TI1E BUCKLER FERNS. 
had arranged to meet Charles Hillman, already 
alluded to, at Newton Abbott, whence he was to 
pilot us to the Decoy Bog, in the vicinity of that 
town. Unfortunately when we arrived at the 
Newton Abbott station the rain began to pour. 
But we had set our minds on Tlielypteris , and, 
nothing daunted, we started for the Decoy Bog. 
The bog lies under a wood at the foot of a furze 
and Bracken-covered slope. Arrived at the top of 
the slope we had to wade through the tall and 
dripping Bracken breast high, pushing the Ferns 
aside with one hand, and holding our umbrellas in 
the other. We soon reached the bog, but there 
our difficulties had only commenced. Interspersed 
throughout the extent of the bog, which lay under 
the shadow of the wood which covered it, were 
some moss-covered mounds, chiefly occurring at 
the roots or over the stumps of trees. It was 
necessary to step with the utmost caution from 
moss-covered mound to moss-covered mound, 
holding on, as we did so, to the trees ; otherwise* 
we should have been precipitated into the bog and 
should have sunk we know not where. Wading 
into this wooded morass, we at length came to a 
M 2 
359 
