88 
ADIANTACE^. 
fectly green to the extremity : with this exception, the fertile and 
barren fronds are similar. When the frond has passed maturity, 
and approaches decay, the pinnules of this fern fall otf like the 
leaves of phaenogamous plants, the rachis remaining bare and 
leafless, and assuming the appearance of a bunch of strong 
bristles. 
Mr. Ball, of Dublin, pointed out to me a property which this 
fern possesses, when cultivated on Mr. Ward’s plan of checking 
communication with the outer air by means of a glass cover - 
the lobes of the pinnules become viviparous at the extremities, 
the seeds actually vegetating while still in situ, and the young 
plants taking root, like parasites, in the substance of the old 
one : from a specimen, in which this peculiarity was clearly exhi- 
bited, I sketched the vignette below. 
The figure at page 83 represents a small frond from Ilfracombe, 
of the natural size : the pinnules are frequently as large as the 
figure to the left of the same cut. 
