 

 thousand, which are all most abundant in moist 

 and shady situations. 



2d. The MOSSES are little herbs with distinct 

 stems. Mungo Park, when travelling, was once 



