^4 
THE FERN WORLD 
of the sea. Immediately below, on the right aiul left of the 
spot where we stand, rugged cliffs sweep down in the sharp 
angles which form the sea’s inlet at this point to the shingle 
beach, on which lie scattered great fragments of sandstone 
rock. 
But above the point upon which we stand a giant cliff 
rears its head, its steeply-sloping sides broken and jagged 
into curious forms, presenting a most singular surface — here 
bared of every growing thing, and showing a fantastic 
colouring of red sandstone ; there covered with Brake and 
grass and creeping shrub, the whole surface riven into 
marvellous shapes, yet its indescribable wildness subdued and 
softened by its beautiful garment of green. Immediately 
below this covering of green the grassy cliff-side is smoother, 
but its surface again becomes broken and delved as it rolls 
steeply to the beach. 
Our path follows the giddy edge of the cliff-top, fringed 
with graceful forms of Brake, the rocky surface carpeted 
with dark-leaved ivv, and sheltered by trailing sprays of 
honeysuckle and blackberry, and by the prickly branches of 
the sloe. We soon reach the cliff-top, and, looking back, we 
can descry the rugged indentations of the coast from Berry 
Head to Mewstone Bay, and thence to where we stand. 
From this point our path keeps for some distance along 
the head of the cliff. Beautiful indeed is the aspect of these 
cliffs, their sides sweeping steeply down to the sea, now 
clothed with trees, now covered alone by shrubs and grass, 
gorse and Fern. Presently we again descend over a steep 
grassy slope to Mansands, which lie, shingle-bordered, at the 
mouth of a beautiful combe, that, sweeping gracefully down 
to the sea between two hills, reposes in the quiet of soft 
meadows divided by hedges, and sparsely covered by trees, 
with only one small cottage besides the coastguard station in 
the whole of the bay. 
