X 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
“Ferns in the Woods.” 
BY CHARLES NEVERS HOLMES, NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 
Within a forest fen 
Afar from homes of men, 
Aloof from trodden way, 
Where people seldom stray, 
Within a lone retreat 
Where solitude is sweet, 
And birch trees gleam so white 
’Mid mingled shade and light, 
The visitor discerns 
A gorgeous growth of ferns. 
Ferns that are dwarfed or tall, 
Ferns which are large or small, 
Fronds that are coarse or fine, 
Fronds of superb design, 
Some ferns which seek the light 
And some that shrink from sight, 
Which flourish in the shade 
Beside a sunny glade, 
Within a forest fen 
Afar from homes of men. 
