SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
of Shansi, in the crevices of old temples and walls, 
and in well shaded ravine bottoms. 
Two other small ferns may also be met with 
in the same spots. One resembles the Hart’s 
Tongue, though it is of a very minute size. The 
frond is more tapering, ending in a long thread- 
like point, at the very tip of which the spores 
occur. When this tip touches the ground, the 
spores develop and a new plant grows. In this 
way this little fern propagates itself. The other 
variety more resembles our Spleenwort, though 
it also is very small, and not over abundant. 
In the crevices of some rocks in the highest 
mountains of Western Shansi I found a delicate 
fern, also resembling the Hart’s Tongue in shape, 
though without the long point of the species 
already described, nor the auriculate base of either. 
In the mountains of North Shansi and Chihli 
yet another fern with a lanceolate frond occurs. 
This variety is more common than any of those 
already mentioned, and usually grows upon rock 
surfaces, even in exposed positions. The under 
surface of the frond is thickly covered with spores. 
In the dry season the frond curls up, exposing the 
spore-covered under surface, so that they are 
readily scattered by the wind. 
The remaining species of fern is the Bracken, 
which grows extensively on some of the warmer 
slopes of the mountains of Northern and Western 
Shansi and in Kansu. Except in its smaller size 
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