CHAPTER III. 
THE LADY FERN. 
Athyrium filix-fcemina. 
' J^'HE majesty of gracefulness is embodied in 
the Lady Fern. Amongst our native ferns 
this species stands unrivalled. Charming as all 
the fern family are, there is in this particular 
member of it an indescribable loveliness. Words 
cannot picture its attractions. It must be seen 
to be thoroughly appreciated ; and one glance 
will convey to the mind a glad sense of its 
soft beauty, which no verbal description can 
properly give. It is, indeed, amongst its kind, 
the queen of delicacy, grace, and beauty. 
Combined with its majestic gracefulness, there 
is an extreme simplicity about the Lady Fern, 
rendering its formal description a matter of ease. 
It has a tufted root-stock, always slightly raised 
