26 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
And now, for a moment, the bright valley 
which we have left below us is forgotten in the 
new sight which refreshes the eye. Hitherto 
the sunlight has shone upon the path ; but here 
our lane becomes suddenly darkened as it creeps 
under the shadow of higher hedge-banks, and of 
overhanging trees. Just one glance through a 
breach in the shady mound which helps to shut 
out the sunshine, and the eye will catch a lovely 
glimpse of the hill-side sloping down into the 
valley below. The bright peep charmingly con- 
trasts with the dark depths of the lane. But in 
this dark and cool retreat fern-life is predominant. 
On the right the thick hedge is covered with an 
almost impenetrable mass of bushes, which rise 
high above its top, shedding upon it the dimness of 
evening twilight. Growing out against the dark 
background of bushes are some luxuriant speci- 
mens of the Common Hartstongue ( Scolopendrium 
vulgare ), one of the most easily recognisable of the 
British ferns, with its crumpled tongue-shaped frond, 
growing sometimes to the length — stem and frond 
together — of three feet. The thick and rich-looking 
