THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 23, 1866. 195 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
DECEMBER 23—29, 1856. 
Weather ni 
Barometer. 
sar Lon 
Thermo. 
DON IN 
Wind. 
1855. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.& S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
bf. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
23 
Tu 
The December Moth. 
29.576-29.463 
50—37 
S.W. 
07 
7 a. 8 
52 a. 3 
4 17 
26 
0 27 
358 
24 
W 
The yellow-line Quaker. 
29 . 663 — 29.627 
49—33 
S.W. 
30 
8 
52 
5 33 
27 
bef. 3 
359 
25 
Tn 
Christmas Day. 
29.626-29.386 
50—35 
S.W. 
19 
8 
53 
6 48 
28 
0 33 
360 
26 
F 
St. Stephen. 
29.253—29.187 
51—45 
S,W. 
26 
8 
54 
7 57 
29 
1 3 
361 
27 
S 
St. John Evan. [nocents. 
29.601—29.487 
53—37 
S.W. 
0) 
8 
55 
sets. 
m 
1 33 
362 
28 
Sun 
1 Son. ‘after Christ. [In- 
29 . 743 — 29.616 
58—39 
s. 
00 
9 
65 
4 a 38 
1 
2 2 
363 
29 
M 
The incomplete Moth. 
29 . 963 — 29.909 
51—33 
S.W. 
01 
9 
56 
6 0 
2 
2 32 
364 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest and lowest 
temperatures of these days are 42.5°, and 31.0°, respectively. The greatest heat, 58°, occurred on the 25th, in 1843 ; and the lowest cold, 8°, 
on the 28th, in 1854. During the period 122 days were fine, and on 74 rain fell. 
POLYPO'DIUM DRY0'PTERIS. 
This Fern has uniformly borne the specific name of 
dryopteris, from being sometimes found among the 
moss about the root of Oak-trees, drys being the 
Greek for an Oak, and pteris for a Fern. It has been 
included, however, in various genera by different bo¬ 
tanists, being described by them as a Oymnocarpium, 
Lastrcea, Phegopteris, and Polystichum. In English it 
is known as the Three-branched Polypody. 
Its root is black, widely creeping, thread-like, wavy, 
and slightly hairy, with numerous tufts of rootlets. 
Fronds from five to twelve inches high, with nearly a 
five-sided outline when laid flat; but this form is not 
apparent in their growing posture, owing to their very 
flaccid growth. Stem slender, brittle, pale green, very 
smooth, with the exception of a few scales at the bottom; 
dividing into three branches at the top, each branch 
about one-third the length of the stem, but the middle 
branch is rather the longest. The branches spread 
loosely and drooping, so as to be arched above. The 
branches really are large, pale, bright green leaflets, 
smooth, fine-textured, and cut into deep, oblong, blunt 
segments, wavy or toothed at their edge, and rather 
rolled back, and smooth, except having a slight downi¬ 
ness on the mid-vein. Instead of segments there are a 
few stalkless leaflets near the base of each branch. 
Each branch is triangular in its general outline. Mid¬ 
vein wavy, with alternate side veins, which fork, and 
bear a mass of fructification on the inner branch of each 
fork midway between the edge and the mid-vein of the 
segment of the leaflet. The masses are pale, convex, 
and permanently distinct, turning brown when ripe, and 
are without hairs, scales, or other covering. 
It is found on shaded mountain sides. In England , 
above Langley Ford, near the Cheviot Mountains; 
among rocks at the fall of Lodore, Derwent Water, 
in Cumberland; in Barrowfield-wood, near Kendal; 
near Durham; in Wedwood Forest, near Yoxhall 
Lodge, Staffordshire; near the upper part of the 
Tees; Egerton Moor, and Dean Church Clough, near 
Bolton; at Hill Cliff and Warrington, Cheshire ; Bog- 
hart Hole Clough and Prestwich Clough, Lancashire; 
rocks at Belle Hag, Sheffield; Richmond, and about 
North Bierley, in Yorkshire; Cornbury Quarry, in 
Oxfordshire; at Froddesley Hill, and north side of 
Titterstone Clee Hill, in Shropshire; in woods north-east 
of the road up Frocester Hill, in Gloucestershire; and 
Leigh Woods, near Bristol. 
In Wales, near Tintern Abbey; at Craig Breidden, 
Montgomeryshire; Rhaiadr-y-Wenol-Twll-Du, Caernar¬ 
vonshire ; near Llangollen on a slate rock ; frequent in 
North Wales. 
In Scotland, on the banks of the White Adder, 
between the Retreat and Elm Cottage, Berwickshire; 
at Langholm and Broomholm, in Eskdale; at Moray, 
in Ross-shire ; Hawthorn Dean, near Edinburgh; 
about Dunkeld, in Stormont; common in Aberdeen¬ 
shire, Forfarshire, and Perthshire. 
In Ireland, at Connamara, Killarney, Mourne Moun¬ 
tains, Mam Turk, Tullamore Park, Turk Mountain, and 
other mountain districts. 
No. CCCCXXX. Vol. XVII. 
