110 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
sweeps by a winding path down towards the vale 
of Fingle Bridge. We have to descend the 
densely-wooded side of a hill, and the path along 
nearly the whole way is overhung by trees. If 
we peer under the dense wooded cover that ex¬ 
tends on either side of the path, we may well 
admire the splendid growth of the Ferns that 
revel in the humid shelter of the greenwood. 
Following the downward course of the steep 
path, a clearance in the trees and a jutting point 
of the hill suddenly give the opportunity for a 
sight which is sublimely beautiful. We stand at a 
height far above the vale of Fingle Bridge. From 
our feet, down to the extreme point of the narrow 
valley, sweeps a dense mass of trees, gracefully 
curving round to the left, until it is almost met 
by the lofty wood-covered hill that rears its head 
boldly against the sky on the opposite side of the 
valley. We have said that the wood-covered hills 
almost meet. Their bases interlace; but a clear 
space intervenes between their tops, giving a 
marvellous combination of varying moorland 
scenery in the vista between. Hills—some densely 
wooded, others bare and wild—interlace their 
