THE FERN PARADISE. 
rising from the deep, rich soil of the hedge-bank, 
are some Brakes ( Pteris aguilina). These are the 
giants of the British Fern family, growing in 
their branching tree-like form to a height some- 
times of ten feet. Peering into the dark depths 
of the hedges on either side, we discover, trailing 
out of the close masses of ivy which encircle the 
gnarled and matted roots of the trees, the pretty 
fronds of the Common Polypody (P oh /podium 
vulgare). The Polypody, like the Hartstongue, 
will grow almost anywhere — on walls, on hedge- 
banks, and on trees ; but it becomes a puny plant 
when growing in dry, hot, and exposed situations. 
It delights most to nestle amongst the twisted 
branches of pollard-trees. There its creeping 
fleshy roots — feeding on the rich leaf-mould which 
collects in the crevices between the matted roots 
of ivy — love to hide, and from these moist nooks 
are sent out numerous tufts of bright green, nap- 
row, lance-shaped fronds — stems, midribs, with 
alternate lance-shaped leaflets, each leaflet mid- 
ribbed in its turn, and beautifully veined through- 
out ; the round golden masses of spores — 
each mass collected in lines on the backs of 
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