DEYOPTERIS FILIX-MAS. 191 



lovely as any the United Kingdom can boast : the very ferns obeyed bis 

 will ; this golden-coloured wilding having been brought by wagon-loads and 

 planted so as to form an undergrowth to his wooded slopes, in lieu of the 

 common brakes. The woods are themselves artificial, yet being planted with 

 a perfect knowledge of the " ars celare artem," they hang over cataracts, 

 fringe streams, or cap eminences just as Nature might be supposed to 

 scatter them when in her wildest and happiest mood. 



Radicles and caudex unknown to me : stipes about one-fifth 

 as long as the frond : fronds narrow-lanceolate, pinnate, rigid, 

 symmetrically ranged round a centre : the stipes is clothed 

 with beautifully ruddy-golden scales; these, as usual, are much 

 larger and broader at the base, but are continued as scales, 

 or under the form of hairs, throughout the general and par- 

 tial rachides, imparting their beautiful hue to the entire under 

 surface : the leafy portion of the frond is leathery, slightly 

 glabrous, and yellowish green : the pinnae are very numerous, 

 very approximate, linear, and acute at the apex ; they are 

 deeply pinnatifid, sometimes almost pinnate, but the pinnules 

 are always confluent at the base, and approximate at their mar- 

 gins ; they are usually truncate, or, perhaps, more correctly 

 speaking, truncately obtuse and toothed at theix apices ; the 

 lateral margins toothed : the clusters of capsules are large, few 

 in number, and confined to two or three pairs at the base of 

 each pinnule : the involucres are perfectly reniform and very 

 enduring : upon the upper side of the frond there is frequently 

 a dark spot on the partial rachis, at the base of each pinna : 

 this character was pointed out to me by Mr. WoUaston, whose 

 knowledge of the British ferns infinitely exceeds that of any 

 other botanist with whom I have ever enjoyed the opportu- 

 nity of conversing, and this gentleman considers it not only a 

 constant but an important diagnostic character : still, having 

 carefully noticed its diversity in living, and its very frequent 

 absence from dried specimens, I feel disinclined to adopt Mr. 

 Wollaston's views without modification. 



