THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR. 
6 . 
THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR. 
Adiantum cajoillus- Veneris. 
Plate 1, Fig. 6. 
TIIS beautiful Fern is one of tlie rarest of 
our native species. It is found in 
® Devonshire 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 True Maidenhair abounds in some loca- 
lities where it has never been yet discovered. It 
often grows in inaccessible situations, and this 
fact would give a reason for the supposition which 
we have started. Bocks on or near the sea 
coast, and dripping sea caves, are its favourite 
habitats. 
The True Maidenhair has a black, hairy, creep- 
ing rhizoma of slender shape, from which are 
thrown up a little clustering mass of the most 
beautiful and delicate fronds. The stems of the 
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