7M HANDY BOOK OF 
abundant are the brotherhood among the highlands of 
Scotland, as often to take the place of the Eagle-fern. We 
have gathered it in many of the northern English counties : 
on the Glee Hills in Shropshire, and near Matlock. North- 
amptonshire, though generally unfavourable for the growth 
of ferns, cherishes this wild species in some of its localities, 
and botanists speak of having found it both in Hereford- 
shire and Oxfordshire. In Wiltshire, on the contrary, 
Mountain-ferns are scarce, though indigenous to Somer- 
setshire, Kent and Sussex, Norfolk, Essex, and Middlesex, 
among which Tunbridge Wells, Epping Forest, and Hamp- 
stead Heath, are very accessible to Fern collectors. 
Withering speaks of the Mountain-fern under the appel- 
tion of Poly-podium Orcopteris ; Hudson and Berkenhout 
give it the simple name of Fragrans ; Bolt-on, that of 
Thelypteris ; other botanists, Aspidium. 
A peculiar characteristic pertains to this interesting 
species, namely, yellowish resinous glands, spreading over 
the back of the leaves ; they inhale a fragrant scent, which 
induced Hudson to regard them as the P. fragrans of 
Linnarus. 
This graceful fern is pleasantly associated in our remem- 
brance with the Clee Hills in Shropshire, covered with wild 
thyme, and ranged over by innumerable bees, when gather- 
ing their honey harvests. We have counted twenty, or 
even thirty leaves, encircling a common centre ; and among 
them the wild hyacinth often lifted up her peerless blue- 
bells, as if grateful for their shelter. It was pleasant to go 
forth from day to day, and watch the gradual unrolling of 
the leaves ; to observe how accurately the pinna) were 
placed at right angles with the rachis ; while the swallow, 
obedient to the voice of spring, darted swiftly through the 
heavens, and the skylark soared and warbled in his up- 
ward flight. Ferns and blue-bells, the lark and swallow, 
were then to us as monitors, noting the beauty and the 
order of reation ; each in its little sphere obedient to the 
