A YOUNG NATURALIST. 71 



Gun on shoulder, we made our way up the bed of the stream, 

 often being obliged to cut our path through a thicket of plants. 

 I noticed a fine tree-fern, the leaves of which, not yet devel- 

 oped, assumed the shape of a bishop's crosier. Lucien remarked 

 this. 



" You are right," said I. " It is very curious ; do you know 

 Jussieu divided all vegetables into three great orders — acotyledons, 

 monocotyledons, and dicotyledons. Ferns belong to the first ; * they 

 have no visible flowers, and are allied to the sea-weed and mush- 

 room tribe. It is only under the tropics that ferns attain the 

 dimensions of the one you are looking at ; in colder regions their 

 height seldom exceeds a few feet. Ferns formed almost the sole 

 vegetation of the primitive world, and we frequently find evi- 

 dence of some gigantic species which are now extinct." 



Lucien, being desirous to examine the crosier-shaped stalks, 

 allowed us to get in front of him, then crept under the fern. 



As the leaves of this shrub are furnished underneath with long 

 prickles, when he wanted to rejoin us he found himself caught. 

 The more he struggled the worse he became entangled. He 

 cried out to me in a most distressed voice, and not knowing what 

 had happened, I lost no time in going back to him. I found 

 him fighting hard against the thorns which were scratching his 

 face and hands. L'Encuerado and Sumichrast also came to his 

 assistance. 



I disentangled the boy as quickly as I could ; but already he 

 had several scratches over his face and hands. 



" How came you not to think," I said, " that, by struggling in 

 this way, you would only the more entangle yourself?" 



"I saw you all leaving me; I scarcely knew what held me 

 back, and I got quite frightened ; but I 'm not crying, papa, and 

 yet the fern-prickles scratch terribly." 



L'Encuerado turned up his sleeves, and, seizing his machete, 

 rushed at the fern. 



" Are not you ashamed to attack a child ? " he cried. " It 's 

 all very fine to display your bishop's crosier and then behave in 

 this way ! Try and tear my coat ! I know you wouldn't dare 

 ' That is, a plant devoid of lohes. 



