RAMBLES IN SEARCH OF FERNS. 
49 
Jersey Adder’s Tongue ( 0 . Lusitanicum, Fig. 10) ; it differs from our 
common species in being smaller, and having its narrow fronds on 
stems not in the form of a sheath. 
No pen can describe the keen pleasure with which I regarded my 
collection of ferns. There lay the five Polypodys, with their round 
uncovered masses of seed cases ; the Scaly Spleenwort, with its case 
shattered or absent ; and the Jersey fern, with naked seed masses, 
forming the first order, Polypodiacese. 
Next were placed the Woodsia, with its fringed cover ; the four 
Prickly ferns, with their round covers fastened in the centre ; the six 
Shield ferns, with their kidney-shaped covers fastened on the indented 
side ; the three Bladder ferns, with their bag-like covers ; the nine 
Spleenworts, with their linear masses and covers opening towards the 
middle vein ; the Lady fern, with its oval covering attached by the 
side ; the Hart’s Tongue, with its long seed masses and membranous 
cover ; the Brake, with its seeds in a fine on the margin ; the Parsley 
fern, with its circular masses on the under edge of the pinnules ; the 
Hard fern, with its seed in two covered fines ; and the Maiden-hair, 
with its crescent-like masses and their covering — all these forming 
the covered order, or Aspidiacese. 
The small order of the Urn-bearing ferns, or Ilymenophyllacese, 
was next, containing only the two Filmy ferns and the Bristle fern. 
The Royal fern stood in an order by itself, the fruit being naked and 
spiked. This spike order is called Osmundacese. Finally came the 
Moon wort and Adder’s Tongue, also spiked, and only differing from the 
Osmundacese in the seed case. These represented the Ophioglossaceae. 
Such had been my success. Did I owe it to myself — to my own 
application and persevering search ? These were themselves the gift 
of God — elements bestowed upon me with which to overcome difficulty. 
But these were not my chief aids. Jacob said, in that melancholy 
scene when he won his father’s blessing by deceit, “ I found the 
venison, because the Lord tliy God brought it to me." And thus when 
we take up the study of any part of the works or dealings of God, and 
