104 HARDY FERNS. 
of the sparrow and sober robin for tbe gay chatter 
of the parrot, or the wisdom of the statesman-like 
macaw? Does it miss the light spring of the 
agoute, the merry race of the raccoon ? Does it 
hold out its arms in vain for the embrace of the 
trailing parasite, decked in a thousand gorgeous 
hues ? Does it sigh for the glov/ of the noontide 
sun, penetrating here and there the thick shade 
of the forest, and lighting up the bright insect 
world that lies in drowsy ease around ? For my 
pleasure it is content to forego all its grand, happy 
past, and live in the quiet Fernery, alone and for- 
gotten by all but the grateful hand that supplies 
its wants, remembering it is a stranger in a 
strange, uncongenial land. 
Another foreigner that is very easily cultivated, 
and very lovely, is the Polystichum proHferum, the 
fronds of which are so finely cut that it has the 
appearance of lacework. It increases rapidly, a 
number of small plants collecting round the old 
root, which when planted out soon grow. 
There are many other foreign Ferns that look 
