CULTIVATION. 
355 
nificent Neottoptcris muscefolia, which is described by a 
Penang correspondent in the following words : — “ I 
saw two fine specimens of the Birds’ -nest Fern ; each 
had between forty and fifty perfect green leaves ; the 
average length of the leaves was six feet, and from 
one foot to fourteen inches across in the broadest part. 
They were growing on each side of a doorway ; when 
I was walking up to them I thought they were American 
Aloes.” 
The remarks that have been previously made 
respecting the nature of the rock-loving Asplenias are 
equally applicable to others that inhabit rocky places, 
such as certain species of the genera Notlioloena, 
Myriopteris, Gheilanthes , &c . ; some are rocky-coast 
plants, others are mountain, being found in elevated 
situations within or near the tropics, where they are 
subject to the heaviest showers and most powerful 
sun, their surfaces being generally furnished with 
beautiful scales or woolly covering, which resist in a 
great measure the action of the sun. They all seem 
very impatient of moisture under cultivation, especially 
in winter. A material composed of finely-broken and 
mixed sandstone, bricks, old mortar, and a small 
•quantity of sandy loam, suits them, placed in a position 
of the coolest shade, with abundance of moisture in 
summer, and in winter very little water, just sufficient 
to keep the soil slightly moist ; a comparatively dry 
atmosphere and as much light as may be obtainable 
at that dull season, with a temperature not below 36°. 
As a general rule, the above may be considered appli- 
cable to all small-growing rock species of temperate 
regions, including the natives of this country. The 
species of the genus Gymnogramma , especially those 
2 A 2 
