CHAPTER VI. 
THE MAIDENHAIR. 
Adiantum capillus-veneris . 
T HIS beautiful fern is one of the rarest of 
our native species. It is found in Devon- 
shire and Cornwall, in some parts of South 
Wales, and in Ireland ; in Ireland, in fact, more 
abundantly than in any other part of the United 
Kingdom. But it is more than possible that the 
Maidenhair abounds in some localities where it has 
never yet been discovered. It often grows in 
inaccessible situations, and this fact would give a 
reason for the supposition which we have started. 
Rocks on or near the sea coast, and dripping sea 
caves, are its favourite habitats. 
The Maidenhair has a black, hairy, creeping 
caudex of slender shape, from which are thrown 
up a mass of the most beautiful and delicate 
