GROUP in FERTILE FRONDS UNIFORMLY SOMEWHAT LEAF-LIKE, 

 YET DIFFERING NOTICEABLY FROM STERILE FRONDS 



not suggest the same species. Many of 

 the pinnas were so turned as to display 

 the ripe sporangia, which formed a bright- 

 brown border to the pale, slender divis- 

 ions. Here, too, the small sterile fronds 

 were very rare. 



Growing from the broken rocks in 

 among the Purple Cliff Brake were thrif- 

 ty little tufts of the Maidenhair 

 Spleenwort. This tiny plant 

 seemed to have forgotten its shy- 

 ness and to have forsworn its love 

 for moist, shaded, mossy rocks. 

 \t ventured boldly out upon these 

 barren cliffs, exposing itself to 

 the fierce glare of the sun and to 

 every blast of wind, and holding 

 itself upright with a saucy self- 

 assurance that seemed strangely 

 at variance with its nature. 



Near by a single patch of the 

 Walking Leaf climbed up the face 

 of the cliff, while, perhaps strang- 

 est of all, from the decaying 

 trunk of a tree, which lay pros- 

 trate among the rocks, sprang a 

 single small but perfect plant of 

 the Ebony Spleenwort, a fern 

 which was a complete stranger 

 in this locality, so far as I could 

 learn. 



95 



More compound frond 

 of Purple CJ'ff Brake 



Sterile frond 



