THE BRACKEN. 
129 
bursting, the tiny atoms are scattered far and 
wide, and falling on congenial soil, and being 
subjected to the conditions which favour their 
existence, become developed into the mysterious 
and beautiful fern life which we admire. 
One curious and interesting peculiarity of the 
wild Bracken must be noticed. If a vigorous stem 
of a Bracken frond be cut transversely close to the 
ground, and examined, a figure having a striking 
resemblance to an oak tree will be discovered in 
the centre of the cut section of the stem. 
In lovely Devonshire we have seen the beautiful • 
Bracken, in the damp recesses of woods, soaring 
to its greatest height of ten feet, and spreading 
abroad its feathery arms with exquisite and droop- 
ing grace. It is always beautiful, especially when 
densely covering the ground ; but we do not recol- 
lect to have ever seen it wear so charming an 
aspect as in one particular fir copse in the imme- 
diate neighbourhood of Newton Abbott. The 
whole length of the fir plantation, as far as the eye 
could reach in every direction, was covered with 
golden-green Bracken. The graceful symmetry of 
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