102 HARDY FERNS. 
there is a grotto, called the Grotto of St. Andre, 
the whole roof of which is a mass of Capillus- 
Veneris, I drove there one Christmas-eve. The 
portals of the cave were bright with flowers and 
myrtles, and the inside was like fairyland, from 
the waving of the beautiful tresses as they hung 
from the dripping roof high above our heads. I 
took a hint from the cave, and keep my Maiden- 
hair thoroughly drained, and constantly watered 
over the fronds, and I have seldom seen finer 
plants than the Warwickshire ones. 
I have not mentioned any particular haunts of 
Lastrea recurva, for it grows plentifully every- 
where ; the well-drained banks of old ditches seem 
to suit it best. One of the very prettiest Adian- 
tums for a rockery is a foreign one, Pedatum. 
It is exceedingly hardy, increasing rapidly, and 
the tuft of bright pinnas attached to the shining 
black stalk spreads out in shape like an inverted 
umbrella, making the entire mass like a diminu- 
tive palm grove. 
Another good hardy Fern is the Cyrtomium 
