49 
Plate I, fig. 4. 
“ The Ferns, too, are waving, all statelily here, 
With seed-stored fronds thickly laid, 
And shedding, when hastily brushed by the deer. 
Their light fertile dust o’er the glade.” — Twamley. 
8. Angular Prickly Pern. Folystichum angulare. Though 
the scientific agriculturist of the Midland counties may boast 
of the superior cultivation of his farm ; though their exten- 
sive fields, divided by low stone walls, may be better suited 
for the growth of corn and artificial crops ; the botanist and 
lover of nature’s productions may thank the yeomanry of the 
"West for their huge hedge-banks, richly covered with moss 
and the elegant Pern which we have now to describe. This 
plant differs from the preceding, as it droops gracefully, like 
the weeping willow, simple and attractive to behold. Almost 
every hedge in our valleys presents it to our view. The 
leaflets near the main stem of the lower pinnic are very 
slightly taller than the rest, with a kind of ear (auricle) 
sticking out more distinctly than in the last species. They 
are generally not so sharp pointed, but much more rounded 
or blunt at the higher part. The prickles or bristles are 
more numerous. The foliage is pale green, and the little leaves 
have a distinct stalk. The pinnae, too, are much longer than 
in the last, and the frond itself is generally far more luxuri- 
ant. It varies from one to three or four feet. The little ears 
or auricles are sometimes divided to the mid-rib, which gives 
the plant a light and elegant appearance. In such a case 
the frond becomes tripinnate. There are then, too, very 
many pinnae which are distinct, more pointed, lax, neatly 
and nicely curved, to the admiration of all who have an eye 
to perceive, in every-day objects, the beautiful productions 
of our great Creator. In other cases, the pinnules are very 
narrow and linear, and in others (so Protean is its character) 
very broad, almost of four equal sides, but in an oblique 
direction, still with a little ear at its base on the side oppo- 
site the main rachis. "We may lastly mention, that now and 
then, like the brute beasts themselves, the leaflets have two 
ears, but the inner one is not so large as the outer one. Moore 
mentions forty-three varieties. As a general rule, the plant 
n 
