THE FERN PARADISE. 
on each side of the rachis, is a very narrow leafy 
wing or expansion, not readily discernible with- 
out close inspection, but serving in some sort to 
connect the several leaflets. These are somewhat 
irregularly egg-shaped, sometimes almost roughly 
four-sided, connected with the rachis at their 
lower side by means of a very short stalk, and 
slightly indented. The leaflets are merged in the 
tip of the frond. 
We remember finding some specimens of the 
Sea Spleenwort down the Dart, about three or 
four miles from Totnes. We were looking for 
some small specimens of the Fern, which we were 
told grew in the locality ; but we lighted by 
chance upon a small cluster of larger plants. 
The tide was out, and as we were searching the 
rocky banks of the river, we suddenly rounded a 
jutting rocky corner, and came on to a strand that 
would have been inaccessible at high tide. On 
our right the river bank shelved in, and formed a 
sort of overhanging projection, crowned with 
large shrubs, and sheltered by trees rising on the 
high ground above. On the soft red sandstone 
rock, and just above high-water level, we came 
39 ° 
