124 HANDY BOOK OF 
Conway, growing luxuriantly on a wall at the left-hand 
side. 
Scotland. Arthxir's Seat and Braid Hills, near Edinburgh, 
formerly abundant, now rare ; Perthshire, near Dunkeld. 
Ireland. Unknown . 
The roots are long, iibrous, crooked, intertwined, and, 
together with, the rhizoina, which is large and tufted, form 
an amazing bulk. The specimen procured by Newman, at 
Llanrwst, had three hundred fronds ; and after shaking oft' 
u good deal of the earth, the mass of roots and rhizoina 
weighed several pounds. 
The form of the frond is elongate, lanceolate, and fur- 
nished laterally with one or two short bifed teeth or serra- 
tures ; the apex also terminates in a bifed point, diminishing 
imperceptibly towards the base, and terminating in a smooth 
ruchis, black at the extreme base. The veins are nearly 
simple, few in number, one uniformly runs into each serra- 
ture. The theca? are attached to each vein in a continuous 
line, covered at first by an indusium of similar shape, opening 
towards the mid- vein of the frond, thrown back as the thecae 
swell, and finally disappearing. The lower surface of the 
i'rond presents a continuous mass of thecso. 
Pleasingly associated with the return of the wandering 
<love, with the cheerful yet monotonous song of the cuckoo, 
and the coming back of the swallow family, green leaves of 
the Forked Spleeuwort appear in March and April ; they 
arrive at maturity in August, and retain their verdure 
throughout winter ; they grow in an horizontal position, 
from out perpendicular or slanting banks or walls, and are 
figured in their natural size and position. 
The Sea Spleenwort, Asplenium marinum of authors, is 
widely diffused throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and 
Ireland, wherever the fissure of the sea-cliff, or the roof of 
a marine cave, affords a congenial growing place. Specimens 
of an enormous size have been gathered from the roof of a 
