2. ArpOTE Fern (Woodsia Ihensis Hyperhorea). Pl. 1. 



A fern somewhat like the preceding, but the pinnss do not 

 Bpring from opposite points on either side of the stem, they are 

 not so hairy, nor so deeply indented along the margin. It is 

 found in rocky districts, but is extremely rare. It requires the 

 same mode of culture as the Oblong Woodsia. It is sometimes 

 called Bolton's "Woodsia, and is termed Woodsia Alpina by 

 Newman. 



It may be reasonably concluded, that any reader who has 

 carefully studied the foregoing pages wUl have obtained some 

 idea of the chief characteristics of the principal species of 

 British ferns that are known to collectors, and, with the aid of 

 the engravings, will be able to distinguish and name any fern 

 that he or she may take tenderly from its native soil to adorn 

 the rockery or Wardiaji case with its rich green, glossy fronds. 

 It may be objected, however, that too much care has been 

 taken to register the several botanical names of each separate 

 species ; but this has been done to endeavour to clear away the 

 clouds of doubt and difficulty with which the mind of any one 

 who is commencing the study of ferns wiU naturally be overcast 

 when it is found that the same plant is spoken of by three or 

 four different botanists under as many different names. 



It has been impossible to do more than broadly indicate the 

 locality in which each species may be found ; but in whatever 

 part of the United Kingdom the collector may be, the nearest 

 bit of tangled brake or bosky woodland, the marsh and meadow 

 glittering with king-cups, and the yellow blooms of the flag, 

 the distant moorland that breaks the grey horizon with its 

 granite tors, the craggy summit and the mountain side, the 

 crumbling walls of ivy-mantled ruins, the clear, cool village 

 well, and even the churchyard where the quiet dead lie changing 

 into dust, will always famish specimens that will amply repay 

 the closest search. 



In removing a fern to transplant it to the fernery, it will be 

 always necessary to take away a sufficient quantity of the 

 rhizome on either side of the stem of the frond to insure its 

 growth if it be one that creeps below the surface of the ground. 

 The soil about the roots should be disturbed as little as possible. 

 As soon as it has been taken up, the roots and rhizome should 

 be surrounded with wet moss, or some damp envelope, and 

 carefully stored in a tin case or basket, and before leaving the 



