— 280 — 



amid such scenes of beauty and joy, when surrounded 

 by such resplendent beauty. I can liken it to nothing 

 except the trees laden with dangling jewels in the story 

 of Aladin : and who does not perceive that the jewels 

 are more splendid hanging from a tree than if thrown 

 into a heap. I believe Sir David Brewster is right, that 

 diamonds are unopened buds ; at any rate I mean to 

 believe it, if nobody else will." 



IV 



" Everywhere about us are they glowing 

 Some like stars, to tell us spring is come ; 



Others their blue eyes with tears overflowing, 

 Stand like Kuth amid the golden corn." 



Longfellow. 



In our last, we were induced to preface our sketch 

 of July Wild Flowers, with a few familiar remarks 

 and quotations calculated to exhibit them with the 

 graces which poesy can lend ; let us now mention by 

 name some of the most striking members of this fair 

 sisterhood. We shall award the first place to Ferns, one 

 of the crowning glories of the Gomin woods, Bijou 

 marsh, etc., in July. 



Our native Ferns— over forty varieties — belong to a 

 very numerous class, comprising more than 3,000 

 species. There were, however, but 180 known to the 

 great Swedish botanist Linnseus, the friend of the 

 savant and botanist Herr Peter Kalm, to whom Mr. W. 

 Kirby in Le Chien d'Or, novel introduces us so 

 pleasantly, when Kalm visited Quebec, in 17^8 — the 

 guest of Governor La Galisonniere, at the Chateau St. 

 Louis. 



Linnaeus' classification of the Ferns, with some 

 modern improvements, still prevails. 



