I 74 
THE FERN WORLD 
cavernous hollow in the cliff. In one of these, where the 
incoming waves sped through a huge channel — formed 
between two great masses of almost perpendicular rock, — we 
espied growing beyond the tide-mark, but just within reach 
of the finest spray of the waves, a noble specimen of 
Marinum, its roots embedded in the veins of rock and its 
fronds hanging down, as if to meet the fresh onset of the sea. 
But we encountered in all directions abundance of these 
beautiful plants, sometimes perched boldly on a cleft of rock, 
which lay under the shelter of a larger rock above, sometimes 
ensconced in the hollows formed by two masses of super- 
incumbent rock, and sometimes clinging to the side of the 
open cliff in places where trickling moisture came oozing 
down from the height above. 
Presently we found that our progress along this rugged 
beach was no longer possible, for giant masses of rock lay 
right in our path, too precipitous to climb, and too steej) to 
round on the seaward side. We therefore once more sought 
the high ground over the cliff-top, along which the coast- 
guard path took us for a considerable distance. A hill rose 
above us on our left like a great ridge, its side and top 
presenting a peculiarly wild appearance, strewn in some 
places as they were by great masses of contorted rock, whilst 
in others the surface of the ground was covered by waving 
Brake, purple heather, and golden gorse. Here we found in 
great abundance many fine plants of As pi en turn lanceolatum, 
ensconced under the shady projections of the hillside rocks. 
In places where a mass of rock was piled up in a conglomerate 
heap, forming a variety of dark, moist, and shady recesses, 
these beautiful Ferns would be found growing in the greatest 
luxuriance, their pinnules having the peculiar crisped or 
curled appearance which is characteristic of Lanceolatum. 
But perhaps the most beautiful part of this singularly 
wild and beautiful coast was that which lay between the 
